Meaty Vegan Meatballs (Gluten-Free)
These vegan meatballs are meaty, chewy, satisfying, and built to hold up in any sauce. TVP gives them a genuine meat-like texture, and psyllium binds everything without a gram of gluten! Seasoned with plenty of garlic, fresh parsley, and thyme, they are deeply savory and work in a multitude of dishes.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (130 g) TVP chunks
- 3 cups (720 ml) vegetable broth (hot)
- 1/4 cup (32 g) nutritional yeast
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) water
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 4 tsp (20 g) white miso
- 1 small shallot chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp (4 g) sugar
- 2 tsp (10 ml) gluten-free dark soy sauce (optional, for color)
- 2 tsp beetroot powder (optional, for color)
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tbsp (22 g) psyllium husk powder
Instructions
- Rehydrate the TVP. Add the TVP chunks to a large mixing bowl. Pour the hot vegetable broth over them and let the TVP rehydrate for about 20 minutes, or until soft. Then, drain it and squeeze the chunks between your hands to remove as much moisture as possible. Don't skip this step as it is essential.
- Process the seasonings. Add the nutritional yeast, water, vegan Worcestershire sauce, white miso, shallot, garlic, onion powder, dried thyme, ground black pepper, sugar, dark soy sauce, and beetroot powder to a food processor. Process for 20-30 seconds, or until a smooth, thick sauce forms.
- Add the TVP. Next, add the rehydrated TVP and parsley. Process for 3-4 seconds or until the TVP is roughly chopped.
- Add the psyllium. Add the psyllium husk powder and process for another 4-7 seconds or until the mixture resembles fine-ground meat. Test the mixture: Take some of the mixture and press it between your fingers. It should hold together into a ball. If not, process for another 2-3 seconds.
- Shape into balls. Use a cookie scoop to scoop out 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of the mixture. Shape it into a ball and repeat with the remaining mixture.
- Pan-fry. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a non-stick skillet. Once hot, add the meatballs. Pan-fry for 6-8 minutes, stirring regularly, until slightly golden bown on the outside. Serve immediately or add to your favorite marinara sauce!
- You can store these meatballs in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
Check the texture of the TVP.
For the best results, process the TVP until it resembles fine-ground meat. If it's processed too little, the texture will remain chunky, and your meatballs won't hold together well. On the other hand, overprocessing can break it down too much, compromising the meaty texture.Do not omit the psyllium husk.
It's a key ingredient here! Without it, you won't be able to form meatballs - you will just end up with some ground meat.