Easy Vegan Meatballs Using Chickpeas
Homemade vegan meatballs made with chickpeas are insanely flavorful – even meat-eaters will love them! This is an updated recipe from 2015 – it’s by far one of my most popular meatless recipes here on Karissa’s Vegan Kitchen. Because they are seriously delicious. If you’re on an oil-free diet, these easy meatballs will be a great addition to your meal plan.
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It is no surprise to people that know me, or regularly follow my blog – but I LOVE chickpeas. Chickpea recipes are totally my jam.
I’ve shared with you my tasty Turmeric Chickpea Salad Sandwich recipe and Healthy Vegan Gyro Salad with Chickpeas. Adding chickpeas to salads adds such a delicious element and texture. I’m sure it’s pretty obvious that I have these little round balls of goodness on hand at all times.
So, when I decided to make a healthy vegan meatball, I instantly turned to chickpeas. I have added them to meatloaf (in my pre-vegan days) to bulk it up when I did not have bread crumbs and it turned out amazing, so why not?!
These veggie meatballs are SO incredibly delicious, vegan and meat-eater approved, and pretty easy to make. Pair ’em with marinara sauce & your favorite pasta (mine is penne!) and you have a tasty vegan spaghetti & meatballs recipe that your family will LOVE.
Ingredients
- Chickpeas
- Ground flax seed
- Water
- Breadcrumbs
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Dried parsley
- Marjoram
- Salt
- Basil
- Black pepper
How to Make Vegan Meatballs
If you are using canned chickpeas, just go ahead and give them a whirl in the blender or a food processor. They don’t need to be totally smooth – a little chunkiness is great because it will give your meatless meatballs some texture and won’t be total mush when you bake them up.
Dried chickpeas require to be soaked in water beforehand (about 4 hours, or overnight) and then boiled. You will need to boil them until they are cracking open and beginning to shed their skin. This will ensure they are super soft which will make for the most cohesive meatballs. Boiling them might take an hour or so.
Personally, I like to peel off some of the skins to give the meatballs an even smoother texture before blending. Just pinch the bean and the skin will slide right off. This is totally optional (and time-consuming), though. I typically just take the skins off until I don’t feel like it anymore. #lazy
For a vegan “egg”, flax seed eggs work perfectly in this recipe to bind these vegan meatballs together. A flax seed egg is simply made by mixing water & ground flax. It gels up similar to egg texture and works great in many recipes as a binder! I use them to help breading stick to cauliflower and also in baked oatmeal!
After all of the ingredients come together, roll your meatballs up (I use a tablespoon measuring spoon to make them all the same size). If they crack when you try to roll them, add oil or chickpea juice (AKA aquafaba). If they are too sticky, add some more breadcrumbs.
Then, simply bake them in the oven and add them your favorite spaghetti dish or make vegan meatball subs!
FAQ
What’s the texture of these meatballs suppose to be like? They are crunchy on the outside and softer in the middle.
Can I substitute something for breadcrumbs? You can try to substitute breadcrumbs for oats, corn flakes…one reader has even tried tostadas! I’m not sure of the exact measurements for these since I haven’t tested them.
Can I freeze them? Yes! If frozen, pop them in the oven at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes or until warmed through.
Will this recipe work for veggie burgers instead of meatballs? Yup! A few people in the comments have made these into burgers and loved them.
What can I substitute for flax seed? Reserved liquid from a can of chickpeas (aka, aquafaba) will work. You’ll need 4-6 tablespoons.
So isn’t this just like…falafel? No, not really. If I had a penny for every time I heard this (usually on Facebook…oh Facebook!), my student loan debt would be gone. 😉 The common factor is chickpeas, but falafel is made differently. Traditional falafel is not made with cooked chickpeas, it’s made with soaked chickpeas. It’s also fried, made with different seasonings, and is not made with breadcrumbs. Chickpeas smushed together doesn’t always = falafel. These chickpeas smushed together = AWESOME vegan meatballs. Glad that’s out of the way ❤
If you make these tasty chickpea meatballs – tag me in a photo on Instagram @karissasvegankitchen. I’d love to see your creations!
Easy Vegan Meatball Recipe with Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 2 cups chickpeas – reserve chickpea liquid if using canned
- 2.5 tablespoons ground flax seed
- 6 tablespoons water
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon marjoram
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon basil
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- If you’re using dried chickpeas, soak for 4 hours. Boil them until they are splitting, about 45 minutes to an hour. Skip to Step 2 if using canned chickpeas!
- Drain the chickpeas & pinch the skin off as many as you have the patience for. Blend chickpeas in a blender until broken down.
- Make your flax seed “eggs” – mix 2.5 tablespoons of ground flax seed with 6 tablespoons of water. Let sit for 10-15 minutes.
- Mix together the chickpeas and flax seed eggs.
- Mix in the remaining ingredients. If the mixture is too sticky, add more breadcrumbs half a tablespoon at a time. If too dry, add a little chickpea liquid or oil. You want a consistency that will be easy to roll into balls without sticking to your hands or cracking.
- Taste it – does it need something? Add more of your favorite seasonings if you want! The perk of veggie meatballs is that you can taste test before cooking!
- Form the chickpea mixture into meatballs and place onto a greased or parchment-lined baking dish.
- In a 450 degree oven, bake the chickpea meatballs for 20-25 minutes, turning over halfway through. They will be golden and crispy on the outside when done!
Video
Notes
[nutrifox id=”23398″]
These are amazing!! Thank you so much ! I needed to make them gluten free, so I just used gluten free bread crumbs. It did need a little extra liquid that way, so I added two teaspoons of Aquafaba to the mixture along with the flax egg. I also didn’t have marjoram so just used Italian seasonings. Even with those changes, everything still came out great. These are definitely going to be a staple for me! I made them into sandwiches on gf buns this time, but I’m sure they are also great on pasta, zoodles, or made into patties. THANK YOU!!!
Yay! So glad you were able to make it work for you!
I Made these tonight and was really excited to try them out. I would say they’re alright. Not too good, but also not terrible.
This recipe was phenomenal! I used 2 eggs instead of the flax seed. I had my meat-loving roommates fooled until one found a chickpea that wasn’t totally blended. LOL
Loved this recipe and will be doing it again!
Dude. DUDE.
So, I’m not vegan, but in the past year I’ve discovered that I AM dairy intolerant. As a result, I’ve ended up needing to wander into the vegan corners of Pinterest, which is how I found the recipe for your chickpea meatball sub which is how I found this recipe.
I’m going to say dude again
DUDE.
These are DELICIOUS!!! My husband even liked them (that is saying a lot. He’s not always a fan of my vegan/non dairy versions of things that usually incorporate dairy. But he is supportive because he knows how crappy I feel when I eat dairy. I’m rambling now). I made them Friday night, and just now grabbed a cold “meat” ball out of the fridge to eat as a mid afternoon pick me up and oh my gosh they’re even delicious when they’re cold. I’m going to go eat 3 more right now.
Thank you for such a wonderful recipe!
Just made these today so I could do “meatballs” with the fam without having to have meat, and I couldn’t resist having some for lunch! These are wonderful, even with cheating. I used one can of chickpeas, the Aquafaba (3tablespoons)instead of flax egg, and italian breadcrumbs (1/4 cup) cause #lazy (I didn’t feel like digging out all the spices lol). This is definitely going to be a go to for me when the fam does meatballs from now on!
So I’ve baked them for 35 minutes now and the inside is still soft and not cooked, but outside is crispy and golden. Is this how they’re supposed to be? Or is everything supposed to be cooked and crispy- inside & out ?
The inside will still be on the softer side.
These are delicious! I’ve made them two times. The first time I followed the recipe exactly and they turned out fantastic. My non vegan husband and daughter’s boyfriend both went back for seconds!! The second time I only had cannellii beans, and panko crumbs, added ground fennel seed and extra spices and they turned out amazing again! Love this simple yet versatile vegan recipe that even carnivores can love!!
Can I use the reserved chickpea liquid instead of the flax seed? Thanks
Yes!
Thank you so much for this recipe!! It’s very easy to make, and the meatballs are delicious! I chose this recpe because it’s so much easier than other vegan ones I found in my search. Love it :-).
Made a triple batch tonight so I had extras for freezing. They are delicious!
Just tried your chickpea meatball recipe,but i made them into burgers, man they were the most tasty burgers ever!
Hi! is there any alternative to baking the chickpea balls in the oven? Thank you!
I haven’t personally tried any other method.
Made the recipe today with some extra spices. Nice & crispy on outside, very flavorful but mushy inside.
Tried this tonight and it was a hit! Loved it. I also salted more than directed and glad I did (my husband likes salt). Doubled the recipe and froze half for next time. Are they freezable? Thanks for the great recipe!
Yes! I freeze them after cooking. Pop them back in the oven at 375 for 15-20ish mins when you’re ready to enjoy them again!
I made these and was really surprised. The outside is crispy and bakes up so nice. I did add a little more seasoning to my taste, but overall impressed with this recipe!
Yay!
When I was eating meat, I always cooked my meatballs in my sauce (no baking first). Should I assume that this method will NOT work for these chickpea meatballs?
Yes, that’s correct.
I just made this for the first time and didn’t read the above comment about not cooking it in the sauce. So I had already put mine in a slow cooker on high for 4 hours covered in sauce (since I knew I would be starving when I walked in the door) and they held up AMAZING! Granted I did use two eggs instead of the flax and no oil- so I dunno if that had anything to do with it sticking together so well but this was so cheap and so easy and SO GOOD that I will be making them over and over again! Thanks for the recipe!!
Oh, that’s fantastic! So happy to hear that you love them!
Yum these sound delicious! Anything with chickpeas in it gets a tick of approval from me Xx
Hi, Is there a substitute for bread crumbs? Thanks!
You could try corn flakes or oats, but I haven’t tested it with those ingredients.
I have used blendered GF Cheerios, but they sort of leave a gummy texture. My reliable is to take a few corn Guerros tostados, put them in a bag, rolling pin them to crumb. Works. They’re not salty so don’t add salt to the recipe.
Loved these. They’d make a nice party snack with a simple tomato dipping sauce. Thanks Karissa!!
Hello! I know i’m late here and i’m probably just missing it somewhere but I am wondering approximately how many meatballs this will make? I’m trying to see if I need to make one or two batches of these! Thank you so much, these look awesome!
Hi, Emily! Sorry for not including that in the post. If I remember correctly, this recipe makes about 24 meatballs. Next time I make them I will check for sure.
Yay thank you! These are delicious! I made some for meatball subs and saved the rest for a mushroom stroganoff recipe that I like to add meatballs to! My husband who is not vegan really enjoyed the subs! Thanks again!
Awesome! Mushroom stroganoff sounds incredible.
I double the recipe and get 25-27 golf ball sized balls.
I am really interested in making these meatballs but am not vegan. Would it be possible to use eggs instead of the flaxseed? If so, could you maybe estimate how much I should use? Thanks!
It should work! I’d recommend 2 eggs.
Can’t wait to try these! Made a batch last week whilst I had cooked chickpeas and popped them in the freezer (raw). I’m having them tonight with spaghetti and homemade roasted pepper sauce. Should I thaw them first or cook them from frozen? If cooking from frozen, how long would you reckon?
Thanks!
So Aurora, or anybody who has tried freezing them before cooking, How do they come out? Did you cook the meatballs from frozen? Did it make a difference? Any recommendations? Thanks!
PS, My rating is based on how they tasted to me while still uncooked, I am eagerly waiting for them to come out of the oven!
Tahini is a good binder as well and tastes nice with Chickpeas. 1-2 tbls.
Hey Stephen, do you mean it can replace the flax seed paste?
This recipe is simply amazing; these ‘meatballs’ are so yummy! Thank you for sharing, will def make this again!
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed them.
These were a lovely surprise! Came together quickly in my food processor and were ready in no time. Taste was delightful! We had these in subs, topped with a marinara sauce, and broiled for a min or two to get the bread warm and crispy. My entire family (non-vegan husband and non-vegan 15yr old son) loved, loved, loved this simple, fun meal for a saturday night. Definitely making the balls again to pop over pasta next time! I just love simple, quick, and healthy meals. Thanks for an awesome recipe!
That sounds amazing! Glad you enjoyed. 🙂
Hi there, I’m new to your website and I made these for supper tonight and served with a homemade tomato sauce and spelt spaghetti. The meal was delicious and I made the left overs into burgers and put in the freezer for another say! Thanks so much; I’ve pinned for next time!x
So glad you love them!
Where do you get Spelt spaghetti noodles from?