Vegan Meatballs with Lentils and Walnuts

These easy Vegan Meatballs with lentils and walnuts are one of my favorite dishes to make because they are so versatile. Serve them as an appetizer, main course, or a side dish. They're a great way to get some extra protein and fiber into your diet.

As you can guess by the name of the recipe, I am using lentils and walnuts as the main ingredients. The results are veggie meatballs that are perfect for any occasion!

These veggie meatballs with lentils, walnuts, and fennel seeds are comforting and satisfying when you want something hearty and substantial. They are perfect with pasta or zoodles and marinara sauce!

I am excited to share this recipe for easy vegan meatballs with you! What led me to make this recipe was a friend reminiscing about some delicious vegan lentil walnut meatballs she had in the past. When I heard her talk about how much she enjoyed them and missed having this comfort food, I knew I wanted to create a recipe.

These are the best vegan meatballs! This great recipe takes a little over an hour to make, including cooking the lentils, assembling, and baking. Most of the time is inactive. This is an excellent recipe for cooking during the week or meal prep over the weekends. It's sure to become a favorite!

If you love lentils as much as we do, be sure to try my healthy vegan meatloaf recipe which is also made with lentils and walnuts, as well as my lentil black bean burgers!

Equipment

Here is the equipment you need to make these healthy lentil meatballs:

• small saucepan for cooking the lentils
• wooden spoon
• food processor
• spatula
• 2 baking sheets
• medium-large mixing bowl
• spiralizer for zucchini, if serving

Ingredients

Here are the simple ingredients you need to make these meatless meatballs. Substitutions are further below. I usually prefer to use pantry ingredients instead of buying meat alternatives found at the grocery store. It's much more cost-effective, and the best part is, I know what is in my food!

• lentils - the main ingredient. Use brown or green lentils. Make sure that they are drained very well before adding them to the recipe.
• flaxseed meal - instead of mixing with water to make a flax egg, I combine it with the other ingredients.
• fresh parsley - do not use dried parsley
• psyllium husk, a binding agent common in gluten-free baking/cooking - is essential for holding everything together. You can find the powdered form easily available at most grocery stores or online.
• fennel seeds - we like these, and this recipe reflects that. You can start with ½ teaspoon if you prefer. See Substitutions below.
• walnut halves - you will chop these in the food processor unless you prefer to do it by hand.

How to make Easy Vegan Meatballs with lentils and walnuts

First, you will cook the lentils on the stovetop, unless you have some that you previously prepared. While the lentils are cooking, measure and assemble the remaining ingredients, and turn on the oven. Set aside a baking sheet for cooling the lentils.

Set aside another baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper liner for the meatballs.

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Chop the walnuts in the food processor until no large pieces remain. Add the rest of the ingredients, saving the cooled lentils for last. Pulse several times for a couple of seconds each time, until the mixture comes together.

Place the meatball mixture in a large bowl and start assembling the meatballs. Roll them up to the size of a golf ball, 12 portions for hearty meatballs, or make 16 slightly smaller meatballs. Place in the oven to bake.

After 30 to 35 minutes, the meatballs will be golden brown on the outside. Time to take them out of the oven! Let them cool briefly before adding them to zoodles or pasta. Then top with a healthy serving of marinara!

These meatballs stay together well; they do not fall apart, and they are very tender on the inside. They are delicious by themselves, but I enjoy them the most with chunky marinara sauce.

If you are going to serve them with zoodles, prepare the zucchini noodles, one zucchini per person. This can be done while the meatballs are baking. I use this spiralizer; the green attachment is perfect for zucchini.

How to serve

Enjoy these easy vegan meatballs with your favorite pasta and your favorite marinara sauce. Have you tried my Vegan Marinara Sauce? Top with fresh basil.

For a gluten-free alternative that is perfect for summer, serve them on top of zoodles (zucchini noodles) shown in the photo below with my Vegan Marinara Sauce. This sauce is hearty, flavorful, and slightly chunky, making it the perfect accompaniment to these meatballs.

Variations

Kid-friendly - Instead of fennel, use ½ teaspoon of oregano.

Spicy - Add ¼ to ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper

Deluxe - Add a sprinkling of nutritional yeast or vegan Parmesan cheese on top.

Substitutions

Lentils - you can use brown rice instead, or black beans or kidney beans.

Walnuts - you can try sunflower seeds, almonds, or peans instead.

Fennel - this recipe is fennel forward. You can use oregano instead, I'd start with ½ teaspoon dried oregano or an Italian seasoning mix.

Psyllium husk - there is no substitution for this. It helps bind everything together in addition to the flaxseed meal. You can buy it online if you can't find it a grocery store.

Expert tips

Use precooked lentils easily found at the grocery store to save time.

Storage

Let leftover vegan meatballs cool and then place them in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 to 4 days.

To freeze them (without sauce), let them cool first, place them in a freezer-safe container, and then in the freezer for up to 1 to 2 months. To thaw them, put them in the fridge several hours before you plan to eat them. Reheat them in the oven at 350F for approximately 20 minutes.

Why call these meatballs?

You may be wondering if this vegan meatballs recipe doesn't contain meat, why call it meatballs? Everyone knows what veggie burgers are, but does anyone question why they are called burgers? I have several reasons for naming my recipe; read on if you are curious.

• The edible part of walnut is called meat. The word meat originates from the Old English word mete, which meant food in general.

• The term meat does not refer to animal flesh exclusively, nor does butter refer to dairy-based butter exclusively. If we can have almond milk and peanut butter, why not meat-free meatballs or vegan meatballs?  

• This recipe can be referred to as vegan meatballs, lentil balls, or lentil walnut balls (doesn't that sound funny?). People search for various terms. I could have called this recipe veggie meatballs, but I went with vegan meatballs instead for online search purposes. I want people to find this recipe!

FAQ

More healthy vegan recipes

I'd love to hear from you! If you make this recipe, let me know what you think by ★★★★★ star rating it and leaving a comment below. You can also follow me on Instagram and share your creation with me. Just tag me @resplendentkitchen and hashtag #resplendentkitchenrecipes, so I don't miss it.

Recipe

Easy Vegan Meatballs (with Lentils and Walnuts)

Emily Miller

These Easy Vegan Meatballs with lentils and walnuts are comforting and satisfying when you want something hearty and substantial, yet not heavy. They are perfect with pasta or zoodles and marinara sauce!

5 from 102 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Meatballs 35 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 6 people

Calories 366 kcal

Equipment

• small saucepan
• food processor
• 2 baking sheets
• non-stick silicone baking mats
• Spatula
• wooden spoon
• cookie scoop
• medium-large bowl
• spiralizer

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 cup dry green lentils rinsed until water runs clear
• ▢ 2 cups water
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt divided
• ▢ 2 cups walnut halves
• ▢ 4 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
• ▢ 2 tablespoons organic coconut oil
• ▢ 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
• ▢ 1 tablespoon psyllium husk
• ▢ 1 teaspoon fennel seed (leave whole)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• ▢ 1 Medjool date pitted
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 1 large shallot minced approx. ⅓ cup
• ▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper fresh ground

Instructions

 

• Place lentils in a medium pot and cover with 2 cups of water, add ½ teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and cover loosely. Simmer until lentils around 20 minutes, until lentils are soft but not falling apart. If they are not done at this point, check every 5 minutes until done. Strain any liquid. Let cool on a baking sheet.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet.
• Place 2 cups walnuts in the food processor. Briefly pulse a couple of times until small pieces remain with no large chunks. Add remaining 1 teaspoon salt, parsley, coconut oil, flaxseed meal, psyllium husk, fennel seed, poultry seasoning, date, black pepper, garlic, shallot, and black pepper in the food processor. Add 2 cups of the cooked lentils, Process in bursts until the mixture holds together. Place the mixture into a bowl and stir the ingredients briefly to make sure they are combined.
• With a cookie scoop, make balls that are approximately 2 inches in size. Place on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until they start browning. Let cool on the pan for a few minutes before serving.

Notes

• This recipe makes 12 to 16 balls. If you would like the meatballs to be less calorie-dense, make smaller meatballs than the ones pictured. I have made 16 slightly smaller meatballs and they are just as delicious!
• If you are serving these with zucchini noodles, spiralize one zucchini per person.
• Refrigerate for up to 3 to 4 days or freeze for 1 to 2 months
• The calorie count is for the meatballs only; the marinara and zucchini are not included.

Nutrition

Serving: 2meatballsCalories: 366kcalCarbohydrates: 23.4gProtein: 10.8gFat: 27.2gSaturated Fat: 5.8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 16.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 3.4gSodium: 262.6mgPotassium: 233.4mgFiber: 8.8gSugar: 4.6gVitamin A: 275.2IUVitamin C: 4.8mgCalcium: 63.2mgIron: 4.2mg

Keyword comfort, easy, Gluten-free, healthy, lentil, walnut

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Resplendent Kitchen offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site as a courtesy. Although resplendentkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information from online calculators, these figures are estimates.