This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads
Jump to RecipePin Recipe Print RecipeAdd to Collection
Gluten Free
Diary Free
Egg Free
Low Carb
Vegan
Vegetarian
Keto
These keto eggplant meatballs are a tasty plant based meatball for a low carb vegetarian or vegan meal. Made with a mix of eggplants and mushrooms they are baked but could be air fried too.
A great choice for cleaning eating and Paleo, you could serve these by themselves or with a marinara sauce over zucchini noodles. You could make a casserole with them too. Bake them with a tomato sauce and slather them with mozzarella.
Hemp seed hearts have been sneaked into these keto eggplant meatballs for extra protein and crunch and to help bind them. If you wanted a crunchier meatball you could roll the finished balls in hemp seed hearts too.
ARE HEMP SEEDS GOOD FOR US?
Hemp seeds are a great source of complete protein for vegetarians and vegans. High in fibre and low in carbs they make a great addition to the keto diet. Hemp seeds also have a good balance of essential fats, including omega 3. High in beneficial antioxidants, great for skin health and cholesterol levels you should sprinkle some hemp seeds into your meals.
WHAT IS IN THESE EGGPLANT MEATBALLS?
Only a few ingredients are used in this simple eggplant recipe:
- Eggplant – I don’t salt my eggplants to remove any bitterness as the local grown ones here don’t really require it. As you are frying the eggplant before baking it doesn’t really matter.
- Mushrooms – You could omit them for a pure eggplant meatball, but they add extra flavour and help the texture.
- Almond flour – I use this to bind the meatball as I am not using an egg.
- Hemp hearts - I like the slight crunch and texture they help give these eggplant meatballs. They also help increase the protein content.
- Oregano & Thyme - I used dried herbs but fresh herbs such as basil and thyme would work.
What to Serve with Eggplant Meatballs
Most vegetarian meatballs are better with a sauce. Serve these with a marinara sauce, mushroom sauce or even our vodka sauce. As for an accompaniment, try baked spaghetti squash or our keto fried cabbage noodles.
More Vegetarian Eggplant Recipes
Greek Stuffed Eggplant
Air Fryer Eggplant Fries
Vegetarian Moussaka
Grilled Eggplant Rolls
Keto Eggplant Meatballs
Eggplant meatballs made a great keto vegetarian or vegan meal.
4.50 from 4 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Add to Collection
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 40 minutes mins
Total Time 50 minutes mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Vegetarian
Servings 15 balls
Calories 44 kcal
Ingredients
- 2 eggplants
- 5 mushrooms, button or white
- 2 cloves garlic peeled & chopped
- 1 onion peeled & chopped
- ½ cup almond flour
- 1 oz hemp hearts (optional)
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1 tablespoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
Chop the eggplant into small chunks and slice the mushrooms.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan on a medium heat and fry the garlic, onion and egg plant for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally for even cooking.
Add the mushrooms, oregano, thyme, salt & pepper and cook for a further 5-7 minutes until they are cooked.
Place the eggplant mixture into a food processor and blend.
Add the almond flour and hemp hearts and pulse until combined. The mixture might be a bit sticky.
Using damp hands, fashion walnut sized balls from the eggplant mixture.
Place the balls on a parchment lined baking tray.
Bake at 180C/375F degrees for 20-25 minutes until firm.
Notes
15 large balls were made.
The net carbs will be the total carb count minus the fibre count. Carb count excludes sugar alcohols.
Any nutritional analysis on the website is based on an estimate, calculated by http://nutritiondata.self.com from the individual ingredients in each recipe. Variations may occur for various reasons, including product availability and food preparation. We make no representation or warranty of the accuracy of this information.
YOUR OWN NOTES
Click here to add your own private notes.
Nutrition
Serving: 1ballCalories: 44kcalCarbohydrates: 4.4gProtein: 1.9gFat: 2.6gFiber: 1.5g
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator.
Keyword eggplant recipes
Do you know your macros?Check out Free Macro Calculator!
Tried this recipe?Mention @KetoVegetarianRecipes on Instagram or hashtag it #ketovegetarianrecipes!
More Main Dishes
- Spinach and Paneer Frittata
- Vegetarian Keto Taco Pie
- Cottage Cheese Stuffed Eggplant Boats
- Broccoli Cottage Cheese Casserole
New eBook
Reader Interactions
Comments
Angela Coleby says
Thank you! Delighted you enjoyed them!
Connie says
These were very delicious, I loved the herbs that went into them. I added two eggs and more almond flour. Would definitely make these again!Angela Coleby says
Thank you!
vasiliki says
These are delicious. A bit soft yes, but the taste is awesome. Thank youAngela Coleby says
Very true.
Colleen says
Could use little coconut flour to absorb moisture as well.
Rosanne Mills says
I added an egg.Angela Coleby says
Glad you enjoyed it. I've wondered about using oat fiber to bind these as it would not affect the net carbs and might soak up any excess liquid too.
Mary says
These are very tasty, but I found the mixture too loose to form a meatball. I left it in the fridge overnight and that helped a little. I did add in more Almond Flour but did not want to go to heavy on the flour because of the carbs. I did not have any hemp hearts, so maybe that was the difference in the consistency. Still, great alternative to meat with a great taste.Angela Coleby says
That sounds a delicious idea! You can check the nutrition using this website https://nutritiondata.self.com/
Jennifer says
Hey, I live in a place that doesn't have eggplants or almonds! Can I sub Cauliflower and Pumpkin seeds instead? How will the nutrition change?
angelacoleby says
About 3 cups should do it.
Wendy says
Question: how many cups/grams of eggplant? I see eggplants in a variety of sizes, so I'm not sure how much to use. TIA 🙂
