Vegan Mushroom Meatballs

What to expect?

The star of this vegan meatball recipe is common button mushrooms. You can use other types. Start with whatever you have on hand or find in your local store. Different mushrooms have subtle differences in taste and texture, you can mix and match different kinds, like oyster mushrooms or shiitake, so that the flavors can bring your meatballs up a notch.

If you make our vegan mushroom meatballs recipe, this is what you will get:

• They will be crispy on the outside but juicy, moist on the inside.
• These mushroom balls will be aromatic and flavorful due to the combination of green herbs and spices.
• They are easy to prepare with only a handful of simple ingredients.
• They are also perfect for batch cooking since these meatballs are freezer-friendly.

Ingredients

So what is in our vegan mushroom meatballs recipe that makes them so delicious?

• Button mushrooms → You can also find them under cremini, crimini, small portobello, baby bella, Italian brown, champignon, or chestnut mushroom. They are practically the same both in taste and texture.
• Chopped walnuts or walnut meal → You can use pecans instead.
• Cooked rice or leftover rice
• Onion
• Garlic
• Starch → Only a bit to ensure the balls have a crispy crust after baking and hold together firmly.
• Basil → We used ground, dried basil.
• Oregano → We used ground, dried oregano.
• Cumin
• Soy sauce → use tamari for gluten-free
• Nutritional yeast
• Smoked sweet paprika powder
• Salt and black pepper

? You can find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Instructions

Preparing the ingredients

• Peel and finely chop the onion and the garlic.
• Chop walnuts into a coarse meal texture using a food processor, or use ground walnut.
• Cook the rice according to package instructions, or use leftover rice.
• Gently clean the mushrooms with a damp paper towel or clean kitchen cloth. We rarely peel them, but sometimes cut off the stem if they feel too dry or stiff. Then slice them. 

Pan-frying mushrooms

1. Cook onion and garlic in olive oil until soft and glassy.

2. When they are ready, add sliced mushrooms. Stir.

3. Add the seasoning: salt, black pepper, ground basil, ground oregano, and cumin.

4. Stir and cook mushrooms over medium-high heat until they are soft and have shrunk. Cook off any liquid.

Making vegan mushroom meatballs

5. Take a food processor and add the sautéed mushrooms (don’t add them too hot since not all equipment can handle high heat), walnut meal, nutritional yeast, smoked sweet paprika powder, soy sauce, and cooked, drained rice. 

6. Pulse it a couple of times, but don’t over-blend them. You still need to be able to see all ingredients in chunks. 

7. Transfer it to a large bowl and check whether you can form a ball from the mushroom mixture. It should be soft and may stick to your hands a bit. However, if it is too sticky, add the starch. 

8. When the mixture consistency is perfect, take 2 Tablespoons from it and form the balls. 

9. Bake your vegan mushroom meatballs in a preheated oven of 350 Fahrenheit (ca. 177 °C) for 20-30 minutes, or until they have a crispy crust. We prefer using a baking tray with parchment paper over a silicone baking sheet. See the below photo showing the mushroom balls right out of the oven. They look perfect, right?

Alternatively, you can shallow fry them in a large skillet over medium heat using heat-resistant oil, like sunflower or coconut oil. Fry them on all sides by frequently turning them. If you don’t overcrowd the pan, it should take approximately 10 minutes to prepare the first batch.

Cooking tips

• Immersion blender or food processor –  It can be tricky to get the right consistency with an immersion or hand blender, especially if you have whole walnuts. 
• Size matters – Baking time depends on the size of the meatballs you make. The smaller they are, the shorted time they will need.
• Balls or patties – You can make burger-shaped mushroom patties; the mixture will hold them together.

Variations

We also tested this recipe with oats, but we did not like them with mushrooms. So we opted for white cooked rice (same as in our vegan chickpea meatballs recipe). They have the perfect texture to make any meatballs soft on the inside without compromising on crispiness. Rice also manages to complement rather than overpower the mushroom and the seasoning. Oats work great in our vegan eggplant meatballs recipe.

Serving ideas

In the photos, we served them this fantastic caramelized carrot pasta sauce that perfectly complements these mushroom balls. If you need ideas, let us give you some recipes for what to do with them.

• Pasta: Drop them into our homemade marinara sauce and make spaghetti with “meatballs”. You can even pop it in the oven and top it with lots of grated parmesan cheese to turn it into a pasta bake or casserole. Check out our roundup of vegan pasta recipes for even more pasta ideas.
• With veggies: You can make a complete meal serving them with vegan mashed potatoes to the side, your favorite fried rice, or any combination of roasted veggies (roasted asparagus, mushroom, root veggies).
• Sandwich: Make a vegan meatball sub with vegan marinara sauce. 
• Appetizer: Put them on a stick or skewer, and add a dip (like vegan BBQ sauce). 
• Drop them in your vegan mac and cheese. So yummy!
• Replace vegan falafel with these mushroom balls to make a delicious falafel sandwich with maple tahini dressing.
• Add them to your vegan shakshuka to make it more filling. 
• Can it be a delicious pizza topping? Why not? 

Storing tips

You can keep it in the fridge for 4-5 days without any problem. We recommend storing the vegan mushroom meatballs alone and with any sauce.

We recommend freezing after frying/baking, not as an uncooked mixture, as it may become too moist when thawed. Freeze the balls separately per serving.

Take as many vegan mushroom meatballs as you need and pop them back in the oven. Alternatively, warm them up in a frying pan to return their crispy crust. If you use a microwave, the balls will not be rather dry.

FAQs

Vegan Mushroom Meatballs

Nandi Barta

These aromatic, rich, and flavorful mushroom meatballs are easy to prepare. The spices will highlight the mushrooms, and the cooked rice will keep them moist. You will create a truly unforgettable vegan or vegetarian meal, or wonder why you are not making these more often.

4.8 from 9 votes

Print Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Baking time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Main Course

Servings 20 balls

Calories 44kcal

Equipment

• Food processor
• Immersion hand blender with 20 fl oz container
• Non-stick baking sheet
• Regular parchment paper

Ingredients

  

To precook mushrooms

• 1 Tbsp Olive oil
• 1 Onion (small)
• 3 cloves Garlic
• 11 oz Button mushrooms
• 1 tsp Basil dried
• 1 tsp Oregano dried
• ½ tsp Ground cumin seeds
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Mushroom meatball mixture

• ¼ cup Walnut meal or 1 cup Walnut halves chopped finely
• ½ cup Rice (cooked) measured as cooked
• 1 Tbsp Nutritional yeast
• ½ tsp Sweet smoked paprika powder
• 1 + ½ tsp Soy sauce or tamari
• 2 Tbsp Corn starch or more (depending on the moisture of the mushrooms)

Choose your pasta sauce

• Healthy Vegan Marinara Sauce
• Caramelized Carrot Sauce pictured
• Vegan Mac and Cheese Sauce
• Vegan Cashew Alfredo Sauce

Instructions

 

Prepare the ingredients

• Peel and finely chop the onion and the garlic.
• Chop walnuts into a coarse meal using a food processor if you don’t have any walnut meal in your pantry.
• Cook the rice according to package instructions, or use leftover rice.
• Gently clean the mushrooms with a paper towel or clean kitchen cloth. We almost never peel them, but sometimes cut off the stem if they feel too dry or stiff. Then slice them.

Pan-frying the mushrooms

• Cook onion and garlic in olive oil until soft and glassy. 
• When they are ready, add sliced mushrooms.
• Add the seasoning: salt, black pepper, ground basil, ground oregano, and cumin. Stir and cook until mushrooms are soft and have shrunk.

Making the mixture

• Take a food processor and add sautéed mushrooms, walnut meal, nutritional yeast, smoked sweet paprika powder, soy sauce, and cooked drained rice. Pulse the mix gently. Don’t purée it! You need some chunks and bits for a better texture. Depending on the size of your container, work in batches.
• Transfer it to a large bowl and check whether you can form a ball from the mushroom mixture. It should be soft and may stick to your hands a bit. However, if it is too sticky, add the starch.

Baking or frying

• Now you are ready to form the mushroom meatballs. Take 2 Tablespoons of the mixture and form the balls with your hands.
• Take a baking tray with parchment paper and bake them at 350 Fahrenheit (ca. 177 °C) for 20-30 minutes until they get a crispy crust. Turn them over at half-time. 
• Alternatively, take a frying pan or large skillet and heat it over medium heat. Add a bit of coconut oil. Fry them for a couple of minutes on each side to give them a nice brown color. 
• Serving suggestions above the recipe card!

Notes

Top tips

• Immersion blender or food processor – It can be tricky to get the right consistency with an immersion or hand blender, especially if you have whole walnuts. 
• Size matters – Baking time depends on the size of the meatballs you make. The smaller they are, the shorted time they will need.

UPDATED: This recipe was originally posted in Dec 2020. More tips, info, and details were added, and it was republished in Feb 2023.