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5 Ingredient Vegan Vegetarian Meatballs

Dec 20, 2017 · 18 Comments

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If you’re looking for a meatless appetizer recipe, these 5 ingredient vegan vegetarian tofu “meatballs” are calling your name!

Vegan vegetarian meatballs on white plate this image

I don’t know about you, but when I think of the quintessential party appetizer, I’m looking for something that is:

  • Easy to eat
  • Can be eaten with one hand (the other hand is more than likely holding a cocktail)
  • Tasty!

Ingredients used to make vegan vegetarian meatballs

Well, these 5 ingredient vegan vegetarian “meatballs” are all those things and more.

Scoop of vegan vegetarian meatball mixture

Made with my favorite tofu brand: Nasoya tofu, these meatballs are so easy to make, and are so delicious.

When I say easy, I mean eeeeeeasy! All you do is use a food processor to blend silken tofu, Italian seasoned breadcrumbs, garlic salt and a dash of vegan Worcestershire sauce together, and then cook them in a little bit of olive oil, and viola – 5 ingredient meatless meatballs (that happen to be vegan! You can also make them gluten-free by using GF breadcrumbs!)

Vegan vegetarian meatballs in a skillet

I’m all about using tofu as a form of protein (as you know from some of my recipes like this one pot dumpling stir fry or these Japanese pan noodles). On top of providing many health benefits (like being an excellent source of amino acids, iron, calcium and other micro-nutrients) tofu has a neutral flavor, so it has an awesome ability to take on all sorts of different flavors.

Cooked meatballs with dipping sauce on white plate

Many times, you’ll see silken tofu used in recipes like faux puddings or added into smoothies, it is fantastic when used to make meatballs. It gives these vegetarian meatballs a light and fluffy texture.

Vegetarian meatball on toothpick dipped in sauce

Dip these vegan vegetarian meatballs in some marinara or bbq sauce and watch your guests dig in!

If you’re looking some other vegan recipes you might enjoy:

  • 5 Ingredient vegan mac and ‘cheese’
  • Gluten free vegan chocolate chip cookies that actually taste good
  • Vegan oil and vinegar potato salad
  • Gluten free vegan breakfast cookies
  • Vegan red lentil chili

5 Ingredient Vegan Vegetarian Meatballs

If you’re looking for a meatless appetizer recipe, these 5 ingredient vegan vegetarian tofu “meatballs” are calling your name!
4.59 from 12 votes
Print Rate
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 13 minutes
Servings: 24 -30 meatballs

Ingredients

  • 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • [1 package Nasoya silken tofu]
  • 1 ¼ cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs gluten free Italian seasoned breadcrumbs can be used
  • [1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce like this]
  • ½ teaspoon garlic salt

Instructions

  • In a nonstick pan add 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.
  • Open tofu package and drain excess water.
  • Place tofu, Italian seasoned bread crumbs, Worcestershire sauce and garlic salt in a food processor (or high speed blender). Process until well combined (about 1 minute.) Scrape sides down with a spatula and process for a few more seconds.
  • Using a cookie scoop or your hands, form 1 ½ tablespoon size balls and place in a frying pan. Turn heat to high, cook each side of the meatball until golden brown (about 2 minutes per side, 4 sides, so about 6-8 minutes).
  • Remove from heat, serve.
  • These also bake really well (they firm up a little more when they bake.) To bake them, line a baking sheet with parchment paper, place meatballs onto parchment paper lined tray and drizzle with a little olive oil. Bake for 20 minutes at 350.

Notes

Regular Worcestershire sauce is not vegan, they sell vegan/gf Worcestershire sauce at organic grocery stores or on Amazon - like this one.

Nutrition

Serving: 1meatball | Calories: 35kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 124mg

This post is brought to you by my partnership with Nasoya. As always, all thoughts and opinions are mine alone. Thank you for supporting the brands that make the SweetPhi blog possible. 

Healthy and delicious tofu meatballs

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Appetizers/Sides, Blog Posts, Five Ingredient Fridays, Healthy, Recipes, Vegetarian 5 ingredient vegetarian meatballs recipe, silken tofu meatballs, silken tofu recipe, tofu, tofu meatballs, vegan, vegetarian vegan gluten free meatballs

Reader Recreations

Reader Recreation – 5 Ingredient Vegan Vegetarian Meatballs

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Susan L Craig says

    October 27, 2019 at 6:22 am

    I have been experimenting with more plant-based meals. This is one I will be sure to try.

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      November 3, 2019 at 7:56 pm

      Can’t wait to hear how you like it- many people (including my family) totally loves these!

      Reply
  2. Jolene says

    May 31, 2019 at 5:23 pm

    I made these tonight. I and our four children LOVED them! I baked them, so as to eliminate oil. The mixture was VERY runny, even after I nearly doubled the bread crumbs. They were more like flat discs than balls. I added lots of Italian seasonings, and served them over rice with marinara.

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      June 1, 2019 at 5:22 am

      I’m so happy you guys loved them, thank you for coming back to comment! I think I know what may have happened- sometimes if I don’t drain the water off the tofu enough, they can get sticky because of the extra moisture! You could try to use a more firmer tofu and drain the water and then press it with paper towels next time!

      Reply
      • Cynthia Erbentraut says

        August 11, 2019 at 11:12 am

        I generally use firm tofu and press it or squeeze out the water with cheesecloth. This is a regular dish on our weekly menu;delicious and nutritious. I also use organic oats that I have turned into flour and whole wheat panko bread crumbs. I also add nutritional yeast for a boost of protein,onions and garlic. These are really delicious

        Reply
        • Sweetphi says

          August 13, 2019 at 11:16 am

          Oh I’m so happy to hear how much you like these and how you’ve made them your own – the additions/variations sound amazing!!

          Reply
  3. crystal says

    April 12, 2019 at 11:14 am

    how do these freeze?

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      April 15, 2019 at 3:09 pm

      I’ve never tried freezing them, but I think they’d freeze very well, then reheat in the toaster oven or regular oven. I’d love to hear how it goes if you try it!

      Reply
  4. Jo says

    December 30, 2018 at 12:44 pm

    Worcester sauce isn’t vegan…

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      December 30, 2018 at 2:10 pm

      I know… did you read the recipe? It’s calling for vegan Worcestershire sauce, which can be purchased at your local organic grocery store.

      Reply
  5. Stephanie says

    February 4, 2018 at 5:47 pm

    This looks like it would be something I would like to try. I am nowhere near vegan but I would still to experiment with new recipes. I’m doing low carb and found recipes for low carb Italian breadcrumbs made with almond flour and seasonings. When I make this recipe I will let you know how it turns out!

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      February 7, 2018 at 11:21 am

      Hahah, I too am nowhere near vegan, but I love trying different recipes. These would be awesome with those modifications you mentioned I think, I’d love to know how they turn out for you!

      Reply
    • Amelia says

      April 28, 2019 at 5:58 pm

      So, this is a while later, but do you recall how it came out with the almond flour bread crumbs? If they turned out well, do you have the recipe for the substitute bread crumbs?

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Making Super Bowl Sunday More Super says:
    January 29, 2021 at 1:22 pm

    […] Vegan Vegetarian Meatballs: So listen, I get it, not everyone is a fan of tofu but I beg you … don’t knock it until you have tried it.  For so long I snubbed my nose at it but one day caved and have been hooked ever since.  One of my favorite recipes are these meatballs.  Definitely worth the try!  I bet if you never told your guests they were made from tofu, they would never know.  View Recipe Here […]

    Reply
  2. The Whole Bowl - Tali Sauce Recipe {naturally Gluten Free} - Sweetphi says:
    January 7, 2020 at 3:57 pm

    […] 5 Ingredient Vegan Vegetarian Meatballs  […]

    Reply
  3. Chickpea and Zucchini Veggie Burgers - Sweetphi says:
    December 28, 2019 at 11:38 am

    […] 5 Ingredient Vegan Vegetarian Meatballs […]

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  4. Balsamic Mushrooms over Arugula and Cheesy Polenta - Sweetphi says:
    December 23, 2019 at 5:05 pm

    […] 5 Ingredient Vegan Vegetarian Meatballs  […]

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  5. Vegetarian Sheet Pan Dinner (Mexican Kale Salad) - Sweetphi says:
    December 9, 2019 at 9:03 am

    […] 5 Ingredient Vegan Vegetarian Meatballs […]

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