No-Meat Balls with Vegan Gravy & Mashed Potatoes

These easy to make No-Meat Balls (Vegan Meatballs) are the ultimate comfort food! Serve them over Mashed Potatoes and drench them in Mushroom Gravy for a perfect Christmas dinner or any time!

If you’re still looking for a delicious vegan main dish that is sure to be a hit at your dinner table, look no further! These Vegan No-Meat Balls are not only perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas but also for any day that you’re in need of a cozy and satisfying comfort meal. They’re made from chickpeas and loaded with spices, also, roasted onions and garlic which add amazing flavors. Furthermore, when you serve these meatless meatballs with Vegan Gravy over Mashed Potatoes, they make a hearty plant-based feast that is even better than traditional meatballs.

My favorite No-Meat Balls (Vegan Meatballs)

Actually, I‘ve been making these No-Meat Balls for years, and it’s also one of the first vegan recipes of mine that I’ve ever shared next to Vegan Falafel. I’ve already tried different variations, changing a few things here and there to create a recipe that tastes the best to me. Anyways, I’ve discovered that it’s always really similar and very versatile. So you can it switch up, and/or add more ingredients to your liking. Above all, it’s about the perfect texture, so they shouldn’t be too wet or too dry, but meaty and delicious!

Easy to make Vegan Meatballs with Chickpeas

For these Vegan Meatballs, there are basically only 2 ingredients required – Chickpeas (or beans) and grains, such as (gluten-free) breadcrumbs or oats. For this recipe I decided to go with chickpeas, however, I usually use beans, such as kidney beans, black beans or white beans. Anyways, you can use whatever beans or chickpeas you have on hand. Furthermore, I like to add a flaxseed egg for better binding, however, it will also work without it. Also, I always add onions, garlic, and some spices to make them flavorful. If you’d like to add some Mushrooms for an extra meaty texture, check out my recipe for Vegan Mushroom Meatballs.

To make these meatless meatballs the first step is to start by sautéing the onions and garlic in a pan to build flavors. Then secondly, add all the remaining ingredients for the Vegan Meatballs into the food processor or blender and pulse until combined. Then, form the mixture into balls, brush them with a little oil and bake in the oven for about 20-30 minutes. Optionally, you could also fry them in a pan on all sides until lightly browned before going into the oven.

Mashed potatoes & Vegan Gravy

While your No-Meat Balls are baking, you can boil the potatoes for the Mashed Potatoes and prepare the Mushroom Gravy. Of course, you can serve this dish without the sauce, but let’s be honest, Potatoes and Vegan Meatballs aren’t quite the same without it, are they? This Vegan Gravy is healthier than traditional gravy, so you can eat it without regrets. It also includes mushrooms which makes it more flavorful and special. If you’re not such a big mushroom fan like me, you can simply omit them.

As you can see these No-Meat Balls are very simple and delicious! They’re also:

• Plant-based
• Healthy
• Dairy-free
• Gluten-free
• Protein-rich
• Hearty
• Satisfying
• Savory
• The perfect vegan comfort food!

Serve these No-Meat Balls with other dishes

These Vegan Meatballs not only make a great main dish with Gravy over Mashed Potatoes but also with other sides and sauces. You can also serve them with spaghetti and tomato sauce for example, or with rice and a homemade barbecue sauce. Additionally, since these meatless balls are still small, they’re also ideal to serve as a simple side dish or snack with a cashew dip or creamy guacamole. Have fun trying this easy recipe and don’t forget to let me know if you liked it! ?

Vegan No-Meat Balls with Gravy and Mashed Potatoes

These easy to make Vegan Meatballs are the ultimate comfort food! Serve them over Mashed Potatoes and drenched in Mushroom Gravy for a perfect Christmas dinner or any time!

5 from 5 votes

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Course: Appetizer, Lunch & Dinner, Main Course, Side Dish, Snack, Snacks

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 4 Servings

Author: Bianca Zapatka

Ingredients

No-Meat Balls:

• 1 14 oz can chickpeas (or beans) drained and rinsed
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs (60 g) or gluten-free if desired
• 1 flaxseed egg* optional
• 1 tbsp oil or vegan butter
• 1 onion chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp mustard
• salt and pepper to taste
• oil (or vegan butter) to brush & for frying

Mashed Potatoes:

• 2 lbs potatoes (1kg) peeled
• 2 tbsp vegan butter optional
• 1 cup plant-based milk (240 ml)
• salt and pepper to taste

Mushroom Gravy:

• 3 tbsp oil or vegan butter
• 9 oz mushrooms (250 g) sliced
• 1 onion sliced
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 3 tbsp flour or 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp mustard
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 cups vegetable broth (480 ml)
• 1/4 cup coconut milk (60 ml) optional
• 1 tsp thyme optional
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

No-Meat Balls:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F (180°C).
• Prepare the flaxseed egg by stirring 1 tbsp ground flaxseeds into 2,5 tbsp hot water. Allow to sit for 5 minutes.
• Heat oil in a pan and sauté onions for about 2-3 minutes until lightly browned. Then place with all remaining ingredients for the meatballs into a food processor or blender. Pulse until well chopped and combined, scrape down the sides in between.
• Form the mixture into 15 balls (it's easier with wet hands) and arrange on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the balls with a little oil and bake for about 20-30 minutes, or until lightly browned, flipping through after every 10 minutes.

Mashed Potatoes:

• Cut potatoes in quarters and cook in salted water until fork-tender, about 20 minutes. Then drain, return the potatoes back to the pot. Add the butter and mash with a potato masher. Stir in the plant-based milk to your desired texture and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Mushroom Gravy:

• Heat the oil (or vegan butter) in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onions and mushrooms and sauté for about 5 minutes until browned, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and roast for a further minute.
• In a jar, mix the flour (or cornstarch), soy sauce and mustard with a bit of the vegetable broth until smooth, so there are no lumps from the flour anymore.
• Then add the flour mixture to the pan along with the remaining vegetable broth.
• Stir constantly and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer until it thickens up to your desired consistency, about 5 minutes. (The longer you cook, the more it thickens). Season with thyme, salt, and pepper to taste. Refine with coconut milk if you like.
• Add the no-meat balls to the gravy and stir to coat.
• Serve vegan meatballs and gravy over mashed potatoes. Enjoy! ?

Notes

• While the no-meat balls bake, you can cook the potatoes and prepare the gravy, so your meal is ready faster!
• You can use any (gluten-free) breadcrumbs but you'll get the best texture when using panko breadcrumbs.

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