These vegan black bean meatballs are simple to prepare, packed with protein, and taste delicious served alongside this aromatic curry gravy or with tons of other dishes. Plus, this recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, and perfect for a simple mid-week meal or meal-prep, to be frozen!
Hearty, Healthy Black Bean Meatballs
Whether you’re vegan, vegetarian, flexitarian, or just want a simple recipe for ‘Meatless Mondays,’ these black bean meatballs may just be exactly what you’re looking for. They are made from a combination of black beans, sunflower seeds, oats, and several herbs, spices, and seasonings (but are also super versatile to substitutions and variations!).
Not only are these vegan meatballs packed with protein, but they’re flavorful with a firm, crispy outside and tender middle. Having experimented with several vegetarian meatball recipes, I found the biggest issue with any meatless meatballs is avoiding crumbling, and a gummy texture, while achieving enough ‘bite’ to mimic that firm but tender texture you want from a meatball. Luckily, these tick all the boxes!
Want to know the secret to delicious meat-free meatballs (or one of them, at-least)? It’s all in the seasoning! The ingredients list for this recipe may seem quite long at first glance. However, you will likely have the majority of the herbs/spices already in your kitchen. There’s nothing worse than spending the time to blend, fry, and bake a batch of any meat alternative and finding it lacking in seasoning – don’t worry, I’ve been there!
When served alongside a creamy, rich, dairy-free curry gravy (recipe also below!) and some Mashed Potatoes, you’ll have a delicious bowl of healthy, flavor-packed comfort food at its finest. However, if gravy isn’t what you’re in the mood for, then these black bean meatballs pair well with tons of meals. Just check out my ‘how to serve’ section below for several of my favorite ideas.
How To Make Vegan Meatballs?
For The Black Bean Meatballs
Step 1: Add all of the meatball ingredients (except the oil) to a food processor or blender and blend to a thick paste consistency.
Note – If you don’t have a food processor/blender, then you can add the ingredients to a bowl and use a potato masher or fork. It will be a chunkier consistency, but it will work.
Step 2: Roll the mixture into tablespoon-sized balls (there should be around 15).
Note – if the mixture is a little wet, add a little more oats and/or allow the mixture to chill in the fridge for 30-60 minutes. You can also lightly oil your hands when rolling the meatballs to avoid sticking.
Step 3: Preheat the oven to 390F/200C. Meanwhile, lightly fry the meatballs in a large, oiled pan/skillet over medium heat, until lightly browned, turning occasionally.
Step 4: Transfer to a baking sheet and bake until crispy and browned.
Note – By using a stovetop and oven combo, you get a slight crust from the pan before further crisping up and drying out their centers (so they’re not mushy!) during the baking time.
For The Spiced Gravy
Step 1: As the vegan meatballs bake, add the tomato paste and plant-based cream to your pan/skillet on the stovetop and whisk until smooth, slowly adding the veggie broth as you whisk.
Step 2: Bring to a boil, add all of the remaining ingredients (apart from the cornstarch and parsley), and simmer for 10-12 minutes.
Note- Reduce the amount of curry powder for less heat and a more ‘muted’ gravy flavor, if preferred. I suggest adding half, tasting, and then increasing as needed.
Step 3: Mix the cornstarch with a little water to create a slurry and then mix into the gravy, heating for a further couple of minutes while it further thickens- then it’s ready to serve!
You can check out my potato method here if you want to serve the vegan meatballs and gravy with mashed potatoes.
For the full ingredients list, measurements, complete recipe method, and nutritional information, read the recipe card below.
How to Store
Store the leftover vegan meatballs and gravy (separately) in the fridge for 4-5 days.
You can also freeze them in their uncooked or cooked form. They tend to become even crispier when reheating after they’re already baked once, so that’s what I prefer to do.
To freeze, layer in a freezer-safe container between layers of parchment paper, so they don’t stick as they freeze. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating, bake from frozen (increase the time in the oven a bit), or drop them into a pot of sauce on the hob from frozen or thawed until warmed through.
How to Serve
These meatless meatballs are super versatile, perfect for serving with tons of meals apart from the spicy gravy so that they’re never becoming boring. Here are a few of my other favorite options:
- With Marinara sauce – either alone or with spaghetti, mash, or rice.
- Spaghetti & meatballs
- Or other pasta dishes – like this Roasted Red Pepper Pasta, Alfredo Pasta, or even German Schupfnudeln.
- In a meatball sub/wrap with this Vegan Cheese Sauce.
- Add the vegan meatballs to soups and stews – like this easy Tomato Pasta Soup, Lasagna Soup, or Creamy Pasta Soup.
- As part of traybake with roasted veggies.
- Use, halved, as a Pizza topping.
- They also become firmer as they cool, so they are great for serving in cold pasta salads or as finger-food alongside some Yum Yum Sauce or other dips.
And don’t forget to serve with a liberal sprinkle of Vegan Parmesan to top- delicious!
Ingredient Substitutions
- Oats: You can substitute the oats with your flour of choice – such as buckwheat. You can also use grain-free options, including almond, quinoa, and chickpea flour. Avoid coconut flour as it’s very absorbent and could lead to crumbly meatballs.
- The Cream: You can use plant-based cream, coconut cream, or full-fat coconut milk. You could also use any other plant-based milk (soy, oat, etc.), but the gravy won’t be as rich and creamy.
- Sunflower Seeds: Or you can use the seeds/nuts of your choice (Pumpkin, hemp, walnut, cashew, almond, hazelnut).
- Beans: Feel free to sub the black beans for kidney beans or even chickpeas.
- Optional Add-ins: You could add a splash of liquid smoke or soy sauce/tamari (GF option) for additional flavor.
- Cornstarch: Substitute this with arrowroot or tapioca starch.
Other Helpful Tips
- To cook these in an air-fryer: I haven’t tried, but I suggest using the same temperature, spray lightly with a little oil and cook for between 10-15 minutes.
- To only pan-fry: Simply heat for longer in the pan. They will be slightly softer/mushier this way, except if you deep-fry them.
- To only oven-bake: Bake in the oven for an extra few minutes. They won’t be quite as crispy this way.
- Readers’ Tip: You can omit the pan-frying and bake these veggie meatballs in a Muffin tin. That way, they get crispy all over but with no need for excess oil or turning them over.
- You can adjust these black bean meatballs into vegan burger patties by shaping them into patties and increasing the cooking time.
Related Recipes without Meat
- Vegan Hungarian Goulash
- Meat-free Meatloaf with Mushroom Sauce
- Vegan Shawarma Kebab
- Meat-Free Sausage Recipe
If you try this vegan meatball recipe, I’d love a comment and recipe ★★★★★ rating below. Also, don’t forget to tag me in re-creations on Instagram or Facebook with @elavegan/ #elavegan – I love seeing your recreations.
Vegan Meatballs
Ingredients
Vegan meatballs:
- 1 (15 oz) can black beans drained and rinsed (250 g)
- 1/4 cup (35 g) sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup (45 g) oats (gluten-free if needed)
- 2 tbsp (60 g) tomato paste
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 large onion chopped
- 2 tbsp ground chia seeds or flax seeds
- 1/2 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- Oil for frying
Gravy:
- 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) vegetable broth or water
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) plant-based cream or canned coconut milk
- 2 tbsp (60 g) tomato paste
- 1/2 tsp fresh ginger (minced)
- 3 tsp curry powder
- 1 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp turmeric (optional)
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 tsp coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
- sea salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp cornstarch (to thicken)
- Fresh parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Prepare mashed potatoes or make your favorite pasta or rice (whatever you want to serve with your vegan meatballs).
Vegan meatballs:
- Put all the meatball ingredients (except oil) into a food processor (or blender) and pulse a couple of times. Scrape down the sides and pulse again. Repeat for about one minute or until the mixture sticks together in a thick paste.
- Roll the mixture with your hands into balls. I used 1 tbsp per ball (the recipe makes about 15 balls).
- Preheat oven to 390 degrees F (200 degrees C).
- Heat 2-3 tbsp oil in a pan/skillet and fry the balls for about 6-8 minutes over medium heat. Shake the pan from time to time to fry the balls evenly on all sides.
- Transfer the balls onto a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes.
Gravy:
- To make the gravy, add the tomato paste to a pan (use the same pan which you used for the meatless balls), pour in the plant-based cream, and stir with a whisk to smooth out the tomato paste. Then slowly add the vegetable broth, while stirring.
- Bring the sauce to a boil, add all other ingredients (except cornstarch and fresh parsley) and allow it to simmer over medium heat for 10-12 minutes (the longer you simmer the gravy, the more flavorful and thicker it will be).
- In a small bowl mix cornstarch with a little bit of water into a 'slurry' and then add it to the pan. The gravy will get a little bit thicker. Keep simmering for a further 2-3 minutes.
- Pour the gravy over the meat-free balls and serve with either mashed potatoes, pasta, or rice! Store leftovers of the gravy and meatballs (separated) in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Notes
- Feel free to use fewer spices for the gravy if you don't like it too spicy.
- If you don’t have a food processor/blender, then you can add the ingredient to a bowl and use a potato masher or fork. It will be a chunkier consistency but will work.
- If the meatball mixture is a little wet when trying to form the balls, add a little more oats and/or allow the mixture to chill in the fridge for 30-60 minutes. You can also lightly oil your hands when rolling the meatballs to avoid sticking.
- Read the recipe and ingredient notes section in the blog post above for more suggestions and top tips! You can also find additional serving suggestions.
- Recipe serves 3. Nutrition facts are for one serving (without the mashed potatoes).
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
Michaela
So I found a picture of this on my discovery page on instagram and I decided to make this since I had a half-full can of coconut milk and some ginger left from a soup I made yesterday. And all the other ingredients I always have at home so I thought this was the perfect recipe! This is the first time I’ve managed to make vegan “meatballs” that holds together well! Since my IBS doesn’t always like me eating spicy foods, I didn’t follow the exact measurements of the spices. I also forgot to add salt until after I had already mixed everything else together. So the “meatballs” didn’t taste much but the gravy tasted sooo good! I will definitely make this again but add more spices to the veggieball-mixture 🙂 Thank you for this recipe!
Ela
Hi Michaela, I am glad you liked my recipe. Thanks for leaving a feedback. ❤️
Anna
Your recipes are my absolute favorite ~ thank you so much for sharing all your creativity with good ingredients that are flavorful and most of all so yummy. I’m making these tonight with some vegan pasta ????
Ela
Thanks for the compliment, Anna! I hope you enjoyed the dish. 🙂
Karen
Dear Ela
Thank you for all your wonderful recipe ideas. What do you mean by (GF if needed) in the below sentence in your recipe ?
1/2 cup instant oats (GF if needed) (45 g)
Ela
Dear Karen, GF means gluten-free. Best wishes, Ela 🙂
karen
thank you so much !
Tabs
Oats are often cross contaminated with wheat making them not gluten free. Some people who are alleric to gluten or have Celiac disease must have oats without contamination of any wheat gluten so they have to use gluten free (gf) oats. I hope this helps answer your question! 🙂
Mia
Hi, das sieht ja wirklich toll aus! Veggie-Bällchen mit Kartoffelbrei zu essen ist eine mega idee, die irgendwie in meinem Hirn nicht ganz da war (obwohl ich Bouletten früher immer mit Kartoffelbrei gegessen habe). Ich bin kein Fan von Bohnen, v.a. shwarze bohnen kann man da vllt was ersetzen? Ich werde es mal mit roten Linsen probieren… ????
LG
Ela
Linsen sollten kein Problem sein. Viel Spaß beim Nachkochen. 🙂
Lisa
Made these tonight for dinner. They were very good, sturdy not gummy. Will make these again
Thanks for the recipe
Ela
Awesome! I am glad you liked my recipe, Lisa! 🙂
Megan
This recipe looks amazing. We are going to try it out but I did wonder if plant based milk could be subbed for plant based cream/coconut milk?
Ela
Yes, that’s no problem at all. 🙂
Haley
Hi! I’m trying to make these and I’m having trouble with it being to sticky for me to roll them into balls. What should I do?
Ela
Hey! If the mixture is too wet/sticky then add more ground oats or ground flax seeds/chia seeds or put the mixture into the fridge for maybe 15 minutes, then it shouldn’t be sticky anymore. Hope this helps.
Claudy
This looks delicious! Did you use plant based cream or coconut milk? I know that would make a big difference in taste.
Ela
Hi Claudy, I used coconut milk. 🙂
Claudia
Am busy with this recipe at the moment and can’t wait to eat. There’s too much for me though. Can I freeze the meatballs? At what point can I freeze them? Before or after frying/baking?
Ela
I never tried freezing them but I guess it would be better to freeze them after frying/baking. Let me know how it goes. 🙂
Melissa Doe
HI Ela, how many cups of beans if I am soaking them and not using canned? Also, thanks so much for all of these beautiful recipes!
Peace,
Melissa
Ela
Hey Melissa, I am not sure, since I always cook a huge amount of dry beans to have some leftovers but I just asked Google and here is the reply:
One cup of dry beans = 3 cups cooked beans, drained
One 15-oz. can of beans = 1.75 cups cooked beans, drained
So I would suggest cooking a heaped 1/2 cup of dry beans for this recipe OR 1 1/4 cups dry beans to double the recipe.
Hope this helps! 🙂
Martine
Hi Ela can I use normal oats if I dont have instant oats?
Ela
Of course! That’s no problem at all. 🙂
Alina
I’m gonna try these today – wondering how strong the ginger flavour is in the gravy though? 🙂 Not sure my fam would like that – safe to just leave it out, Ela? 🙂
Ela
Hello Alina, yes, you can simply leave it out or use just a tiny bit. 🙂
Debra
Ela, These meatballs and gravy look and sound amazing. I’m definitely going to give them a try! xo Debra
Ela
Thank you very much, Debra! 🙂
Karen
Your meatballs were delicious! A mini muffin pan bakes meatballs beautifully all round, no need to shake the pan or turn over . (Just thought l would share how l cook mine. ) And to thank you for sharing such wonderfully delicious recipes.
Ela
Thanks for sharing, Karen! That’s amazing. 🙂
Eileen
I’m making these recipes, they look amazing. I will let you know what we think. So excited!
We recently became vegan and you have helped me so much with your recipes. Thank you for all your hard work.
Ela
Aww, that makes me super happy! Thanks for your kind comment, Eileen! 🙂
Shannon
Karen, coolol, so you skipped the frying altogether and just baked in muffin tins? Trying to figure out how to make these oil free.
Mamawronda
ELA , THESE MEAT BALLS WERE SIMPLY FANTASTIC!! Non-vegan family members were surprised and delighted. Thank you for your hard work
Ela
Yay, that’s awesome! So happy you liked them. Thanks for your great feedback!
Zapatos Veganos
This meatballs are wonderful. DELICIOUS!!!
Ela
Thanks for your great feedback. 🙂
Bianca Zapatka
This recipe definitely makes my mouth water!????
It looks so delicious! Will definitely give it a try.
So excited how it will taste.
Much love,
Bianca ❤️
Ela
Thank you, Bianca! I really hope you will like it as much as I do.
Sending love back, Ela ❤️
Yvonne
Hallo Ela,
leider wird das Rezept nicht ins deutsche übersetzt. Könntest du mir bitte die deutsche Version zusenden? Danke Yvonne
Ela
Hallo Yvonne, das Rezept wird bis morgen auch auf Deutsch verfügbar sein. Ich muss den Blogpost noch in Deutsch verfassen, was sehr viel Zeit in Anspruch nimmt und leider nicht automatisch geht. LG, Ela 🙂
Yvonne
Hallo, danke für die schnelle Rückmeldung.. Uhi..deine Rezepte sind super.. schmeckt auch den Nichtveganern der Familie.. ????????????Herzlichst Yvonne
Dee | Green Smoothie Gourmet
Ela, these ingredients are wonderful! Black beans, sunflower seeds, oats – they add such flavor and texture, well done!! Thanks so much for sharing your creative recipe❤️ Dee xx
Ela
Thank you for your sweet comment, Dee! Much love, Ela ❤️
Blooming Nolwenn
Wow Ela, I’ve never had gravy before but looking at your pictures makes me crave it! Your vegan meatballs look very good as well, I love that your recipes are always very healthy 🙂
Have a nice weekend!
Ela
Thank you very much, Nolwenn! I hope you will give this recipe a try. Happy Sunday! 🙂