Vegan Italian Tofu Meatballs

View on a bowl of vegan tofu meatball marinara with pasta.

5 from 4 votes

These vegan tofu meatballs are easy to make, high in protein and packed with amazing flavor. They are just as good as traditional meatballs, but made completely plant-based! Perfect over pasta with tomato sauce or for making meatball sub sandwiches. The ultimate comfort food dinner recipe!

Prep Time10

Cook Time25

Total Time35

Course: Appetizer, dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: healthy, meatless, tofu, Vegan, vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 169kcal

Author: Jessica Laroche

Ingredients

16 oz extra firm tofu
½ small onion
1 garlic clove
¾ cup breadcrumbs
¼ cup nutritional yeast
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp soy sauce
½ tsp salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Drain the package of tofu and break it into 3-4 large pieces. Wrap them in a towel and squeeze the excess water using your hands. Place something heavy over and set it aside.
Add the onion and garlic to a food processor and process until finely chopped.
Then, add the tofu, breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, spices, soy sauce and salt and pulse until mostly combined. Take a break and scrape the walls and bottom of the food processor using a spatula, then process again. A few small chunks of tofu are fine. Check on consistency: it should hold well together when you press a small amount of the mixture in your palm.
Shape into balls (you should have about 15-16 balls, 2 tablespoons each) and place on the prepared baking sheet. To shape them, you have to press or squeeze the mixture togeteher(as opposed to rolling it).
Bake the balls for 15 minutes. Then, flip and bake for 10 minutes. Serve with your favorite sauce!

Video

Notes

Storage tips: the tofu balls are very crispy and soft in the middle when just baked and they get softer while storing. That being said, this recipe makes for amazing leftovers! Keep the extra tofu balls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days, reheat using the oven if possible to revive the crispiness (400º, 10-15 minutes). The meatballs store better apart from the sauce. You can also freeze them!
This recipe is versatile and you can easily tweak the flavoring ingredients, such as adding: more spices or herbs, olives, capers, sundried tomatoes, and more. Check out the blog post for more ideas!
Nutrition: please note that the nutritional information is an estimate per serving (about 4 meatballs per serving) provided for informational purposes only (calculated by software) and accuracy is not guaranteed. Consult with your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if you need precise nutrition calculations for health reasons.

Nutrition