These Vegan Mushroom Meatballs are my favorite meatless alternative. They’re soft on the inside, full of umami flavor, and hold up beautifully in sauce.
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Why This Recipe Stands Out
These Vegan Mushroom Meatballs are one of my favorite comfort recipes—rich, hearty, and full of savory flavor. Here’s why they always hit the spot:
- Deep, Savory Flavor: The mix of sautéed mushrooms, onions, and garlic creates that meaty depth I crave. It’s the same earthy richness I love in my Portobello Mushroom Lasagna.
- Perfect Texture Without Breadcrumbs: Sticky basmati rice holds everything together with a soft but satisfying bite. I go for a similar texture in my The Tastiest Vegan Meatballs, which also use clever pantry staples.
- Hearty Tomato Sauce: These simmer in a fragrant tomato sauce that thickens just enough to cling to each bite. It reminds me of the sauce in my Slow Cooker Vegan Bolognese With Mushrooms, which makes the whole dish feel cozy.
- Great for Make-Ahead Meals: The meatballs reheat beautifully, and they’re freezer-friendly too. I keep them on hand just like I do with my Mushroom Stuffed Potato Cakes for fast dinners.
- Pairs Well with Everything: Serve them over pasta, grains, or roasted veggies. I especially love them next to a bowl of Vegan Mushroom Risotto for an all-mushroom kind of night.
Key Ingredients
- White Basmati Rice – Cooked until soft and gluey, the rice acts as the starchy binder that holds the meatballs together without eggs or breadcrumbs.
- Portobello Mushrooms – Finely chopped and sautéed, mushrooms bring rich umami flavor and a meaty texture that mimics traditional meatballs.
- Onion – Split between the filling and sauce, onions build savory depth and sweet flavor in both components of the dish.
- Carrot – Adds moisture, subtle sweetness, and extra body to the meatball mix while boosting the veggie content.
- Tomato Sauce – Forms the base of a rich, tangy coating that complements the earthy meatballs and adds sauciness to every bite.
- Corn Starch – Thickens the tomato sauce and helps bind the meatball mixture for a firmer, more cohesive texture.
- Italian Seasoning – A fragrant blend of herbs that gives the sauce classic warmth and enhances the overall savory flavor profile.
- Smoked Paprika – Adds a hint of smokiness to the sauce that deepens its flavor and enhances the mushroom base.
- Maple Syrup – Just a touch of sweetness that balances the acidity of the tomato sauce and rounds out the savory flavors.
Substitutions and Variations
Here are some of my favorite substitutions and variations:
- Mushrooms: Portobello mushrooms offer deep flavor, but cremini or button mushrooms work just as well. You can also use a mix for a more complex taste.
- Vegetable Add-ins: Carrot and onion are classic, but finely chopped bell pepper, zucchini, or spinach can be added for more variety and nutrition.
- Sauce Options: The tomato sauce can be swapped with marinara, roasted red pepper sauce, or a dairy-free cream sauce depending on what you're serving it with.
How to Make Vegan Mushroom Meatballs
Step 1: Rinse rice and cook with 2½ cups water and ½ teaspoon salt until soft and sticky, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
Step 2: In a large pan, heat 2 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Sauté half the onion and the grated carrot for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds.
Step 3: Add chopped mushrooms and cook on high heat for 5 minutes until slightly browned. Transfer veggies to a plate and wipe the pan clean.
Step 4: In the same pan, heat 2 tablespoon olive oil. Add remaining onion and ½ teaspoon salt. Sauté until translucent, about 5–7 minutes.
Step 5: In a bowl, whisk cornstarch with 1½ cups water. Stir in tomato sauce, paprika, Italian seasoning, maple syrup, ¼ teaspoon salt, and pepper.
Step 6: Add tomato mixture to sautéed onion and simmer 2–3 minutes until slightly thickened. Blend for a smoother texture if desired.
Step 7: In a large bowl, combine rice with sautéed mushrooms, onion, and carrot. Mix until slightly sticky. Adjust seasoning.
Step 8: Shape mixture into 1 tsp-sized balls. Wet hands as needed. You should get around 29 meatballs.
Step 9: Place meatballs in the sauce, simmer for 2 minutes, then remove from heat.
Step 10: Sprinkle with parsley and serve plain or over pasta.
For full list of ingredients and instructions, see recipe card below.
What to Serve with Vegan Mushroom Meatballs
Pasta and Grain Pairings
- We love serving these hearty meatballs over a bowl of Casarecce Pasta with Homemade Sundried Tomato Pesto. The bold tomato flavor and chewy pasta shape pair perfectly with the saucy mushroom filling.
- It also goes great with Easy Pasta e Piselli (Italian Pasta with Peas) for a comforting, classic pairing that’s family-friendly and full of texture.
Fresh and Veggie Sides
- Swiss Chard Salad adds brightness and crunch to balance the rich meatballs and tomato sauce.
- It also goes great with Microgreens Salad, which brings a clean, peppery freshness to the plate and keeps the meal feeling light.
Bread and Baked Sides
- Pair these meatballs with a slice of Easy Garlic Focaccia Bread to soak up all that flavorful sauce. The crispy edges and soft middle make it a perfect match.
- It also goes great with Cheese Breadsticks when you want a casual, comforting combo that feels just right for a cozy dinner.
Frequently Asked Questions
The cooked white Basmati rice acts as the binder in this recipe. It’s intentionally made soft and a bit sticky so the mixture holds together when shaped. This makes it easy to form firm, scoopable meatballs without eggs or flour.
Yes, you can swap the rice for mashed beans like chickpeas, black beans, or lentils. These offer a heartier texture and slightly different flavor, but they still hold together well when mixed with the sautéed vegetables.
For a crispier exterior, roll the shaped meatballs in panko breadcrumbs and pan-fry them in olive oil until golden brown. You can also bake them in the oven at 400°F until lightly browned and firm.
Store the meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or gently simmer them in sauce until warmed through. If freezing, freeze the sauce and meatballs separately. Lay the meatballs on a baking sheet to freeze individually, then transfer to a freezer bag and store for up to 2 months.
Recipe
Recipe
Vegan Mushroom Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 c white Basmati rice
- 4 tablespoon olive oil divided
- 2 medium onions very finely chopped
- 1 large carrot grated on a large box grater
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 8 oz Portobello mushrooms finely chopped
- 1 ½ c tomato sauce
- 4 c water divided
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 ½ teaspoon corn starch
- 1 teaspoon Maple syrup
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt divided
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoon parsley chopped
Instructions
Cook rice
- Start off with preparing the rice. Rinse it one time with a filtered water, add to a medium pot along with 2 ½ c water and ½ teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Give it a stir, reduce the heat to medium low and cook until rice absorbs all water and is soft, about 15 minutes. Transfer rice to a medium or large bowl to cool.Note, that the rice is supposed to be a little sticky and gluey. That's why I use more water to cook it than for a regular rice.
Cook the onion and carrot
- Heat olive 2 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan and over medium heat. Add half of the minced onion, carrot and saute stirring from time to time for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 30 more seconds.
Cook the mushrooms
- Add finely chopped mushrooms and cook on a high heat for about 5 minutes or until mushroom slightly brown. Transfer the veggies to a plate and wipe down the pan with a paper towel.
Prepare the sauce
- Heat 2 tablespoon of olive oil in the same pan and over medium heat. Add the remaining minced onion, ½ teaspoon of salt, and sauté stirring occasionally until the onion is translucent, about 5-7 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine corn starch and 1 ½ c water. Whisk in tomato sauce, smoked paprika, Italian seasoning, Maple syrup, ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper.
- Add this mixture to the sauteed onion and simmer for 2-3 minutes until the sauce slightly thickens. Adjust salt and pepper if needed. Using an immersion or stand blender, blend the sauce until fewer veggie chunks remain.
Combine rice and sauteed vegetables
- In a large bowl add cooked rice and sauteed onion, carrot and mushrooms. Mix for a few minutes until the mixture is slightly “sticky”. That way you’ll be able to easily shape it into the balls. Adjust salt and pepper if needed.
Shape the meatballs
- Take about 1 heaping teaspoon of the mixture and using your hands shape into the meatballs. I recommend placing a bowl with clean water nearby so that you can dip you hands into the water after each meatball. I had about 29 meatballs. Place meatballs into the tomato sauce, simmer for 2 minutes and remove from the heat.
- Serve
- Sprinkle the meatballs with some chopped parsley and serve as they are or over some pasta.
Notes
Nutrition
More Mushroom Recipes You'll Enjoy
- Chicken Mushroom Stroganoff - This Chicken Mushroom Stroganoff is a creamy one-pot wonder and is ready in under 30 minutes. Think classic stroganoff, but with tender chicken and savory mushrooms for a rich, comforting dinner.
- Mushroom Cheese Soup - This mushroom cheese soup is perfect as a starter or the main meal. It's quick and has only 6 ingredients which makes this easy mushroom soup recipe the perfect go-to when you want something simple, but loaded with flavor.
- Mushroom Farro Risotto - This Mushroom Farro Risotto is a hearty, healthy comfort food packed with flavor. It's a wonderful alternative to the classic rice risotto, and it’s just as creamy and delicious.
- Ukrainian Mushroom Soup - It's a Ukrainian Mushroom Soup. After you take the first sip of it, you'll instantly feel cozy and warm. Classic autumn soup with a ton of flavor.
Iryna Bychkiv is the founder and writer of the culinary website Lavender & Macarons, where she shares clean, European-inspired recipes that are delicious, easy to prepare, and made with wholesome ingredients. Iryna loves creating meals that are simple yet healthy and unique, including vegan and vegetarian recipes.
Iryna is also a freelance writer for MSN and Associated Press Wire.
Michael Castellano says
Do I have to add oil and maple syrup or I can just leave them out? Please let me know thanks so much!
Iryna Bychkiv says
You can omit those ingredients; however, the sauce won't be as thick. The Maple syrup is used to cut through the acidity of the tomato sauce, however you can omit it if you want.
Michael Castellano says
Hello instead of rice can I use caulfiower? Do I have to use oil and maple sryup and corn starch? Please letme know asap thanks!
Iryna Bychkiv says
Hello Michael! I haven't tried making it with cauliflower, but I don't think it will work unless you add eggs.
robehr orinsky says
Kates turned out quite wonderful and the Ancient Grains stash of whole grain pasta was broken out for the feast . I am one of those limited creatures that probably only has one poor underdeveloped taste bud hidden away in the recesses of my mouth so when it tasted a bit flat to me I dressed them with a pack of San-J Tamari sauce and those vegan meatballs turned into something I would would fight for . But I'm Irish ,heh. I used Krogers excellent whole grain Penne Rigate in the 2nd tasting and it was quite outstanding with the meatless meatballs also . Very quality whole grain taste from Krogers .
Iryna says
Robehr, thank you so much for your comment! I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Jennifer Z says
I recently saw a recipe similar to this on the cooking show My Greek Table. And the vegan chef baked the meatballs and let them cool and he said that creates a harder "shell" and keeps them from falling apart. I haven't tried it yet though! But this looks like a great recipe.
Sandra Rivera says
Very mushy. So much prep for a disappointing vegan meatball....
Iryna says
Sandra, I'm sorry the recipe didn't turn out the way you expected. I would like to troubleshoot of what went wrong if you don't mind. Do you think the rice was sticky enough before you shaped the meatballs? It should be kind of "gluey". That's what helps the meatballs keep their shape. Also, did you happen to add more oil when you cooked the onion, carrot and the mushrooms? Too much oil in the filling can also cause the "meatballs" to fall apart.
Ellen says
I must make it
Iryna says
Ellen, I hope you'll give this recipe a try. It's one of my favorites.
Ramya says
Sorry just saw this now will be making this soon i love mushrooms sooooooooooooooooo much perfect for my office snacks will dm you if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya
Iryna says
Ramya, I hope you'll have a chance to try these delicious meatballs:)
Denise says
Can I use brown rice?
Iryna says
Hi Denise! In this recipe I used white rice because it's slightly more "stciky" and "gluey" when cooked, that's why I didn't have to use any vegan egg replacement. If you decide to use brown rice, I would suggest adding 1 vegan egg replacement, like tapioca/corn starch or flax egg.
Use 1 tablespoon of tapioca/corn starch, blended with 3 teaspoons of water, to replace one egg. Or in case of flax egg: 1 egg = 1 tbsp of ground flax seeds + 2 1/2 tbsp water. Hope this helps!