The Easiest Vegan Honey Garlic Meatballs
by Olivia Biermann
on Sep 14, 2021 (updated Dec 3, 2025)
These delicious hand-rolled Beyond Meat vegan meatballs are pan-fried and coated in a sweet, sticky “honey” garlic sauce – a fun appetizer or dinner that everyone will love.
After more than 15 years in the kitchen and a decade of plant-based cooking, these vegan meatballs are a staple in our house. They aren’t delicate or overly precious – these are the kind that you dunk, drag through sauce and crave again and again.
After testing this recipe more times than I should admit, the balance of sweet, salty, and garlicky against the tender plant-based balls keeps you coming back to the pan with a fork before they’ve even made it to the dinner table.
Dinner or appetizer? Why not both!
We make these meatballs at least once a week, and for good reason. Sometimes I’ll serve them over rice with some crisp veggies for a cozy no-fuss dinner (when I say no-fuss, I mean that loosely when you have a toddler in the house), and other times I’ll stick toothpicks in them and set them out as a party app.
The sauce thickens up right in the pan, so between that and the easy-to-make meatballs, you can quickly scale up this recipe for any amount of party guests (or leftovers) by doubling or tripling the batch.
Prefer to use frozen meatballs?
If you opt to make this with store-bought frozen vegan meatballs, simply follow the directions on the package for pan-frying, then add your sauce!
Why browning is a love language
A common saying in the culinary world is “if you skip browning, you skip soul” and I want you to remember that when making these meatballs! I add panko to build texture and garlic and parsley for flavour, but that golden crust that develops before adding the sauce turns a simple “vegan version” into “just really dang good meatballs!”
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The Easiest Vegan Honey Garlic Meatballs
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 13 meatballs
Description
These are the easiest Vegan Honey Garlic Meatballs ever! Hand-rolled Beyond Meat vegan meatballs are pan-fried and coated in a sweet, sticky, and savoury “honey” garlic sauce to give you a fun appetizer or dinner you won’t be able to get enough of.
Ingredients
- 1 package (16 oz.) Beyond Meat ground beef, or about 13 pre-made vegan meatballs
- 1/3 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp minced fresh parsley
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Vegan Honey Garlic Sauce:
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- optional: sliced green onion, for garnish
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine Beyond Meat, bread crumbs, garlic powder, parsley and black pepper. Using a cookie scoop or spoon, measure out 1 1/2 tbsp size meatballs and roll between your hands to make balls. I got 13 meatballs from one package of Beyond Meat.
- Add meatballs to a frying pan on medium heat. Cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until all sides are browned and meatballs are slightly firm. I don’t add extra oil as I find the Beyond Meat has enough already.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the garlic, ketchup, maple syrup, brown sugar and soy sauce until combined.
- Pour into pan and stir to coat meatballs. Simmer a few minutes until sauce has thickened. Add a tablespoon of water as needed if the sauce thickens too quickly – this brings it back to a silky glaze without thinning the flavour.
- Remove from heat and sprinkle with green onion (if using) and serve.
Notes
How to Store
Once the sauce-covered meatballs are cool, transfer them to an airtight container. They’ll stay fresh and delicious for 4 to 5 days in the fridge.
To reheat, add the sauce and meatballs to a skillet and reheat over medium heat until warmed through. You can also zap them in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes.
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Used this sauce with premade Beyond Meatballs. So delicious and easy! I stuffed 4 meatballs into a burger bun with an extra bit of sauce and baby spinach. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
So happy you enjoyed!
Hello? Do you think this could me cooked in crock pot?
yes I think so 🙂
Looks delicious!! Do you think these can be made ahead of time, stored with the glaze, and heated in the oven?
A delicious and easy recipe! Super satisfying and great for weeknight dinners.
We made this sauce tonight with the veggie IKEA “meat”balls and it was DELISH!
Such an easy and satisfying meal that we’ll definitely be making again!
Made this recipe with a different plant based “pork” meat but the same sauce. It was SO good and my non-plant based fam loved it too.