My vegan Greek Meatballs are UH-MA-ZING! Much like the traditional recipe, these keftédes are tastefully flavored with red onion, fresh parsley, mint, and brightened with lemon zest! They’re slightly crisp on the outside, and perfectly juicy on the inside! Serve with my Lemony Orzo Salad for the perfect summertime meal!

meatballs : a love story

I am having a slight obsession with meatballs right now, ya’ll! And these Vegan Greek Meatballs (Keftédes) with Lemony Orzo Salad might be my new favorite! The meatballs are juicy, PACKED with so much flavor, and are so easy to prepare. I mean, they’re amazing on their own, but paired with my Lemony Orzo Salad?! You’ve got a one-way ticket to Flavor Town. Honestly, this is the perfect summertime dish!

Grab a drink and let’s get to cooking the best Vegan Greek Meatballs (Keftédes) with Lemony Orzo Salad

what are Keftédes?

So what are Keftedes? They’re Greek meatballs seasoned with all the classic Greek herbs and spices. Traditional Keftédes are usually filled with a mix of bread, onions, parsley, and mint, then fried. It’s said that Keftédes were introduced to Greek cuisine in the beginning of the 20th century, originating from city of Smyrni or modern day Izmir. You can enjoy Keftédes as an appetizer with tzatziki sauce, or as an entree with pita bread or a salad!

how do you make meatballs?

I love meatballs because they’re packed with so much flavor and so easy to make! You basically just dump all the ingredients in a bowl, mix, then roll. Here’s how to make Vegan Greek Meatballs:

1. Grate or pulse your onion, garlic, mint, parsley, and dill in a food processor.
2. Mix with vegan group beef, lemon zest, herbs, breadcrumbs, and a vegan egg replacer to bind it all together.
3. Get to rolling! I think the perfect size is about 2 tablespoons worth of the meatball mixture!
4. Fry ’em up! In a pan on medium heat with bit of oil, pan fry the meatballs until they’re golden brown and crisp on the other edges, about 3-4 minutes per side.

That’s it! So easy right?! Pair with my Lemony Orzo Salad for an easy and flavorful weeknight meal! We served our Vegan Greek Meatballs (Keftédes) with Lemony Orzo Salad with some homemade vegan feta (recipe coming soon), but it would taste so good alongside some hummus or vegan tzatziki sauce (here’s my favorite recipe)!

Vegan Greek Meatballs with Lemony Orzo Salad for dinner!

I hope you love my Vegan Greek Meatballs (Keftédes) with Lemony Orzo Salad as much as I do! If you give this recipe a try, I’d love to see! Snap a photo, take a video, or make a story and post it to Instagram, and tag me at @eat_figs_not_pigs and #EatFigsNotPigs. I love seeing your recreations of my recipes!

Til next time, friends!

XO!

Vegan Greek Meatballs (Keftédes) with Lemony Orzo Salad

Ashley

My vegan Greek Meatballs are UH-MA-ZING! Much like the traditional recipe, these keftédes are tastefully flavored with red onion, fresh parsley, mint, and brightened with lemon zest! They're slightly crisp on the outside, and perfectly juicy on the inside! Serve with my Lemony Orzo Salad for the perfect summertime meal!

5 from 4 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Vegan

Cuisine Greek-Inspired

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  

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LEMONY ORZO SALAD:

• 1 cup orzo
• 1 small cucumber thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups tomatoes chopped
• 1 cup red onion thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

MEATBALLS:

• 1 small red onion
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup fresh mint
• 5 cloves garlic
• 3/4 pound vegan ground beef
• 3/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1 vegan egg replacer
• Zest of 1 large lemon
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Fresh dill for serving
• Kalamata olives for serving
• Lemon wedges for serving
• Hummus Vegan Tzatziki, or vegan feta, for serving

Instructions

 

LEMONY ORZO SALAD:

• Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain, but do not rinse. Place the orzo in a large bowl with cucumber, tomatoes, and red onion.
• In another small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, lemon juice, garlic powder, salt, and red pepper flakes. Combine with orzo, and mix well to thoroughly coat the orzo and veggies with the sauce. Set aside.

MEATBALLS

• Place red onion, parsley, mint, and garlic in a food processor and pulse until it's very finely grated, about 30 seconds - 1 minute. Pour contents into a large bowl with vegan ground beef, Panko bread crumbs, egg replacer, lemon zest, cumin, salt, red pepper flakes, and pepper. Using your hands, mix well to combine all the ingredients.
• Measure out about 2 tablespoons, roll meatballs and place them on a parchment paper lined tray. You should have about 15-18 meatballs.
• Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, fry the meatballs in batches until they're golden-brown and crisped on the outer edges, rolling them around to ensure all the sides get cooked, about 6-8 minutes. Remove to a plate and cover to keep warm. Repeat with remaining meatballs.
• Serve immediately with Lemony Orzo salad, fresh dill, kalamata olives, lemon wedges, and a healthy dollop of hummus, vegan tzatziki, or vegan feta.
• ENJOY!

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