I’ve probably made about a dozen recipes for WFPB meatballs, and I’m not busting your balls! Most of these experiments ended with me saying, “yup, not doing that one again.” Not this one. This plant-based meatballs recipe is wife, kids, and Kev-approved.
These meatballs are vegan, oil-free, and even soy-free. There are no “meatless crumbles” or other processed fake meat-like ingredients. So if you’re looking for something that tastes just like a beef or pork meatball, this is not it. BUT… these meatballs are moist (yeah I said it), flavorful and don’t last very long in my house!

What you’ll need
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat breadcrumbs, regular or panko
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning (omit if using seasoned breadcrumbs)
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ⅛ tsp sea salt
- ½ cup walnuts, chopped (or 3/4 cup whole)
- 8 oz sliced mushrooms
- 1 small onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
How you’ll do it
- Preheat oven to 350° and line a baking pan with parchment paper or a baking mat.
- Add bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and salt to a large bowl.
- Add walnuts to food processor and chop into coarse crumbs. Add walnuts to the bowl and mix to incorporate.
- Add mushrooms and onion to large food processor or blender and process until you have a chunky puree.
- Scoop mushroom-onion mixture into bowl with dry ingredients. Stir mixture well until fully combined.
- Scoop out about 1 ½ tbsp of mixture at a time and mold into meatballs, placing onto the baking sheet as you go. If you want to make them a little bigger than that, go for it. You'll just need to bake them a bit longer.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Roll meatballs over gently and bake another 15-20 minutes or until meatballs have firmed up and don't feel mushy after a gentle squeeze.
- Serve with whole wheat pasta and a healthy slather of Super Easy Oil-Free Vegan Tomato Sauce
Did you make this? Well, what did you think? Leave a comment and let me know how it came out, or if you have a question about the recipe, fire away!
Do you have a favorite recipe you’d like to share on KevCooksPlants? Send it to me at kev@kevcooksplants.com and I’ll take a look (and of course credit you when it’s posted).