Vegan Meatballs with Savory Peanut Pumpkin Sauce

Make these gorgeous homemade vegan meatballs with real whole-food ingredients and douse them in a luscious pumpkin sauce. The resulting dish is delicious, and wholesome, and will make your tastebuds happy!

Why Make Our Crave-Worthy Vegan Meatballs Recipe

All Wholesome Real Ingredients. These meatballs aren't filled with highly processed meat substitutes. Instead, you'll find mushrooms, chickpeas, and oats. Plus they are allergen friendly with no eggs required.

Incredibly Versatile. You can serve these delicious vegetarian meatballs with any variety of sauces, with or without pasta. Instead of marinara sauce, try one of these.

• Easy Peanut Sauce Recipe (Gluten-Free + Vegan)
• Cashew Cream - A Magical Vegan Sauce
• Chimichurri - A Fresh Sauce from Argentina
• Tahini Sauce - One bowl, 3 ingredients
• Pumpkin Pasta Sauce

These meatballs are also fantastic on a vegan meatball sub.

Comfort Food. Many of us remember the meatballs of our childhood with great fondness, and this dish brings all of that nostalgia to the forefront with food that tastes amazing and warms your belly and heart.

Ingredients for Plant-Based Meatballs

• Portabello Mushrooms.
• Organic Chickpeas. You can also use black beans if you prefer.
• Rolled Oats. These help to lock moisture into the vegetarian meatballs.
• Dijon Mustard. This helps keep it all together.
• Hamburger or Grilling seasoning. Use your favorite burger seasoning to amp up the comforting familiar flavor in this recipe. We don't add black pepper to this recipe because more than likely it will be in this seasoning.
• Spices: Onion Powder, Paprika, Chili Powder, Garlic Powder, Salt.
• Shredded Vegan Cheese. We used cheddar but you could also use vegan parmesan cheese or really dairy cheese if vegetarian.

Ingredients For the Pumpkin Peanut Sauce

• Onion.
• Grated Ginger.
• Fresh Thyme. Sub with fresh basil or rosemary if you can't find this ingredient.
• Tomato Paste.
• Maple Syrup.
• Balsamic Vinegar.
• Soy Sauce. Tamari works if you need a gluten-free form of soy sauce.
• No-Chicken Broth. Vegetable broth will work.
• Canned Pumpkin. Do not accidentally grab pumpkin pie filling.
• All-natural Smooth Peanut Butter. It is preferable to use a newer jar of peanut butter; try to avoid the thicker and drier peanut butter at the bottom of a jar.
• Cilantro or Parsley.

How to Make Vegan Meatballs

Preheat your oven and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Combine all of the meatball ingredients except the cheese in a food processor and pulse according to the recipe instructions. Move to a large mixing bowl and fold in the cheese by hand. Form meatballs from this thick and clumpy mixture. Bake for twenty minutes.

While the meatless meatballs are baking, make the sauce. Begin by heating some olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onions and cook until translucent. Add the ginger and thyme and cook for another three minutes. Add the tomato paste, maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, and soy sauce. Cook for three more minutes. Add ¾ cup of broth and salt. Stir and cook for two more minutes.

Whisk the pumpkin and peanut butter into your sauce. Once the sauce thickens, add the remaining broth until your sauce reaches the desired consistency. When everything is ready, combine the veggie meatballs with the pumpkin sauce and heat through to serve.

Make Ahead Tips

Make the sauce and bake meatballs and keep them separately. Make 2-3 days ahead. When ready to enjoy, place the meatballs in the sauce and heat through.  Serve with rice, quinoa, or pasta. You can also make the veggie meatballs ahead of time and freeze them. Add them to your favorite sauce when ready to cook. The sauce can also be made ahead and frozen.

Recipe Tips

• Do not overprocess the meatball mixture in your food processor, it will get too mushy, and you won't be able to form the meatballs. This ruins the texture as well. You do not want a puree.
• When first making the sauce, stir the contents of the skillet often to prevent the onions from burning until you add liquid.
• You may add a couple of tablespoons of water if needed to keep the onions from burning.

Serving Suggestions

Serve this delicious vegan meatballs recipe over prepared quinoa, rice, or pasta such as spaghetti. Add a nice crusty bread like French bread or focaccia. If you like, add a fresh tomato cucumber salad.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you keep vegan meatballs from falling apart?

The oats and mustard keep our vegan meatball recipe from falling apart. Make sure you do not overprocess this mixture or it will turn to mush and not form into meatballs.

How do I store leftover plant-based meatballs?

You can keep your leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for several days. Alternatively, freeze this meal to enjoy again at a later date. To store your dish in the freezer, keep the sauce and meatballs separate. (I recommend only mixing half of the sauce and half of the meatballs if you expect to have leftovers.) When you are ready to enjoy the meatballs, thaw the two items, place the meatballs into the sauce, and heat through.  

More Great Meatball Recipes

• Eggplant Meatballs with Pomegranate Sauce
• Sweet Potato Veggie Meatballs
• Lentil Meatballs in Tahini Turmeric Sauce
• Cauliflower Quinoa Meatless Meatballs In Coconut Turmeric Sauce
• Spinach Veggie Meatballs In Spicy Tomato Sauce - Vegan & Paleo!

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