Easy garlic and soy tofu meatballs in a sticky sesame garlic glaze. Totally vegan, packed with flavour and ideal for making in the oven or air fryer.
Tofu, baby, it's your time to take centre stage in these delicious and nutritious Garlic and Soy Tofu Meatballs. Packed with flavour and meaty bite, these vegan meatballs are a gorgeous alternative to meat-based options. Made with a tasty combo of garlic, soy sauce and spring onions, these meatballs are a super simple savoury dinner.
What's more, you can make this recipe in the oven or the air fryer! Everyone's fave piece of kitchen kit! Let's dive into the details of this mouthwatering recipe.
Jump to:
🍛 Ingredients for Garlic and Soy Tofu Meatballs
Let's have a wee look at the ingredients for this Garlic and Soy Tofu Meatballs recipe! If you'd rather skip to the full recipe, tap the link below to head to the recipe card at the bottom of the page!
Jump to Recipe
For the Tofu Meatballs:
- Extra-firm tofu, drained
- Dark soy sauce
- Tomato purée/paste
- Cloves garlic, finely minced
- Spring onions, finely chopped
- Agave syrup
- Oat flour
- Fine sea salt
- Olive oil
Sticky Garlic and Soy Sauce:
- Low sodium soy sauce
- Water
- Maple syrup or agave nectar
- Rice vinegar
- Cloves garlic, minced
- Toasted sesame oil
- Cornstarch mixed with water (optional, for thickening)
For Serving:
- Cooked brown basmati rice
- Roasted White Sesame seeds
- Cilantro/coriander, finely chopped
- Red chili, finely chopped
📝 Some healthy credentials!
- Tofu Goodness: Tofu is an excellent source of plant-based protein, making this recipe a nutritious alternative for vegetarians and vegans. I'm talking 28g of protein per portion! Whoosh!
- Nutrient-Rich Additions: Spring onions, garlic, and sesame seeds bring additional nutrients and antioxidants to the table, enhancing both the flavour and nutritional profile of the dish.
- Never Ultra-Processed: None of the ingredients in these Garlic and Soy Tofu Meatballs are ultra processed. Like all recipes on All Veg Considered, this recipe focusses on whole-food ingredients!
🍛 How to make Garlic and Soy Tofu Meatballs
As per usual, find the complete recipe at the end of this page! For those who enjoy my occasional rambling and prefer a visual guide, here's a concise breakdown of the method in just four easy steps! Oh, and before you get started, you'll need to whip up some perfectly fluffy brown rice!
1. Assemble the tofu meatballs: Preheat the oven or air fryer. Crumble drained tofu, add soy sauce, tomato purée, garlic, spring onions, oat flour, and salt. Mix until combined.
2. Shape and cook the meatballs: Form small meatballs and arrange on a lined tray or in your air fryer. Air fry or bake until golden brown.
3. Make the Sauce: Combine soy sauce, water, maple/agave syrup, rice vinegar, garlic, and sesame oil in a pan. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens.
4. Serve and enjoy: Add tofu meatballs to the sauce, coat carefully. Serve on cooked rice, topped with sesame seeds, spring onions, and chilli flakes.
🤷♀️ Garlic and Soy Tofu Meatballs FAQs
A: Oat flour helps to bind the mixture perfectly and it's also gluten free. Feel free to substitute with breadcrumbs or plain white flour.
A: Yes, I've made sure this recipe is basically already gluten free! Just swap the soy sauce for tamari and you're good to go!
Did you enjoy these soy and garlic tofu meatballs? Looking for some more hot, vegan dinners? Why not try my creamy tempeh tikka masala! Maybe you're looking for a crunchy edamame salad instead?
Garlic and Soy Tofu Meatballs
Equipment
- Oven or air fryer
- Nut milk bag or clean tea towel
- 1 Large bowl
- Frying pan
Ingredients
For the Tofu Meatballs
- 450 g extra-firm tofu drained
- 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce or sub for tamari if gluten free
- 1 tablespoon tomato purée/paste
- 3 cloves garlic finely minced
- 2 spring onions finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon agave syrup
- 3 tablespoon oat flour
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the Sticky Garlic and Soy Sauce
- 80 ml low sodium soy sauce or sub for tamari if gluten free
- 3 tablespoon water
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup or agave nectar
- 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 2 teaspoon water optional, for thickening
For Serving
- 300 g cooked brown rice
- roasted white sesame seeds
- cilantro/coriander finely chopped
- 1 red chilli finely chopped
Instructions
To Make the Tofu Meatballs
- Preheat the oven or air fryer to 200 °C.
- Crumble the tofu into a nut milk bag or onto a clean tea towel. Wring out the water from the tofu then transfer the drained tofu into a large bowl.450 g extra-firm tofu
- Add the dark soy sauce, tomato purée/paste, garlic, spring onions, agave syrup, oat flour, and fine sea salt to the tofu.1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce, 1 tablespoon tomato purée/paste, 3 cloves garlic, 2 spring onions, 1 teaspoon agave syrup, 3 tablespoon oat flour, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Mix the ingredients with clean hands until combined. The mixture should hold together.
- Roll the mixture into 12 meatballs and arrange on a lined baking tray or basket of your air fryer.
- Lightly coat each tofu meatball with a little vegetable oil or use a cooking spray.1 tablespoon olive oil
- Air fry for 15-20 minutes, turning the meatballs halfway through to ensure even cooking. Alternatively bake for 20-25 minutes. Meanwhile, make the sauce.
To Make the Sauce
- Combine soy sauce, water, maple syrup or agave nectar, rice vinegar, garlic, and sesame oil in a frying pan.80 ml low sodium soy sauce, 3 tablespoon water, 2 tablespoon maple syrup or agave nectar, 2 tablespoon rice vinegar, 3 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- Place the saucepan over medium heat, stirring the mixture to combine the ingredients evenly.
- Allow the sauce to come to a gentle simmer. Let it simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, to allow the flavours to combine and the garlic to infuse into the sauce.
- If you prefer a thicker consistency, mix cornstarch with water to create a slurry. Add the slurry to the sauce and stir continuously to avoid lumps.1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 2 teaspoon water
- Continue simmering for an additional 2-3 minutes or until the sauce is thick and glossy.
- Add the tofu meatballs to the sauce and stir carefully to coat. Serve on cooked brown basmati rice topped with sesame seeds, coriander and chilli.300 g cooked brown rice, roasted white sesame seeds, cilantro/coriander, 1 red chilli
Mia
Really appreciate how you write the recipes in such a dyslexic friendly way- I always miss ingredients!! This looks so delicious!
Richard
I had never thought about this being an added bonus! For me, it's an ADHD hack because I don't have to keep scrolling up and down! Hahaha
E Keh
This is sooooo good. My kids preferred it without the sauce but I LOVED the sauce. I added the corn starch for a thicker and stickier consistency which was da bomb! Such an easy recipe with great taste and healthy as well for kids. 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻
Jeroen
I have never been really big on tofu and if it wasn't a recipe from Richard I don't think I would have dared to make this. But honestly I was blown away by how good this is. Absolutely no soggy sad tofu to be found here, just pure flavour. Sauce is really good as well. Will definitely be making this again and hopefully these meatballs will make their way into more recipes here.
Adriana
Is the milk/nut bagging just a replacement for pressing tofu? Or is it specific to the quality of this recipe?
Fee
This is such a great recipe! I made the meatballs for NYE and everyone loved them. The texture was even better when we reheated them in the oven just before serving. Next time I will make a big batch and try freezing them.
@noshsnack
Did you use oat flour to avoid gluten? Anyhoo I added normal as had it to hand and was really surprised at how light and fluffy these were (I chucked the tofu in a food processor for laziness!). I always use smoked for extra level of flavour.
Gotta say that having the ingredients listed in each section is fabulous because other ‘screen’ recipes are infuriating having to scroll up and down. Thank you for the super yum dinner ~ it’s going on the LIST!!