Vegan Broccoli Balls. Broccoli Cheese Balls, veggie / meat balls. Serve with marinara, or over spaghetti or in a sub. Easy Vegan Recipe. Can be gluten-free. Makes 10 to 12 1 – 1.5 inch balls Jump to Recipe
I have been trying to incorporate more broccoli in my meals. Yes, yes, I have to admit that it isn’t a vegetable that makes me go yay. I mean I eat it, but am not excited about it as I am with Cauliflower. That is about to change this year with my challenge to make dishes with said nose wrinkling vegetable, that I will like to eat. Lets see how Okra fares this year.
These balls worked out well to get me to somewhat actually like eating broccoli. Broccoli is roasted to dry out the excess moisture, spices, almond meal, breadcrumbs and chia egg or flax egg are mixed in and rolled up into balls to bake until crisp. The spices get stronger as the baked balls sit and I like the stronger spice flavor. Some vegan cheese in the balls also helps the balls in texture and flavor.
Do you have an unexplained dislike for a certain vegetable or food? How do you get over that dislike?
More Apps from the blog to try
- Kung Pao Cauliflower Make it!
- Spicy Crispy Cauliflower with celery ranch.
- Vegan Cheese balls
- Dips for Gameday.
Balls ready to be baked.
Baked below. Serve with marinara or spicy tomato chutney or over spaghetti as veggie balls, or make a veggie ball sub.
Recipe Card
Vegan Broccoli Balls
Ingredients
- 1 tsp oil
- 1/2 cup (80 g) finely chopped onion
- 1 large head of broccoli , florets and tender stem (peel off the knobs from the stem and use)
- 2 tbsp fresh basil leaves or 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) garlic
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) chipotle pepper
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) 1/3 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp or more nutritional yeast
- 1/4 cup (28 g) almond meal
- 1/4 cup (27 g) or more bread crumbs
- 1 chia seed egg 1 tbsp chia seeds or chia seed meal mixed with 3 tbsp warm water, let sit for 2 minutes to gel
Variations
- 1/4 cup (62.5 g) my almond milk pepper jack or other vegan cheese shreds like daiya cheddar or pepperjack optional
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Pulse the broccoli and basil in a food processor until grated. Add to the pan. (2.5 to 3 cups grated). Add a dash of salt, mix and cook for 3 to 4 minutes to dry out the excess moisture. (If the broccoli is dry, cook for only a minute). Take off heat.
- Add in the spices, almond meal, breadcrumbs. Mix well. Make the chia seed egg or use 1 flax egg (1 tbsp flax seed meal + 2.5 Tbsp warm water) or egg replacer for 1 egg.
- Mix in. Add vegan cheese shreds if using. Add more breadcrumbs if needed.
- Shape the mixture into balls. If the balls are too crumbly (depends on the moisture content, size of grated broccoli etc), add another chia egg, or sprinkle some non dairy milk or aquafaba and mix well.
- Place on parchment lined baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F / 200ºc.
- Bake for a total of 20 to 25 minutes or until crisp and golden on the outside. (Turn the sheet around after 15 minutes, and continue to bake.). you can also sprinkle some cheese shreds on the balls in the last 5 minutes. Serve warm with marinara or over spaghetti or as veggie balls in a sub sandwich.
Notes
Nutrition
In other news,
Microbeads have finally been banned. These tiny plastic beads in hundreds of products ranging from body scrubs to toothpastes provide an exfoliating sensation for users and are designed to wash down drains. But because they are made of plastic, microbeads do not dissolve and may pose a threat to the environment. In September, a study published in Environmental Science & Technology reported that more than 8 trillion microbeads were entering the country’s aquatic habitats daily causing many issues for the aquatic animals. The volume was enough to coat the surface of 300 tennis courts every day.
Ringling is retiring elephants from their shows, but wait, the elephants will head to cancer research and breeding facility and not a sanctuary. Lets get these elephants to a true sanctuary where they can live a somewhat natural life after years of abuse.
Michele
These are just plain delicious! Great, simple recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Vegan Richa Support
awesome!
Stephanie
These are successful! Next time I will reduce the chipotle. The original recipe delivers heat! I used frozen broccoli and pulsed it in the food processor to create a coarse mix after saureeing with the onion. Perfect!!
Vegan Richa Support
awesome! 🙂
Randi
These are great! I’ve made them several times now. The only suggestion I have is to move your directions to make the flaxseed egg up since that has to sit for 10-15 minutes before use.
Thanks!
Vegan Richa Support
thanks Randi
Ks
What’s the purpose of almond flour?
Richa
Adds some volume as broccoli will reduce in size on cooking.
Kaye
The recipe is Delicious! I couldn’t get them to “stand up”. I reread the recipe again and again. I think in the end I just needed to bake longer. I have put the in the freezer tonight and will bake tomorrow before I serve.
Vegan Richa Support
How long did you bake them for?
Mary Ellen
Would love to see a photo of what broccoli grated in a food processor is supposed to look like.
Vegan Richa Support
good idea, thank you
Heather
In the description it says that the broccoli is roasted, but I don’t see this in any of the steps. Is raw broccoli grated, then fried with the onions? Looking forward to making this for super bowl!
Vegan Richa Support
its pan roasted: Pulse the broccoli and basil in a food processor until grated. *Add to the pan. (2.5 to 3 cups grated). Add a dash of salt, mix and cook for 3 to 4 minutes to dry out the excess moisture. (If the broccoli is dry, cook for only a minute). Take off heat.
Dulce
Very nice and tasty. Easy to make. I’m thinking about shaping them into patties to make veggie burgers with it.
Vegan Richa Support
cool
Maggie
These look wonderful, but wondering, do you think I could substitute more breadcrumbs for the almond flour? Is the purpose of the almond flour to hold them together? I am excited to try them!
Vegan Richa Support
that’ll totally work – go for it Maggie. chia/flax egg are the binder. (hold together)
Ramya Jeyaraman
Tried this today without cheese, I loved it: simple and easy to make. My 4yo enjoyed it as well. Thanks for sharing!:)
Marcus Flores
Great recipe! Made it for my holiday party and my coworkers were skeptical at first, but ended up saying how yummy they were.
Patti
Hi,
Do the balls freeze well? I would like to prepare them a day or two ahead of time.
Richa
they would need more binding for freezing. add more flax egg and breadcrumbs
Pat Saunders
We loved these. I used the stalk also which added a little crunch to the balls. I had to add more chia egg which worked well. Will definitely make again. Thank you.
Onahleigh
I would like to make these tonight for the weekly dinner my mother in law, problem is I leave for class at 5:30 and my husband doesn’t get home to eat until 6:30. Could I prep them to the point they’re on the baking sheet and my MIL pop them in the oven an hour later?
Richa
Yes, prebake for 10 mins and your mil can put them in the oven to continue baking
Jen
Oh, yes! Artichoke is my enemy. I don’t actually dislike it – there’s just something about the smell that tells me I should be vomiting soon. I just avoid it, actually.
Rita
Do you have a recommended recipe for spicy tomato chutney?
Richa
https://www.veganricha.com/2012/08/my-moms-tomato-chutney-sweet-sour-and.html
Tiffani Wells
I love this recipe! I put them on top edamame spaghetti with cauliflower Alfredo sauce. Soooo good!
Richa
awesome!
Claire
Can you leave the yeast out?
Richa
yes
Bonnie Yonker
Can you use frozen broccoli?
Richa
havent tried it.it should work fine. you might need to add additional breadcrumbs
Sue
Thinking these might work well as a finger food option with cocktail sticks in for an upcoming birthday party (will also make my regular Red Lentil and Tomato Pulao from your Indian book). That one is nicknamed ‘Laurel Rice’ in our house as it’s the favourite dish of Laurel, our grandaughter.
Richa
totally. You can make them smaller for finger food.
thats awesome! i love that pulao. so easy and quick
Jane
Thank you for so generously sharing your recipes. I just had a birthday. With my birthday money I’m gifting myself both of your books 🙂
Richa
<3 <3
Leah
These are so freaking delicious! I love how you can use the stalk as well as the florets, too! I hate wasting the stalk, but I don’t really like it by itself, so this is great! Thanks for the great recipe!