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
My Notes:
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.
E says
Wow!!! This is a fantastic recipe. I live with my folks and they can be very skeptical of my veggie "meats" but even my carnivorous dad went back for seconds. Love it.
Rob says
This is one of my favorite recipes. I have made two alterations, for your consideration. First, I use kidney beans instead of lentils This makes the "meat" look more like beef. Second, I add a tablespoon of Marmite. I learned this trick from another vegan website. It somehow makes the meatballs taste a little more beefy and adds complexity to the flavor
Thanks for a great recipe!
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed, Rob! I like the marmite tip, I will give it a try. 🙂
Terri says
These are fantastic. We don't like walnuts so I subbed in cashews and used Italian seasoning instead of basil. We are not using oil so I used the dry packed tomatoes boiled for about 5 minutes and used the water from the tomatoes for the 6 Tbs of water. After steaming them, I baked them in the oven at 350 for about 20 minutes. The outside got a little crunchy and the inside stayed moist. They were so good that my non-vegan spouse asked if I would make another batch tonight to have for lunches this week.
Sam Turnbull says
Haha amazing! Thrilled you enjoyed them so much, Terri 🙂
Vicky says
Lovely meatballs! I've struggled to find a recipe that didn't just result in mushy meatballs so this one is fab, I added oregano and fennel as I'm a fan of basil and they turned out really well. Definitely saving this recipe 🙂
Laurie says
I made these yesterday and doubled the recipe. After tasting the dough, I added fennel seed to half the batch so I could compare. After steaming, the texture of both was fabulous, but I think the fennel seed adds something special. Thanks for a great recipe!
Laura says
I’ve tried a lot of meatball recipes, this one is the best!
Delicious! I didn’t have the sun dried tomatoes so I substituted a generous teaspoon of tomato paste & fresh garlic. The texture, taste was perfect. Thank you
Brooke Salas says
SAM! Oh my freaking word. Ok, so while I always love your recipes and use them almost daily, I rarely comment on things. But these meatballs - BEST mock meat EVER! I am beyond obsessed and literally did a happy dance when I tasted them. I made them with spaghetti and meatballs and my dad (who is vegan skeptical and not a fan of spaghetti) said that they are "restaurant yummy" and wants me to make more for him asap! Girl, this recipe is amazing and instantly shot up to the top of our faves!! Meatballs were something I really missed but never thought much about when I went vegan 4 years ago. But I can honestly say these are better than any meat version I ever ate before! So yummy!
Jesse says
I made these two nights ago and put them in the fridge and and ate them yesterday. I’m not vegan but I try to eat a vegan meal sometimes so I had vegan spaghetti and these not meatballs. It was amazing! I loved the texture and they weren’t too firm and somewhat crumbly. My mom tried one and said they tasted a little like wheat but she liked them and did say they were good! I couldn’t taste any wheat. Easy to make too. The meal was super filling and the macros are great! I used 1 tb nutritional yeast and 1 tb soy sauce because I’m gonna eat them with different sauces so I would rather the balls themselves be undersalted. Can’t wait to try your other recipes!
ilaria says
Hallo, I made these meatballs today. The texture is really good but next time I will use more seasonig, they came out a bit to bland for my taste :).
Deb Zak says
I agree Ilaria. Texture was good but needed way more seasoning. IF you figure it out, please post and let me know.
JD says
These are so tasty and easy to make! The flavor is so good! I don’t know why I haven’t tried them before now. I should have made mine a tad smaller as I didn’t quite get 20. I panfried until brown and then broke them in half and simmered in some sauce before adding to pasta.
I also added everything to the food processor except the gluten and then mixed the gluten by hand in a separate bowl to save myself from cleaning The stickiness out of the processor. Worked great!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! Thrilled you loved them so much JD 🙂
Jesse says
I saw your comment so I decided to do the same thing! Plus I didn’t want to bust out our large food processor so I used my mini one for the tomato nut lentil mixture and them put that in a mixing bowl with the wheat gluten. Easy clean up! Thank you
Antoinette says
Can't eat legumes. What would be a good IBS safe sub for the lentils?\
Thank you
cazzie says
These are amazing and so easy to make and the taste is better than any store bought vegan meatballs. I have had a few disasters trying to make setian but your recipes have encouraged me to keep trying I have made the steak and the chicken tenders and both turned out fantastic I now have a freezer full of setian success story's. Thank you for your fantastic recipes and keep them coming.
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! That's amazing. Thrilled you love my seitan recipes cazzie 🙂
Trish Aussem says
Hi Sam,
I just got my first bag of vital wheat gluten and decided to try these meatballs. I followed your directions except for three things. I only had packaged sun dried tomatoes with no oil so I added a little water to the walnut tomato mixture. I added only one tablespoon of soy sauce because my lentils had added salt. Third I cooked them in the instant pot for 20 minutes. When done they looked like perfect little meatballs. I tasted one. The flavor was really good but they were extremely dry. My guess is they got over cooked in the instant pot. I served them with pasta sauce but they were still dry. I would like to try them again. Any thoughts on how to keep them from being so dry.
Thanks,
Trish
Giovanna says
Glad t know it comes out ok in the instant pot, Did you use the sauté setting? Maybe add a few tablespoons of your favorite oil. I used chipotle peppers instead of the sun dried tomatoes also added fresh basil onions and oregano. Indeed delicious!
Mandy says
I also made these in the Instant Pot after reading your comment about them being dry I made a couple modifications. I think the oil with the sun dried tomatoes helps keep them moist so maybe add a tablespoon of oil next time (I used olive oil). I also reduced the amount of vital wheat gluten to 1 cup. I then put a 2 cups of water and a lightly oiled steamer basket in the Instant Pot. I then placed the meatballs on the steamer basket, and cooked at High Pressure for 20 mins, quick release. They seemed a bit "soft" right off the bat but after browning them in a pan and simmering in tomato sauce they were perfect.
Mike says
I made these last night. I did some substitutions (subbed sunflower seeds for walnuts due to tree allergies, I added a teaspoon of Better Than Bouillon No Beef Base to the 6 T of water, and I used NO soy sauce - the BTB is salty enough). The flavor was OUTSTANDING.
I had to add additional oil (about 3T olive oil) to the tomato/seeds "paste" and even so they were still super dry after steaming. I think next time I'll add more oil from the tomato jar since it's so flavorful. Not sure why they're so dry, but they do TASTE amazing.
Will definitely be making these again.
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed, Mike!
AJ Gest says
Sam, you scored again! I made these for dinner tonight and they came out fantastic. Can't wait to have family over for a spaghetti dinner, with garlic bread and the trimmings! The flavor was spot on and the tooth stood up great. Your site has become my go to site for great Seitan dishes. Thank you for sharing your experience and these unbelievably good recipes. AJ
Sam Turnbull says
Aww that's wonderful! So happy you enjoyed, AJ!
Claudia says
These were sooo good - the texture and flavor was wonderful! I'm going to try more flavor variations in the future. I also happened onto a pretty easy cleanup for the sticky food processor. I do a 'first' cleaning/rinshing with COLD water, a little dish soap and just use my fingers to get all the spicy stuff to wash into the sink disposal. The cold water seems to coagulate the gluten mixture residue, making it easy to rinse off. Then I do a second full wash with hot water and soap for a full cleanup. Hope that helps anyone!
Claudia says
Make that "rinsing" and "sticky" stuff! Sorry for the typos
New Vegan says
I have never made anything with vital wheat gluten before. The consistency of my meatballs came out very doughy and stretchy. Is that supposed to happen? The texture is all one consistency and not very grainy like a meatball. The flavor seems right thought. I don’t know if it made a difference, but I added the lentils while they were still hot to the mixture.
New Vegan says
I really love your recipe’s! Your chili was amazing! Would love some feedback from anyone on the seitan meatball. It came out very doughey and stretchy. I did a little more research and I may have over processed it or it could of been that I needed to cool down my lentils. I want to try this recipe again, because the flavor was amazing, but maybe seitan is supposed to be gooey like play dough, in that case...probably not something I can eat.
Ema says
Hmmmm... the texture came out perfectly for me. They were grainy enough to feel meaty, not gooey, but still held together well. Did you follow the instructions carefully? The only thing I can think of is if you used hot water; that might make the gluten go super gluey. I would definitely recommend trying them again though. They were delicious!
Giovanna says
I think the lentils should have been cooled, since the balls are supposed to be steamed to set. ‘The hot lentils may have made the dough set to soon making it more elastic.
Emabean says
These were so delicious! I've been wanting to try making vegan meatballs forever, and I decided today was the day. I've enjoyed so many of your dishes that I thought I'd see if you had a meatball recipe... and you do!! I was worried they'd be dense since they didn't expand a lot when steaming, but they were just perfect. They hold together well and the flavour is amazing! They were wonderful simmered in homemade tomato sauce and served over spaghetti!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!!! So thrilled you gave them a try and love them, Emabean 🙂
Emabean says
I just wanted to check back in and say that I made these as sausages. I wrapped them in foil and steamed them, then browned them in a little oil and served them with scrambled tofu and toast. Everyone loved them that way too!
Valerie says
These were so good and easy to make. Only change was I used half an onion as I didn't have onion powder. The whole family loved them. My son asked if they could be made like burger patties and I don't see why not so will make those next time with the same recipe. Thank you so much.
Sam Turnbull says
Awesome!!
MJ says
Made these today and as with all your recipes - easy and delicious! I had to freeze a few to stop me from eating the entire batch. Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! Amazing!!
Angela Losfeld says
Hello,
First of all, I would like to thank you for your recipes. So far, I've made the seitan steaks and chicken tenders, which both turned out really good. In your recipe for meatballs, do you measure the walnuts whole or ground? Thanks in advance
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! So happy you love them. I measure them whole 🙂
Linda says
This recipe sounds wonderful! I don't have any lentils, dry or canned. Can I substitute with another bean? Red beans, white beans? Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
You can use other beans but you might want to mash them first so they blend well. ENjoy!
Margie says
Easy recipe. Great texture!!! I made 25 and they were quite large. Next time I would add a bit of salt. I only had frozen dehydrated tomatoes so I added about 1 T of olive oil. Steaming seitan is the ONLY way to go. Not sure if you rinsed and drained your lentils. I did NOT and it all came out fine.
Sam Turnbull says
WOnderful Margie! Yes, I agree, steaming is the only way. 🙂
Jane says
So many comments by people pleased with this recipe. I’m a new vegetarian, missing my spaghetti and meatballs. Can’t wait to try this but....
I don’t see seitan listed in the ingredients list. Am I missing something?
Thanks
Jane says
Never mind. I was confusing seitan with tempeh.
Can’t wait to try your recipe now that it makes more sense to me
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Jane, this recipe is to make your own seitan. When you make a meat like food using vital wheat gluten, that is called seitan. So in this recipe you are making your own homemade seitan meatballs 🙂
Jane says
Rookie mistake. I’m off to buy some vital gluten! Thanks.
Laureen says
I love your cookbook -- several of the recipes favourites and in regular rotation. I've become concerned about eating too many products with textured soy protein and wanted to make my own meatballs rather than relying on the products in the grocery store. I have a cookbook dedicated to seitan, but the the thought of wrapping each meatball in foil just didn't appeal. And then I saw this recipe. My flexitarian husband loves them and I think they're superior to the products I've had before. They were also easy to make! I made a batch last week for company and they were a big hit. I made another batch yesterday for freezing. Thank you so much! If you've got another cookbook in the works I think this should definitely be included.
Sam Turnbull says
So very happy you love them so much, Laureen!!
Faye Hicks says
OMG - what sorcery is this? I could not believe how AMAZING these meatballs were! We're already huge fans of your other seitan recipes, but these meatballs are in a league of their own. Truly epic! Thanks so much!
After steaming and pan-frying, I popped them into the slow cooker with my sister-in-law's yummy meatball sauce (1/2 c vinegar, 1 c brown sugar, 1 tsp soy sauce, 3/4 c ketchup). Left them simmering on the low setting for a couple of hours and the final product was oh, oh oh, soooo incredibly delicious! Could not stop eating them!
Can't wait to try them in stew next, then spaghetti! Will have to make a new batch first though! 😉
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! That's wonderful, Faye! So thrilled you enjoyed them so much 🙂
Kata says
Hi Sam,
Love the seitan balls 🙂 I pan-fried some straight after steaming (very good!) and have frozen some. Do you think the frozen ones should be fully defrosted before pan-frying?
Thanks,
Kata
Sam Turnbull says
Yes I would defrost them first. Glad you enjoyed!
Hope says
These were so good! I made them tonight with a Swedish meatball sauce and mashed potatoes. Your seitan recipes truly cannot be beat! The sausages and steak are some of our favorite things so make. I always use my instant pot for the steaming part. Thanks so much for sharing your amazing recipes with us!
Sam Turnbull says
Aww thank you so much, Hope! So thrilled you love all my seitan recipes so much 🙂
Jeri says
Made the meatballs tonight, and they were awesome! Followed the recipe exactly as written and then steamed and pan fried them. Thanks for the great recipe!
Sam Turnbull says
ou're most welcome, Jeri! Thrilled you enjoyed it!
Tanya says
These meatballs are really great) They are so tasty and pulpy, that my boyfriend ate the six ones at the dinner) I am from Russia and there we discovered seitan only several years ago. I found a lot of recipes with gluten, but all of them were not perfect. And all of them had a specific taste of gluten. But your recipe is amazing, sun-dried tomatoes make meatballs very juicy and savory. And lentils and nuts make an ideal texture. Thanx a lot for this awesome recipe, you are cool, I Love your site))
Sam Turnbull says
Aww thanks so much, Tanya! Thrilled they are a hit 🙂
Tova says
SAM!!! The hits just keep on coming! I’ve never left so many comments in all my LIFE as I have on so many of your recipes. Now you KNOW I think you’re a genius...but these, these are NEXT LEVEL! I’ve been looking for a meatball that tastes aaamazing holds up well in sauce & by the kitchen gods, you DELIVERED! I followed the recipe exactly ‘cept for adding a li’l vegan beef stock powder in lieu of salt & for beefy authenticity. BOOOM - sooooo freaking GOOOOOD! Hubby said “if I didn’t know they weren’t meat, I wouldn’t know from tasting them”. I can’t wait to try these in a meatball sub, with Thai flavours in a laksa type soup...dammit, on everything really! And they took nearly no time to prep for steaming. You’re one in a million Sam! Tagging you on insta shortly. 😀
Sam Turnbull says
Hahaha!! THank you so much, Tova!!! I'm thrilled you love them so much 🙂
Emilie says
This is the best vegan meatballs recipe. I was trying to find a recipe that is working and I found it. I made meatball subs with it yesterday and we loved it here. I will use them in pasta and many other meals. Thanx
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!! SO happy you love it, Emilie 🙂
Zuzana says
I freaking love all your seitan recipes sooo much! My non-vegan husband says if all vegan food tasted this good he could live on it! 😉 Your meatballs recipe is the best one I have tried! YUM YUM YUM
Sam Turnbull says
Oh ya!!!! Thank you so much, Zuana! I better keep making more vegan food to help your husband go vegan! 😉
Cindee says
I’m excited to make these, but before I do, I was wondering if it’s necessary to use nuts at all? I read where you give suggestions for substituting walnuts, however I’d prefer not to use any if at all possible.
Sam Turnbull says
The nuts add richness and depth of flavour. I suppose you could skip them if you want, but I wouldn't!
Natasha says
These are GREAT and so much better than a lot of the frozen options at the grocery store, not to mention cheaper. Super easy to make.
All the recipes from you that I’ve tried so far are delicious. Keep ‘me coming!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!! Thrilled to hear that, Natasha 🙂
Carly says
Easy to make with pantry staples and an excellent texture and taste - what’s not to love?!
Sam Turnbull says
Aww yay!! THanks, Carly 🙂
Carly Smith says
Hi Sam, I've just gone to make these today but there's no 'Metric' conversion button like there usually is! Please, please add it in - I hate trying to work out the conversions and love your site for having it built in.
Carly
Sam Turnbull says
Added!
Carly says
Thank you!
Sonya says
You are a blessed lady. Your recipes never stop to amaze me. I love seitan and these will be wonderful. But I've got to come up with a way to make a steamer as I do not own one. Anyone have any suggestions?
Thsnks in advance.
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Sonya, thank you so much! Yes, I have DIY steamer methods linked in the notes of the recipe already 🙂 Enjoy!
Sonya says
Wow thank you, I feel kind of dumb I seen your method before lol@me.
Lauren B says
Hi, I just made these today. Pretty much vebatum except for using fresh garlic and Onion. (I don’t stock powdered).
They were delicious, but I wanted to say that I used an Instant Pot to do the steaming. And they came out perfect. I used low pressure for 22 minutes and a 10 min natural release. Just put an inch of water below a steam rack - put the balls on the rack seal the Instant Pot and set the parameters.
Thanks for a great recipe. They taste so “meaty” 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
That's a great tip, thank you, Lauren! Thrilled you loved them so much too 🙂
Marie says
All I know is Sam is a special person to work so hard to come up with vegan recipes to help
people. I do not have time to do what she does and so appreciate all she does. As every person is unique, not every person will like the same thing and need to be kind to one another and treat a person the way you would want to be treated.
This recipe looks great and right on time. Looking forward to this one, Sam! Hugs!
Sam Turnbull says
Aww thanks so much, Marie! So happy you love my recipes 🙂
Kristen says
I've made other vegan meatballs, but my husband said these were the best! Great texture and flavor.
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!! Thrilled they were such a hit 🙂
Shanti says
These look amazing, can't wait to try! Are the sun-dried tomatoes really important for texture or more for flavour? I'd love to do a seitan "meat"ball with more Asian flavours, just wondering whether I'd need to substitute with something similarly textured or if a mix of e.g. ginger garlic and green onion might work...
Sam Turnbull says
I like them both for texture and flavour. You're welcome to experiment tho. Enjoy!
Delores Rue-Jones says
Hey Sam,
Thanks for the recipe! They look delicious, and like everything else you make, I'm sure they are!
I hope I didn't overlook this in your tips. I am on a keto lifestyle, can I substitute mushroom powder for the lentils, to lower the final carb count? Or do you have another low carb suggestion?
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Delores, so happy you love my recipes! A keto diet, even a vegan keto diet, is actually very harmful to your health, so I would never recommend that for anyone. Legumes on the other hand, have been proven to be extremely healthful and slimming too! The lentils in this recipe add not only flavour, but also texture. Another type of legume might but not likely mushroom powder. Hope that helps!
Delores Rue-Jones says
Thanks Sam.
Delores Rue-Jones says
Hello again Sam,
I quickly researched the website information that you provided and I am adjusting my style of eating to include some good carbs, and of course, much less fat, as indicated. I will also pass this information on to others that I know who are trying to adapt to this UNHEALTHY eating style.
Wow, great recipes, and great health advice.
Thanks again.
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome, Delores! So glad I could help and lead you in a healthier direction. I highly recommend the book How Not to Die if you're looking for the best health advice 🙂 ENjoy!
Austin says
Hi Sam, my shero, can you suggest what type of lentils are best (or the ones you used)?
Sam Turnbull says
I just used canned lentils and it doesn't actually say what kind on the can! My guess is that they are brown. But any type of lentil, as long as it's cooked until soft should work just fine 🙂
Erin says
Thank you, this post is perfectly timed! I just tried making a batch of delicious "meatballs" last night and after baking them nice and crunchy, they completely disintegrated in the sauce. My kids were really excited to have spaghetti and meatballs and I've been trying to find a homemade version instead of relying on Yves packaged ones. I know if it's your recipe it will be excellent. Thanks for alm you do Sam!
Sam Turnbull says
Aww thanks so much! I hope you love them 🙂
Charlena says
What color Lentils do you suggest using? Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
It really doesn't matter as long as they are cooked until soft. I used canned and I believe they are brown lentils, although it doesn't even say!
Michael Parker says
How important is it to use the oil packed sundried tomatoes? Can you use rehyrdrated sundried tomatoes or at least packed in water for an oil free version?
Michael Parker says
Never mind...I just read the footie notes 😉
"To make vegan meatballs oil-free: sub the sun-dried tomatoes in oil, for the air-packed sun-dried tomatoes. Note that the walnut/ sun-dried tomato mixture will be more like a fine crumble in texture instead of a paste. Then simply fry them without oil in a non-stick pan, adding a little water or broth if needed. Note: I tried baking the vegan meatballs but this just made them dry and hard so I do not recommend this."
Sam Turnbull says
Yes, I leave lots of helpful tips in the notes so you can always check there for info 🙂
Judy says
Do you think chestnuts could be sub for walnuts?
Mike says
Would it be ok to substitute sunflower seeds, or maybe roasted soybeans, for the walnut? Deadly tree-nut allergy here.
Made your chicken tenders the other night, BTW. My carnivore wife said "you could fool me with these". I sauted strips in BBQ sauce and made a bbq sandwich from it. Delish.
John says
Dude....did you read the recipe?! She answers the question!
Mike says
“Dude” I went straight to the recipe. I was trying to read it during my short lunch break and didn’t look at the recipe notes.
Sam Turnbull says
Yes I have recommendations for walnut substitutions in the recipe notes 🙂 And that's amazing! Glad they were a hit 🙂
Allie says
Best to cover the balls while steaming or leave them uncovered? Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
Cover them! Sorry about that, I have added that to the recipe 🙂