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    Home > Vegan Entrees

    Vegan Eggplant Meatballs (Gluten-free, Oil-free)

    By My Pure Plants on 06/03/2022 - May contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure.

    Jump to Recipe Print Pin

    Roasted eggplant has this amazing texture and fairly neutral flavor, so with proper seasoning, it can be turned into many tasty things. If you would like to try eggplants for the first time or just looking for vegan recipes with eggplants, this 6-ingredient vegan eggplant meatballs recipe might be exactly what you need.

    Overlay photo of a frying pan. Lot of small eggplant balls in red marinara sauce

    Are you looking for even more vegan eggplant recipes? Try our rich vegan eggplant parmesan with a creamy white bean mozzarella sauce or our vegan moussaka with the meatiest vegan minced meat possible. We also love this roasted eggplant bell pepper dip which is a delicious marriage between muhammara and baba ganoush.

    Table of Contents hide
    1. What can you expect from this recipe?
    2. Ingredients
    3. How to make vegan eggplant meatballs?
    4. Top tips to make them perfectly
    5. What to serve with them?
    6. FAQs and substitutions
    7. Why do we love eggplant recipes?
    8. More veggie balls recipes
    9. Vegan Eggplant Meatballs

    What can you expect from this recipe?

    If you are looking for a meatless meatball alternative, eggplant balls are a great choice. We don’t need to call it vegan or vegetarian, as none of the so-called “eggplant meatballs” recipes are actually containing meat. The star ingredient is THE eggplant and all other ingredients are only there to make sure you can form a ball.

    Two hands holding a dark purple raw eggplant

    Eggplant has such a spongy texture, you have to watch the amount of oil, especially with these veggies as they can soak up too much and become too oily and heavy at the end. I love how enthusiastically Chef Pasquale cooks eggplant balls but it is hard to watch the amount of oil he uses.

    I have to say our eggplant meatballs are somewhat simpler and healthier. You can make them delicious even without eggs, oil, or breadcrumbs.

    And why this recipe is the best vegan eggplant meatballs recipe? It is thanks to marjoram, a lesser-known Italian green herb that gives amazing flavor to eggplants.

    Ingredients

    You only need 6 ingredients to make vegan meatballs with eggplants.

    Ingredients of eggplant meatballs are measured in small glass bowls: brown pureed eggplant, oats, white flour, marjoram and flax seed in water
    • Eggplants – Roasted and pureed
    • Quick oats or fine oats – We don’t recommend using rolled oats as they are harder to soften and may give you a crunchy finish.
    • Rice flour – You can use oat flour or any gluten-free flour blend.
    • Ground flax seeds – This is one of the vegan egg substitutes when it comes to binding ingredients. Alternatively, you can use tapioca starch or cornstarch.
    • Marjoram – The idea to use marjoram comes from the seasoning of sausages we grew up with. We were just experimenting with our vegan lentil loaf recipe using marjoram when we thought of trying it also with this recipe. And it worked. At least for our taste buds. You can – of course – season it with basil and oregano.
    • Garlic powder
    • Salt and black pepper

    🛒 You can find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

    How to make vegan eggplant meatballs? 

    Roasting eggplant

    First, you need to roast the eggplants, which is easy to do. I usually use a glass container or a baking mat so I can roast them oil-free.

    1. Wash the eggplants.
    2. Cut them in half vertically and place the halves upside down in a single layer in an oven-safe glass baking dish or on a silicone baking mat. You can cut off the stem, but not necessary.
    3. Preheat the oven to 400 Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius) and roast the eggplants for 30 minutes. They have to be tender enough that you can peel or spoon out the eggplant flesh.
    4. Take them out and let them cool until it is comfortable to touch them with your bare hands. You can see it in the below photo of how eggplants look after roasting without oil in the oven.
    Roasted eggplants up close

    Making the mixture

    1. Peel or spoon the eggplant “meat” and blend it until you get a puree using a food processor or a hand blender.
    2. Mix ground flax (not flakes or seeds) and water and wait until they get a gelee consistency. The ratio of ground flax and water is 1:3 tablespoons.
    3. Take a large mixing bowl and add the pureed eggplant and all other ingredients (oats, brown rice flour, flax egg, marjoram, salt, and black pepper) and mix them with a wooden spoon. You don’t need to add the mixture back to a food processor or blender.

    Resting to form the balls

    As with most veggie balls recipes, it is better if you form the eggplant balls after the mixture is rested a bit.

    We recommend placing the mixture in the fridge for approx. 10-15 minutes so that the oats and the flax egg can work their magic and get all ingredients to stick together so to speak.

    After that, it will be easy to form small (2-3 inch wide) veggie balls, which can even be fun for the kids to help out with.

    2 photo collage the first showing a glass bowl with a brown mixture and the second is showing 2 balls on a white plate.

    Baking or frying

    Take your frying pan, add a bit of oil and fry them on medium heat for a couple of minutes on each side. If it is a truly non-stick like these ones*, then you wouldn’t need to add any oil and the eggplant balls will still get a crispy brownish crust. They should look like the ones in the below picture.

    If you prefer baking, then take a baking mat or a sheet pan with parchment paper and bake them at 350 Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius) for 15-20 minutes turning them at half-time.

    Overlay photo of a frying pan. Lot of small eggplant balls in marinara sauce

    Top tips to make them perfectly

    • Roasting in advance – You can roast the eggplants in advance and store them in the fridge for 1-2 days without a problem. The only thing you need to pay attention to is that they might release liquid, so you need more oats or flour to get to the right consistency
    • Size matters – Baking and frying time depends on the size of the meatballs you make. The smaller they are, the cooking time will be shorter.
    • Turn them gently – In my experience with gluten-free cooking and baking, whatever mixture I make is usually soft to work with when hot, but firms up after cooling.
    • Don’t recommend simmering the meatballs in a sauce – You can add these vegan eggplant meatballs to a tomato sauce for example and they will NOT fall apart. However, we recommend baking them in advance before doing that. They need that crispy outer crust first.

    What to serve with them?

    When your vegan eggplant meatballs are ready, you can serve them in many different ways.

    • Drop them into our homemade marinara sauce (see below picture) and make spaghetti with “meatballs”. You can even pop it in the oven and top it with lots of grated cheese to turn it into a pasta bake or casserole.
    • Try it with our delicious caramelized carrot pasta sauce or this creamy cashew alfredo that complements these meatballs perfectly. Or try to add it to your vegan mac and cheese.
    • You can make a complete meal by adding vegan mashed potatoes, your favorite Fried Rice, or any combination of roasted veggies (asparagus, mushroom, root veggies…)
    • Make an eggplant meatballs sandwich with marinara sauce.
    • Put them on a stick or skewer, add a dip (like vegan BBQ sauce or vegan nacho cheese sauce) and serve them as appetizers.
    • Take a vegan and gluten-free biscuit and make meatball biscuit sliders.
    • Stuff pita bread with veggies and eggplant balls top with your favorite vegan yogurt dip.
    • Add them to your vegan shakshuka to make it more filling.
    • Can it be a delicious pizza topping? Why not?

    Let us know in the comments what is your favorite combination!

    Spaghetti topped with marinara sauce and a couple of eggplant meatballs sprinkled with parsley

    FAQs and substitutions

    What can you use instead of rice flour?

    If you don’t need to eat gluten-free, then you can use all-purpose wheat flour. If gluten-free, you can use other gluten-free flours like oat flour, chickpea flour, or buckwheat flour for sure. To be honest, we like rice flour for vegetable balls since they have the most neutral taste and they will keep the focus on the seasoning.

    What can you use instead of oats?

    We have only tried to make it with oats. However, we don’t recommend rolled oats as they will give you a crunchier finish compared to fine oats or quick oats.

    If I need to change it, I would try it with breadcrumbs. Any other grain would be too hard when they are uncooked, or too moist if they are cooked. Please note that panko breadcrumbs are not gluten-free. You need to choose one of these gluten-free breadcrumbs substitutes then.

    Can you turn them into burger patties?

    Yes, you can.

    How do you store them?

    You can keep it in the fridge in an airtight container for 4-5 days tops without any problem. We recommend storing the meatballs by themselves and separating them from any sauce. Otherwise, they soak up the sauce and may fall apart the next day.

    Can you freeze them?

    Yes, you can store them in the freezer. We recommend freezing after frying/baking, not as an uncooked mixture. The reason is that roasted eggplant will release moisture after it is thawed. If you are ready to enjoy them, pop them back in the oven or warm them up in a frying pan to get the crispy crust back.

    Overlay photo of a frying pan. Lot of small eggplant balls in marinara sauce

    Why do we love eggplant recipes?

    Did you know?

    Eggplant is technically a fruit, but we rather think of it as one of the nightshade vegetables.

    According to Cronometer eggplants are great to boost the fiber content of any dish. It is high in vitamin B1 and B6 as well as copper and manganese. Furthermore, purple fruits and veggies are usually high in antioxidants just like eggplant. If you are interested in learning more, here is an article about the 7 surprising health benefits of eggplants. So it is really worth it to incorporate eggplants in your weekly meals.

    Choosing the right recipe may determine whether you like eggplant or not in the end. They can be quite bitter if not properly cooked or baked. It has a spongy texture similar to mushrooms. However, there are so many great recipes you can try apart from having them as “meatballs” for example make it a star in this Asian caramelized eggplant salad or go with a Middle Eastern flow and make Lebanese stuffed eggplants or a vegan sabich sandwich. Do you have a favorite eggplant recipe? Let us know in the comments below.

    Overlay photo of a frying pan. Lot of small eggplant balls in marinara sauce

    This Eggplant Meatballs recipe is vegan (so egg-free and dairy-free), vegetarian, nut-free, soy-free, and WFPB-friendly (whole foods plant-based). However, it is only gluten-free if you buy certified gluten-free rolled oats like this one. Oats are naturally gluten-free, although they are usually cross-contaminated with other grains.

    More veggie balls recipes

    You can browse through our quick vegan meals collection or check out

    • Easy Vegan TVP Meatballs
    • Vegan Mushroom Meatballs
    • BBQ Chickpea Meatballs
    • Copycat IKEA Veggie Balls

    THANK YOU so much for visiting our website. Please comment below if you have tried this recipe. We LOVE hearing from you! If you loved the recipe, please don’t forget to give us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ RATING. We appreciate all of our readers.  

    Different colorful vegetables drawn as icons on an orange background in a shape of a heart.

    ⇒ GET OUR FREE 7-DAY VEGAN MEAL PLAN E-BOOK NOW! OR CHECK OUT ALL VEGAN MEAL PLAN RECIPES! ⇐

    Overlay photo of a frying pan. Lot of small eggplant balls in marinara sauce

    Vegan Eggplant Meatballs

    Emese Maczko
    Roasted eggplant has an amazing texture and relatively neutral flavor, so with proper seasoning, it can be turned into many tasty things. You should try these 6-ingredient simple vegan eggplant meatballs with marinara sauce.
    4.4 from 19 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 30 mins
    Cook Time 15 mins
    Resting time 15 mins
    Total Time 1 hr
    Course Main Course
    Servings 25 balls
    Calories 36kcal

    Equipment

    • Oven-safe glass baking dish (8-inch / 20 cm)
    • Food processor
    • Immersion hand blender with 20 fl oz container
    • Non-stick baking sheet

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 2 Eggplant / Aubergine (medium) 20 oz
    • 1 cup Fine or quick oats
    • ½ cup Brown rice flour
    • 2 Ground flax Flax egg = 2 Tbsp ground flax + 6 Tbsp water
    • 2 Tbsp Marjoram (dried) or 1 Tbsp basil + 1 Tbsp oregano
    • ½ tsp Garlic powder
    • 2 Tbsp Nutritional yeast optional
    • 1 tsp Salt
    • 1 tsp Pepper
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    EXCLUSIVE 5-ingredient recipes for busy home cooks that are ready in 15 minutes!Check out our Express Vegan Cookbook!

    Instructions
     

    Roasting eggplants

    • Wash the eggplants, then cut them in half vertically. You can cut off the stem, but not necessary. Take the eggplant halves to an oven-safe glass container or a baking mat and turn them upside down (peel is up). No oil is needed.
    • Preheat the oven to 400 Fahrenheit (200 degrees) and roast the eggplants for 30 minutes. Take them out and let them cool until it is comfortable to touch them with your bare hands.

    Making mixture

    • First, peel or spoon the eggplant “meat” and blend it until you get a puree using a food processor or a hand blender.
    • Mix flax meal and water and wait until they get a gelee consistency.
    • Take a large dish and add pureed eggplant, oats, rice flour, nutritional yeast (optional), marjoram, garlic powder, flax egg, salt, and black pepper. Mix them thoroughly with a wooden spoon. You don’t need to add the mixture back to a food processor or blender.
    • Leave in the fridge for 15 minutes for the oats and the flour to absorb any excess moisture. 

    Frying or baking

    • Now you are ready to form the small eggplant balls. Take a tablespoon of the mixture and form the balls with your hands. It will be soft and may stick to your hands. If it is too sticky, add more oats.
    • Take a frying pan and heat it on medium heat. Add a bit of coconut or olive oil if you don't have a non-stick pan. Fry them on each side for a couple of minutes to give them a nice brown color. 
    • If you prefer baking, take a baking mat or a sheet pan with parchment paper and bake them at 350 Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius) for 15-20 minutes until they get a crispy brownish crust. Turn them at half-time. 

    Serving (more suggestions above the recipe card)

    • Cook your spaghetti according to the instructions on the package. 
    • Prepare homemade (vegan marinara sauce). When the eggplant balls are ready, pop them in the sauce to warm them up before serving. 
    • When the spaghetti is ready, pour the marinara sauce and eggplant balls on it. Sprinkle them with fresh basil or parsley and you are ready to serve. Good appetite! 
    Tried this recipe? Can we see it?Please share a picture with us by uploading an image to Pinterest below ours.

    Notes

    • Roasting in advance – you can roast the eggplants in advance and store them in the fridge for 1-2 days without a problem. The only thing you need to pay attention to is that they might release liquid, so you need more oats or flour to get to the right consistency
    • Size matters – Baking and frying time depends on the size of the meatballs you make. The smaller they are, the cooking time will be shorter. 
    • Balls or patties – You can make burger-shaped veggie patties, the mixture will hold them together. 
    • Turn them gently – In my experience with gluten-free cooking and baking, whatever mixture I make is usually soft to work with or when hot, but it firms up after cooling. 

    Video

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Vegan Eggplant Meatballs
    Amount Per Serving (1 ball)
    Calories 36 Calories from Fat 9
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 1g2%
    Saturated Fat 1g6%
    Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
    Monounsaturated Fat 1g
    Sodium 94mg4%
    Potassium 121mg3%
    Carbohydrates 7g2%
    Fiber 2g8%
    Sugar 1g1%
    Protein 1g2%
    Vitamin A 22IU0%
    Vitamin C 1mg1%
    Calcium 9mg1%
    Iron 1mg6%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    UPDATED: This recipe was originally posted in Jan 2019, but was rewritten and republished with more details and tips in June 2022. 

    1.4K shares

    Reader Interactions

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    1. Rachel

      August 27, 2021 at 2:31 am

      5 stars
      I really free-styled this so I’m not sure how useful my review is, but they turned out great and my 3-year-old asked for seconds, so that’s a major win. I used rolled oats because that’s what I had, and chickpea flour instead of rice flour. I don’t have nutritional yeast around but I added a favorite spice mix, and I went ahead and used chicken eggs instead of flax eggs. Also I had one giant eggplant from the garden and I didn’t stop to weigh it, but I suspect it was well over 20 oz; after everything sat in the fridge for a couple of hours, I added some panko breadcrumbs to firm up the blend a tad more before frying in a cast-iron pan. Very tasty, with a pleasant texture inside and out. Thank you!

      Reply
    2. Tassiana Kohl

      March 05, 2021 at 1:38 pm

      i don’t have flax eggs in my city, what can I use???

      Reply
      • My Pure Plants

        March 05, 2021 at 8:45 pm

        You can add a bit of corn or tapioca starch (1 Tbsp). The dough will be a bit on the softer side but once the starch is activated in the oven or frying pan it will firm up and will get the eggplant balls nice crispy.

        Reply
    3. Jon

      July 12, 2020 at 5:25 am

      Made these for dinner tonight. They turned out great! My wife had the idea to put a little bit of balsamic on top of the meatballs and it really elevated them. I’d definitely recommend it

      Reply
      • Jon

        July 12, 2020 at 5:26 am

        Also added fennel and red pepper flakes.

        Reply
        • My Pure Plants

          July 12, 2020 at 5:33 pm

          Jon, thanks for trying our recipe. We are so glad you liked it. All these add-ins sound great. Thanks for the tips.

    4. kim

      May 15, 2020 at 8:10 pm

      5 stars
      This was fabulous! So easy to make and had a wonderful flavor! Will definitely make again!

      Reply
    5. Kelly Anthony

      May 15, 2020 at 12:04 pm

      5 stars
      Roasted eggplant is one of my favorite vegetables but I never thought to use it as a meatball. Such a great idea.

      Reply
    6. Alisa Infanti

      May 15, 2020 at 11:15 am

      I had no idea eggplant could be used this way! What a delicious idea.

      Reply
    7. Vicky

      May 15, 2020 at 11:02 am

      5 stars
      Love this creative recipe for vegan meatballs! Sometimes it’s hard to figure out what to do with eggplant and this is great!

      Reply
      • My Pure Plants

        May 15, 2020 at 11:15 am

        Yes, indeed eggplants can be tricky. I definitely have some go-to ways to use them and this is one of them.

        Reply
    8. Amanda Wren-Grimwood

      May 15, 2020 at 10:26 am

      5 stars
      I love roasted eggplant so this sounds like a great recipe to try.

      Reply
      • My Pure Plants

        May 15, 2020 at 11:15 am

        Let us know how it goes if you do try it.

        Reply
    9. Deirdre

      May 15, 2020 at 10:12 am

      5 stars
      This was such a simple and healthy recipe and even the kids loved it! Great way to use up aubergines

      Reply
      • My Pure Plants

        May 15, 2020 at 11:16 am

        It is definitely in my top 3 ways to use eggplants.

        Reply
    10. Sarah

      April 27, 2020 at 9:15 pm

      5 stars
      We loved this recipe! I used Italian seasoning vs. marjoram because that’s what I had in my pantry. We veganized a sausage, egg and cheese biscuit sandwich with this recipe.

      Reply
      • My Pure Plants

        May 15, 2020 at 11:18 am

        Wow, the sandwich sounds amazing. Thanks for trying our recipe.

        Reply
    11. Bianca

      April 18, 2020 at 8:27 am

      1 star
      Unfortunately, I was disappointed in this recipe ? I tried it last night and it’s definitely way too many oats and too little spices/flavor. I had added additional garlic and other spices and it was still too bland. I love the concept but feel it needs to be adjusted. Keep trying!

      Reply
      • My Pure Plants

        April 18, 2020 at 7:05 pm

        I am really sorry to hear that. Have you changed anything or substituted any ingredients? Maybe your eggplants were smaller? Or have you used rolled oats instead of quick oats? We’d love to know what went wrong so we can make the recipe better for you. Thanks for trying our recipe.

        Reply
    12. Suzanne

      March 20, 2020 at 7:35 pm

      question, I don’t have Marjoram can I use something else?

      Reply
      • My Pure Plants

        March 20, 2020 at 8:26 pm

        You can use for example basil and oregano.

        Reply
    13. Patricia

      January 29, 2020 at 2:02 pm

      Could I use normal flour and egg if I’m not glutenfree or vegan? Massive lover of eggplant!

      Reply
      • My Pure Plants

        January 29, 2020 at 2:21 pm

        I think that should work, although normal egg (depending on size) might have more moisture than flax egg, so add more flour or oats if need be.

        Reply
    14. Lucille

      January 24, 2019 at 2:16 pm

      5 stars
      I can’t believe that eggplant could be a meatballs with gluten free. You are genius.I don’t like eggplant but I would love to try this.

      Reply
      • My Pure Plants

        January 24, 2019 at 2:18 pm

        Who knew, right? Eggplant and oats are the secret weapons in gluten-free vegan cooking. Let us know how you like it.

        Reply

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