These Asian-inspired Vegan Meatballs with a Garlic Ginger Glaze are for you if you like that combination of sweet and spicy sauce that sticks perfectly to meatless meatballs. Ready in just 20 minutes! Serve these meatballs over rice with steamed veggies or as a party appetizer on toothpicks.
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Vegan garlic ginger sauce
This sauce is the star of this recipe! It has a great combination of Asian flavors — ginger, sesame, garlic, and orange juice. It has agave nectar added to sweeten it and balance out the heat. It is thickened with cornstarch, so if you use gluten-free soy sauce, the recipe can be gluten-free too in addition to being vegan.
This sauce is made from scratch in a saucepan in less than 10 minutes. It is extra sticky, perfect for coating the meatballs beautifully. This recipe makes a little bit of extra sauce, which you can use to brush onto grilled tofu, toss with vegan chick'n, or use as a stir fry sauce for bean sprout stir fry or another stir fry.
More vegan Asian-inspired recipes: Cashew Pineapple Stir Fry
Vegan meatballs
For this recipe I prefer the store-bought meat alternative meatballs instead of bean meatballs or homemade tofu meatballs. The store-bought ones just stay together a little better when being tossed in the sauce and don't have a bean flavor to clash with the sauce.
The Gardein meatballs are good (not gluten-free though), Beyond meatballs are fine (gluten-free), Impossible meatballs (not gluten-free) and the Pure Farmland plant meatballs (gluten-free) are great here too. Try to get neutral-seasoned meatballs instead of Italian-seasoned meatballs, if you can find them so that the seasonings in the meatballs will not clash with the Asian sauce. And be sure to check the ingredient label for allergens, since ingredients can change.
In the end, this sauce will work great with any plant meatballs that you prefer. Leftover sauce can be tossed with vegan chick'n or cubed grilled tofu.
Prepare the meatballs according to the packaging instructions. I typically pan-fry them for 3-4 minutes per side on at least 3-4 sides to brown them all over.
Ready to start cooking?
More vegan Asian-inspired recipes: Broccoli Tofu Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 lb vegan meatballs (such as Pure Farmland, Gardein, Impossible, etc.)
- ½ cup orange juice
- ½ cup soy sauce (use gluten-free soy sauce, if needed)
- ¼ cup agave nectar
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil (or avocado or peanut oil, if you're allergic to sesame)
- 2 tablespoons lime juice or rice vinegar (need that acid to balance out the sweetness!)
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 2 inch piece ginger, peeled and finely grated
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced or grated
- chili crisp oil or red pepper flakes, to taste
- 1 scallion, diced (for serving)
- 1-2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted (for serving)
- rice and veggies, for serving
Equipment
- Small saucepan
- Small whisk (use a silicone whisk if your saucepan is nonstick)
- Citrus juicer
- Zester or fine grater (tip: grate the ginger, then grate the garlic to get the ginger bits to come out of the zester easier)
- Baking sheet or skillet to cook meatballs, according to instructions
More vegan Asian-inspired recipes: Vegan Crab Rangoon
Instructions
If you want to serve these meatballs over rice or another starch, get that going first.
Cook the meatballs according to the package instructions. I like to either bake them at 375F for 12-13 minutes, or pan-fry them in a skillet with a little sesame oil, making sure to brown them on several sides for maximum flavor.
Start the sauce while the meatballs are cooking: In a small saucepan, whisk together the orange juice, soy sauce, and the next 6 ingredients (agave through garlic) until no cornstarch lumps remain.
Heat the sauce over medium heat, stirring frequently. Lower the heat when it comes to a boil and continue stirring. It will start to thicken up and lose the white color from the corn starch. Add red pepper flakes or chili oil, to taste. Simmer for 3-5 minutes, until it is thickened to your liking. Remove from heat. The sauce will thicken more as it cools.
Coat the meatballs with sauce: You can add the meatballs to the pot of warm sauce and stir to coat heavily in sauce.
Or you can add some sauce to your skillet or baking dish with the meatballs, tossing coat lightly in sauce.
Either way, serve the sauce-coated meatballs over rice and veggies, spooning extra sauce on top. Garnish with diced scallions and/or toasted sesame seeds to serve.
What to serve with vegan Asian meatballs
These meatballs are begging to be served over rice with steamed or boiled broccoli or other veggies. Cauliflower rice is a great option for a lower-carb dinner, but keep in mind that the sauce and meatballs contain carbs. Noodles are a great option as well. Or serve these meatballs as an appetizer with toothpicks so people can grab them. You can keep them warm in a slow cooker set to "keep warm" so your guests can keep enjoying them throughout your gathering.
If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!
Recipe
Vegan Garlic Ginger Glazed Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 lb vegan meatballs, homemade or Pure Farmland, Gardein, Impossible, etc. (note: choose gluten-free meatballs if needed)
- ½ cup orange juice
- ½ cup soy sauce, use gluten-free soy sauce, if needed
- ¼ cup agave nectar
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil, or avocado or peanut oil, if allergic to sesame
- 2 tablespoons lime juice , or rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 2 inch piece ginger, peeled and finely grated
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced or grated
- chili crisp oil , or red pepper flakes to taste
- 1 scallion, diced (for serving)
- 1-2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted (for serving)
- rice and veggies, for serving
Special equipment
- Small whisk (use a silicone whisk if your saucepan is nonstick)
- Zester or fine grater (tip: grate the ginger, then grate the garlic to get the ginger bits to come out of the zester easier)
- Baking sheet or skillet to cook meatballs, according to instructions
Instructions
- If you want to serve these meatballs over rice or another starch, get that going first.
- Cook the meatballs according to the package instructions. I like to either bake them at 375F for 12-13 minutes, or pan-fry them in a skillet with a little sesame oil, making sure to brown them on several sides for maximum flavor.
- Start the sauce while the meatballs are cooking: In a small saucepan, whisk together the orange juice, soy sauce, and the next 6 ingredients (agave through garlic) until no cornstarch lumps remain.
- Heat the sauce over medium heat, stirring frequently. Lower the heat when it comes to a boil and continue stirring. Add red pepper flakes or chili oil, to taste. Simmer for 3-5 minutes, until it is thickened to your liking. Remove from heat. The sauce will thicken more as it cools.
- Coat the meatballs with sauce: Either add the meatballs to the saucepan, or add sauce over the meatballs and toss to coat.
- Serve the sauce-coated meatballs over rice and veggies, spooning extra sauce on top. Garnish with diced scallions and/or toasted sesame seeds to serve.
Diana Coleiro
Excellent recipe, thank you. Definitely a keeper.
Kate
The ginger sauce is just about my favorite thing ever. I hope you love this recipe as much as I do!