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The Best Paleo Vegan Meatballs

The ingredients in these paleo-vegan meatballs are whole, simple and just like most of my recipes, you probably have all in the ingredients in your kitchen right now!
Feb 27, 2020 | Joy McCarthy

These paleo vegan meatballs are absolutely delicious, packed with flavour and totally plant-based making them very affordable to make. I pretty much guarantee you will not be disappointed with the deliciousness of this recipe. It's one the whole family will love!

Paleo Vegan Meatballs

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This recipe is actually a revamp from 8 years ago! I was going to take the OG post down but then I thought I would leave it just for kicks so you can see how far our food photography (and food styling) has come over the years! It just goes to show you, practice, practice, practice! 

The ingredients in these paleo-vegan meatballs are whole, simple and just like most of my recipes, you probably have all in the ingredients in your kitchen right now!

ingredients in paleo vegan meatballs

If you're wondering what makes these meatballs paleo, it's because there are no grains or beans/legumes in this recipe and they are vegan because there are no animal foods either. But don't think that you're missing out on anything because they are packed full of flavour.

paleo vegan meatballs

In fact, I encourage you to make these for a meat-loving friend or family member and don't even tell them how healthy they are until they are giving you glowing reviews over the dinner you made for them. And be sure to report back to me because I cannot wait to hear all about it!! (Comment below).

You may have noticed if you looked at my OG recipe, I didn't cook them - they were originally a raw recipe. However, I think baking them is a good step for extra deliciousness. It seals in the flavour and makes them hold better. Plus it's nice to have warm balls in your bowl of pasta.

paleo vegan meatballs

A food processor is an essential kitchen tool to make these meatballs. It just does the trick of chopping them up into the perfect texture. I don't think this would work very well in a blender, so I would recommend sticking with a food processor.

vegan paleo meatballs

This recipe is...

  • Paleo - no grains, no beans
  • Gluten-free
  • Vegan
  • Packed with fibre and blood sugar balancing
  • Excellent for gut health and your microbiome
  • Kid-friendly

Here's my recipe for The Best Paleo Vegan Meatballs on the freakin' planet!

paleo vegan meatballs

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Ingredients
  • 3/4 cup walnuts
  • 1 large carrot, chopped into chunks
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, loosely packed
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, loosely packed
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme, loosely packed
  • 5-6 medjool dates, pits removed or 1/2 cup deglet noor dates
  • 5 sundried tomatoes
  • 1/4 of a small cauliflower, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • Half juice of fresh lemon
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Add all the ingredients to a food processor or blender and give a blitz until finely ground.
  2. Form into 2 inch balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. If they are difficult to form and hold their shape, add another medjool date or two and blitz again, they provide the sticking action.
  3. Bake for 20 minutes.
  4. The texture should be very tender so you can easily eat them with a fork.
  5. Enjoy right away with some zucchini pasta or regular pasta. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 5 days or freeze no-meatballs for up to 3 months.

Notes

These no-meatballs can be eaten raw if you like, but they are nice warmed up in my opinion.

If you use regular pasta, I really like Quinoa Pasta or Chickepea pasta which is chickpeas and lentils.

Here's a quick video on how to make them!

Now you're probably wondering what you should serve these paleo vegan meatballs with? Well, you've got tons of options. You could use Chickapea Pasta - it's Joyous Approved! And it's part of my Best Carbs for Kids list.

chickapea pasta

Or you can spiralize some zucchini - so that's what I did! Well, Vienna and Walker had the pasta and I had the zucchini. I just love the lightness of zucchini! But I also eat the Chickpea pasta often like in our Tuscany Bolognese Bowl and this Creamy Avocado Pasta Salad. 

spiralized zucchini

This dish would go delightfully well with my Creamy & Dreamy Kale Salad or my Kale Salad with Creamy Cashew Dressing. 

Paleo Vegan Meatballs

I can't wait to hear how much you guys love this recipe!

Joy xo

Ps. If you want to try a more traditional meatball recipe then be sure to check out my Turkey Meatballs from The Joyous Cookbook!

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28 Comments
Kelly   •   February 28, 2020

These sound delicious! Is the carrot and cauliflower raw to start with? Also do the dates give the final product a sweetness? Looking forward to trying these a thanks!

Reply
Joy McCarthy   •   February 28, 2020

Kelly   •   February 28, 2020

Thanks - can’t wait to try making these!

Reply
Joy McCarthy   •   February 28, 2020

Nadia   •   February 29, 2020

Hey! I have a question about substituting the dates. We don't like the sweetness in the meatball. Is there anything else you would substitute the dates with? I think the dates are the glue to keep the meatball together but I can't think of anything else to keep it plant based. Yummy recipe by the way!! Thank you for your assistance Nadia

Reply
Joy McCarthy   •   March 1, 2020

Katie Porter   •   March 3, 2020

I’m allergic to walnuts. Could I replace them with pistachios? Thanks

Reply
Joy McCarthy   •   March 3, 2020

Kim   •   March 3, 2020

Hi Joy, What would you recommend instead of walnuts to use? I have allergy to all nuts. Love your recipes! Thanks, Kim

Reply
Joy McCarthy   •   March 3, 2020

Nancy Akrapovic   •   March 3, 2020

I'm going to try this recipe, thank you Joy, sounds so good !

Reply
Joy McCarthy   •   March 3, 2020

Crystal   •   March 3, 2020

Could the walnut be substituted to make them lunchbox friendly?

Reply
Joy McCarthy   •   March 3, 2020

Sharon   •   March 3, 2020

Wondering your thoughts on using silicone sheet instead of using parchment paper to line the baking sheet.

Reply
Joy McCarthy   •   March 3, 2020

Tatiana   •   March 4, 2020

Hi Joy, do you think I could sub broccoli for cauliflower?

Reply
Joy McCarthy   •   March 4, 2020

Martha Campbell   •   March 10, 2020

This was relatively easy to prepare. We had it with the chickpea pasta and tomato sauce and it WAS TERRIFIC!! Thank you Joy for creating it.

Reply
Joy McCarthy   •   March 11, 2020

Maureen Cormier   •   March 26, 2020

Delicious!!

Reply
Joy McCarthy   •   March 27, 2020

Shanda   •   April 3, 2020

Are medjool dates or any dates fine with people that have diabetes?

Reply
Joy McCarthy   •   April 4, 2020

LeeAnne Gelfand   •   November 5, 2020

Hi Joy. What could I use instead of the walnuts. Thank you.

Reply
Joy McCarthy   •   November 6, 2020

CAROLYN ROSS   •   November 20, 2020

Hi, these look great, what do you recommend for a substitution for sun-dried tomatoes - can't do nightshades.

Reply
Joy McCarthy   •   November 21, 2020

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