These black bean meatballs are pretty lightly adapted from my spicy black bean burgers, a long-time favourite. If you often have leftover rice on hand, and a can of black beans (or frozen cooked beans) then you’re set for this recipe just about any time. These bean balls are made without mushrooms or eggs.

Brown rice gives structure to these, with oats and cornmeal binding the bean balls and keeping them from being too soft. Coating the meatballs with a bit of olive oil before baking adds a nice crisp outer texture and golden colour.

Bean balls are never going to have the same texture as meatballs and will always have a slightly soft interior. That’s not a bad thing! If you’re new to vegetarian recipes you might be a bit surprised by it, but it’s very similar to a bean burger. You can change the herbs and spices added to suit whatever type of meal you’re serving the meatballs with.

I first shared this recipe in 2020. It’s been updated with with a newly retested and improved recipe, new photos, including step-by-step photos, and more helpful information. We found with retesting that the old recipe made meatballs that were too soft, too big, and a bit bland. This version has fixed all of those problems.

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Ingredients You’ll Need and Why

Like most burger and bean meatball recipes, it seems like a lot, but they’re simple ingredients really. These are my notes from recipe testing, and you can find the full recipe card below with complete measurements and instructions.

• Black beans: these can be from a canned or beans that you’ve cooked yourself, it doesn’t matter. I haven’t tried making these falafel-style with soaked black beans that haven’t been cooked.
• Lentils: brown, black, or green lentils. I haven’t tested with red lentils and I think they would be too soft here.
• Rice: any leftover rice, but short grain is best as it’s a bit stickier. If you have risotto rice, all the better. Brown or white can be used. Leftover rice is used rather than cooking it with the lentils because it’s more effective at binding the mixture after resting for a day.
• Oats: rolled or quick-cook are both fine. Use certified gluten-free oats if needed.
• Cornmeal: this adds a little more texture without being as obvious as seeds or nuts, and thickens the mixture too.
• Broth: store-bought or homemade vegetable broth, or try mushroom broth for a meatier flavour. Using broth instead of water improves the taste but if you don’t have it you can replace with water and season well.
• Tomatoes: I’ve only tested with canned tomatoes, not fresh. I think fresh tomatoes would add more liquid.
• Parsley: try other herbs if you’d like. Coriander/cilantro, oregano, and basil are all good depending on the flavour profile you’re going for. When I want an Italian-style bean ball, for example, I use a mix of oregano, basil, and thyme, and omit the cumin.
• Spices: a little cumin, hot pepper, and black pepper are the basic spices and that’s what outlined in the recipe. Adjust the spices to your personal preference.

How to Make Black Bean Balls

There are two important elements in this recipe. You’ll need to get the right amount of the mixture blended or mashed so that the balls stick when rolled, and don’t make them too big. If they’re too big the centre will be mushy. As always, I recommend using the weight measurements for more accuracy.

Step 1: cook the onion and garlic for ten minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally. Don’t rush this or whack up the heat. The garlic will burn if the pan is too hot.

Step 2: stir in the spices and toast for a couple of minutes, then add the canned tomatoes. Cooking the spices briefly helps to bring out the oils in them and improves the overall flavour.

Step 3: add the beans, broth, and lentils. It might seem like it’s not enough liquid but you want the lentils to soak up all of that broth as they cook.

Step 4: simmer, covered, for about half an hour. The lentils should absorb all of the liquid and leave you with a mixture that’s moist but with no visible broth in the pot.

Step 5: remove about a third of the mixture (about a cup) and puree it in a food processor or with an immersion blender. Taking part out and blending it into a puree makes it a bit easier to know when to stop mixing, versus using an immersion blender on the whole amount.

Step 6: stir well to combine. The mixture should be pretty sticky at this point. Set it aside for a few minutes while you preheat the oven.

Step 7: form into small balls, using two tablespoons of the mixture for each. They should roll very easily and be easy to shape into balls. Brush the parchment paper and each ball with oil.

Step 8: bake until golden and firm, 20 to 25 minutes. If you make them bigger they’ll need more time in the oven.

Expert Tips for the Best Vegetarian Meatballs

• Use a scoop: a (2 tablespoon) cookie scoop makes quick work of portioning the balls, but a tablespoon and damp hands can be used too.
• Keep the oil: brushing the meatballs with oil before baking makes them more flavourful, improves the colour, and gives a nice outer texture.
• Rest before shaping: to make the balls easier to shape and more solid. That’s why the oven is preheated after mixing and blending the meatball mixture.
• Season to taste: these are made without eggs, chickpea flour, or raw flour, and the mixture can be tested before baking. Try a little bit to check for seasoning.

More Black Bean Recipes

• Black Bean Burgers – baked, not fried, these are easy and delicious, making for a good solid burger that tastes great.
• Three Bean Chili – this vegan chili comes together in a few minutes plus half an hour of hands-off cooking time.
• Black Bean Quinoa Burgers – with hearty Mexican-inspired flavours and whole food ingredients, these are also baked for an even easier weeknight meal.
• Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili – with kale, mushrooms, sweet potato, and black beans.

If you make these Black Bean Meatballs or any other vegetarian dinner recipes on Occasionally Eggs, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more OE, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, purchase the Occasionally Eggs cookbook, or subscribe for new posts via email.