I kind of have a thing for Italian food. It’s kind of like the thing I have for Mexican food, Thai food and all things margarita.
But sometimes, nothing quite satisfies like a classic, hearty Italian dish, and this meatball recipe is exactly that (you know, minus the meat, eggs, and cheese).
These meatballs are inspired by my Sun-dried Tomato and Basil Pinwheels and adapted from my Simple Vegan Meatballs.
Having already tried a vegan meatball with tempeh, I wanted to try something a bit more approachable for everyone, so I went with chickpeas. Spoiler alert? I prefer them even more!
And, as always, this recipe is simple, requiring just 10 ingredients, simple methods, and less than 1 hour to prepare.
Once you form the meatballs, it’s just a matter of coating, sautéing and finishing them off in the oven while you prepare any desired sides, such as pasta, red sauce or salad. It’s about as simple as it gets.
The finished result is amazing! These meatballs are:
Hearty
Savory
Extremely flavorful
Tender on the inside
Slightly crisp on the outside
Infused with sun-dried tomato & basil
& Simply delicious
Make these to enjoy as an appetizer with a bit of marinara sauce, or to pair with your favorite pasta. I prefer mine atop spaghetti noodles and a classic red sauce with all of the vegan parmesan cheese.
If you like this recipe, you should also check out our Vegan Eggplant Parmesan, Eggplant Lasagna Roll-ups, and Vegan Stuffed Shells!
If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment and rate it, and don’t forget to take a picture and tag it #minimalistbaker on Instagram so we can see! Your photos always make our day. Cheers, friends!
Vegan Sun-Dried Tomato & Basil Meatballs
Ingredients
CHICKPEA MEATBALLS
- 1 Tbsp flaxseed meal (to make flax eggs)
- 2 ½ Tbsp water (to make flax eggs)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil (divided // plus more for sautéing)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs (gluten-free for GF eaters)
- 1/3 cup loosely packed fresh basil (chopped)
- 1/3 cup loosely packed chopped sun-dried tomatoes (dry, not in oil)
- 1/3 cup vegan parmesan cheese (plus more for topping)
- 1 pinch each sea salt and red pepper flakes (plus more to taste)
- 1 Tbsp dried oregano (optional // or 2 Tbsp freshly chopped oregano per 1 Tbsp dried)
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas* (drained, rinsed and dried)
FOR COATING
- 2 Tbsp vegan parmesan cheese
- 3 Tbsp panko bread crumbs (gluten-free for GF eaters)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C) and prepare flax egg in your food processor or high speed blender.
- Heat a large metal or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add half of the olive oil (1 Tbsp or 15 ml as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size) and minced garlic. Sauté until slightly browned, stirring often – about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly, then add to food processor or blender with flax egg.
- Next add panko bread crumbs, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, vegan parmesan cheese, salt + red pepper flakes, dried oregano, and 1 Tbsp olive oil (15 ml). Pulse/blend until small bits remain, scraping down sides as needed.
- Next add rinsed/dried chickpeas (see notes for tempeh) and blend/pulse until a moldable “dough” is formed, scraping down sides as needed. You don’t want the chickpeas to turn into a paste, but you also don’t want any left whole.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. I added a bit more basil, salt, and panko bread crumbs.
- Scoop out rounded 1 Tbsp amounts of dough (I used this 1.5 Tbsp scoop from Amazon) and gently form/roll into balls – about 15 total (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size). Then roll in additional vegan parmesan cheese-panko bread crumb mixture to coat (see photo).
- Heat the same skillet you used earlier over medium heat. Once hot, add enough olive oil to form a thin layer on the bottom of the skillet (~2 Tbsp | 30 ml), then add meatballs in two batches, as to not crowd the pan. Add more oil as needed.
- Brown for about 5 minutes total, shaking the pan to roll them around to brown all sides. Turn down heat slightly if browning too quickly.
- Add sautéed meatballs to a bare baking sheet and transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes.
- At this time, prep any pasta you want to serve with your meatballs, as well as your favorite marinara sauce (I love this sauce, warmed up in a saucepan).
- Once meatballs are golden brown and fairly firm to the touch, remove from oven. Let cool briefly before serving. They will firm up the longer they cool.
- To serve, top cooked pasta with marinara sauce and desired number of meatballs. Top with another sprinkle of vegan parmesan cheese and fresh basil (optional).
- Leftover meatballs will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, though best when fresh. Reheat in a 350 degree F oven until warmed through, or in the microwave.
- To freeze, sauté meatballs as instructed, then transfer to a baking sheet and freeze until completely firm. Then transfer to a freezer safe bag or airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 1 month. Reheat in a 350-degree F (176 C) oven until completely warmed through.
Notes
*Instead of using chickpeas, you can substitute tempeh, though it does impart a slightly bitter flavor. To prepare, slice your 8-ounce (227 g) tempeh block into quarter-inch slices and place in a small saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover. Steam/simmer for 10 minutes, then drain and pat dry. Proceed through recipe as instructed, adding the tempeh where I list adding the chickpeas. (Tempeh method adapted from The Kitchn.)
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without extra sides or toppings.
Neri says
I love sun-dried tomatoes. I only had tomatoes in oil but it worked just the same.
Laura says
I see a few people here have asked what can be substituted for the breadcrumbs. Im GF and would love to try these without breadcrumbs. Is that possible?
Thanks
Hi Laura! You could give it a try (I have not tried it without them) but report back on how it goes! Additionally, you could try making your own GF bread crumbs? Good luck!
Amy Fox says
Oh these look amazing! I’ve been looking for things to try with less meat and this is perfect!
Laurie says
Hi Dana. I have a bag of chickpea flour sitting in my cupboard. Do you think I could make the meatballs with chickpea flour? And if is possible how much liquid do you think I would need to add? Thanks.
Hi Laurie! Hmm I am not totally sure! If you do try it though, please let me know how it goes! Good luck! :D
lelia says
I made these for dinner last night and they were very good! I substituted the sautéed garlic for roasted garlic I made in the oven.
Jess says
So full of flavor! My two toddlers even loved these, that’s a major win around here! :D
stephanie says
I made these w/o the sun dried tomatoes and made the parm with walnuts. This turned out exceptional. The taste is what I’ve been looking for in a hamburger which I will try next time. The meatballs took awhile to brown on all sides which is the only part I didn’t like. Another bravo recipe.
stephanie says
These balls sound very tasty!
But I do not like dried tomato that much, any tips for a substitute?
x
Asia says
This is one of the best things I have made recently! And so easy to make. Thank you!
Jen says
I made these for dinner tonight. It seems like every time I try a new meatless ball recipe, it is even better then the last one I tried. These are delicious! We made meatball subs, with tons of veggies, and tomato sauce. Two very enthusiast thumbs up! :-)
Malory says
After craving these for some time now I finally made them tonight and I have to say they were even better than I expected! We made “meatball” subs with the vegan parm cheese and everything was delicious! Even the kids, 5 and 7yrs old both devoured them! We are a newly transitioned vegan family and thankful for awesome recipes like this one!
Sarah says
What is a good wheat free substitute for panko? My little guy has a wheat allergy. I’ve tried oat in the past but it was…how you say…not good. Thank you so much. My husband and I are turning our family towards a more plant based diet and I am hoping this can be a good switch from our regular turkey meatballs.
Aishath says
Those vegan meatballs look so tempting! I am hungry now!
Anna says
These are amazing! The best vegan balls I’ve ever had! :) I didn’t have vegan parmesan so I simply replaced it 1:1 with nooch instead (and added a little extra oil). I will definitely save this recipe and use it to convert meat-eaters :)
Madeline says
Holy damn these are amazing.
Jamie says
I thought I invented chickpea panko meatballs three weeks ago! I guess you beat me to it.
Jaci says
These look great! When cooking after freezing do you thaw them first or pop them in the oven right out of the freezer?
Steve Bibeau says
Made these tonight. The flavor was awesome but I didn’t quite get the texture right. A bit grainy and and they crumbled quite a bit, it felt like I was just a hair off from getting it right. I will defintley try again and I’m wondering a few things
1. I removed the skin from the chickpeas… I wonder if this was a mistake
2. Maybe adding more breadcrumbs?
Any advice would be much appreciated, I absolutely loved the flavor
Steve Bibeau says
Reading other comments… maybe I didn’t run the food processor long enough
Beth says
I can’t wait to try these this week in my Meatless Meatball Subs! In the past I’ve just eaten sauteed mushrooms because i don’t care for the store-bought veggie meatballs. I’ll let you know how it goes!
Melony says
I love all your recipes!!!!!
Ever since my family went vegan, your recipes have been a staple for all our meals!!!
Thank you so much for providing these recipes, everything always turns out perfectly!!!!!
Quick question, I want to try this recipe and I have everything…. Except panko breadcrumbs… Will regular breadcrumbs work as a replacement?
Jenn says
I tried these last night and THEY WERE INSANELY AWESOME! I swear, EVERY recipe I’ve tried from your site has been a hit!
Lisa says
These are fabulous, as well as the previous recipe made with tempeh. They are on regular rotation at our house.
Sharon says
LOVED THESE! Went vegan only a month ago, and while I wasn’t expecting these to taste like meat, they actually kind of did!! They’re absolutely delicious.
Leaf says
YUMMMM! I was ever so hopeful that my kids would like felafel- I thawed some frozen ones and got some from the salad bar at whole foods for a taste test last month: no dice, many tears. Fast forward to today’s meatballs which were, OF COURSE, loads better than frozen felafel, but with similar ingredients and execution: cheers all around! 8, 6, and 3 year old devoured their “meatball subs”. Thank you for the recipe!
Megan says
These look delicious!!! I am not vegan would it work if I use a normal egg instead of the flax egg??
Sarah says
These were very good, and quite easy to make. I did a double batch and I’m going to freeze several. They will be a great item to put with a lunch salad for some quick and easy protein. Loving your site!
Dave says
This recipe is perfect and we get a lot of requests to make them again! I recommend more of your recipes than anyone else, by far, so thank you so much!
15 minutes prep time – I wish I had those skills! It was a lot more for me.
For step 1, can you point out the vegan parmesan should be already made? Following your steps, I had ingredients in the food processor when I got to the need for vegan parmesan. I should always read ahead, but sometimes I do not have my composure or focus in the kitchen!
Yamini says
Over here in India you don’t get canned chickpeas (and I was too lazy to prep from scratch) or tempeh, so in place of that I used pressed tofu. It was absolutely delicious!
Due to the change, my meatballs became a tad dry, even though they were baked below the time recommended in the recipe. Still wonderful, though.
The only change I’d say I’d that it most definitely didn’t take fifteen minutes to prep. More like fourty five. Perhaps it’s because I had a blender instead of a food processor but still – a long time.
Glad you were able to make it work! Thanks for sharing, Yamini! Beautiful name, by the way!
Yamini says
Aah! I feel like such a superstar because you replied. *flips hair*
Thank you :)
Dana is a pretty name as well :3
Elizabeth says
Hi Dana! These looks super good and I would like to try them tonight. I had a question, instead of heating the meatballs on the stove, could you just bake them in the oven for a bit longer period of time? Just wondering.
Thank you! Love your website :-)
Susan says
I made these for vegan Christmas dinner for our dog welfare group. They were a huge hit and almost everyone asked for a recipe. I am making them again today for a friend who is sick. Fabulous and easy!
Mollie says
I’m not sure if I did something wrong but I didn’t fall in love with the taste of these. My boyfriend and I are currently transitioning into veganism so vegan cheese was a first for us. I think that next time I would probably omit the parmesan as I think that may have been the flavour that put us off a little bit. Excited to try lots more of your recipes!
Grace says
loooove these – so yummy and love that they freeze so well, so I can freeze any extras for a really quick dinner another day!! I use about 10g of fresh basil rather than 20g, and a chicken egg rather than flax :)
Megan says
Yay answered my question for me thank you ?
Kiran says
Made this earlier today for lunch! I’m not vegan and was originally going to use regular Parmesan, but decided to go the whole nine yards and make your vegan Parmesan cheeze! While the meatballs are not meaty in taste, they are certainly just as hearty as meat meatballs.
Will definitely make this again! Next time, I’ll add some more spices and crisp them up more on the skillet; they were a bit mushier than I would have liked, but that could also be an error on my part from when I was blending the batter.
MPaula says
Have you heard of the aebelskiver pan? It is a cast iron skillet with 7 “holes” like rounded mini-muffin cups to be used on the stove top. This recipe is now on my Easter menu. I will let you know how they turn out.
I have some yummy pesto that I make go further by mixing in mashed avocado (also adding good fat). With pasta, a leafy salad and a pickle tray I will have a great meal.
Tanya says
I just discovered this recipe yesterday, and made these last night. I think next time I make this mixture I will add some warm water and tahini and leave it as a dip or spread. The flavors are awesome!
Mari says
these are sooooo delicious! I didn’t read the whole instruction and just went ahead and mixed everything in the blender (I was to impatient imagining the flavour) haha so mine were too pasty. Afterwards I read that they are not supposed to be a paste lol.. I made them very small (bc of the consistency) and coat them with coconut flour and toast them… the flavor is amazing!… also, i didn’t use the flaxseed mix. Instead added the thick stock mix (stock, veggies and a lots of spices) where the chickpeas are cooked! works great as well!… Thanks for the recipe! :):):)
DanDan says
Thank you for such a great recipe. I get so excited when I find healthy food that is really tasty. I even got the ‘carnivore’ to enjoy it!
Jaime says
These sound delicious and i’m going to make this week. Could i use cornstarch as an egg replacement instead of the flaxseeds? Reason being the flaxseeds are quite costly for me at this time
DanDan says
Jaime, I bought some ready ground flax seed (I know it’s better to do it myself) at my local super market in the ‘bulk bin’ section for 98 cents / 100g. It probably cost me 50c and I had quite a bit left over.
Just a thought!
Jaime says
Thanks Dan Dan, Wegman’s has a bulk section of seeds and nuts and i will definitely look there ;)
Joy says
Just wanted to thank you, so very much for sharing this recipe! It is wonderful, the house smells heavenly just from the “meatballs”. I didn’t have panko bread crumbs on hand, but I did have Matzo Meal, and it worked just fine! Thanks again for all of your inspiring recipes! Have a very blessed day! Joy Adams
Colleen says
Hi! Thanks for this recipe – I am going to try it tomorrow. Do you think they would hold up to being submersed in simmering tomato sauce to cook? When I ate meat, that’s is how I would cook meatballs.
Sherry (BTLover2) says
This is hands down the best vegan “meatball” I have ever made (and I have made many versions). Husband also commented that they were the best ones yet! Dana does it again! Not one bad recipe in the bunch. Make these and enjoy! Thanks for the recipe, Dana!
Jo says
Meatballs were dry the first time I made them. Thought it to a fluke, perhaps something I did wrong. Since the first time I made them, I purchased a Vitamix, so I thought that this recipe would be super easy! The meatballs were still dry and had a weird flavour. Overall, with the right tomato sauce, this is an easy recipe that may please some! Thank you so much for the recipe!
Candice Parker says
This looks yummy! I can’t wait to make it for my Vegan group.
Jim says
I just don’t get the name ‘meatballs’. Should just call them chick pea balls or Vegan balls haha. :) Only reason why they would he meatballs is if there is meat, no?! Strange, but they look good.
Jen says
Made these recently… Delicious!!!! Thanks for a great recipe!
Carol Ann says
Those are the BEST meatballe I’ve ever eaten :’) It’s SOOOO savory I couldn’t believe it! I had to force myself to not just swallow everything whole! Chickpeas is magical stuff!
Pam says
Another delicious receipt. Thank you so much!
Agathi says
Hi Dana,
How can I sub the breadcrumbs with for a gluten free recipe? Coconut flour?
Katrina says
This looks so yummy! Is it really necessary to sautée the meatballs or can I just bake them?
I think you can just bake them. Just know they won’t have as crispy of edges.
Jessi says
These came out very tasty! But a little dry. I’ll have to experiment with it later to see if there’s a way to help that. :’D
Redpoint says
These came out great, and I will make them again, thanks! I used sundried tomatoes in oil, and a bit more than the recipe called for, and I had no problem. I wonder why you specified only dry sundried tomatoes. Just so you wouldn’t eat extra oil?
Jasmyn says
This recipe is absolutely AMAZING! I made this with your homemade tomato sauce as well and it came out so good. Could not even tell that those were “vegan balls” and not meatballs. Definitely a recipe I will come back to time and time again.
Heidi says
Absolutely loved this recipe! Yummmmmm.My meat eating fiancee helped me make it and loved it.Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe.
Amy says
This dish looks stunning! I think I have everything at home already to make this :) #winning :P I love sun dried tomato anything really…
also, I’m the girl who was having issues with the browser a few weeks back. I guess the probkem sorted itself out, everything is back to normal now! yay! Not sure what went on there haha
Ah, thanks Amy! Glad it worked out!
Brigette says
Hi there,
When you say chickpeas – rinsed etc. and dried – do you mean dried in the oven until their sort of crispy, or just dried briefly with a tea towel?
Looking forward to making these for dinner soon :)
Thanks,
Brigette
Oh, great question! Cooked chickpeas, rinsed, and dried in a towel :D
Jaime says
Yes, that is what I used and how I prepared them, also I placed on a baking sheet in a 250 -300 degree oven and let bake until a little brown. then I turned off the oven and let sit for an hour. They processed to flour consistency just perfect!
Rachael says
I made this recipe last night- it came out so delicious! The meatballs had great texture, and the flavor was perfect! Even my carnivore boyfriend loved them!
Such great news! Thanks for sharing, Rachael!
Jill Galante says
I wanted to use up the ingredients I had? Rennet free parm is not vegetarian? I had no idea. Thanks!
Jill says
Hello,
I love making veggie meatballs, do you think it would work if I used one of our chicken’s eggs and regular parm? Thank you so much!
kayla says
Why not just make the recipe as is? It works with these ingredients so if you experiment with non-vegan ingredients, that’s up to you, just don’t see why you would feel the need to add animal products to these, they’re delicious and perfect as is! :) (parmesan isn’t even vegetarian, by the way)
Yes! I do! Let me know how it goes!
Milla says
These were so incredibly delicious! This is definitely one of my favorite recipes ever and even my non-vegan husband couldn’t stop eating them. Thank you for this recipe :)
Victoria says
I’m obsessed. These are incredible! Just made my second batch. I actually stored mine in the freezer and they reheated just fine. Thank you for another tasty recipe!
Yay! Thanks for sharing, Victoria!
morgan says
Just made these last night! Although my blender wasn’t able to handle mashing the mix so well so the meatballs were quite crumbly, so in response I said, what the heck, and kind of mashed them up into the pasta. What resulted was THE MOST INCREDIBLE VEGAN BOLOGNESE EVER. So so so happy!
haha yay! Glad it still worked out! Thanks for sharing, Morgan!
Molly says
Thank you for this recipe!! I made this today and I didn’t sautee the gralic before, nor did I put the meatballs on the skillet. I baked them and they turned out DELICIOUS! A great way to spice up my typical use of chickpeas.
So great! thanks for sharing, Molly!
Greta Blenkinsop says
Made these for dinner tonight and everyone loves them! So far I have made 4 of your dishes in 3 days and have loved everyone of them! Thanks so much for posting, definitely making again :)
So wonderful! Thanks for sharing, Greta!
Kayla says
OH…MY…GAWD. these were INSANELY delicious! didn’t have high hopes, because i’ve had bad experience with sundried tomatoes in the past. but i gave it a chance anyway. safe to say, these will be a staple in our vegan household. my 3 year old also approves, and she’s such a picky eater! she ate 5 by herself! thank you so much!
Kirsten says
These are aaaaamazing!
Yay! thanks for sharing!
lydia says
Hi Dana!!
this looks soooo good!!!! Since fall in approaching, I’m finding myself wanting some good old fashion chili…..yes the kind with MEAT in it!!! Do you have a recipe/could you create a recipe for chili using vegan “meat”. It would mean the world to me…..ugh chili cravings at maximum. I saw you have a few different chili recipes but I just want some good old fashions plain “meaty” chili. I’m hoping to try this recipe soon. But for now I’m going to rate it 4 stars even though it will probably be a 5 star as always!!!
Love you so much!! Never stop making yummy recipes!!!!
Lydia
Tobias says
This looks tasty. As you use some olive oil, I’ll have to try it with a little less of that and use drained dried tomatoes in oil, though you don’t recommend it, because here in Dominican Republic I guess I can’t find the dry ones. But I’ll take the risk, I want to try this recipe one day, thanks.
Sueanne says
Awesome dish!! As my son said you’ve upped your vegan game with this one!!
Katharine Coggeshall says
Hi! I love your blog, it’s such a great resource for healthy recipes. In fact, I listed you as one of my favorite “healthy family” blogs in my latest post.
Anna says
yumm!!! can’t wait to try this at home :D
Manz says
I made these last night and they are incredible! I am new to your recipes, they came highly recommended, and I can see why! I could not stop licking the spatula. I have been stuck in a vegetarian rut and longing for these kinds of flavours. I made these alongside the roasted red pepper sauce and my boyfriend and I were both in heaven! Thank you! I will tag you in my instagram photo… mine is the one with black bean noodles. :)
Yay! Thanks for sharing, Manz!
Harriet says
this sounds positively AMAZING! I am so going to try this, and I think it will be perfect finger food for my 7.5month old daughter who refuses to eat conventional baby finger foods or puréed veg! Thank you!! H :)
Anne says
My babe hates normal baby food things too! He loves these “meat” balls, and he also really likes falafel. Dana has a recipe for that on here too.
Tina fisher says
Hi! These look delish! Any recommendations for a substitute for the flax? We have a severe allergy in our family. Thanks!
Leave it out!
Mary says
My family loved these! Thank you! Oh and my husband accidentally grabbed smoked sun dried tomatoes. The flavor was amazing!
What a happy accident! Glad you liked them, Mary!
Alicia says
This sounds amazing and of course, as always, looks delicious ! Can’t wait to try this.
Michelle R. says
Made these for my vegan cousin and vegan husband. We were all in love. So delicious. These will be a norm in our home now. Plus, they were so easy!
Ah, thanks! So glad you all enjoyed them, Michelle!
Cassie says
Great vegan meatball recipe!! :D
remi says
pleaseeeee, can u help me out by letting me know ur baking ingredients in grams. I mean simplify, flour cups, butter, wheat, sugar etc…in grams. I don’t know ur cup measurements.
I did include grams…
Jennifer says
Your blog is the best! Why don’t you have a youtube channel?!
I do! Slowly building content so stay tuned!
Nicole @ Young, Broke and Hungry says
Another winning recipe! I’m trying to cut back on meat, also my lack of dishwasher makes it gross to prep so I’m always excited to see delicious vegan meatballs like these.
So glad you liked these! Thanks for sharing, Nicole :D
Melissa says
We had these last night. My son, who is 8, recently decided to go vegan (after being vegetarian his whole life). So this was our first pasta dish without cheese. He loved it! Also loved your vegan parm mix recipe. Thanks for this kid-approved dish!
So great!Thanks for sharing, Melissa! That vegan parmesan is magic!
Jennifer says
Oh okay! Just subscribed (:
Jules says
they look so simple! I would never though of chickpeas for meatballs!
cat says
I made these tonight with parmesan cheese and they were delicious with a nice texture. Thanks so much for the yummy recipes – you always have great ideas!
Of course! So glad you liked them, Cat!
Diane Prince says
Literally, amaze balls! My girls and I just made them for dinner, and I would recommend not changing one thing.
We served over shell pasta. 2 of us used marinara sauce, and 2 of us just olive oil.
Thanks, Dana, for making it easy to be a vegan-single-mom-of-three!
Wonderful! thanks for sharing, Diane!
Caroline says
You give me kitchen goals. I need to recreate this at home. I adore your blog.
Amber H. says
I’ve been excited to try these ever since you posted a sneak-peak several days ago. I made them for dinner last night. Amazing. Absolutely delicious. I am not vegan but try to eat meat sparingly. These are fabulous. Thanks for another dynomite vegan recipe.
Ah, thanks Amber! So kind. Glad you liked them! xo
Asa says
These look gorgeous! Any way to skip the skillet part? I’d like to cut back on oil and also effort. Yes, I’m lazy :) Maybe just cook them in the oven for a longer time?
I’d say just cook them at a high heat (400) for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 375 and bake for another 15-20. They won’t be “as” crispy, but should still work!
Mason says
Wow. You’ve done it again! Can’t wait to try these!
Amitai says
These are essentially baked falafel balls with sun-dried tomatoes and basil instead of the traditional flavors… :)
stephanie says
As i was frying them I said the same thing to myself! lol
stephanie says
I made these and will be freezing them to re-heat tomorrow night as an app for a New years party i’m going too! Will be serving them with toothpicks along side marinara sauce. I’ve already tasted the dough and they taste amazing! I used dried basil since I didn’t have any fresh on hand and I also used sundries tomatoes in oil, I patted them dry with paper towel. Turned out great!
Sara says
Well,….kinda. My Lebanese family makes falafel with soaked but not cooked garbanzos and fava beans, no bread crumbs ever and baking powder and baking soda to leaven them. Having made these ‘meatballs’ the only ingredients they have in common with falafel are garbanzos and salt.
Julie | Small Green Kitchen says
I quit eating beef, pork and poultry a few months ago but I’ve been craving a hearty bowl of spaghetti and meatballs. You’ve just solved my cravings! I have seen other vegan meatball recipes but they contain a lot of ingredients and prep time that I usually don’t want to deal with. These seem simple, quick and delicious!
Ah, thanks Julie! Glad I can offer some inspiration in the meat-free department. Hope you love these!
Sami says
Aw these look awesome! sundered tomatoes and basil are one of my mot loved combos. I’ll be making these tonight with some zucchini zoodles :)
Samantha @ThePlantedVegan says
What an awesome combination! Cant wait to try this out!
Erin says
Looks delicious! We make a raw vegan taco meat with walnuts and sun dried tomatoes. Do you think I could sub walnuts in the food processor for the bread crumbs?
Kristina says
Oh these look delicious. I would eat them dipped in yogurt sauce. A good idea for my meal prep on Sunday.
Nadia says
This recipe looks AWESOME!
Just a note on vegan meatballs….I use your other meatball recipe all the time and I love it! Instead of chickpeas or tempeh, I freeze a pack of firm tofu for 8 hours, then thaw it. I then slice it, rinse it under warm water. and press it before crumbling it into the meatball mixture. It is absolutely amazing. It has a consistency very close to meat. Give it a try!
Ah, great tip! Thanks for sharing, Nadia! xoxo
Bella B says
These look so tasty!
athletic avocado says
I never thought it was possible to make meatballs without meat! Tomatoes and basil are an amazing combo! Even I eat meat, I can totally see myself making these “meatballs” with some noodles are a delicious meatless monday dinner :)
That’s what I hope for! That even meat eaters will love this dish. Hope you enjoy it!
Emily @ robust recipes says
Looks delicious. I may have to try these sometime soon. I’ve never had vegan meatballs.
Michelle says
Typo in that graphic there.
thanks – fixed!
Linzy says
These look delicious. Italian meals are always so satisfying.
Just as a note, I think that you left out the “p” in the top photo for chickpeas. Though it does sound very cute, as in throw in some chickeas.
Good catch – fixed!