These soft and moist Mushroom Meatballs are simple to prepare and make a perfect vegetarian dinner!
How about some vegetarian meatballs, people? You are probably feeling a little skeptical about these right now, but let me assure you – these Vegetarian Mushroom Meatballs are fantastic! They are super moist and have a wonderful earthy and nutty taste. You only have to taste these once, and they will surely end up in your “Favorites” list…
I cook a lot of vegetarian dishes, because we (my husband and I) are trying to save some animal lives. I believe that people consume way too much meat on a daily basis, and, if we all cut back on meat even a little bit, it would have a significant impact. Plus, it’s better for your health. What are your thoughts about that?
Even a major meat lover won’t be disappointed with these meatless meatballs. 🙂
Let’s talk about the cooking process a little. Once you roll the mushroom mixture into balls, you’ll have to decide whether you want to fry these or bake them. I’ve tried doing both and they both turned out great. And while frying the meatballs does give them a nice crust, the baked meatballs taste almost the same, but they are healthier. So, I’ll leave this choice to you. If you decide to bake these, however, make sure you have these Silicone Baking Sheets. I’ve recently purchased these and I cannot believe I lived so long without them.
Garnish the meatballs with some fresh parsley, grated Parmesan cheese or some feta cheese. Oh, I love feta so much! Of course, I couldn’t resist topping these meatballs with feta. My husband and I ate them with bread. Dipping the bread in the Marinara-Feta sauce and biting the mushroom meatballs was AN AAAAMAZING EXPERIENCE!
And, in case if you are wondering: these meatballs could be served with pasta too!!!
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion (chopped)
- 20 oz mushrooms, finely chopped
- 1 cup quick cook oats
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
- 4 garlic cloves (minced)
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 24oz jar Marinara sauce
- parsley to garnish
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
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In a large skillet, saute the onion in olive oil on medium-low heat for about 7 minutes. Add mushrooms, increase the heat to medium-high and cook them for 10-15 minutes. You'll need to wait until the water evaporates and then keep cooking the mushrooms until they brown nicely. Add garlic, stir, and transfer the mushrooms into the mixing bowl. Let them cool down.
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Add the rest of the ingredients excluding marinara to the mixture. Stir the mixture nicely and cover it with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, possibly overnight for the flavors (and texture!) to develop.
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When ready to cook, using a tablespoon as a measure, form small balls from the mixture. Fry the balls in a small amount of vegetable oil until they turn brown or bake them in a preheated oven at 400F for 15 minutes.
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Add marinara sauce to the medium saucepan. Place the meatballs on top and cook the meatballs in the sauce on a low heat for about 15 more minutes.
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Garnish with grated Parmesan or fresh parsley.
Before you go…
Check out these recipes
POTATO GNOCCHI WITH MUSHROOMS AND FETA
STUFFED PORTOBELLO MUSHROOMS
POTATOES WITH MUSHROOMS
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WOW, these were so delicious. They even looked like meat when formed. Really liked this recipe. I had a little trouble forming them into balls but probably because I only used 2-8 oz. cartons of mushrooms and I only had panko crumbs. I’m sure regular bread crumbs would have worked out better. I put the onions and the mushrooms in my food processor to really chop everything fine. It worked out perfectly. I will definitely make these again. I made them for my sister who is trying to do mostly a vegetarian diet. She loved them. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Comments like yours, Diane, keep me going. Thank you so much for making these! I am really glad that you and your sister enjoyed the “meatballs”. 🙂
Love it!
Tried the meatballs for my daughter who is a vegetarian. They were very good, the mushrooms give them such a good taste. They disappeared quickly. Thank you
I am glad you enjoyed these, Terri! Thanks!
Hi! Is there anything I can substitute for the eggs? Thanks!
Hi Diya! You may try using flex eggs. Please find more info here: https://minimalistbaker.com/how-to-make-a-flax-egg/
Hi! So i’m looking to make these to freeze for my kids. If I baked or fried them, then froze, what would the best way to finish cooking them from the freezer if I don’t want to finish in the sauce (some days my kids dislike sauce, some days not lol)
I would recommend freezing uncooked “meatballs”, Melyssa. And after thawing, just fry or bake them according to the recipe instructions. Hope this helps. Cheers!
thanks! Also, if i don’t add to the sauce, do i just increase the fry or bake time by a bit?
Hi Melyssa! Yes, cook these just a bit more, to make sure they are cooked through. Happy cooking!
Are you using fresh mushrooms & dicing them up?
Yes, Kayla. Let me know how this recipe works out for you.
You add the whole 24oz jar of sauce to the mixture? Then let them sit for 2+ hours. Then add them to additional sauce to simmer after cooking. Im excited to try these!
Hello Danielle! You don’t put Marinara into the mixture. Once the “meatballs” are fried, you cook them in Marinara. Thanks and happy cooking!
THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Tania, does the olive oil go in the mixture or is it just used to sauté the onions? The mixture seems dry to me .
Hi Carey! I don’t add olive oil into the mixture, just use it for frying the “meatballs”. The meatballs shouldn’t be dry. Hope you’ll give it a try. Thanks!
Hello! I already bought all the ingredients for your recipe but I just have regular oats, what is the difference with the quick oats? Should I make any different from the recipe?
Thanks and they look delicious!
Hi Maru! Quick oats are finer and smaller than regular oats. I suggest processing the regular oats in a food processor until they break into small pieces, otherwise your “meatballs” may come out a little dry and fall apart easily. Happy cooking!
Put in blender!!
Delicious! I added lentils and basil to the meatballs and it was very good. Definetely a recipe to keep.
Hi Josie! I love the lentils idea! Definitely going to try it. Thanks!
On my second go-round making these. They were sooo good!! Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipe!!
Great! Thanks for sharing, Linda!
Making these for the third time in the past 4 weeks, delicious. Made my own tomato sauce to go with them though, not keen on the bottled ones. Great recipe, thanks.
Thanks, Stacey! I am glad you enjoy these. I bet your homemade tomato sauce is yummy! 🙂
Hi,
I found your recipe on Pinterest and will try it later ! This morning I bought all the ingredients, I can’t wait to taste these delicious meatballs ! ! Thanks
Thank you, Celine! Let me know how you enjoyed these!
I am going to try tomorrow as well
Yay! I am sure you’ll love these!
Hi,
Coming back to tell you that they were delicious !!
I am going to have to do a bunch more and freeze them, they are so good ♡
How did freezing them turn out? Was wondering if I could make a batch and freeze
Sorry I just saw your reply ! I am currently making more ! Freezing them is fine it’s as good
I made these last night and they were soooo delicious! I actually substituted the eggs for two flax eggs to make it fully vegan and still tasted great and molded perfectly into what looked and felt like real meatballs! One question – mine stayed together pretty well while cooking but definitely were more fragile than what I remember meat ones being – do you think that’s because I did a flax egg vs real or is that just how they are? Nothing crazy but I had to be somewhat careful once tossing them in some marinara at the end.
Thanks for the great recipe! This will be a staple in my house (made it for my weekly Monday dinner and it was a huge hit over pasta with my mums marinara sauce recipe).
Thanks, Lauren! They stay together really well with regular eggs too. 🙂 I am really happy you enjoyed the “meatballs”! 🙂
You should replace the word “meatball ” by Neatball ? because well they are healthier and better than that!! ? #plantbase
Haha! Thanks, Nattaly! 🙂
Holy Grail of Meatballs!! I bow down to this recipe!! I’ve been a vegetarian now for awhile and constantly looking for a meatball recipe that tasted like my pre-vegetarian days,I mean being Italian and vegetarian isn’t easy ya know! 😉 lol I cannot thank you enough for posting this incredibly yummy and awesome faux meatball recipe that tastes like the real thing…I swear its better than any meatball recipe I’ve ever made…and I’m a pretty good cook! 😛 Thank you again for this awesome recipe,its out of this world!! 😀
Wow! You just made my day, Carolina! I am crazy about these meatballs myself, so I know how you feel. 🙂 I am very happy you found the recipe, and hope you’ll make these again!
I most definitely will be making these a lot more in the future. Just awesome. 🙂 Thanks again.
Thanks, Carolina!
These were great, my new go-to faux meatball. I didn’t have enough bread crumbs so I used half bread crumbs half polenta, also didn’t have parsley, nor oregano, so I added 1 tsp of cumin. The texture was perfect, seriously so close to real meat (if that’s one of your criteria for a faux-meatball).
These look delicious. Can they be frozen?
Hi Tina! Yes, they could be frozen with no problems. Thanks!
Wow! So my husband and I are starting a weight loss journey, and I have decided to try to do every other day vegetarian meals. This being the first. Only thing is he didn’t know it was vegetarian. I made these exactly as written. I baked mine. I did 10 min. flipped them, then 10 min and they were perfect and brown. Used our favorite marinara sauce. So we were eating and I just asked how he liked the meat balls. He was just MMMMMMMMMing ( is that a word? lol) When I told him these are mushrooms he was shocked! They are that good!!!!!! This made a lot so I’m going to freeze the rest. Thank you for this fantastic recipe!!!!! I may never eat “meat” balls again!
WOW! You just made my day, Amy! I am so happy to read comments like yours. Good luck with your weight loss journey! I just had a baby 5 months ago, so I am on the same road with you. 🙂
Hi Tania, I just came across the picture of your meatballs on Pinterest and couldn’t wait to visit your site. Unfortunately, the visit led me to a blog site that featured a different recipe each time I linked. I was relentless in trying as they look so yummy I can’t wait to make them. I located your site in small print in the left hand corner of the post and thought I should let you know because so many will miss this delicious recipe opportunity.
Hi Corinne! Thank you so much for letting me know! Could you please send me the link to that recipe?
Is there anything I can substitute for bread crumbs? Thanks!
I guess you could use more oats instead of breadcrumbs, Joanne. However, I’ve never tried it this way. Hope you enjoy the “meatballs” 🙂
Panko. And I put the oats in a food processor to smooth them out. These are so good, I would not have known they were mushrooms. Taste & texture just like beefy meatballs when served with sauce. I’m not vegetarian and I LOVE these?
Tried these tonight and they were excellent. When I cooled the mushrooms and mixed all the ingredients together, I pulsed it in the food processor for a finer consistency whiched rolled into meatballs nicely.
I subbed part of the bread crumbs for Parmesan cheese. They were great with marinara sauce.
I will add them to my regular menu. Thanks for the great recipe.
Thanks for the feedback, Monique! Enjoy!
Wow, these look absolutely gorgeous! I really like the photo where you made a nest with the pasta and added the sauce and balls on top. All that was missing was the lady and the tramp! 🙂
I would just like to point out though, that most parmesan isn’t vegetarian, as it is made with rennet (which is collected from dead calves’ stomachs). So in order to make them vegetarian, you need ideally a vegan cashew-based parmesan, which is super easy to make.
Thanks for letting me know, Aryane! I had no idea. 🙂
Parmesan cheese that is made outside of the U.S. has rennet. Parmesan cheese that is made in the United States uses enzymes, not rennet, to make the cheese. Also, microbial rennet is a vegetarian rennet.
Made 1/2 quantity yum…. served with cauli couscous. Next time will make my own tomato sauce as one I used too strong needed a fresher sauce. Even meat eaters loved them!
Thanks! I’ve had meat-lovers compliment me on these too!
These mushroom “meatballs” were delicious!! My 8 year old (who isn’t a mushroom fan) went for seconds. I’ll definitely make these again. Thanks so much for your wonderful recipes. I’ve enjoyed all of your recipes that I’ve made so far, and looking forward to making some more of your tasty dishes.
Thank you so much, Dana! Make sure you make my Healthy Banana Pancakes for your son, I think he is going to love it! 🙂 https://cooktoria.com/recipe/healthy-banana-pancakes/
Hi – I made these meatballs with a few variations. I chose not to add the oats and I baked them and brushed BBQ sauce on them about 10 mins before I took them out and they were delicious. We ate them with mac n cheese. A great combo! My husband is a vegetarian and I am not and we both enjoyed them. Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks for sharing this, Myesha! I am glad you enjoyed the “meatballs”!
I tried making these for the first time but made some alterations to suit my tastes. I didnt think I would like the texture of the oats, so I pulsed them in my food processor to make a powder. I’m still learning to like mushrooms, so after I cooked that mixture down and let it cool, I added that along with the eggs to the food processor and pulses that into a sort of paste. I added everything together and let it sit in the fridge as recommended. I LOVED them. I might try making crumbles out of the recipe next time to use in lasagna or enchiladas. Even my husband thought they were pretty good and he’s not big on meat substitutes. Thanks for the awesome recipe.
That’s great! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the “meatballs”, Dotty! It’s is really nice that you know what you like, and are able to make the necessary alternations. Thanks for sharing and have a super day, my friend!
Wow – fantastic recipe! I make meatless meals on Mondays and this is my favorite so far! I left out the oats completely and I, along with my family, went back for seconds and thirds! Thanks so much for a great recipe.
Thanks for sharing, Leah! I am glad you enjoyed the “meatballs”! 🙂
Hi! About to make this recipe for the second time because it was so delicious the first time. Question: in the ingredient list it says 1/2 cup chopped parsley and parsley to garnish. Where in the recipe do you use the 1/2 cup chopped parsley? Thnx!
I already corrected the mistake ( I add parsley in step #2 with the rest of the ingredients). Thank you so much for letting me know. I am very happy you enjoyed the recipe, Cat!
thanks for this recipe! new to vegan lifestyle and suffering from lack of imagination. I’m allergic to oats so I used potatoes instead. Can you offer some alternative substitution ideas?
Thanks, Sue! How did you like it with potatoes? I think trying quinoa flakes instead of oats is an interesting idea. 🙂
How about subbing cooked buckwheat- great texture!
Sounds great, Cynthia! I’ll try it next time, because I LOVE buckwheat. 🙂
Hi Sue, came across this recipe that I would like to try. While reading comments I read your stating you used potato instead. Iam assuming potato FLAKES? I would appreciate your feedback. ?
Thanks, Carrie
For those of you looking for an egg replacement I highly recommend using aquafaba (aka bean juice). Use the liquid in a can of garbanzo beans. 3oz is approximately one egg. Works great, and won’t change the flavor.
Thank you Margaret. I am a vegan newbie and wondered how to make this delicious sounding recipe without the eggs.
Can I use regular oats in place of quick oats?
Yes, but you’ll need to break the oats into small pieces using a blender of hand chopper. Also, make sure you let them stay in refrigerator over night. I am sure you’ll love these “meatballs”, Audrey!
I think you’ve got a typo in your instructions after frying in oil. You have “or bake” when I’m sure it should say “and bake.” Am I right? Either way, we’ve made these several times and they are delicious.
Hi Thomas! There is no need to bake AND fry the “meatballs”, since they will finish cooking in the sauce. Just pick one method. 🙂 Thanks for the feedback and I am so happy you liked them!
I fancy making these but I’m the only one who will eat them in my house. Can I prep the mix and then freeze as ‘meatballs’ and then use as needed?
Yes, Linda! Hope you’ll enjoy them as much as I did. 🙂
Is there a possible substitute for egg? Because some vegetarians are selective about egg in their diets.
Try using flex seed egg, Emma. Here is more info: http://detoxinista.com/how-to-make-flax-eggs-or-chia-eggs/
instead of eggs, could I use flax-eggs as a binder?
I am not sure, since I never used flax-eggs, Isha. As far as I checked on Internet, it should work. Sorry, I cannot help you with this.
A resounding success,thank you! Mrs loved it and the 2 none mushroom eating boys enjoyed it too, although I had to be a little economical with the truth re. Ingredients 🙂
By the way I used the blender to mix all the ingredients with the mushrooms, so as not to leave any visible traces.
That’s great Zac! I love your clever blender idea. 🙂
What kind of mushrooms did you use? I’m thinking of using mini bella. Would that work?
I used regular (common) white mushrooms, but baby bella will work as well. Thanks!
Found your recipe via a Pinterest search. These turned out so good! I didn’t read the directions all the way through prior to starting (at 8:00 pm) & didn’t realize they had to sit marinate for 2 hours! Either way – ended up having them 3 days later 🙂 Very good! Will definitely make again
Great to hear you loved these, Shari! My family enjoys these meatballs very much. 🙂
For those of you who are vegetarian, omit the parmesan. It’s not vegetarian because it’s made with animal rennet.
Wow! I never knew that. Thanks for sharing!
apparently the stuff made in US does not use rennet.
Look up vegan Parmesan using using raw cashews. Tastes the same is completely animal product free!
Can the mixture with raw egg be kept in the fridge over night?
Yes. It helps a nice texture to develop. Let me know how you enjoyed those, Jax!
Great thank you, we’ve had them before and ate them the same day, they are delicious, we’ve just cut way down on the meat we’re eating and loving finding lots of new recipes x
We (my husband and I) also cut down on meat. Trying to eat meat only on weekends. Recipes like this help a lot. 🙂 Thank you for sharing, Jax!
The “meat”balls were a hit with our family, meat eaters and one vegetarian.
Thanks for the great recipe!
Excellent! Thanks for sharing, Sue! 🙂
I used a Cuisinart for the onions and the mushrooms. We all had the “meat”balls for dinner tonight and they are really good!
Great! Thanks, Sue! I am happy you enjoyed the “meatballs”!
These are not only vegetarian, but, if you skip the cheese, vegan. My family follows a primarily vegan diet for several weeks a year, during which we eat a fair amount of pasta. It will nice to be able to have these “meatballs” along with it!
Oops. Didn’t see the eggs. Oh, well, they still look delicious and well worth trying!
Thanks, Becky! My family loves these! 🙂
My meatballs fell apart while cooking in the marinara sauce 🙁 lol. Did i just not bake them long enough? The plus side is they taste great. I basically just used the mess I made as “meat” SAUCE instead..
Hi Sierra! Did you let the mushroom mixture “rest” for at least 2 hours before you baked them? Also, try frying the meatballs next time, it adds an extra crust that will keep the meatballs together. I’ve tried baking them as well, and they turned out great too. 😉
Can I use this recipe to make burgers to put on a grill? If so how?
Hi Dawn! I’ve never cooked these on a grill and I am not sure if it’ll work out good, because these meatballs rely on soaking up some moisture from the marinara sauce.
Your recipe calls for 1 24oz jar of sauce. How much do you add to the mixture to set up for 2 hours? It doesn’t say.
I mention in the recipe to exclude marinara from the mixture. You should use the sauce by the end, at Step 4. All the best!
Did you use plain breadcrumbs? Do you think I could use panko?
I always use plain breadcrumbs, but i think Panko should work as well. Hope you’ll enjoy the recipe, Susan!
I used Ian’s glue
Ten free pinko in place of the breadcrumbs, which are very crunchy and added a lot of flavor, careful, though I use the Italian flavor ones and recipes can get too salty
Do these meatballs freeze?
Hi Michelle! I’ve never tried freezing those, but I think they should freeze well.
Hi there – definitely trying this recipe – husband is a serious mushroom lover and we’re vegan.
1. Do you grind the grind quick oats into powder or leave them as is for the recipe?
2. Can I add 1/2 cup silken tofu as a sub for the eggs?
Thanks,
L
Hi Lanah!
1) I do not grind the oats. I just use the quick oats, so these are already fine.
2) I am not sure about the tofu. I do not cook with it, so I won’t be able to answer your question. Sorry.
If you do cook these with tofu, please, let me know how they turned out. 🙂
Please revise the top instructions to include “2+ hours in the refrigerator”. I did not see that part until I had finished chopping and had a hour before dinner time.
All fixed, Rai!!! Sorry for the confusion. How are the “meatballs”?
Thanks! I don’t know yet how they are. My husband brought home pizza and the mixture is ready to roll for dinner tomorrow.
Great!!! Cannot wait to hear how you enjoyed these, Rai! Keep me posted!
Even the kids liked it! Both my kids claim to hate mushrooms, so that’s a big complement.
Yay!!! That’s so awesome!!! I am glad you gave this recipe a try!
I don’t eat eggs. What can I use in it’s place?
Hi Hetal! To replace 1 egg: 2 tablespoon flour + 1/2 teaspoon oil + 1/2 teaspoon baking powder + 2 tablespoons liquid (milk, cream, buttermilk, diluted yogurt, or dairy free alternatives like coconut milk, soy milk, etc) beaten together until smooth.
Can’t believe these are vegetarian! They look perfect!
Thank you so much, Mira!
These look amazing! Crazy question – do they taste like mushrooms as we have some non-mushroom folks!
Thank you, Zenme! These meatballs have earthy and mild flavor without overpowering mushroom taste, especially if you cook them in marinara sauce for a while. I would think that your non-mushroom folk would enjoy these, but I’m not sure. If you do cook these, let me know how they liked it. All the best!
Wow, from the picture I would have no idea it was mushrooms! It sounds great and even meat eaters would love it 🙂
Thanks, Allie! Yeah, I’ve had some avid meat eaters complementing these meatballs.
I’m loving those meatballs over the spaghetti! Looks incredibly delicious!
Thank you, Marsha!
We love meatballs and love to find new ways to make them. Love how “meaty” these sound with the mushrooms. Pinning for later and hopefully making them soon!
Thanks, Jessica! These meatballs really taste “meaty”. 🙂
you just made my next #meatfreemonday 🙂 Hurray for mushrooms!
That is great, Claudia! Hurray for mushrooms! 🙂
wow..amazing photography..loved this recipe..will try it for sure..anything with mushrooms tastes good.
Thank you for the compliments, Cookilicious! Hope you are having a great day!
Wow – what gorgeous meatballs!!
Thanks, Kylee!
I love mushrooms and this looks absolutely scrumptious!
Thanks, Priya! I love mushrooms too!