Packed with potassium, fiber, and vitamins, the sweet potato is a versatile veggie that can go way beyond casseroles, pies, and holiday meals. We turned this jewel-toned beauty into veggie meatballs.
They're meatless, nutritious, and only take 5-10 minutes to prepare - and then the oven does the rest of the work! These sweet potato veggie meatballs will quickly become part of your regular dinner rotation.
Table of contents
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Dairy-free, egg-free, and meatless, these veggie meatballs are perfect for those looking to reduce their meat consumption and add more vegetables to their plates. This recipe requires minimal, whole-food ingredients.
- The meatball mixture takes only a few minutes to prepare and then it cooks in the oven, freeing you up to fix a nice crisp salad to serve alongside your vegetarian meatballs.
- Sweet potatoes are packed with Vitamin A, Potassium, Fiber and are naturally sweet. A medium spud is just a little over 100 calories. Comfort and healthy food you can enjoy all year long!
Ingredients for Sweet Potato Vegan Meatballs
- Sweet Potatoes. The star of these veggie meatballs. They give flavor, sweetness, fiber, and vitamins.
- Pecans. Give texture and flavor
- Vital Wheat Gluten. Holds the meatballs together and gives them a meat-like texture and adds protein. Vital Wheat Gluten looks like flour, it is wheat gluten that has been extracted from wheat flour.
- Coconut oil. For improved texture and moisture
- Flavor Enhancers.Garlic, paprika, salt, cinnamon
- BBQ Sauce. Coat the veggie meatballs once cooked
How to Make Vegetarian Meatballs
- Step 1: Shred the sweet potatoes using the small blade on a box grater or a food processor
- Step 2: Pulse the remaining ingredients in a food processor
- Step 3: In a large bowl, combine the shredded sweet potatoes and the pecan mixture and combine well
- Step 4: Use a small scoop to portion 15 veggie meatballs and bake them in a mini muffin tin until golden brown
Recipe Tips
- If shredding the sweet potato by hand, use the small side of a box grater.
- Alternatively, cut the sweet potato into 8 pieces, place them in the food processor and chop it until really fine, add the rest of the ingredients, except for the BBQ sauce and process until you get a smooth “dough”.
Serving Suggestions
Sweet Potato Veggie Meatballs coated in BBQ sauce make a perfect party appetizer. Simply pierce each one with a cocktail pick and enjoy these one-bite morsels.
You can serve veggie meatballs the same way you'd enjoy the meat variety. Serve on top of pasta with your favorite marinara sauce, and fresh basil, and top with parmesan cheese. Use the meatballs to make a veggie meatball sub sandwich.
Try one of our other savory sauces to coat the veggie meatballs:
Storage, Reheating and Make Ahead Tips
- Meatballs can be made and baked 1-2 days ahead. Mix them in the BBQ sauce right before serving.
- Store the baked meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Alternatively, freeze in a single layer and then store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat in a pot with sauce over medium heat until warmed through.
Other Meatless Meatball Recipes
- Quinoa Cauliflower Meatballs in Coconut Turmeric Sauce
- Spaghetti and Vegan Meatballs
- Eggplant Meatballs in Pomegranate Sauce
- Veggie Meatballs in Pumpkin Sauce
- Italian Eggplant Meatballs
- Lentil Meatballs in Tahini Turmeric Sauce
- Spinach Chickpea Meatballs in Spicy Tomato Sauce
- Vegan Meatballs in Mango Coconut Sauce
DID YOU LIKE THESE SWEET POTATO VEGGIE MEATBALLS?
If you enjoyed this recipe, it would help us tremendously if you left us a star rating in the comments below or on the recipe card. Do you have any questions about the recipe? Do you need a swap for any of the ingredients? We are here to help, just leave us a question in the comments below.
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Sweet Potato Veggie Meatballs
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 15 veggie meatballs 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These Sweet Potato Veggie Meatballs are meatless, nutritious, and only take 5 to 10 minutes to prepare (let the oven do the rest of the work!).
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled, shredded thin, using the small blade of the box grater or a food processor (about 2 cups shredded)
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- ⅓ cup vital wheat gluten
- 2 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup your favorite BBQ Sauce
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350° F. Coat a mini muffin tin generously with cooking spray.
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Shred the sweet potato and squeeze the excess by wrapping it in a clean kitchen towel and squeezing out any liquid. Place it in a large bowl and set aside. See Note 1.
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Combine the pecans, gluten, water, melted coconut oil, garlic, paprika, salt and cinnamon in the food processor, and pulse until all the ingredients come together to form a paste. Add it to the sweet potatoes and mix well, using your hands.
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Working with one tablespoon and a half of mixture at a time, form 15 balls (we like to use a small ice cream scoop so they are all even in size). Place them in the mini muffin tin and bake them for 45 minutes.
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Right before serving, heat BBQ sauce in low heat. Add the veggie meatballs and cook until warm and coated with the BBQ sauce.
Notes
- Alternatively, if you don’t want to shred the sweet potatoes by hand you can cut the sweet potato into 8 pieces, place them in the food processor and chop it until really fine, add the rest of the ingredients, except for the BBQ sauce and process until you get a smooth “dough”.
- Meatballs can be made and baked 1-2 days ahead. Mix them in the BBQ sauce right before serving.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 45
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 veggie meatball without BBQ sauce
- Calories: 60
- Sugar: 1
- Sodium: 89
- Fat: 3.5
- Saturated Fat: 1
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.6
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 4.8
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 2.5
- Cholesterol: 0
Raquel
Yum!! What a creative way to meatless meatballs- they came out delicious, we had no leftovers! Thank you for sharing <3
Vicky & Ruth
Thank you for making them! Glad you liked them 🙂
Ri
Hi,
What can be used instead of gluten?
Vicky & Ruth
You may try to use chickpea flour
Hope
You can try using TVP (texturized soy protein) too. You can usually find it in the alternative flour section of your grocery story or the bulk food section in natural food stores.
Julie Wood
Hi there, thanks for this recipe sound delicious. Can I fry the balls instead of oven cooking? Thanks
Vicky & Ruth
Hi Julie, yes you can fry the meatballs, I would just make sure that you cook them long enough, so the sweet potatoes are not raw. Happy Healthy New year!
Johanna and Jaime Bronsztein
we follow all your recipes every day they are all so exceptional fabulous and easy ,and they are all exiting to do, I have never loved been in the kitchen, but because of this musters epidemic we have been closed up for all this time, And because following your recipes we have found a new hobby and we love it ,We both are 81 full of life ,thank you for making us a new kitchen cook couple , ,my husband and I cook together ,Happy New 2021 year
Vicky & Ruth
Thank you! It makes us really happy to hear. Happy Healthy New Year!
Rachel Topaz
I just made these and they are AMAZING!! Thank you!
Vicky & Ruth
So glad you enjoyed our veggie meatball recipe Rachel. Happy Healthy New Year!
Maggie
I made these great meatless meatballs yesterday for lunch and they are absolutely delicious! Thanks for sharing.
Kalpa Sundar
Fool proof recipe!
Vicky and Ruth
Thank you!