Vegan Mushroom Meatballs
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.
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
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!
Video
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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.