Vegan tvp meatballs that are meaty, flavorful & meat eaters approved, yet also healthy at the same time ! They are also quick & easy to make.
Looking for vegan meatballs that are actually delicious and meaty-tasting ? You have come to the right place ! These tvp meatballs are seriously knock your socks off kinda good, yet are also secretly good for you.
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📔What is tvp
Texture vegetable protein ( aka tvp ) is also sometimes known as textured soy protein. It is essentially made from soy flour, which is a byproduct of soybean oil. Hence, they actually contain little to no fat and cholesterol yet are really high in protein.
They comes in both chucks and crumbles, so be careful not to mix them up ! This recipe calls for the crumbles version as they are more similar to ground meat when it comes to the size and appearance.
🧄What you will need
🍅Substitutions / Add-ins
- To make this gluten-free, do use certified gluten-free oats.
- Both quick oats and rolled oats can be used in this recipe.
- Make this oil-free by sauteing the onion with ¼ cup of broth/water instead of oil.
- Feel free to substitute the oregano for Italian seasoning.
- Add in a teaspoon of liquid smoke to add some smokiness to them.
- You can also add 1 tablespoon of tomato paste to intensify the flavors of these tvp meatballs.
🔪How to make
Preheat oven to 200c / 400f.
Start by bringing a cup of vegetable broth to a boil in a medium pan. Then, pour boiling broth over tvp and let it sit for 5-10 minutes, or until tvp absorbed all the broth and have softened.
In the meantime, heat up a tablespoon of neutral oil in a cast iron skillet / non-stick pan. Add in the onions and saute until translucent for 3-4 minutes. Then, add in sir in garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant.
In a food processor, place in walnuts and oats. Blend until a flour like consistency forms.
Next, add in all ingredients including the rehydrated tvp and pulse a few times, or until everything is well combined. You will want it to still be chunky, so be careful not to overdo on the blending.
Using a cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop up a heaping tablespoon of mixture and roll them into balls. If the mixture is too crumbly, you might want to add in more oats if the mixture is too crumbly.
Bake it for 18-20 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Enjoy !
🍝How to serve
- Cook these vegan tvp meatballs in a jar of marinara sauce and serve over cooked spaghetti.
- Pair them with some chopped greens to make a meatball salad.
- They can also be stuffed into baguette to make meatball subs !
❔Commonly asked questions
Tvp are naturally gluten-free, but it might be cross-contaminated during production. Hence, if you have a gluten intolerance, do read the label first to ensure that it is being processed in an gluten-free facility.
This Bobs Red Mill one happens to be gluten-free, and it is the brand that I am using.
These vegan tvp meatballs are also gluten-free, hence suitable for those who are sensitive to gluten.
They can be found in most well stocked supermarkets and health food stores, usually in the bulk section. Alternatively, you can find get them from an online retailer.
From what I know, Amazon do carry the Bobs Red Mill tvp, so definitely grab it off there if you really cant find it !
It actually is quite bland and tasteless on its own, like unseasoned steamed ground pork if you ever taste it. They soak up seasonings and marinade readily, so you can basically make them taste like whatever you want !
Yes, these vegan meatballs freeze really well. To freeze, first place them in a single layer on a tray / large plate without touching. Pop them in the freezer for about an hour, or until they are frozen.
You can now transfer them into zip lock bags or sealed containers of your choice. Freeze them for up to 2 months.
To reheat, let them thaw in fridge overnight, or on countertop for a few hours. Reheat them in a 200c / 400F oven for 8-10 minutes, or until they are thoroughly warmed.
Alternatively, heat them up in a microwave oven.
🍽More high protein vegan mains
- Instant Pot Seitan ( stovetop instructions included )
- Crispy Spicy Korean Gochujang Tofu
- Chinese Seitan Stir-fry
- Falafel Hummus Pita Pockets
If you did make this recipe, do leave a rating and comment down below, we love hearing from you! Subscribe to My Plantiful Cooking to get new recipes delivered straight to your inbox! Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to get the latest updates. 😉
📖 Recipe
Meaty Vegan Tvp Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 cup textured vegetable protein
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup rolled oats ( use gluten-free if needed )
- ¼ cup walnuts
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoon oregano ( can sub for Italian seasoning)
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke ( optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200c / 400f.
- Start by bringing a cup of vegetable broth to a boil in a medium pan. Then, pour boiling broth into tvp and let it sit for 5-10 minutes, or until tvp absorbed all the broth and have softened.
- In the meantime, heat up a tablespoon of neutral oil in a cast iron skillet / non-stick pan. Add in the onions and saute until translucent for 3-4 minutes. Then, add in sir in garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant.
- In a high speed food processor, place in walnuts and oats. Blend until a flour like consistency forms.
- Next, add in all ingredients including the rehydrated tvp and pulse a few times, or until everything is well combined. You will want it to still be chunky, so be careful not to overdo on the blending.
- Using a cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop up a heaping tablespoon of mixture and roll them into balls. If the mixture is too crumbly, you might want to add in more oats if the mixture is too crumbly.
- Bake it for 18-20 minutes, or until they are golden brown. You can now cook them in some marinara sauce before serving.
Notes
You can now transfer them into zip lock bags or sealed containers of your choice. Freeze them for up to 2 months.
To reheat, let them thaw in fridge overnight, or on countertop for a few hours. Reheat them in a 200c / 400F oven for 8-10 minutes, or until they are thoroughly warmed.
Alternatively, heat them up in a microwave oven.
Joce
These are so great! What I love about this recipe is that there isn't anything in it that i don't already have on hand. They're tasty, meaty and simple. The only dilemma I have is how to make the exterior browned and baked-like without being dry (outside only, inside is moist and flavorful), which is no fault of the recipe's. I will be making these again and try to come up with ways to make it less dry on the outside.
Meesha
I am really happy you like it! Maybe you can try pan frying them before cooking them in sauce?