Are you ready to try the meatiest vegan meatballs you've ever come across? Juicy, tender, flavourful, perfect for enjoying as an appetizer with a dipping sauce and even better for topping pasta. These vegan Italian seitan meatballs have quickly become a go-to recipe in my house!
Not only are these super easy to prepare (just 10 minutes prep time), but once they are steamed they can be stored in the fridge for 5 days or they can even be frozen for another time. Perfect for making ahead of time or for meal prep.
The secret to getting the meatiest texture is to use vital wheat gluten. Vital wheat gluten is a flour made from the protein in wheat, and it's what gives bread its bouncy stretchy texture, and what makes pizza dough so awesome. Using it in combination with lentils, sun-dried tomatoes, walnuts, and various spices makes these seitan meatballs so meaty and flavourful it's pretty astounding.
For those of you who love counting macros, one serving (5 meatballs) contains a whopping 39 grams of protein!! Or 8 grams of protein per meatball.
Unfortunately, vital wheat gluten is a very special ingredient and there is no substitution for it. So if you are gluten-free this isn't the recipe for you. You could try my beanball recipe found in my cookbook Fuss-Free Vegan which has a gluten-free option.
To make vegan Italian Seitan Meatballs:
Add the sun-dried tomatoes and walnuts to a food processor and pulse until you reach a paste-like texture.
Add all the remaining ingredients to the food processor and pulse, stopping to scrape the sides as needed until combined into a crumbly dough.
Pinch off some of the dough and roll into a vegan meatball about the size of a golf ball and set aside on a plate or dish. Repeat until all the dough is used up and you have made about 20 meatballs.
Add several inches of water to a large pot with a steamer basket and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the meatballs to the steamer basket, cover and steam for 25 minutes, gently turning the meatballs halfway through. The meatballs will expand a bit when they steam.
Once the steaming is done, you can either prepare them right away (see below), or allow them to cool completely and store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze for later.
Steaming the seitan is what gives it the perfect texture. Once they are steamed you can basically treat them as if they were raw meatballs and pan-fry them before serving.
To do this add 1 tablespoon of oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the meatballs and fry a couple of minutes per side, turning as needed until they are golden all over and heated through.
Serve with dipping sauce, add to a tomato sauce, top on pasta, or enjoy them any way you please.
I love making pasta with tomato sauce from my cookbook Fuss-Free Vegan, adding the seitan meatballs on top, and garnishing with Parmegan. And I've also served them as a little appetizer with a few sauces for dipping. Let's just say that anyway I prepare these vegan Italian seitan meatballs, they have disappeared immediately.
Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull.
Vegan Italian Seitan Meatballs
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup sun-dried tomatoes, (the kind in oil)
- ½ cup walnuts
- 1 ¼ cup vital wheat gluten, (there is no substitution for this)
- 1 cup cooked lentils, (I used canned)
- 6 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
To prepare the vegan meatballs:
- Add the sun-dried tomatoes and walnuts to a food processor and pulse until you reach a paste-like texture. Add all the remaining ingredients to the food processor and pulse, stopping to scrape the sides as needed until combined into a crumbly dough.
- Pinch off some of the dough and roll into a vegan meatball about the size of a golf ball and set aside on a plate or dish. Repeat until all the dough is used up and you have made about 20 meatballs.
- Add several inches of water to a large pot with a steamer basket and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the meatballs to the steamer basket, cover and steam for 25 minutes, gently turning the meatballs halfway through. The meatballs will expand a bit when they steam. Once the steaming is done, you can either prepare them right away (see below), or allow them to cool completely and store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze for later.
To serve:
- Steaming the seitan is what gives it the perfect texture. Once they are steamed you can basically treat them as if they were raw meatballs and pan-fry them before serving.To do this add 1 tablespoon of oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the meatballs and fry a couple of minutes per side, turning as needed until they are golden all over and heated through. Serve with dipping sauce, add to a tomato sauce, or enjoy them any way you please.
Notes
Nutrition
Sharon says
I need to know if the crumbly dough comes after it forms a dough ball. How long do you run the processor to get the crumbly texture? I just made them and they are steaming but I'm afraid I may not have let it run long enough but it is an easy recipe. I will make again.
Janet says
Do the meatballs need to be in a single layer when steaming, or can they be stacked?
Lizzie says
Hi Sam! I can't use walnuts. Can I use sunflower seeds instead?
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Yes, pumpkin or sunflower seeds should work well as a nut free substitute.
Lizzie says
Thank you Jess! This is good to know. I tend to have both of those seeds in my pantry. I ended up using sunflower seeds and they came out awesome!
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Fantastic!
vanni says
can you cook this in the instant pot?
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
What other readers have said about instant pot is that the seitan can be steamed with the steamer basket on high pressure for 20 mins with quick release with some water in the bottom. Good luck!
Isa says
the best seitan recipe! my family and I just live those little balls. everyone is happy when we eat them at supper. I don't need to beg anyone to finish their plates. and it is so easy to make!
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Thanks for sharing your review!
kristina says
I have probably tried every vegan meatball recipe there is, and this is my favorite by far, for real! They are so tasty and the texture is perfect, I added some shitake powder and cumin in with the spices, after steaming put them in the fridge overnight before cooking in a frying pan the next day, so good!! Thank you
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Excellent! Thanks for sharing!