Get ready to try these tasty vegan chickpea meatballs! Each bite bursts with smoky, savory goodness that will bring you back for more. These delicious appetizers are perfect for any gathering and impress your guests, leaving them begging for the recipe.
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Meatballs are a quintessential dish in a vegan diet. The best way to eat many veggies, nuts, grains, and legumes in one go. They are extremely versatile, just like burger patties. Try our other recipes, such as our vegan eggplant meatballs, vegan mushroom meatballs, tofu meatballs, and TVP meatballs.
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What can you expect?
Let’s start with expectations. Most people who hear chickpea and balls in one sentence probably think of a falafel recipe, but it is not the only delicious one. Skip cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper, and add Italian seasoning to turn chickpeas into vegan meatballs.
- It will be closer to Italian meatballs in taste due to the seasoning.
- Technically, it is not really a veggie ball, as this recipe has only grains, nuts and legumes, but no veggies per se.
- It is crusty and crispy on the outside, but soft inside.
- The garlic, the basil, and the parsley will be the dominant flavors.
- The balls will not fall apart if you add them to any sauce.
Ingredients
If you make this recipe, you will need 3 main ingredients:
- Chickpeas (canned or cooked)
- Rice (cooked) → We love the idea of BOSH’s pastaball, but gluten-free pasta is tricky. So we thought of rice instead, which we already used rice in our delicious vegan mushroom meatballs recipe.
- Walnuts → We like to sneak in some extra protein and nutrition to recipes. So it was quite natural to add some nuts to make it more meaty, since we already loved walnut mince to make vegan spaghetti bolognese.
🛒 You can find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
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Instructions
- Add canned or cooked chickpeas, walnut halves, cooked rice, seasoning, and spices: olive oil, tomato paste, basil, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, nutritional yeast, turmeric to a food processor.
- Pulse the mix gently. Don’t puree it! It would be best if you had some chunks and bits for a better texture. Depending on the size of your container, work in batches.
- When the mix is ready, add oat flour or quick oats, one tablespoon at a time. You know it is enough when you can form a ball easily.
- Take 1-2 tablespoons of the meatball mixture and create small balls.
- Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit (ca. 177 °C) and bake them for 20-30 minutes. Flip at half-time! You know they are ready if they are lightly brown and a crust is formed.
Cooking tips
- Immersion blender or food processor – It can be tricky to get the right consistency with immersion blender. If you don’t have a food processor, we recommend using ground walnuts or walnut meal instead of whole or halves.
- Quick vs. rolled oats – If you use rolled oats, the mixture should rest to leave enough time for the rolled oats to soften and absorb a bit of moisture.
- Size matters – Baking and frying time depend on the size of the meatballs you make. The smaller they are, the cooking time will be shorter.
Serving ideas
Turn these vegan chickpea meatballs into a crowd-pleasing appetizer by heating a generous amount of vegan BBQ sauce and glazing them in the simmering sauce for a smoky finish.
If you are looking for other serving tips, here are some examples:
- Cook our quick, 15-min homemade vegan marinara sauce and make spaghetti and meatballs or an eggplant meatballs sub.
- We have many vegan pasta sauces, but we recommend this delicious caramelized carrot pasta sauce to try first.
- Drop them in vegan mac and cheese.
- Make a complete meal by adding vegan mashed potatoes or any combination of veggies like roasted asparagus and mushrooms.
- Stuff pita bread with veggies and these vegan eggplant meatballs and top them with vegan tzatziki.
- Add them to your vegan shakshuka to make it more filling.
- Can it be a delicious pizza topping? Why not?
Storing ideas
You can keep it in the fridge for 4-5 days without any problem. To ensure their freshness, we suggest keeping them separate from any sauce.
Freezing these vegan chickpea meatballs after baking is the best option, as the uncooked mixture may turn too soggy upon thawing. We recommend reheating them in the oven or on a frying pan to restore their crispy exterior.
More vegan meatballs recipes
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BBQ Vegan Chickpea Meatballs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 15 oz Chickpeas (canned)
- ½ cup Walnut halves
- 1 cup Rice (cooked) measured as cooked
- 1 Tbsp Olive oil
- 1 tsp Onion powder
- 1 tsp Garlic powder
- 1 tsp Basil dried
- 1 tsp Parsley dried
- ½ tsp Turmeric
- 1 Tbsp Nutritional yeast
- 1 Tbsp Tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp Oat flour
- 1 Tbsp Fine or quick oats
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Black pepper
- ½ cup Vegan BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Cook rice as per package instructions. Use canned ones, or precook dry chickpeas until tender.
- Take a food processor. Add drained chickpeas, walnut, cooked rice, seasoning, and spices: olive oil, tomato paste, basil, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, nutritional yeast, and turmeric. Pulse the mix gently. Don’t puree it! It would be best if you had some chunks and bits for a better texture. Depending on the size of your container, work in batches.
- Now try to form a ball (1-2 Tbsp per ball). If the mix is still soft to work with, add it to a mixing bowl and add oat flour and quick oats 1 Tbsp at a time. Do it until you can form those chickpea balls.
Baking or frying
- Now you are ready to form the chickpea meatballs. Take 1-2 Tbsp of the mixture and form the balls with your hands.
- Take a baking mat or a sheet pan with parchment paper and bake them at 350 Fahrenheit (ca. 177 °C) for 20-30 minutes until they get a crispy crust. Flip at halftime! You know they are ready if they are lightly brown and a crust is formed.
- Or take a frying pan and heat it over medium heat. Add a bit of coconut oil and fry them for a couple of minutes on each side to give them a nice brown color.
- Heat BBQ sauce over low heat and glaze the chickpea meatballs with it. Other serving suggestions above the recipe card!
Notes
- Immersion blender or food processor – It can be tricky to get the right consistency with an immersion blender, especially if you don’t have a walnut meal and need to make it using whole or chopped walnuts.
- Size matters – Baking and frying time depend on the size of the meatballs you make. The smaller they are, the cooking time will be shorter.
Video
Nutrition
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Linda
Hi, after adding the flour, you don’t say if we’re supposed to mix in the flour while still using the food processor or with our hands… which is it?
Emese
Hi Linda, I mixed it with my hands. You are right I forgot to specify that in the instructions. I go on and amend them right now. Thanks for trying our recipe in advance.
Laurie
Should you use a certain type of rice?
Emese
I made this recipe both with basmati white rice and brown rice. I haven’t tried it with any other type though.
Courtney
Could I use a different type of flour ? Chickpea flour? Tapioca flour? Or even just a gluten free flour?
My Pure Plants
Yes. Absolutely. Any type would do since it is just a minor addition to make sure everything sticks together.
Dia
I made it and it was just delicious! perfect with a marinara sauce. yummy.
Century Foods
Loved your recipe’s instructions on the chickpea meatballs vegan recipe. Thanks for such amazing words.