Tempeh Meatballs
Tempeh meatballs are easy 1-bowl vegan meatballs with delicious Greek flavors. They are delicious gluten-free vegan meatballs to make Greek gyros or salads.
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 15 min
- Yield
- 18 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 9 oz Tempeh (cubed)
- 3 tablespoons Red Onion (finely chopped)
- 2 Garlic (crushed)
- 1/4 cup Parsley (fresh, finely chopped)
- 6 Mint Leaves (finely chopped)
- 1/2 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 3/4 teaspoon Salt
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil (or any vegetable oil )
- 1/4 cup Vegetable Stock
- 1 tablespoon Tomato Paste
- 1/4 cup Chickpea Flour (see note for options)
- 1/2 cup Coconut Yogurt
- 2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
- 3 Garlic Cloves (crushed)
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 10 Mint Leaves (finely chopped)
- 4 tablespoons Grapeseed Oil (or high smoke point oil of your choice)
Instructions
- 1
In a food processor, using the S blade attachment, add all the meatballs ingredients except the chickpea flour!
- 2
Blend on high speed for 20 seconds or until the tempeh starts to turn into a paste, but you still have bits of food.
- 3
Stop the food processor, scrape down the side of the bowl and add the chickpea flour. Blend on high speed for 10-15 seconds to combine. Don't overdo it. This will keep some tiny bits of food and give more texture to the meatballs. Don't worry. The recipe will also work if you blend for too long. You will just lose some texture. Otherwise, you can also transfer the meatball batter to a mixing bowl and stir in the chickpea flour with a spoon.
- 4
Take one tablespoon of meatball batter and roll it between your hands. Place the balls onto a plate and repeat until you form 18 meatballs.
- 5
Warm 2 tablespoons of grapeseed oil on a frying pan. When the oil is very hot, add the meatballs and fry evenly, using a tong to rotate the meatballs into the oil and fry on all the sides.
- 6
Add more oil as they fry, up to 4 tablespoons in total. It takes between 8-12 minutes to perfectly fry the meatballs.
- 7
Serve immediately on top of a salad of your choice or in a Lebanese flatbread with diced cucumber, quarters of tomatoes, black olives, red onions slices, and a generous amount of mint coconut yogurt sauce.
- 8
Store the meatball, cooked or uncooked, in the fridge for up to 3 days. Make sure you store them in an airtight container to prevent them from drying. If uncooked, fry as usual. If already cook, rewarm in a hot oven for 5-10 minutes at 150°C (300°F).
- 9
Freeze the meatballs in an airtight container. Place a piece of parchment paper at the bottom of the container to prevent the meatballs from sticking to the storage box. Leave half a thumb of space between each meatball. Defrost for 3-4 hours before frying or baking.
- 10
In a small mixing bowl, whisk all the ingredients together until it forms a creamy sauce.
- 11
Store in the fridge for at least 1 hour, to enhance the flavor or serve immediately if desired.
- 12
Sore up to 1 week in the fridge in a glass mason jar.
- 13
If you fry the meatballs ahead, you can keep them warm in the oven. Place the fried meatballs on a baking tray. Place them in a hot oven at about 120°C (250°F) for a maximum of 30 minutes to prevent them from drying out.