Black Bean Meatballs are a meatless marvel packed with protein, fiber and flavor. Serve them Italian-style with marinara and spaghetti, or in a Southwestern-style salad.

Black bean meatballs smothered in marinara in a baking dish, with a spoon lifting out one bean ball.

My first foray into eating meatless meals was when I was in culinary school. But not actually in class, I mean when I was at home.

As I had quit my full time job to pursue a culinary education, our budget was tight. So, my husband and I started eating vegetarian meals as a way to save money during those years.

These Black Bean Meatballs were one of our staple meals. Because they’re loaded with fiber, they fill you up and actually KEEP you full.

The best part that you can eat them every week and not get bored, because of how versatile they are. They can be eaten on their own, tossed with marinara sauce and served over noodles, or even incorporated into a salad.

A salad made with greens, chopped tomato, avocado, corn, sliced radishes and cotija cheese topped with black bean balls.

Why I love this Vegetarian Meatballs Recipe

Black beans are my favorite ingredient for meatless meals, because they have so much flavor on their own, and take really well to being jazzed up with herbs and spices, too.

Their dark color kind of fools your brain into thinking you might be eating meat, and they’re really sturdy, so they make for good “meatballs” and “burgers” and the like.

I find these black bean meatballs just as satisfying as something meaty, like General Tso meatballs, Greek chicken meatballs, or turkey meatball recipe air fryer.

These black bean balls could lean either Italian or Southwestern thanks to the oregano! Drench them in marinara and serve them as a party appetizer, or put them over spaghetti for a weeknight meal. But I also love them just as much paired with avocado, corn and tomato in a Southwest-style dinner salad.

Ingredients on a rustic surface, including beans, cheese, breadcrumbs, and egg and spices.

Ingredients for Black Bean Meatballs

  • black beans – you’ll need one 15-ounce can of black beans for this recipe. Drain them and rinse them before you start. Buy an extra can for a cornbread breakfast casserole.
  • egg – this acts as the binder for the meatballs. If you’d like to keep this recipe vegan, it’s possible that you could substitute vegan egg replacement, but I haven’t tested them this way.
  • breadcrumbs – I use panko breadcrumbs because it’s what I keep on hand, but plain or Italian-style breadcrumbs work great, too.
  • walnuts – I used finely chopped walnuts (because I had some left over after making melomakarona cookies) to add extra texture and flavor to these bean balls. You could also use pecans, almonds or pepitas.
  • oregano – dried oregano lends a nice flavor to these black bean meatballs. You could even add a dash of my rib rub recipe for an extra flavor boost.
  • salt and pepper – seasoning is key to making these black bean balls super tasty.
  • olive oil – for pan frying the meatballs and getting them nice and brown.

How to make Vegetarian Meatballs

Before and after photos showing a bean mixture being stirred together in a glass bowl.

1. MASH. Put the egg in a medium bowl and beat until smooth. Add the beans, breadcrumbs, walnuts, oregano, salt and pepper and use a potato masher to mash the mixture until it is a chunky but mashed consistency.

Vegetarian meatballs being formed with a small scoop onto a white plate.

2. FORM. Use your hands or small scoop to form the mixture into 10 golf ball-sized balls.

Bean meatballs being fried in a nonstick skillet.

3. FRY. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet. Transfer the meatballs to the skillet and cook until they are browned on all sides and warmed through, turning occasionally.

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Vegetarian Meatballs Recipe Home Chef Tips

  • Instead of mashing the beans with a potato masher, you can pulse the ingredients in a food processor to make the meatball mixture.
  • Don’t shy away from salt and pepper, and add more if you think you need it (different brands of canned beans vary in their sodium content, so it’s hard to give one salt measurement that will work for everyone). Vegetarian dishes benefit from bold seasoning.
Spaghetti and meatballs in a black bowl with a gold fork digging in.

How to Serve

Serve them Italian-style!

Grab a jar of good marinara sauce or make a batch of my quick culinary school marinara sauce. Warm it up and then transfer the meatballs to the sauce and turn until all the balls are covered in sauce.

You can serve these on their own with some side dishes like butternut squash noodles and roasted asparagus.

Or, grab a box of spaghetti, fettuccine or even a short style of noodle and serve the black bean meatballs and marinara over pasta. Even egg noodles, like I use for my recipe for chicken stroganoff would work! Spaghetti and meatballs can be plant-based AND so delicious.

A salad made with greens, chopped tomato, avocado, corn, sliced radishes and cotija cheese topped with meatballs fiber balls.

Or serve them Southwestern-style!

My other favorite way to serve black bean meatballs is in a Southwestern-style salad.

I start with a base of mixed greens, and then add some corn (usually grilled corn in the summer but I’ll just use frozen corn in the winter), diced avocado, chopped tomato, sliced radishes and Cotija cheese.

I usually serve this salad with salsa and homemade ranch dressing, and maybe a side of pimento mac and cheese.

Or sometimes I’ll simply serve these black bean balls with a big helping of my Mexican street corn salad recipe.

Black bean meatballs smothered in marinara in a baking dish, with a spoon lifting out one bean ball.

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Black bean meatballs smothered in marinara sauce in a baking dish, with a spoon lifting out one bean ball.

Vegetarian Meatball Recipe

Author: Lori Yates
Yield: 2 servings
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 6 minutes
Total: 16 minutes
Black Bean Meatballs are a meatless marvel packed with protein, fiber and flavor. Serve them Italian-style with marinara and spaghetti, or in a Southwestern-style salad.
4.5 from 29 ratings
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Ingredients

  • 1 large egg
  • 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained 15 ounces
  • ⅓ cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 ½ tablespoons finely chopped walnuts
  • ¾ teaspoon dried oregano leaves
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

  • In medium bowl, beat egg until smooth. Add beans, breadcrumbs, walnuts, oregano, salt and pepper. Use potato masher to mash mixture until it is a chunky but mashed consistency (you can also pulse ingredients in a food processor for this step). Form mixture into 10 golf ball-sized balls.
  • Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Transfer meatballs to skillet; cook 6 to 8 minutes or until browned on all sides and warmed through, turning occasionally.

Notes

  • Instead of mashing the beans with a potato masher, you can pulse the ingredients in a food processor to make the meatball mixture.
  • Don’t shy away from salt and pepper, and add more if you think you need it (different brands of canned beans vary in their sodium content, so it’s hard to give one salt measurement that will work for everyone). Vegetarian dishes benefit from bold seasoning.
Calories: 439kcal, Carbohydrates: 44g, Protein: 18g, Fat: 22g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g, Monounsaturated Fat: 12g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 82mg, Sodium: 1212mg, Potassium: 749mg, Fiber: 16g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 142IU, Vitamin C: 6mg, Calcium: 125mg, Iron: 5mg
This website provides estimated nutrition information as a courtesy only. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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