Tender eggplant, Italian spices, and cheesy vegan parm come together in these vegan eggplant meatballs. Bathe them in a rich tomato red sauce or serve alongside your favorite dips, pesto & spreads for a snackable bite!
As you gently shape each of these eggplant meatballs between your palms, the simple rhythm of the task becomes one of those quiet, almost meditative moments in the kitchen. Before long, your kitchen will fill with the aromas of savory garlic, Italian herbs, and smoky roasted eggplant, hinting at the cozy, comforting meal to come.
You’ll use an entire eggplant as the basis for these meatballs and sauté it for maximum flavor development. Panko bread crumbs step in to create a soft, tender texture on these meatballs while a chia egg does the heavy lifting of holding it all together.
The best part? Once your meatballs are shaped, the oven does the rest of the work! Slide the tray inside and about 15 minutes later you’ll receive perfectly tender vegan meatballs, ready to crown a bowl of pasta, tuck into a sandwich, or dunk in your favorite sauce.
Ingredient Notes
For the Eggplant Meatballs:
- Eggplant – After sautéeing the eggplant, it will soften up and take on a deliciously caramelized depth of flavor, forming the basis of this vegan meatballs recipe. A fresh eggplant should be firm and free of bruising or soft spots. It also should feel heavy for its size. Lighter weight eggplant may indicate dryness, which will not produce very tender meatballs.
- Panko breadcrumbs – These work in tandem with the chia egg and the moisture of the eggplant to hold your meatball mixture together, creating nicely shaped rounds that hold together until you dig in. I happened to have panko bread crumbs on hand, but you can also use classic plain breadcrumbs or Italian seasoned breadcrumbs. Double check the ingredients label though, as some brands use dairy ingredients in their seasoned crumbs.
- Vegan parmesan – Adds that nutty, super umami flavor that no Italian meal is complete without! My homemade Nut-Free Vegan Parmesan Cheese is great here, or use any store bought brand you like best.
- Italian herbs – We go through a lotttt of Italian herb mix in my house! It’s hard to go wrong here when shopping; most brands I’ve tried are a perfectly aromatic mixture of dried oregano, thyme, basil, and marjoram among other things. Use whatever you like best, or make your own Italian Seasoning Mix if you have the components on hand.
- Parsley – Using a dash of fresh parsley in addition to the dried herb blend gives an echoey burst of bright flavor and also some speckles of green coloring throughout. I would avoid rosemary or thyme here as they will overpower the other flavors, but fresh basil leaves would work as a replacement.
- Chia egg – An excellent all purpose thickening agent, this simple mixture of chia seeds and water forms a gelatinous paste that seamlessly does the job of binding where an egg would usually be used. Just combine 1 tablespoon of chia seeds with 2 ½ tablespoons of water and let it sit for 5 minutes before stirring into your meatball mixture.
For Serving (optional):
- Cooked pasta, spaghetti squash, or zucchini noodles
- Sauce – Try Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce or Vegan Béchamel Sauce if you plan on serving your meatballs over pasta, or try with Roasted Red Pepper Dip if serving them appetizer style.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Setup and slice. Preheat your oven to 375℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Halve your eggplant lengthwise, slice each half into thick strips, then cut each strip into a large, rough dice. You’re going for about 1” chunks here, just to help with the cooking process, but don’t stress about the sizing since we’ll be blending it all up anyhow.
- Combine. Heat your olive oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat and add the chopped eggplant, along with salt and black pepper and the water.
- Cook. Let the eggplant sauté, stirring occasionally, until softened and dry. This should take about 15-20 minutes depending on the size of your eggplant pieces. You’ll see some light browning on the eggplant, but if you notice it sticking to the pan, turn down the heat.
- Transfer. Once cooked through, toss the sautéed eggplant into your food processor along with the panko breadcrumbs, vegan parmesan, dried Italian herbs, fresh parsley, garlic cloves, and chia egg.
- Process. Pulse a few times, then stop the motor and scrape down the sides to help everything blend evenly. Continue processing just until coarsely blended, when the mixture comes together like a chunky cookie dough. Take it slow here to avoid overprocessing, as blending the eggplant pulp too much can give the meatballs a gummy texture.
- Shape. Use your hands to form and roll the mixture into 1” diameter metaballs and arrange them on your prepared baking sheet. The amount of mixture usually makes about 12 meatballs for me.
- Bake. Transfer your baking sheet to the oven and let your eggplant meatballs roast for about 20 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when they get golden brown, lightly crisped, and you can barely help yourself from snatching one right off the baking sheet!
- Serve! Enjoy your meatballs with classic accompaniments like warm marinara sauce and cooked pasta, vegan béchamel and crusty bread, or serve them appetizer style on skewers with your favorite dipping sauce.
Tips From Ligia
If the eggplant mixture is too sticky to roll:
You can lightly wet your hands with water or coat your palms with a few drops of olive oil. This will not only keep the mixture from sticking to your hands as you shape your meatballs, but it will have an added benefit of helping the meatballs to brown in the oven!
How To Store
Refrigerating Allow leftover cooked eggplant meatballs to cool, then pack them into an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Store the meatballs separately from any sauce if possible, to keep them from softening.
Freezing Allow the meatballs to cool, then arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet or freezer safe baking dish, making sure the meatballs aren’t touching. Freeze for 1-2 hours until firm, then transfer into a zip-top freezer bag or other freezer-safe airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Reheating From the fridge: place your eggplant meatballs on a baking sheet or dish with a little bit of cooking oil and bake at 350℉ for 8-10 minutes until warmed through. From the freezer: no need to thaw first, just arrange the meatballs on a baking sheet or dish with some oil and bake at 375℉ for 15-20 minutes until firm and heated through.
Eggplant Meatballs
Ingredients
For the Eggplant Meatballs:
- 1 large eggplant
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup water
- 1 ½ cups panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup vegan parmesan
- 1 Tbsp dried Italian herb blend
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 chia egg (1 Tbsp chia seeds + 2 ½ Tbsp water)
For Serving (optional):
- Pasta sauce of your choice (such as marinara, béchamel, or alfredo)
- Cooked pasta, zoodles, or spaghetti squash
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice the eggplant into chunks that are roughly 1” in size.
- Heat your olive oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat and add the chopped eggplant, along with salt and black pepper, and the water.
- Let the eggplant sauté, stirring occasionally, until softened and dry. This should take about 15-20 minutes depending on the size of your eggplant pieces. Reduce the heat as needed if the eggplant sticks to the pan at all.
- Once cooked through, combine the sautéed eggplant into your food processor along with the panko breadcrumbs, vegan parmesan, dried Italian herbs, fresh parsley, garlic cloves, and chia egg.
- Process the mixture until coarsely blended, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. The mixture is done when it just comes together, like a chunky cookie dough.
- Form and roll the mixture into 1” diameter metaballs and arrange them on your prepared baking sheet. I usually end up with about 12 meatballs of this size.
- Transfer to the oven and roast for about 20 minutes, until golden brown, lightly crisped, and entirely delicious looking!
- Enjoy your meatballs as desired, such as with warm marinara sauce and cooked pasta, vegan béchamel and crusty bread, or skewer and serve with dipping sauce as an appetizer.
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