Easy and quick vegan “meatballs” with quinoa and red beans
It is commonly believed that the meatball first originated in Persia where leftover meat was used to make a dish known as Kofta. Meatballs exist around the world in many variations, shapes and sizes and let’s be honest – they are often the star of the show when it is dinnertime. As a vegan, eating veggie balls is convenient for many reasons – it makes us feel close to the cuisine many of us grew up on, they’re tasty, convenient to carry around as a snack and can be combined with pretty much any sauce and side dish. I personally love mine with baked potatoes.
Update: I recently used this quinoa balls recipe to make patties for vegan burgers and they were pretty great! I added a bit more spices and salt to get the taste stronger and simply shaped them into a bigger size.
I love this recipe because it is super quick, budget-friendly, minimalist, and the mixture is the kind that does not stick all over your bowls and fingers – easy clean up.
Quinoa and red beans veggie balls
Ingredients:
- 120 g uncooked quinoa (7/10th of a cup)
- 2 cans red kidney beans
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon oil of choice (optional)
- spices to taste

Yes, it really is that simple!
+ Spices I usually use are: salt, paprika, cumin, black pepper.
+ I believe the oil can be omitted if needed.
+ You can add onion or some kind of vegetable or additive that you see fit.
+ You can easily add some vegan sauce such as aioli or ajvar to the mixture for extra taste – totally optional.
How to make the veggie meatballs:
- Start by cooking the quinoa as instructed and set it aside.
- Mash beans with a fork or in a food processor and put them in a large bowl.
- Add the cooked quinoa and all other ingredients to the beans and mix well together. Taste the mixture and add whatever spice may be missing, depending on your taste.
- Form the mixture into whatever shapes you like and line on top of baking paper on a baking tray.
- Bake on 200 C (392 F) for around 13-17 minutes. I use the grill option on my oven, but using just the fan will work as well.

- Remember, it is plant-based and it can’t really go wrong when it comes to baking (unless you burn it) – it is not like we are worried about having under-cooked meat here.
- This is a very versatile meatball and I encourage you trying it with different ingredients, spices and sauces.
- I love eating my meatballs with potato wedges on the side and some vegan aioli or ajvar.
More from the blog:
3 thoughts on “Vegan Quinoa Veggie Balls”