No Sweat Vegan

  • About
  • Recipes
  • Resources
  • Free E-Books
  • Meal Planning Printables
  • Shop
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Resources
  • Free E-Books
  • Meal Planning Printables
  • Shop

subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Resources
  • Free E-Books
  • Meal Planning Printables
  • Shop

×
Home » Recipes

Vegan Lentil Meatballs (Sicilian- Style!)

Published: 15 Apr 2020 · Updated: 5 Oct 2024 by Julianne Lynch · This post may contain affiliate links · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases · Leave a Comment

192 shares
  • Facebook
  • Email
Jump to Recipe
Vegan lentil meatball pin.
Vegan lentil meatball pin.

These Vegan Lentil Meatballs are full of Italian herbs and spices. Currants offer a touch of sweetness, pine nuts add earthiness and bite, and red pepper flakes give a little spicy kick. Bake just 30 minutes in the oven and pair with spaghetti and marinara for a nostalgic Italian comfort dish.

Vegan spaghetti and meatballs in two bowls.

There's just something so cozy and comforting about a heaping plate of spaghetti and meatballs. But if you're vegan or trying to eat more plant-based meals, you'll need to leave out the meat. These vegan Sicilian-style meatballs offer a flavorful and hearty replacement.

This dish is inspired by a recipe I was given by a friend many years ago. When I decided to develop a vegan meatball recipe, I was trying to think of ways to add more texture (vegan meatballs can sometimes come out a bit mushy).

As I was brainstorming what I could add to give the meatball a bit more bite, I remembered this old recipe that called for currants and pine nuts. By some luck, I still had the old recipe tucked away, so I dug it up and set out to veganize it.

The original recipe calls for sweet Italian sausage, so I added a load of Italian herbs and spices, as well as a healthy dose of red pepper flakes, to try to replicate the flavor.

Jump to:
  • Ingredients
  • Instructions
  • Equipment
  • How to Serve
  • Storage
  • Top Tip
  • FAQ
  • More vegan Italian recipes
  • 📖 Recipe
  • Meal planning

Ingredients

Vegan meatball ingredients.
  • can of brown or green lentils (You can sub with fresh lentils, but don't use red lentils for this recipe).
  • white onion
  • dried oregano
  • dried basil
  • dried rosemary
  • dried thyme
  • dried sage
  • garlic powder
  • onion powder
  • nutritional yeast
  • red pepper flakes 
  • salt 
  • plain breadcrumbs (or 2 pieces of whole wheat toast, pulsed in the food processor until fine)
  • roasted pine nuts
  • currants (or chopped raisins)

Instructions

Here are step-by-step instructions with photos.

Ingredient in a food processor.
  1. Preheat oven to 400° F or 200°C
  2. Drain and rinse the lentils. Be sure to pat them dry to remove excess moisture. Do a fine dice on the onion. Then add the lentils, onion, herbs, and spices to the food processor.
Ingredients mixed in food processor.
  1. Pulse for 1 second eight to ten times. The textures should be chunky and coarse. Don't over process!
  1. Add the breadcrumbs and nutritional yeast and mix. I prefer to mix with my hands because I think it helps the ingredients incorporate more evenly.
Pine nuts and currants added to the lentil mixture.
  1. Then, add your currants and pine nuts and mix again.
Hand holding roughly 1.5 tablespoons of the lentil mixture.
  1. Take 1 to 2 tablespoons of the mixture into your hands and press and squeeze, passing it back and forth between your palms and fingers. It will feel very coarse at first, but the more you press and squeeze, the more the liquid from the lentils and onions will release to hold everything together. As you can see in the video below, you have to be patient and continue to work the mixture until enough liquid is released to hold everything together.
Hands rolling the mixture into a ball.
  1. When the mixture starts to feel like it's coming together, roll it gently between your palms until a ball forms. The ball should be a little smaller than a golfball. Adjust the size if necessary.
Closeup of vegan meatball before cooking.
  1. Finally, place the balls on a parchment-lined tray and bake for 30 minutes.
Hand holding a cooked lentil meatball.
  1. When the vegan meatballs are finished the outside should be nicely browned and a little crunchy. If the inside still feels mushy, you can cook for another 5 minutes.

Hint: The most important part of making these vegan meatballs is that you don't over-process! The mixture should still feel chunky, coarse, and loose after it comes out of the food processor. It should feel like it won't stick together. But it will.

Added vegan bonus: Since these "meat"balls don't actually have any meat, you don't have to worry (as much) about contaminating things after you use your hands to combine the mixture. You can even taste it as you go to make sure all the seasonings are right!

Check out this video of me rolling a lentil meatball!

Equipment

For this recipe you'll need a knife, cutting board, a food processor, and a baking sheet.

All of my favorite products and kitchen tools can be found in my Amazon shop.

How to Serve

The obvious choice here is to serve with a simple marinara sauce over spaghetti topped with vegan parmesan cheese, but the sky is the limit.

Be creative! Make a big meatball sub with vegan cheese, serve them as a party appetizer, or pair them with roasted potatoes and broccolini.

Storage

Store any leftover vegan meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Closeup of vegan meatballs.

Top Tip

The vegan meatballs might seem a little dry on the outside (this is the price for having a non-mushy inside), but if you cover them with marinara sauce the dryness will go away. If you plan to eat without sauce, you can bush with a little olive oil or soy milk to add some moisture back to the exterior.

Vegan meatball sub.

FAQ

Are these vegan meatballs really Sicilian?

When I was researching this recipe, I decided to investigate if there was really anything Sicilian about this style of meatball. Thankfully, my uncle is from Sicily, so I asked if he'd ever eaten meatballs made with currants and pine nuts. To my delight, he said his mother used to make a dish like this. It was more of a loaf rather than individual balls, but close enough! So I stand by my title. These truly are a veganized version of Sicilian meatballs.

More vegan Italian recipes

  • Closeup of hand picking up a spoonful of vegan pumpkin risotto.
    Vegan Pumpkin Risotto (With Sage!)
  • Vegan butter beans recipe in a bowl with bread.
    Vegan Butter Beans (Easy + Creamy!)
  • Best vegan spaghetti recipe.
    Vegan Spaghetti (20 Minutes!)
  • Vegan stuffed shells on plate.
    Vegan Stuffed Shells

📖 Recipe

Vegan spaghetti and meatballs in two bowls.

Vegan Lentil Meatballs (Sicilian-Style!)

These Vegan Lentil Meatballs are full of Italian herbs and spices. Currants offer a touch of sweetness, pine nuts add earthiness and bite, and red pepper flakes give a little spicy kick. Bake just 30 minutes in the oven and pair with spaghetti and marinara for a nostalgic Italian comfort dish.
4 from 5 votes
Print Recipe Share on Facebook Pin Recipe SaveSaved!
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 30 minutes mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 16 meatballs (approximately)
Calories 89 kcal

Equipment

Cuisinart 8 Cup Food Proces...Shop on Amazon
Food Processor
ROYAL CRAFT WOOD Extra Larg...Shop on Amazon
Cutting Board
HENCKELS Classic Razor-Shar...Shop on Amazon
Sharp Knife
Wilton Easy Layers Sheet Ca...Shop on Amazon
baking sheet

Ingredients
  

  • 1 15 oz or 400 g can of brown or green lentils (You can sub with fresh lentils, but don't use red lentils for this recipe).
  • ¼ cup diced white onion
  • 2 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon dried basil
  • 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
  • 1 tablespoon dried thyme
  • 1 tablespoon dried sage
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • ¼ cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon salt (optional)
  • 1 cup plain breadcrumbs (or 2 pieces of whole wheat toast, pulsed in the food processor until fine)
  • 3 tablespoon pine nuts
  • 3 tablespoon currants (or chopped raisins)
Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions
 

Vegan Meatball Directions

  • Preheat to the oven to 400°F or 200°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • In a skillet over medium heat, roast the pine nuts until they are lightly browned. This should just take three to four minutes after the skillet is hot. Be careful that they don't burn.
  • Peel and dice the onion.
  • Drain and rinse the lentils. Pat dry to remove excess liquid.
  • Add the lentils, onion, herbs, and spices to the food processor and pulse eight to ten times for about one second each pulse. You want the mixture to still be fairly coarse. If the mixture gets overprocessed, it will be too wet and the meatballs will stay mushy on the inside after they're baked.
  • Scrape the meatball mixture into a mixing bowl. Add the breadcrumbs and nutritional yeast. Use your hands (or a wooden spoon) to combine.
  • Next, add the currants and pine nuts to the mixture. Use your hands (or a wooden spoon) to combine.
  • Once the mixture is combined, take about 2 tablespoons in your hand. Squeeze and press the mixture, passing back and forth between your fingers and palms until some of the liquid starts to release and the mixture begins to hoild together. Once the mixture is holding together, form into a ball (a little smaller than a golfball). Place the ball on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat this process until you've used up all the mixture. You should have approximately 16 vegan meatballs.
  • Place the baking sheet in the oven and cook the meatballs for about 30 minutes. When they are finished, they should be crispy and nicely browned on the outside.
Prevent your screen from going dark
Save this RecipeSaved!

Notes

  • I always make my own breadcrumbs by pulsing toast in the food processor. Two standard-sized pieces of toast will give you about a cup of breadcrumbs.
  • Instead of all the dried herbs listed above, you can use 6 tablespoon of a premixed Italian herb seasoning.
  • If you don't have pine nuts or want a more budget-friendly option, you can use sunflower seeds.
  • Chopped raisins can substitute for currants.
  • If you don't have a food processor, you can use a potato masher or fork to mash the lentils. This might take a few extra minutes. You will need to make sure the onions are diced very fine.
  • These are a tad spicy, so if that's not your thing, reduce the amount of red pepper flakes or eliminate. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1meatballCalories: 89kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 4gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0.2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.5gSodium: 206mgPotassium: 198mgFiber: 4gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 186IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 47mgIron: 2mg
Keyword vegan meatballs
Tried this recipe?Tag me on Instagram @no_sweat_vegan or #nosweatvegan!

Meal planning

More Vegan Recipes

  • Strawberry rhubarb baked oatmeal on a plate.
    Strawberry Rhubarb Baked Oatmeal (Vegan + No Banana!)
  • Hand dipping crostini into vegan spinach artichoke dip.
    Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip (Easy + Nut-Free!)
  • Vegan pumpkin baked oatmeal on a plate with toppings.
    Pumpkin Baked Oats (Vegan)
  • Pumpkin bliss balls in a bowl.
    No-Bake Pumpkin Balls (Easy + Vegan!)
192 shares
  • Facebook
  • Email
4 from 5 votes (5 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Julianne, founder of No Sweat Vegan.

Hi, I'm Julianne! A dedicated home chef for over 20 years and a vegan recipe developer since 2020. I love creating simple and comforting vegan food for the whole family. Most of my recipes are quick, Whole-Foods Plant-Based, and easy on the budget. Thanks for stopping by!

You can also find me at AirFryerVeg.com.

More about me →

Trending

  • Chick-fil-A tofu on a plate with vegan honey mustard.
    Vegan Chick-fil-A style Tofu Nuggets with Vegan Honey Mustard Sauce (Oil-free!)

  • Stack of vegan oatmeal raisin cookies.
    Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (Healthy, Easy, + Oil-Free)

  • Vegan potato soup in a bowl.
    Vegan Potato Soup (Easy & Oil-Free)

  • Tofu nuggets on a plate with a small bowl of ketchup.
    Tofu Nuggets (Vegan + Oil-Free!)

Recent

  • Three vegan pear muffins stacked in front of a pear.
    Vegan Pear Muffins (Oil-free!)

  • Vegan Mother's Day Recipes collage.
    Vegan Mother's Day Recipes

  • Vegan baked oatmeal in a baking dish.
    Vegan Baked Oatmeal (No Banana!)

  • Bowl of chickpea and spinach curry with a spoon.
    Chickpea and Spinach Curry

Web Stories

Footer

↑ back to top

Legal

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Impressum

Free Meal Planning Tips & Printables!

  • Sign Up for free printables and weekly updates

Contact

  • Contact
  • Media Kit
  • FAQ

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

***

Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to No Sweat Vegan with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.


Copyright © 2020-2025 No Sweat Vegan on the Foodie Pro Theme

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.