These tasty homemade tofu meatballs are the perfect low maintenance meal. Big on taste but low in prep time. A delicious, quick and simple meatless Monday, vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free dinner your family will love
Full Recipe Ingredients/Instructions are available in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. However you can find important tips/tricks in the post like how to store, reheat and substitutes
Jump to RecipeThese simple meatballs are great for batch cooking, meal prepping or feeding a large hungry family.
We wanted to create a go-to high protein vegan meatball recipe; easy to make, super versatile and packed with protein.
We made them tasty but not overpowering. You can have then with classics like meatballs in marinara sauce over gluten-free pasta, Swedish meatballs, over polenta (a great gluten-free pasta alternative) or a mean meatball sub.
All the ingredients listed are designed to either flavor the meatballs or hold them together. Of course our tofu meatballs are made without wheat. Our binder are gluten-free flour, flaxseed egg.
Ingredients
- Nutritional yeast - is deactivated yeast. It is a good source of some B-complex vitamins. The yeast has a very unique umani flavor. Its flavor can remind you of a broth-like taste, nutty, meaty, parmesan, soy sauce or and kelp flavor. Nutritional Yeast is also high in protein and low in fat. 2 tablespoons contains about 8 grams of protein and 1 gram or less of fat.
- Flaxseed meal - have a nutty, earthy flavor. Whole flaxseeds aren’t digested and need to ground up before eating. Flaxseed meal with water becomes gelatinous and is a good egg replacer and binder.
- Tamari sauce - its a great wheat-free less salty alternative to soy sauce
Good Binder for Vegan Gluten Free Meatballs?
Since this recipe is vegan and gluten-free the traditional binder; of eggs, ricotta cheese, bread crumbs and mayo, are a no go. But no worries you can make great tasting meatballs without any of these items. Since these tofu meatballs are made without breadcrumbs.
They are moist, flavorful and tender
The binder is the glue to your meatball. It's what holds them together. We've eliminated breadcrumbs and eggs from this recipe and instead are using Flaxseed meal has our binder. Flaxseed are the perfect substitution because when mixed with water its consistent is similar to that of egg whites, which helps bind ingredients together. They also contain some fat, like real yolks do and offer some fiber and omega fat oils and add a nutty flavor.
How To Store Tofu Meatballs
You can even freeze them in a tight sealed container and thaw them out when you’re in need.
The Tofu balls will last in the fridge, in a tightly sealed container for up to a month.
These homemade meatballs are delicious on their own, but would be a great addition on gluten-free vegan pizza, as Barbecue meatballs or non- dairy Swedish meatballs.
MORE VEGAN & GLUTEN-FREE DINNER RECIPES
How To Make Vegan & Gluten-Free Tofu Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 Packages Tofu -drained Firm or Extra Firm
- ¾ cup Flaxseed meal
- 2 Tablespoons Nutritional Yeast
- 2 Tablespoons Dried Parsley
- 1 Tablespoon Onion powder
- ¼ Teaspoon Salt
- ¼ Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- ½ Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ¼ Teaspoon Ground Oregano
- 2 Tablespoon Tamari sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
- ¼ cup Water
Instructions
- Press and drain tofu about 20 minutes and then place in mixing bowl
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Place tofu in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients; mix well with fork, whisk or in food processor until thoroughly combined.
- Shape into balls 16 - 1 Tablespoon scoops
- Place on parchment lined or silpat and oiled baking sheet.
- Bake for 10 and then flip and bake for 20 more minutes until firm
- Serve with your favorite marinara sauce, pest perfect for pasta, sandwiches or BBQ sauce
Notes
Nutrition
These nutritional figures should be considered estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe.
Leave us your questions/comments below or on Instagram at #thevgnway.
If you give this gluten free tofu meatballs recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, or take a picture and tag and us on Instagram at #thevgnway.
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