These baked lentil meatballs are perfectly tender on the inside, firm on the outside, and loaded with so much flavor! This will be your new go-to vegan meatball recipe! Enjoy these easy vegan meatballs with a big bowl of spaghetti for the ultimate comfort food meal! Vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, and nut-free.
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Skip the store-bought frozen meatballs, this is going to be your new favorite go-to vegan meatball recipe! These lentil meatballs have so much flavor and they have the best texture! The inside is perfectly tender and moist but the outside is firm but not dry. I guarantee that these lentil meatballs won't fall apart on you, they have a perfect consistency!
Pair these easy to make lentil meatballs with your favorite noodles and tomato sauce for the ultimate vegan comfort food dinner! Keep reading to find out how to make crowd-pleasing vegan meatballs in just a few simple steps.
What are Vegan Meatballs Made of?
Instead of meat, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and eggs, vegan meatballs are made with a hearty base of legumes, gluten-free oats instead of breadcrumbs, cheesy nutritional yeast instead of parmesan cheese, a vegan egg (I used a flax egg) to hold everything together, a vegetable to keep it moist (I used mushrooms), and lots of seasonings for flavor!
This vegan Italian meatball recipe consists of:
- French Lentils
- Quinoa
- Oats
- Raw Hulled Sunflower Seeds
- Cremini Mushrooms
- Tomato Paste (This is my favorite brand because it's in a glass jar, it's organic, and has no added salt!)
- Vegan Worcestershire Sauce
- Nutritional Yeast (I love this brand because it's non-GMO)
- Italian Seasonings
- Garlic Powder
- Dried Parsley
- Dried Basil
- Flax Egg
How to Make Lentil Meatballs
Step #1 - Start by boiling 3 cups of water in a medium-sized pot. When the water boils, season it with salt and add ¾ cup of rinsed and drained uncooked french lentils. Reduce the heat to medium and set a timer for 24 minutes.
When there are 12 minutes left on the timer, add ¼ cup of uncooked quinoa to the pot with the lentils and give it a stir to combine. Let the lentils and quinoa continue cooking together until there is no water left in the pot. (It should take a total time of 23-24 minutes to cook the lentils and quinoa from start to finish.)
Step #2 - Let the cooked lentil quinoa mixture cool for a few minutes. While it's cooling, add 1 tbsp of ground flaxseed and 3 tbsp of water to a small bowl. Mix it together and put it in the fridge to thicken for 10 minutes.
Then, use a coffee grinder or small blender cup to grind sunflower seeds into a powder.
Step #3 - Pour the lentils and quinoa into a large food processor (this is the 13 cup food processor that I use and love!). Add the roughly chopped cremini mushrooms, diced red onion, old fashioned oats, blended sunflower seeds, tomato paste, vegan Worcestershire sauce, nutritional yeast, Italian seasonings, minced garlic cloves, dried basil, dried parsley, salt, pepper, and the flax egg.
Step #4 - Pulse the filling on high for 1-2 minutes or until all the ingredients are broken down and combined. The mixture will be sticky but that's normal. (A wet batter makes moist lentil meatballs, a dry batter would result in dry vegan meatballs.)
Step #5 - Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. While the oven is heating up, line a large baking tray with parchment paper. Use an ice cream scoop or large spoon to scoop the filling out of the food processor into your hand and then use your palms to roll the filling into golf ball-sized vegan meatballs. The filling will make 14-15 large vegan meatballs.
Step #6 - Arrange the vegan lentil meatballs on the tray and bake them for 15-18 minutes. Serve the hot lentil meatballs with tomato sauce or marinara and a sprinkle of nutritional yeast (or vegan parm) over your favorite noodles or zoodles.
What Else Can You Make with This Lentil Quinoa Mixture?
This vegan lentil meatball filling is so versatile! You can use it to make easy vegan meatballs, veggie burgers, and vegan meatloaf, depending on what shape you form the filling into.
If you have leftover lentil meatballs and are tired of spaghetti, you can use the leftovers to make a vegan meatball sub or you could toss the meatballs in BBQ sauce for an easy BBQ lentil meatballs appetizer!
What Do I Serve Vegan Meatballs With?
If you make these oven baked lentil meatballs with spaghetti or zucchini noodles, you could also serve roasted broccoli, garlic balsamic brussels sprouts, or avocado arugula tomato salad on the side.
Notes & Substitutions
- Can You Use Canned Lentils? You can use (1) 14 oz can of lentils in place of the cooked lentils for this recipe.
- Mushroom Variations: You can use button mushrooms, cremini mushrooms, or portobello mushrooms.
- Lentil Substitutions: French lentils are my favorite for this recipe, but you could substitute green lentils, brown lentils, or chickpeas instead. Don't use red lentils because they're too soft and won't hold their shape as well.
- Make it Gluten-Free: If you need to use gluten-free spaghetti noodles, I like these organic brown rice noodles (they have the best consistency!).
- Where Do You Get Vegan Worcestershire? If you can't find it at your local grocery store you can buy vegan Worcestershire sauce, here.
- How Big Should the Lentil Meatballs Be? Try to shape the lentil mushroom meatballs filling into golf ball-sized meatballs that are 1 ½ inches wide by 1 ½ inches high.
Success Tips
- Make sure you use ground flaxseed (not whole flaxseeds) for the flax egg.
- If you accidentally over blend the meatball filling, add more oats and mix it until you can shape it into solid balls.
- Use a medium-sized ice cream scoop to scoop out the lentil mushroom filling into your hand to make meatballs that are uniform in size.
- Depending on how hot your oven is, the perfect amount of time to bake these homemade vegan meatballs is for 15-18 minutes. They will be firm on the outside and moist on the inside.
- You can store the leftover lentil meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. You can also freeze the lentil meatballs for a future meal.
More Vegan Lentil Recipes You'll Love!
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Roasted Portobello Mushrooms with Pea Pesto Lentils
Creamy Coconut Lentil Chickpea Spinach Soup
One-Pot Sweet Potato Lentil Chili
Vegan Italian Lentil Quinoa MeatBalls
Equipment
- Food Processor
- Medium-Sized Pot
- Large Baking Tray
Ingredients
- 3 cups water
- ¼ cup uncooked quinoa rinsed & drained
- ¾ cup uncooked french lentils rinsed & drained
- 5 oz cremini mushrooms (about 5 large mushrooms)
- 1 cup red onion diced (one small onion)
- 1 cup gluten-free old fashioned oats (or gluten-free bread crumbs)
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed
- 3 tbsp water
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds ground
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp vegan worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 garlic cloves minced (or 1 tsp garlic powder)
- 1 tbsp Italian seasonings
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- ½ tsp Himalayan pink sea salt more to taste
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Start by boiling 3 cups of water in a medium-sized pot. When the water boils, season it with salt and add ¾ cup of rinsed and drained uncooked french lentils. Reduce the heat to medium and set a timer for 24 minutes.
- When there are 12 minutes left on the timer, add ¼ cup of uncooked quinoa to the pan with the lentils and give it a stir to combine. Let the lentils and quinoa continue cooking together until there is no water left in the pot. It should take a total of 23-24 minutes to cook the lentils and quinoa.
- Let the cooked lentil quinoa mixture cool for a few minutes. While it’s cooling, add 1 tbsp of ground flaxseed and 3 tbsp of water to a small bowl. Mix it together and put it in the fridge to thicken for 10 minutes.
- Then, use a coffee grinder or small blender cup to grind sunflower seeds into a powder.
- Pour the lentils and quinoa into a large food processor (this is the 13 cup food processor that I use and love!). Add the roughly chopped cremini mushrooms, diced red onion, old fashioned oats, blended sunflower seeds, tomato paste, vegan Worcestershire sauce, nutritional yeast, Italian seasonings, garlic powder, dried basil, dried parsley, salt, pepper, and the flax egg.
- Pulse the filling on high for 1-2 minutes or until all the ingredients are broken down and combined. The mixture will be sticky but that’s normal. (A wet batter makes moist lentil meatballs, a dry batter would result in dry vegan meatballs.)
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- While the oven is heating up, line a large baking tray with parchment paper. Use an ice cream scoop or large spoon to scoop the filling out of the food processor into your hand and then use your palms to roll the filling into golf ball-sized vegan meatballs. The filling will make 14-15 large vegan meatballs.
- Arrange the vegan lentil meatballs on the tray and bake them for 15-18 minutes. Serve the hot lentil meatballs with tomato sauce, a sprinkle of nutritional yeast (or vegan parm), and serve the meatballs over your favorite pasta.
Notes
- Make sure you use ground flaxseed for the flax egg, not whole flax seeds.
- If you accidentally over blend the meatball filling, add more oats and mix it until you can shape it into balls.
- You can use a spoon or an ice cream scoop to scoop out the lentil mushroom filling into your hand.
- Try to shape the lentil quinoa mushroom filling into golf ball-sized meatballs that are 1 ½ inches wide by 1 ½ inches high.
- Depending on how hot your oven is, the perfect amount of time to bake these vegan meatballs is for 15-18 minutes. They will be firm on the outside and moist on the inside.
- Store the leftover vegan meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days or freeze them for a future meal.
Nutrition
*This recipe was originally published on 1/26/16, but I updated it with new pictures and better recipe instructions on 9/17/19.
I tried this recipe the results are amazing it tastes like real meatballs I totally recommend you to try it even if you are not a vegan.... I actually didn't have any mushrooms at home and I made it without this ingredient I also added some peppermint and they were still amazing and tasty AF :)))
I'm so glad you liked it, Anastasia! Thanks for the feedback =)
I am not a vegan and I was very skeptical about trying this. I absolutely loved this thank you so much for sharing
I'm so happy you liked it! Thank you for telling me <3
Hello Stacy I'm a very new vegan. I find your site EXTREMELY HELPFUL. I'm trying a lot of your recipes one my one month menu plan. This recipe being the first one I'm trying. Is it possible to freeze the balls before i bake them? Would it affect the taste if I freeze raw and cook later?
Hi Martika! I'm so happy to help! Unfortunately, I haven't tried freezing the balls before baking, only after they've been baked. I don't see any reason why freezing before baking would impact the flavor, but if you try it, please let me know how it works out for you! Let me know if you have any other questions!
Hello Stacey
Thanks for this recipe.
Can I substitute walnuts or pecans for the sunflower seeds?
Thanks
Yes, either will work just fine!
Thanks for the recipe! Is there anything that I can sub the mushrooms for?
Hey Alvin! You can make the meatballs without the mushrooms if you prefer. I've made them multiple times without the mushrooms and they still taste delicious, they're just a little bit firmer. If you do make the meatballs without the mushrooms, I recommend that you rotate the meatballs halfway through when you bake them. Enjoy!
What is flax egg?
When you mix ground flax and water together to form a paste. It helps hold everything together like an egg would.
Made these today and they were awesomely, My family loved them! Will definitely be maing them again and again...
Yay!! That's awesome, I'm so happy you and your family enjoyed the recipe!
Made these today....thery were awesome! My family loved them...Will definitely be making them again and again....
I made these for dinner last night, and my husband and I both loved them. I do have a question for you. I baked them as the recipe says, but the cover description says sauteed, and the picture looks sauteed -- and very appealing, too. Maybe you just changed it to go"no added oil", but I thought I'd ask you. Thank you for a very nice recipe.
Super Yummy! I make a lot of different meatless meatballs, and the best way I have found to keep them together is letting all the ingredients get nice and cold in the fridge before you attempt rolling them. I also use an ice cream/ cookie scoop, you get the benefit of consistent sizes and gunk free hands!
That's a great tip, thank you! I'll definitely try that next time I make them. I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I made these and they turned out very good. To avoid the sticky rolling process, I used an ice cream roller and they all turned out perfectly round in shape and size. When they were all baked, I added them
to my homemade tomato sauce. Delicious!
Thank you, I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Using an ice cream roller is a great tip!
I made these with plain brown lentils, and I had sunflower seeds, but I smelled my pumpkin seeds and somehow they seemed more Italian. (I know, weird.) I toasted them before grinding. It all turned out really nicely, they are simmering in a pot of sauce now. I have to stir very gently, but they seem to be holding up. BTW, I used this cute spring-loaded mini scoop, and got about 25 balls. Perfect.
Thanks!
Hi Andrea! Thank you so much for the feedback, I'll add a note about the pumpkin seeds to the recipe notes. Enjoy your dinner! =)
Do you think this would work without the quinoa? Don’t like it that much and trying to shorten prep time.
Hey Judit! I'm not sure, I haven't tried it. Could you use something else, maybe rice? Do you have anything already cooked that you want to use up? If you try it let me know how it turns out without the quinoa.
I read the comments and answered my own question above sorry! (about dry vs. cooked lentils & quinoa)
These looked so good I had to make them even with a lot of risky substitutions and no food processor! 🙂
They came out great! I used real garlic, almond flour in lieu of sunflower seeds, oats for bread crumbs. I parsed it out in smaller portions to fit my magic bullet (had to be quick with the mixing) and while it was messy, was delicious!
Thank you so much! a new fave.
Hello! I'm so sorry I missed your original comment but I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe! I'll update the notes with your substitutions, I love that you used oats and almond flour-- that will be so helpful because some people have had problems finding gluten-free breadcrumbs. Thank you so much for leaving feedback about the recipe, I appreciate it!
oops sorry- dumb question: is the measured amount of quinoa and lentils the cooked or dry measure?
Not dumb at all, I need to update the recipe to make it clear. The ingredients listed are uncooked.
Hi, we made this tonight and it was really tasty but I think I must have done something really wrong because it just turned into a paste in the food processor. Had to glob the mixture onto the baking tray, and it did firm up once it was baked, but it was really difficult to work with.
I was just wondering how you make it less of a wet mixture when you're cooking the lentils and quinoa and they're holding a fair bit of water?
Sorry if I sound like an absolute idiot 😂
Hi Emma!
There shouldn't be a lot of liquid in the mixture--only the flax egg. Did you drain the lentils really well after cooking them? Both the quinoa and lentils should be cooked but dry before adding them to the food processor.
The only other thing I could think of that would affect the consistency would be if you accidentally over-blended the meatball mixture. I've done that before.
I hope you give it another try! Thank you for the feedback =)
Just bookmarked this so I can try it out, these look really good!
Julia // The Sunday Mode
Thank you, Julia! I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Hi Stacey, This recipe looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it out when my sister comes to visit this weekend. Have you ever tried the recipe with brown lentils rather than green lentils? Any idea if it will make a big difference in texture or flavor? The reason I ask is because I plan to use pre-cooked lentils to save time and I’m not sure that they’re available in the green variety. Thanks in advance for your response!
Hello! I haven't tried brown lentils in this recipe but I think it would be fine. Brown lentils hold their shape pretty well just like green lentils. The only lentils I would say not to use would be red lentils because they would be way too mushy! I hope you have a great time with your sister!
Is there a substitution for the breadcrumbs? I am currently going flour-free (all types of flour).
Thanks!
Hi Melanie! I haven't tried making the meatballs without the bread crumbs but maybe rolled oats would make a good substitution? Let me know if you try it!
Hi Melanie!! I used chickpea crumb! Chickpeas are the ONLY ingredient, so no flour and added protein! WIN, WIN!! I'm sure there are other brands, but I use WHATUSEE FOODS...organic, made in the USA, and non-GMO! (: Hope this helps!
I made these meatballs and they were AMAZING. I was hoping to double or triple the recipe the next time I make them, and just throw some in the freezer for later. Have you ever tried this? Do you have recommendations on how to reheat them from frozen?
Hi, Beth! I'm so happy you like the recipe! Thank you for letting me know! I never have enough leftover to freeze, my hubby gobbles them up, so I'm not 100% sure how they would turn out. However, I don't see why they wouldn't keep for a few months frozen and then reheated in the oven until warmed through. If you try it, let me know and I'll update the recipe with your results! Thank you! =)