These Easy Vegan Meatballs and Spaghetti are infused with amazing Italian dried herbs and flavor. These are baked, not fried, oil-free, dairy-free and made with chickpeas and couscous for amazing texture.
These Easy Vegan Meatballs are LOADED with flavor, Italian spices and wonderful texture. They are made with whole foods and plant-based protein from chickpeas and couscous. They are moist and delicious, and totally oil-free. They are baked and not fried, for a healthier version.
I can’t even count how many times I have been asked about turning my popular Spicy BBQ Lentil Loaf into “meatballs”. Unfortunately, that mixture is way too wet to form into balls, but it has been on my list to create some veggie “meat” balls for a long time. One of my ALL-TIME favorite meals to eat pre-vegan was the classic, Spaghetti and Meatballs. Simple, comforting and delicious. My husband would always take me to eat at Carrabba’s Italian grill and 9 times out of 10, that is what I would get.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED
- Chickpeas
- Onion
- Couscous
- Italian seasoning: I use my homemade Italian seasoning because it’s the best!
- Salsa or my homemade pizza sauce: This gives SO much flavor to these balls. I’ve found too many recipes don’t have enough flavor and these deliver in a big way. You could also try a thick marinara sauce if you like.
- Brown rice flour: Instead of using eggs like in traditional meatballs, the brown rice flour helps to hold these easy vegan meatballs together.
- Chili powder
- Liquid smoke
- Salt & pepper
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN MEATBALLS
Step 1: Cook the couscous.
Step 2: Process the onion and chickpeas in a food processor until chunky.
Step 3: Add the rest of the ingredients (except the brown rice flour and couscous) and process, being careful not to over process.
Step 4: Add the mixture to a bowl and stir in the cooked couscous and brown rice flour until thick and holding together well.
Step 5: Form into balls and bake at 375°F until firm and browned on each side.
HOW TO OBTAIN A MEATY TEXTURE WITHOUT MEAT
So, for the meaty texture, what did I use?? Couscous. Yes, couscous, it has a really chewy, hearty texture that worked freaking amazing in these balls! I tried several different things and I’m here to tell you, none of them were that great, but the couscous was the final win! I tried cornmeal, like I did in my lentil loaf and it didn’t work at all because the balls are so much smaller and cook much faster than the lentil loaf does.
These easy vegan meatballs hold together perfectly and don’t fall apart when you stick your fork into them, just like traditional meat. That was the biggest challenge I found when trialing these.
And oh boy will you be stuffed off this meal, just like a classic spaghetti and meatball dish. I mean, stuffed. Best part about this, besides the yum factor, it is so healthy and cholesterol-free, unlike the meat version.
I hope you all really love these vegan spaghetti and meatballs!
MORE VEGAN DINNER RECIPES
- Vegan Barbecue Lentil Loaf
- Best Vegan Alfredo Sauce
- Pumpkin Chipotle Chili
- Vegan Stuffed Ricotta Shells
- Cheesy Mexican Tortilla Bake
- Chickpea Tomato Ragu
Easy Vegan Meatballs (Baked, Oil-free)
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup couscous + 1/4 cup water I used this Rice Select brand
- 1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained & rinsed & patted dry
- 1/2 cup (75g) chopped onion
- 6-8 Tbsp medium-heat salsa OR my homemade pizza sauce (see directions)
- 3 tablespoons ketchup or more pizza sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning (one without salt or red pepper flakes) I use MINE
- 1-2 teaspoons regular chili powder (I used 2 and it has a kick of heat, use 1 for less spicy)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon more (if needed) fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup (80g) brown rice flour
OPTIONAL FOR SERVING
- My amazing 5 Minute Pizza Sauce which I always use as spaghetti sauce
- Cooked spaghetti
Instructions
- First, make your couscous. Add the water to a small pot and bring to a boil, AS SOON as it starts bubbling, stir in the couscous quickly and remove from the heat. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes.
- I created this recipe using salsa for a wonderful depth of flavor, but some readers have subbed that with my pizza sauce, so that is an option too, for a more Italian flavor. If doing my pizza sauce, then reduce the Italian seasoning listed above from 2 tablespoons to only 1 (but following the exact recipe of my pizza sauce).
- In a food processor, add your chickpeas and onion and pulse to break up the mixture for a few seconds. Add all of the remaining ingredients, starting with just 6 tablespoons of the salsa or pizza sauce (you'll likely need 8 for the pizza sauce since it's thicker), except the couscous and brown rice flour.
- Pulse for just a few seconds, no more, just until the mixture resembles a wet rough chunky texture similar to a salsa. You don't want to over-blend and puree it too much or the balls will be too wet/mushy (refer to video for visual). You just want to make sure the chickpeas are no longer whole.
- Add the mixture to a large bowl and add the cooked couscous and brown rice flour. Stir for a few minutes until it all comes together in a sticky batter. Press the mixture repeatedly with the back of your spoon to make it come together. If the mixture is not sticking together, add a bit of the remaining salsa only if necessary. Once it is well mixed, place to chill in the fridge for about 20 minutes. This will make it easier to roll into balls.
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Roll about 14 golf-sized balls with your hands, making sure they are tight and compact and place on the pan. Bake for 15 minutes on the first side, they should easily turn over. I just used my hand to flip them over. Bake another 15 minutes until firm and getting a nice golden brown crust. If you want them super crispy, go another 5 minutes. These balls are very moist inside so they can withstand the crispy exterior.
- While they are baking, heat up your pasta and marinara sauce of choice, or I highly recommend my 5 minute pizza sauce which works amazing as a spaghetti sauce! When the balls are done, coat them well with lots of sauce and pasta and enjoy!
Notes
The Vegan 8 is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please see my full disclosure policy here.
These are wonderful! I made mushroom gravy and mashed potatoes to accompany instead of red sauce. Also thinking ground fennel seed might be a nice addition to the Italian style….
Wonderful Janie, so happy to hear that!! Sounds delicious.
Made these for the first time, but I used pasta in lieu of salsa, they taste great! I will definitely make these again!! Love your recipes!
I meant pasta sauce* Also used spaghetti squash for my “noodles”!!
So glad to hear that Carrie, thank you so much for the wonderful feedback!
can’t wait to make these, have been dying to remake this dish. i was wondering though if perhaps quinoa would work in place of coucous? i can’t find a gluten free version anywhere. thank you in advance and much appreciation!! love love love your recipes. they reel me in here just about every day. 🙂
Hi Marielle! I have never tried them with quinoa and personally don’t care for quinoa, so I can’t say the result without trying it myself. Quinoa is not as thick or “meaty” as couscous, so they would be a bit softer I imagine. There has been some readers to make them with quinoa though, so you can certainly try!
Hi Brandi – love the name! LOL.
I tried these vegan meatballs and they were delicious. I made a little mistake of cooking them in my sauce too long so they fell apart a bit but that didn’t matter. I ate this for three days of leftovers. Thanks so much for your recipes!
Haha, yes, great name 😉 I’m so happy to hear these were a hit Brandie, thank you so much for the feedback!
These puppies are in the oven right now and excited doesn’t even begin to cover it. I doubled the recipe and the first batch is gonna go with some fresh pasta and marinara sauce. The second batch will be frozen and then thrown in the crockpot with a honey glaze tuesday morning. I CANNOT wait to try. 5 more minutes!!!
Wonderful Nicolas! That sounds delicious! Let me know how they turned out! They are a favorite around here!
Made this for the first time today … DEE-LISH!! Plus they were super easy to make & made the house smell great while they were cooking. The mister really enjoyed them too. Served them over spaghetti squash – yum! Thanks for the great recipe.
So happy to hear that Diana! Glad the hubby loved them too! Spaghetti squash sounds amazing! Will have to try that. Thank you so much for the feedback!
Doe these freeze well for use at a later date?
Thank you! they are so perfect – my omnivore boyfriend officially declared these balls are in his top5 of vegan things he had tried (I only cook vegan at home and I cook a lot, so he has some stuff to compare to)
And thanks so much for the warning about oat flour: I’ve already ruined quite a number of meals with oat flour, because I’m like “oh, it’s so healthy, why not add it instead of xxxxxxx” – and I never learn, so I’m sure I would have tried it in these balls at some point 😀
Oh, this is so wonderful Linda! Thank you so much for the fantastic review!
These are wonderful! Do you have the nutritional info for these, especially the carbs? (I am diabetic on insulin)
Hi Stephanie! I’m so glad to hear you loved these! I do not have the nutritional info on this at this time. Sometimes I have time to include them, but it’s hard at times too, due to my schedule. But if you input the ingredients in the nutrition calculator at caloriecount.com or myfitnesspal, it will give you a good estimate!
https://www.caloriecount.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php
I just made these for the first time tonight to have with spaghetti. They’re fantastic! I followed the recipe exactly, except I only used about half the amount of liquid smoke. The ingredients mixed together beautifully and I was able to form balls with no trouble (and with a lot less mess than actual ground meat, I might add). I baked them at 350° for 30 minutes in my convection oven. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, both the taste and texture blended very well with spaghetti sauce. My husband and I are about 3 months into a plant-based diet transition, and I’m constantly on the lookout for vegan recipes that don’t use oil. This one is a winner… I’ll be back to this website!
That is so wonderful to hear Donna, thank you so much for making them and taking the time to share such wonderful feedback! So happy you and your husband enjoyed them!
I made them tonight since I was making meatball subs for my omni family. I loved them! So good! They were a little more moist in the middle than I’m used to and might try upping the couscous next time, or maybe the rice flour. I’m so excited to have meatballs again, as I haven’t had them for two years now. Thank you very much for sharing your recipe.
So glad you loved these Mandy, thank you! Yes, be careful not to overmix so they don’t get too pureed, or of course, I’m sure the mixture can handle extra couscous if you like as well!
Oh I bet that’s what I did! I totally overmixed it and now I know why not to do that! (I doubled the recipe for my big family and I have a medium-sized food processor). I’ll try adding more couscous with salvage the mixture I have left. Very flavorful! I will totally make this again without over processing 🙂
These are the tastiest meatballs. My husband and I love them. I will be making them again tonight. I have tried a variety of veggie burgers and none had the good taste that these have. Thank you.
Aww, so happy to hear that Kathleen! Thank you so much for the wonderful review!
I made one batch using couscous and one batch using cooked millet (cooked 1/4 cup millet in 1/2 cup water, brought to boil and simmered for 15 minutes) for a gluten-free version for my husband. When I was combining the millet, processed chickpeas, and brown rice flour in a bowl, I also added 1 tsp tapioca flour to see if that might help it stick together better. The results look identical, so millet works great as a gluten-free option. I don’t know how critical my adding the tapioca flour was. FYI, I made both batches by forming smaller balls, about half the size of yours (because that’s my personal preference when I eat spaghetti), baked each batch for a total of 25 minutes, without turning them over halfway during baking, so the smaller size may also help the millet version stay stuck together really well. Just wanted to share my experiment with you and your readers! 🙂
I made the “meatballs” using BULGAR I already had cooked, left over from another recipe (awesome chili – meaty texture gave me the idea for subbing since I had no couscous on hand), and the dough came together perfectly! I didn’t have to chill, it was just right for forming nice firm balls a little smaller than golfballs. Also made the “Pizza Sauce”, it’s so easy – great spaghetti sauce sub! This was altogether a flavor party, for sure!!
Thank you so much for your dedication and kitchen lab work – I’ve never made one of your recipes I didn’t like!!
Thank you so much Candice, that is wonderful to hear!
These are so good! I made a few changes just to my taste (used chopped canned tomatoes instead of salsa, did not use chili powder or liquid smoke and I added a handful of fresh parsley). I may eat them all before I make the sauce
Wonderful Sue! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed these so much, thank you for the feedback!
What can I use instead of salsa. Thx.
I use jarred marinara sauce. It gives them more of an Italian flavor, I think.
I wonder if I could use homemade salsa in these, we don’t have salsa here. They look amazing, btw!
Hi, sure I think so!
Hi, I’m extremely new to eating vegan (only 8 days in) but I was wondering if Quinoa could be used in place of the couscous?
Hi! I have not tested that personally so I cannot vouch for the results, but if you see some reviews above, some have subbed with quinoa with success and others have tried bulgar and millet too. I just can only vouch for the couscous since that’s the only way I’ve made it. Couscous will give a meatier texture than quinoa though, I will say that. It’s heartier and chewier.
Hi Brandi!
Very tasty and held together really well. I used a medium cookie scoop, because quite frankly I stink at making anything remotely round and uniform looking, and that yielded about 16 meatballs.
The salsa flavor was noticeable and I wasn’t sure how well it would pair with the homemade marinara sauce I had made the other day but after one bite any doubts quickly faded.
Thank you for another terrific recipe.
Wonderful Laura, so very happy to hear these were such a hit! Thank you for the wonderful review!
As a 16 year old trying to go vegan and having little to no experience cooking, let me just say the detailed instructions and videos are such a big help! I’m glad I found this site soon, it makes trying to cook vegan meals a lot more simple (and delicious) than what I was struggling to do before! Planning to make these tonight with the 5 minute pizza sauce! Thank you so much!
Aww, thank you so much Ashley for such a kind comment! So glad to hear the recipes are helpful. I hope you had success with the meatballs, let me know!
Hello! Aussie over here – I have never cooked anything Vegan before and i wanted to cook dinner for a friend and these look amazing! only problem is i have no idea what the conversion for:
1 15 oz can chickpeas
how many grams would that be? sorry I don’t really get how ounces work.
Also do you think ketchup the same as our tomato sauce?
Haha! thanks 🙂
Hi Melissa! That would be 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas for 1 15 oz can 🙂 Hmm, as far as ketchup I’m not sure. Over here in America, ketchup is tomato sauce with vinegar and a little sugar added and some spices.
Hi Brandy, thanks for the great recipe! I was wondering why did you go for chickpeas instead of sticking to the lentils (that have worked so well in the meatloaf)? I would like to make this tonight and don’t have chickpeas at home, although I do have lentils, do you think it would work? Thanks!
Hi Paula! I use chickpeas because they are much drier and hold really well for balls, lentils not so much. The chickpeas are necessary for the texture of these balls and it’s a completely different recipe than the lentil loaf…where that batter is much more wet and loose. So, I would hold off on these until you get chickpeas, the lentils will not work the same.
Hi Brandi,
Have you tried freezing these? Did it work well? I’m looking for some recipes I can freeze to use as vegan fast food, and was really happy to find you had a vegan “meat-less” ball recipe here. I’m really looking forward to trying this!
Hi Gina! No, I typically never freeze anything savory because we always eat everything within a couple of days and once I write a new recipe I post it, so I’ve not typically ever have time to test freezing methods. I would guess they’d freeze just fine just like commercial brands, but I am not sure, sorry!
Thanks, Brandi. When I try freezing them, I will report back.
My son has an aversion to all things tomato based — he can taste it a mile away no matter how well hidden. Do you have a suggestion of how to bind the meatballs without ketchup or salsa? I’ve been racking my brain, but haven’t found a good solution yet.
Thanks in advance for your help!
That is a tough one Kristi because it is the base of the flavor. Perhaps bbq sauce?
We think alike! BBQ sauce just occurred to me too. Thanks so much Brandi — excited to try it.
Hopefully it works and doesn’t ruin the flavor of the balls!
Hi, these look amazing! Do you think I could use chickpea flour? Instead of the brown rice flour? Thanks! 🙂
I appreciate the ideas of others about a GF substitute for the couscous. Although I haven’t made these yet, I have substituted buckwheat for couscous in another recipe and it worked well. It’s nice you gave the cooked amount of couscous so it will be easier for everyone who needs to use quinoa, millet or whatever else to try. Pasta is just about the only processed food item I buy and for some reason unti tonight I didn’t think to look for a meatball recipe to go with. I’m so glad you had a recipe because yours is my favorite food blog site!
I wound up using 1/2 cup cooked mung beans (some were peeled, others were split). I used 1/2 cup rather than 3/4 cup quinoa because quinoa is lighter. Brandi’s recipes are so good I prefer not to make any changes unless there is an ingredient I cannot eat (or sometimes if just wanting to try one of her recipes without waiting to procure every single item not already in the pantry.). I still think buckwheat would work as a couscous substitute, but the cooked mung beans did just fine. As I expected the meatballs were wonderful! Thank you, Brandi.
Hi Brandy! Would white rice flour work? Also Where did you find the GF couscous? whole food maybee? did you order it online?
thank you!
Hi Catherine! White rice flour should definitely work but it is stickier than brown rice flour so they may be a tad more moist. The GF couscous I found online, not in a store. There are a few varieties on Amazon!
Hi Brandi.
I’m very interested in in how you changed your husband’s diet to help with his gout. Could you be specific and share how and what you did?
Hi Ruth! I wrote a very detailed post here about that. Also, basically anything on my blog, I feed him and eating this way is what healed him. But I do not give him some foods like asparagus, cauliflower, lentils, broccoli, spinach or beans more than 3 times a week. Those are exceptions from my recipes.
https://staging.thevegan8.com/2014/09/08/how-my-life-has-changed-since-going-vegan/
Oh cool – Mexi-balls! These are good! I followed the recipe exactly and they turned out great (I used 6 Tbsp of salsa). I haven’t tried them with spaghetti and sauce yet (although I can vouch for your 5-minute sauce as a great one), but they are great with ketchup. And I just thought I need to try them with your ranch dressing because that’s good on anything.
I’ve made this before, it was amazing. Today, I’m going to make lasagna for the family and make this as a vegan lasagne roll up. I think it would be so wonderful as a filling. I also have used this recipe to make a “meat sauce” with the left overs. Thanks for all your hard work. Vegan and gluten free is easier because of you.
I did make a “traditional” vegan lasagna using this as the filling. OMG. Delish! Next I’m going to try it using your ricotta recipe with this. Thank you for your hard work creating these recipes. My life is better because you’re so brilliant!
This is so wonderful to hear Gina, thank you so much for sharing!!
Oh this recipe looks delicious!! I’m excited to give this a try now haha Hopefully I can make it this weekend, thank you!
Yay Bryan!! Can’t wait to hear!
I made these the other day and not being a vegan myself I thought they ere delicious. Just a cuople questions; how would I reheat and do they freeze well? Thanks for a wonderful recipe ?
I’m so glad you enjoyed them Lynn! I’ve not tried freezing them personally, but I’m pretty sure they would freeze just fine. Just bake them first, wrap very tightly in plastic wrap and again with foil and then put them in a ziplock bag or container. I would then just reheat them on low heat in the oven like maybe 300F. That is my guess!
Could you substitute regular flour? Also it looks like you might reference a certain brand of couscous but I don’t see it listed?
I’ve not tried it with all-purpose flour, but it may work. I just can’t say for sure texturally what the result would be without having tested it. The brand I used is called Rice Select, a pretty common brand at the stores.
I just fixed and added the link above 🙂
These are LEGIT! And I don’t even care for beans but since my Nutritarian diet style includes 1 cup per day I’m always looking for ideas. Every single thing I’ve made from your blog turns OUT! I used Fig brand packaged cooked no sodium navy beans. I would have used my home made salsa but wanted to use a processed one to be more true to the recipe and had a jar of Newman’s in the cabinet. I went the extra 5 minutes for the crusty exterior because I knew I’d be doing the spaghetti sauce. They are delicious! I generally don’t buy all the different flavored Newmans’s salsas (peach etc) but I bet that would also be a great deviation, too! You could do a bunch of different things with this base recipe. Like make a peach balsamic glaze instead of spaghetti sauce to go with the peach salsa on the inside.
In case you never tried it….try slicing up a peach, brushing on some balsamic vinegar then grind some pepper on top. OMG. LOL You could come up with some recipes with those flavor combinations!
Aww so sorry I missed this before! So happy you loved this so much, thank you so much for your kind words!!
BEST…VEGGIEBALLS…EVER!!!! SOOOOO much better than any other recipe I have tried ( and I have tried alot!)
Taste, texture and ease of recipe – all the best!
Thank you so much!!
Thank you Jean! That is so wonderful to hear how much you enjoyed these!
Nice sounding recipe but I can’t get Trader Joe’s salsa and have no idea what it tastes like. Can you either describe it (is it Mexican style?) or give a from scratch recipe.
Cheers
It’s just a regular medium heat salsa. You can use any non chunky brand. Pace picante medium heat works!
I finally made these tonight after wanting to for SOOO long. They were fantastic but just a tad gummy in the center so, I think I over-processed them a little, darn, my bad, I should have been more careful after your obvious warning! They were still really, really yummy, though. Now that I’ve made them once, I’ll do it better next time and there will be, for sure, a next time. I added some fresh herbs from my garden, I stirred them in right at the end, just because I had them(chopped basil, thyme, oregano and rosemary) Thank you so much for figuring out these recipes, I would never be able to figure this stuff out on my own. You make me look like a vegan veteran
Hi,
WHat kind of spaghetti do you use? You know pasta is full of eggs, so can not be considered Vegan unless you use egg-free pasta. Does that exist? Thanks! Or.. just make sure you mention the meat balls are vegan but not the pasta! 🙂 Thank you!!!
Yes, most pastas found in the grocery isles are just wheat flour, no eggs. Very easy to find. Just read the ingredients. I’ve been vegan nearly 8 years and read anything I buy.
I’ve been jaded in the past by mushy “meat”balls. But these did not disappoint! Finally! A vegan bean ball that doesn’t have a gross texture. I took my time to make sure I had a uniform mixture of broken up chickpeas and onions. I wasn’t in a hurry so I let these sit in the fridge overnight. It was easy to make the balls, and I think it helped the flour to absorb some of the moisture from the salsa so it wasn’t too soft and mushy. Thank you Brandi! These freeze well (uncooked) and I just toss them in the air fryer to crisp up.
So so awesome to hear all this Mallory, thank you!!
These are delicious and easy! I think I’ll make them smaller next time so they’re not so gooey inside… the flavor is perfect!
So glad you enjoyed them, Liz! Oh yes, they definitely should not be gooey! Have not had that issue, so make them smaller and make sure to cook them long enough!
Could you use buckwheat flour or flax instead of the brown rice flour?
Hi Ali! I would not do flax, that would be way too bitter and intense of a flavor and since it is so binding, it would probably make them too gooey. The brown rice flour is a bit gritty, so it works great for the texture in these. You can try buckwheat flour, I just can’t say how it would perform having never tried it. Please let me know after you try it!
I made these the other day and even my husband who isn’t vegan liked them. They’re very easy to make.
So wonderful to hear!
These came out amazing!! Even my omni fiance took one bite and said “oh yeah, these are really good.” He never says that about my vegan food! Haha, thanks for a great recipe
Woohoo!! Awesome to hear!
These are delicious. I was very skeptical because I was raised in a VERY Italian home and this seemed ridiculous. But, my family and I have adopted a plant based diet and there are some things I REALLY REALLY miss. Like meatballs. The consistency of these is excellent. She nailed it with the couscous. I would never have tried this combination, but I’m so glad Brandi did. I am also glad that my kids will have the experience of “rolling meatballs” with me!
Is there a substitute or is the liquid smoke optional or would it taste “weird” without it?
Hi Eric! You can leave it out or use smoked paprika if you like! Just gives it extra flavor.
How much smoked paprika would you suggest? Thanks so much.
Depending on how smoky you want it, I’d say 1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon.