These vegetarian meatballs are incredibly easy and super versatile! Packed with cauliflower, quinoa, brown rice, garlic, and spices. Stockpile these in your freezer and your future self will thank you.
30 Minute Vegetarian Meatballs
Featured comment
Wow! These are SO good!! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I pan fried the batch and froze half of them for later. Such a great vegetarian option without beans 😁
Hannah
Here they are! The meatballs of the hour that are, in fact, not meatballs.
Because they are VEGETARIAN MEATBALLS!
Made without beans (!!) and without nuts (!!) but featuring cauliflower and brown rice and quinoa.
I know, right? Sneak-ayyy.
As much as I love a good MEAT-ball meatball from time to time, today we’re talking about these little vegetarian meatball nuggets of powerhouse nutrition that are inspired from the (here comes the weird zone) spicy cauliflower burgers.
They’re made with cauliflower, brown rice, quinoa, panko, eggs, and a nice big pinch of garlic and spices. And they don’t require hours of prep. That’s it! It’s just simple, straightforward, SUPER YUM plant-based goodness in the form of vegetarian meatballs made weeknight-dinner-friendly, because real food that matches real life is where it’s at.
And don’t we know it, guys? DON’T WE KNOW IT.
We’re Working with Easy Ingredients Today
Here is your wonderfully do-able ingredient list:
- panko breadcrumbs
- brown rice
- eggs
- cauliflower florets OR just a bag of frozen cauliflower rice
- spices
Tadah!
Why I Absolutely Love These Vegetarian Meatballs
There are a few things that I think we can all approve of with these vegetarian meatballs:
- INGREDIENTS: Basic, whole, wonderful –> Cauliflower // Brown Rice // Quinoa // Garlic // Spices // Eggs // Panko. Also – no beans. Which is kind of nice, right? since a lot of vegetarian meatballs are bean-heavy. All hail the versatility of cauliflower!
- TIMING: 30 minutes. The cauliflower is not high maintenance here. Just a quick simmer in some hot water to soften it up, and then as a bonus on being speedy, you can use those amazingly convenient garlic brown rice/quinoa packages from Seeds of Change that you buy en masse at Costco – you know the ones, right? – and then your cauli and your rice and everything else gets pulsed around in our favorite appliance of all time THE FOOD PROCESSOR in order to make the mixture. If you can enlist the help of a few vegetarian meatball rollers (this is why people have children, right?), you will have vegetarian meatball dinner on the table AND vegetarian meatball stockpile built-up in your fridge in no time.
- ADAPTABILITY: Cook once, eat many times. This recipe makes a million and a half meatless meatballs which means that you can use them with many different sauces in many different recipes for years to come. Er, no. Not years. But seriously – you will have a TON of meatballs with this recipe, so start brainstorming serving and/or sauce ideas (and please let the record state that I strongly recommend LIFE CHANGING MASALA SAUCE).
When I brought these to my sister after she had a baby, she declared them to be perfect finger food for her two-year-old since he loves things he can hold and dip and nibble on at his own slow-eating pace.
UM WHAT. How cute is the visual of your favorite two-year-old dipping a veggie meatball made with cauliflower and quinoa and brown rice into ketchup, marinara, or ranch (not above it) or – for the foodie toddlers out there – a little spicy masala sauce?
It’s like a chicken nugget meets veggie burger in kid-friendly size and adult-friendly tastes.
I cannot get enough of these vegetarian meatballs with a few gallons of the life-changing 30 minute masala sauce, but you will be happy doing just about anything with these. They are begging for some creative serving combinations and a good drench in a delicious sauce, and as we know, sauce is life.
Go get em, dinner-makers!
30-Minute Vegetarian Meatballs: FAQs
The meatballs aren’t forming well for me. The mixture seems too wet. What should I do?
If the mixture doesn’t stick together in a ball when gently pressed, add about 1/3 of the mixture back into the food processor and pulse until it’s more the consistency of hummus. That should help it hold together. If that still isn’t enough, just add a little more of your “dry ingredient” till you get a consistency that you can gently roll between your hands to form ball shapes.
Can these be frozen for later?
Absolutely! These make for a great freezer meal! Just prepare the recipe as-is, freeze the meatballs in a freezer-safe bag or container, and rewarm them in the oven or in the microwave.
What kind of pre-cooked brown rice/quinoa mix do you use?
I used Seeds of Change pre-cooked garlic brown rice and quinoa for this recipe (1 packet = about 1.5 cups). Since this has garlic flavor already in the mix, if you are using your own pre-cooked quinoa and/or brown rice, make sure to add some minced garlic or garlic powder.
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30 Minute Vegetarian Meatballs
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 50+ meatballs (so, like, 10 or more servings) 1x
Description
These vegetarian meatballs are incredibly easy and super versatile! Packed with cauliflower, quinoa, brown rice, garlic, and spices. Stockpile these in your freezer and your future self will thank you.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- a 10–12 oz bag of cauliflower rice or 3 cups cauliflower florets
- 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa and/or brown rice (I use one 8.5-ounce package of a pre-cooked blend – see FAQs)
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs
- 1–2 teaspoons spices to taste (chili powder, paprika, and/or cumin will work)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- olive oil to brush over the top
Instructions
- Cauliflower and Rice: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Steam the cauliflower rice according to package directions in the microwave. Do the same for the rice so it’s warm and soft. (If using cauliflower florets, boil until tender and drain.)
- Mix: Pulse the cauliflower and quinoa through a food processor until semi-smooth (see pictures for texture). Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl and combine with all other ingredients. Stir until everything is incorporated. Roll into small balls (about one heaping tablespoon per ball was best for me).
- Cook: Brush generously with olive oil and bake for 20 minutes. Serve with yummy sauces, salads, bowls, or freeze for later!
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: vegetarian meatballs, cauliflower meatballs, meatless meatballs
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This recipe was updated based on reader feedback on 8/19/21. The previous version had 3/4 cup oat flour, 3 cups brown rice, and 4 eggs.
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September 3, 2021
Nice to meet you!
I’m Lindsay and I ♡ FOOD. I used to be a teacher, and now making food and writing about it online is my full-time job. I love talking with people about food, and I'm so glad you're here.
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Really Helpful blog post. These make for a great freezer meal! Just prepare the recipe as-is, freeze the meatballs in a freezer-safe bag or container, and rewarm them in the oven or in the microwave.
These were really good! My kids (5 & 6) loved them. We didn’t have any leftovers.
Only “swap” I made was to use a riced cauliflower/sweet potato mix because it’s what I had in the freezer. Would do that again.
Hi lindsay do you have to defrost before reheating?
My brother couldn’t get over how good this meal was! He kept telling me it was the best Cook Smarts recipe we’ve made and to star it as a favorite.
Love your recipe, tips, etc. I want to make these Vegetarian Meatballs but do not have a food processor. Any ideas? Thank you.
Great question! You could try a potato masher or a blender may work.
I made these and they were amazing. I used just quinoa as I had no brown rice, and subbed flax eggs for the eggs and they stuck together just fine. I put fennel seeds and coriander in mine and they were delicious. They froze so well, and I ate them with kale/pumpkin seed pesto and pasta. I’ll definitely be making them again.
We are grain-free – has anyone had any luck making these without oats/panko and, if so, what did you substitute in place of them? Thank you!
I have made other vegetarian “meat”ball recipes that used walnuts- gives great flavor and might work good!
These were delicious and easy to make. They remind me of falafel
These were delicious! Even my “meat and potatoes” husband liked them
Glad to hear it, Deborah!
These were tasty! The key is to squeeze as much water out of the cauliflower as possible and everything turns out great. I ate most of these off the baking sheet and found I didn’t even need a sauce. I will be doubling the recipe next time so I can actually freeze some for later! Highly recommend!
Wonderful texture and taste. I added them to a curry sauce with shredded kale. Will be making a large batch next week to freeze!
Sounds lovely, Leslee! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Maybe I’m missing it but at what temp and for how long are these baked? Anyone bake/air crisp these in an airfryer? Tia!
Hi Marni! 400 degrees for 20 minutes. These reheat really well in the air fryer, but I haven’t tried air frying them instead of baking. Let me know if you give it a go!
400 degrees for 20 minutes…
Made these today and I really liked how easy they were. I like the crispy outside and soft center. I may up my spices a bit next time for added flavor, but everything else was nicely balanced. I may try pulsing some beans or tofu in during the food processor step to bump up the protein next time. Thanks for the recipe, I will definitely make them again.
I’m thinking of making these tonight. I’d like to keep it vegan. Has anyone tried using flax eggs in place of chicken eggs? How were the results?
Thank you!
How would you recommend modifying this to make it gluten-free? I’d like to try these in the sticky ginger rice bowls (which, by the way, is an AMAZING recipe), but have a gluten-free need. Thanks!
You could try gluten free breadcrumbs or oats!
I just made this as well as the masala paste and masala sauce. I steamed fresh cauliflower–half a medium cauliflower was 12 oz–and short grain brown rice I cooked in my rice cooker. I added a bunch of finely cilantro leaves and stems to the mixture and used cumin, coriander, black pepper and a little cayenne for the spices. The texture was perfect. I panfried them as was short on time. They are SO good! Especially with that masala sauce. Thanks so much for the recipe. It’s a total winner. My teenager loved them too!
Glad to hear it, Katherine!
These were so delicious! We simmered them in a jarred tikka masala sauce and served over rice with some broccoli. So good and I’m sure they are super versatile!
I really like it when you re-post old recipes. I often look for recipes based on your most recent posts but you have so many recipes that it’s fun to bring up the old ones too!
Thanks!
Great feedback, Ellen! So glad you enjoyed the meatballs! And using a jarred tikka masala sauce is a such a great shortcut!
Wow! I loved these meatless meatballs! I actually blended a little ground beef in with the cauliflower. Super good either way!
Love that idea, Florence!
These are delicious!! Great texture
Glad to hear it, Allie!
Holy cow.
Lindsay. I made these for the life changing masala sauce and it was incredible- I gave paste to friends to prove it.
And THEN I made spaghetti and ‘meatballs’ with them last night. No change of balls- just different sauce and it STILL worked.
I’m so impressed. The cauliflower keeps it moist, it’s not doughy and has a delicious consistency.
By far this is my favorite food blog. I’m cooking from here all this week and every night is a winner!
Do you have to defrost before reheating?
No need to!
Thanks so much for the comment, Aimee! We’re so glad you’ve been enjoying the masala sauce and meatballs!
I made these and threw in a handful of walnuts because they were just sitting on my counter asking to be thrown in. Then I of course whipped up Magic Green Sauce to go with them while I had the food processor out. If we have any left after my family is finished grabbing them off the cookie sheet and dipping in sauce plan to use them in some sort of bowl concoction. Love these!
Way to go, Mary! Sounds like an amazing meal!
These look great! If I wanted to make them vegan, do you think I could cut out the eggs? Or swap in a flax-egg?
We haven’t tested these meatballs with a flax egg, but we think it’d be a good substitute! Definitely think you’d need a binder in this recipe.
For kids what spices would you recommend? Worry my two and four year old won’t like the spices suggested. But yes you never know!
Do your kids like tacos? Chili powder and cumin are typically found in taco seasoning. And paprika is generally very mild.
Would you just mix all 3 of the recommended seasonings together?
Yes!
These look wonderful! I am just wondering if it would work to use oats (pulsed if necessary) in place of the bread crumbs?
Thank you.
That should work just fine!
Coffee please☕? I do love your recipes, and maybe one day I’ll have the time to make them again, but for the moment I just read them and miss your “coffee dates”. Hope you and your family and staff are doing well!
Hi Maggie! Thanks for the kind note and feedback on the coffee date posts!