Vegan Sweet and Sour Meatballs

4.89 from 17 votes

Vegan Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Absolutely delicious vegan meatballs...with the perfect texture and they're gluten-free too. Everyone will love this easy recipe. Serve it as a healthy appetizer with a no-sugar sweet and sour sauce or with marinara sauce for a Meatless Monday dinner.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegan

Servings: small or 18 large meatballs

Calories: 256kcal

Author: Debra Klein

Equipment

Ingredients

3 Tablespoons tomato paste
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons flax meal ground flax seeds
¼ cup water
15 oz can chickpeas rinsed and drained
½ cup ground oatmeal
3 cloves garlic pressed
1 shallot minced
¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
1 teaspoons dried oregano
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
½ teaspoon white pepper
½ teaspoon coarse sea salt

Sweet & Sour Sauce

½ cup tomato paste
⅓ cup pineapple juice
⅓ cup lemon juice
⅓ cup maple syrup
2 Tablespoons arrowroot powder
¼ teaspoon coarse sea salt

Instructions

Mix tomato paste, olive oil, flax meal and water. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350. Line a small rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper and set aside.
Mash chick peas with fork or potato masher. Mix in tomato mixture, oats, garlic, shallot, herbs and spices until well blended
Use a small scoop or spoon to dish out 30 “meat” balls onto prepared pan. Wet hands and roll into balls.
Bake 25 minutes, until firm.
Meanwhile, make the sauce. In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together all ingredients. Continue to whisk as sauce begins to thicken. This will take about 5 minutes. You do not need to whisk constantly, but just enough so that sauce doesn’t boil or thicken inconsistently.
When meatballs are done baking, add to the sauce and cook for about 5 minutes. Serve warm with toothpicks as an appetizer; or serve over rice or spaghetti squash as a main meal.
MAKE AHEAD: Store cooked “meat” balls (without sauce) in the fridge for up to one week or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw and then gently reheat on the stove in the sauce for about 10 minutes, until warmed through.

Nutrition