Keto Vegan BBQ Meatballs
This Vegan Keto BBQ recipe is perfect for anyone who is worried about feeling left out at the Summer barbecue party! The meatballs are made with zucchini, walnuts, and ground flax seeds. Once baked, the meatballs are crisp on the outside and tender/spongy on the inside, just like real meatballs. The meatballs are then coated in a homemade Vegan BBQ sauce that is also Keto-friendly. You’ll do a little work in the kitchen, but making these meatballs in batches is well worth the effort for feeding a crowd or meal prepping.
How to Make It
Step 1
Add whole tomatoes and their liquid from a can with water and chipotle peppers to a large pot on the stove. Cover and bring the pot to a boil, then boil the pot for about 10 minutes. Cook the ingredients until the tomatoes have softened and chipotle peppers have rehydrated.
Step 2
Remove the pot from the heat, then pour the contents into a blender. Add dijon mustard and apple cider vinegar to the blender, then blend all the ingredients until they’re smooth. Now, pour the ingredients from the blender through a sieve back into the pot you were using to remove any seeds and pulp from the sauce.
Step 3
Add your brown sugar substitute, salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and cumin to the pot and stir. Cover the pot again and bring the sauce to a simmer. Let the sauce simmer for several minutes until it reduces to a thickened, slightly-sticky consistency that can coat the back of a metal spoon. Leave the sauce aside to cool and thicken while you make the meatballs.
Step 4
Turn on an oven to preheat to 350 F (180 C) and line a sheet tray with parchment paper. Shred the zucchini using a cheese grater and add the shreds to a large mixing bowl. Mix the chopped walnuts and salt into the zucchini, then set the bowl aside for 5 minutes. The salt is going to draw extra moisture from the zucchini.
Step 5
After 5 minutes, stir ground flax seed, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and oregano into the bowl mixture. Leave the bowl aside for an additional 5 minutes so the flax seed absorbs the extra water in the bowl and congeals. The mixture should have a texture similar to mixed ground beef.
Step 6
Form meatballs by grabbing 2-tablespoon portions and rolling the portions into balls. Arrange all the meatballs on your lined sheet tray, then bake the meatballs for 20 minutes. The meatballs should naturally release from the paper, have golden-brown exteriors, and be firm on the outside but spongy on the inside.
Step 7
Let the meatballs cool for 10 minutes. Add the cooled meatballs to a clean mixing bowl, then pour your Vegan BBQ sauce over the meatballs. Toss the meatballs gently in the sauce until they’re all coated. You can serve the meatballs with toothpicks or your preferred method with any extra sauce.
Ingredients
- Tomato, canned
28 oz
- Water
1 cup
- Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce (Canned)
0.5 oz
- Dijon mustard
0.5 tbsp
- Apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp
- Brown Sugar Replacement
4 tbsp
- Salt
0.75 tsp
- Black pepper
0.5 tsp
- Paprika
4 tsp
- Onion powder
0.5 tsp
- Garlic powder
1 tsp
- Cumin, ground
0.5 tsp
- Zucchini
10 oz
- Walnuts
4 oz
- Salt
1 tsp
- Flax seeds (Ground/ Milled)
0.75 cup
- Black pepper
0.5 tsp
- Onion powder
0.25 tsp
- Garlic powder
0.25 tsp
- Italian seasoning
0.5 tsp
- Oregano, dried
0.25 tsp