The Best Vegan Tofu Meatballs

These vegan tofu meatballs are the perfect hearty, satisfying and quick dinner to whip up. Made with staple ingredients and in just one bowl, this really is the best vegan meatball recipe you’ll ever have. 

Seriously, who says that meatballs are impossible to make without meat? Because these vegan meatballs with tofu are just as good as the real deal  – maybe even better. They’re meaty and rich on the inside, perfectly crisp outside and super juicy just like any traditional meatball would be. Even better, this recipe for vegan meatballs uses walnuts, breadcrumbs, tofu, spices and other pantry staples. So you’ll always be able whip these up whenever the craving for spaghetti hits! 

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List of Ingredients 

How to Make these Vegan Tofu Meatballs 

Can I Meal Prep These Vegan Meatballs?

FAQ’s

Ingredients for the Best Vegan Meatballs Ever! 

I’ll leave the full list of ingredients for this vegan meatball recipe here, along with substitutions for certain ingredients and what you can use instead! The full recipe with measurements can be found in the recipe card below. 

• Tofu: Is the main ingredient for these vegan meatballs and helps replace the protein and meaty texture that beef would traditionally give. 
• Walnuts: Help give the meatballs a chewy yet fluffy texture similar to ground beef. Plus, they add in healthy fats and make these meatballs super juicy! 
• Breadcrumbs: serve to bind the meatballs together, similar to what an egg would do in traditional meatballs. Plus, the breadcrumbs makes these vegan tofu meatballs fluffy, chewy and crisp. 
• Arrowroot Starch: similar to cornstarch, arrowroot starch helps bind the meatballs together and provide a nice crispy texture on the outside. 
• Nutritional Yeast: add in a wonderful cheesy and umami flavor. Not to mention tons of nutrients! 
• Liquid Amino Acids: add in tons of flavor and that “meaty” umami flavor that helps replicate beef. I know it might seem strange to add a traditionally Asian ingredient into meatballs, but it helps enormously with flavor and texture. 
• Spices: because any good meatball should be heavily, and I mean, heavily spiced! 

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How to Make these Vegan Tofu Meatballs

• Begin by preheating the oven to 450°F and lining a large cookie or baking sheet with parchment paper. 
• Take the tofu, gently squeeze as much from it as you can. I like to set it on a towel, wrap the tofu block in the towel and then press down on the tofu. This helps squeeze out tons of water and the towel absorbs the excess water! Once the tofu is squeezed, add it into a large bowl. Break up the tofu using your hands, crumbling it until there are super small pieces left. Then, add in the finely chopped walnuts and breadcrumbs. Using your hands or a spatula, mix the ingredients together – gently! 
• Once you’ve mixed the breadcrumbs, walnuts and tofu it’s time to add in the rest of the spices and ingredients. Sprinkle in the nutritional yeast, arrowroot starch, liquid amino acids and all of the spices. Mix the vegan meatball mixture again, using your hands or a spatula. I find that my hands work better to ensure that all of the ingredients are mixed together well. 
• Once mixed, it’s time to shape the meatballs. Using about 2-3 tbsp of the mixture, depending on how big you’d like your meatballs, shape the mixture into a ball. Pressing, squeezing and rolling to shape them into a round ball shape. Place on the parchment lined baking tray and repeat with the rest. 
• Spray the meatballs with cooking spray and then pop them in the middle rack of the oven to bake for 40 minutes. They should have darkened in color and be turning crisp on the tops. Let the meatballs cool for 5 minutes and then enjoy with some spaghetti and red sauce! 

If you ever find yourself lost or stuck while making this recipe, feel free to shoot me a DM on Instagram, I’ll get back ASAP and walk you through! 

Can I Meal Prep these Vegan Tofu Meatballs? 

You can absolutely meal-prep these meatballs – they are almost made for it! Simply bake the whole batch up and then store them in a glass container in the fridge. Then, whenever you’re craving a meatball (or four;)) you can heat them up in the oven for 10 minutes covered with a foil. Makes the perfect pop-and-go lunch or dinner. 

FAQ’s 

• How do you keep vegan meatballs from falling apart? To keep vegan meatballs from falling apart, it’s best to use a mixture of “binder” that will replace the egg. Such as breadcrumbs, arrowroot starch and even tofu which also helps bind everything together. 
• Can you substitute almond flour for breadcrumbs in meatballs? You can substitute almond flour instead of breadcrumbs, however, you won’t have the same fluffy texture inside or crisp outside, since almond flour is more dense and doesn’t crisp up as nicely. 
• What is a good gluten free substitute for breadcrumbs? There are an array of options that many people like to use, like crushing up chips, almonds flour, toasted nuts etc. However, I highly recommend making your own breadcrumbs using GF bread. Simply pop 4 slices of the GF bread in the toaster and let it toast until super golden-brown and just beginning to blacken. The bread should feel very dry. Then, pop the toast into a blender or food processor and blend until it has a super fine breadcrumb consistency to it. That’s all there is to it!  
• How do you make meatballs without meat? While many people like using lentils, beans and quinoa to make meatballs, I find that these ingredients don’t deliver on the best “meaty” texture. Instead, I like using tofu and walnuts to replicate the meaty texture and give these vegan tofu meatballs the same fluffiness and crisp that traditional meatballs have. 
• What are vegan meatballs made of? As I stated above, you can make meatballs out of an array of plant foods, like beans, lentils, tofu, walnuts or even a vegan meat-alternative. However, I find that the healthiest and meatiest meatballs are made from using a mixture of tofu and walnuts.

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If you make these meatballs, don’t forget to snap a pic and tag me on Instagram @munchingwithmariyah I love seeing your recreations.

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