After various experiments to make vegan lentil meatballs, I finally managed to find the right combination of ingredients! Yes, because here at home, as my most loyal readers know, I have the Dutchman acting as a judge, and when it comes to meatballs, he cares about the taste and texture, while I focus on the ease of preparation, nutrition and, of course, Weight Watchers points.
And after some experiments that weren’t bad but still not satisfactory, I finally managed to prepare these exquisite meatballs that can be made to the desired size. And especially, they turn out delicious even when cooked in the air fryer, so you can prepare them even in summer. The ingredients are easy to find and very nutritious, which is important to choose, especially if you, like me, follow a vegan diet.
I’ve only tried with lentils, but I’m sure they can also be made with other types of legumes. Also, keep in mind that these vegan lentil meatballs contain legumes, nuts, and breadcrumbs: so you can consider them a complete meal, and you just need to add a nice plate of vegetables to complete it. Without further ado, let’s see the procedure…
Other meatballs you might like can be found here:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 12 meatballs
- Cooking methods: Oven, Air Frying
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients
In this recipe, you’ll also find nutritional yeast. If you’re not sure what it is, read here: Nutritional Yeast: What It Is, How to Use It, and Why!
- 8.8 oz canned lentils (drained weight)
- 1.8 oz almonds (can be unpeeled)
- 1.4 oz breadcrumbs (preferably whole grain)
- 4 tsps extra virgin olive oil
- 2 shallots
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp flaxseeds
- 2 tbsps water
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsps soy sauce
- 0.5 oz nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp thyme (dried)
- 1 tsp rosemary (dried)
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
- Total points = 26 WW points
- Points per meatball = 2 WW points (if you divide the mixture into 12 meatballs)
- Points per meatball = 1 WW point (if you divide the mixture into 24 meatballs)
Tools
- Hand Blender
- Frying Pan
- Air Fryer
Preparation
Prepare the fake egg, also known as flax egg, which helps to better bind the mixture. Just put 1 tablespoon of flaxseeds ground in a food processor into a small cup; I use the one that came with my hand blender.
Add 2 tablespoons of water and set aside. After about 15 minutes, it will have become a gelatinous substance that will replace the egg. It works very well for the meatballs, but don’t try to make an omelet with it!
Blend the almonds in the chopper to pulverize them or leave just a few small pieces.
In a small non-stick pan, sauté the sliced shallot in 1 teaspoon of oil; after a couple of minutes, add the minced garlic and dried spices and a splash of water.
The shallot and garlic should wilt and dry well. Let them cool.
Put the rinsed and well-drained lentils, pulverized almonds, breadcrumbs, sautéed shallot, garlic, and spices, vinegar, soy sauce, nutritional yeast, the fake egg made with flaxseeds, some pepper, and the other 3 teaspoons of oil in the blender.
Blend until the mixture is well combined. Taste it and depending on your taste, add salt. This also greatly depends on the soy sauce used and how salty it already is.
Start forming the meatballs. My mixture was about 500 grams, so I formed 12 meatballs weighing about 42 g each. But you can obviously make them smaller: 24 meatballs weighing about 21 g each.
ps: in the picture, there are 11 because I cooked the first one by itself for a test.
I put the meatballs directly in the basket and cooked them at 320°F for 20 minutes, shaking the basket occasionally. As soon as they are golden, they are ready.
Put the meatballs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake them at 355°F-390°F for 25-30 minutes, turning them at least once. As soon as they are golden, they are ready.
Again, temperature and time depend on your oven.
Here is the same mixture divided into many small meatballs. In this picture, I hadn’t completely powdered the almonds, and they are crunchier inside.
For the larger meatballs, I obtained a finer almond flour, and they remain softer inside, as you can see from the photo.
Anyway, whether small or large, hot or cold: these vegan lentil meatballs are exquisite. The Dutchman even requested them for his birthday, which is in a few days, do I need to say more?
Try making them too, and then let me know if you liked them in the comments below or on Facebook. See you soon for the next recipe and:
Enjoy your meal!
by Giovanna Buono
Storage
You can freeze these cooked meatballs for 3 months. You can defrost them and then reheat them in an air fryer or high-temperature oven for a few minutes.
What is nutritional yeast?
In this recipe, you’ll also find nutritional yeast, which is deactivated yeast rich in vitamin B12. It is widely used in vegan cooking as it gives dishes a cheesy flavor. To learn more, read here: Nutritional Yeast: What It Is, How to Use It, and Why! You can omit it, but if you do, add spices to taste to enhance the flavor of the meatballs.
Can I omit the soy sauce?
In my opinion, soy sauce is the true secret of this recipe. Do not omit it, I recommend it, and if you really can’t find or consume it, try replacing it with balsamic vinegar.
