Air Fryer Beyond Meatballs with vegan Gochujang Peanut Sauce
These air fryer beyond meatballs with vegan Gochujang Peanut sauce are the perfect easy, vegan recipe for any night of the week! These spicy, savory, delicious meatless meatballs are PACKED with protein and are perfect as a snack or appetizer for your next dinner party. You can also toss them over rice with some steamed veggies and you will have a mouth watering, easy plant-based meal!
These vegan, meatless meatballs are made with Beyond beef mixed with shredded eggplant and seasoned with garlic, ginger, bread crumbs and scallions. These babies are air fried to perfection and smothered in a quick and easy Gochujang peanut sauce. This Gochujang Peanut Sauce is sweet, spicy, garlicky and super simple to make!
Wow your dinner party guests or spice up any weekday with this fast and easy air fryer vegan recipe. These air fryer Beyond meatballs can be prepped and ready to eat in 20 minutes and even a beginner will find the recipe incredibly easy to make! Did I mention Beyond beef tastes so much like real beef that even meat eaters will fall in love with this dish?!
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BEYOND BEEF FOR AIR FRYER BEYOND MEATBALLS
So before we get started, in case you are new to the vegan meat world…what is Beyond beef? Beyond beef is a plant-based / vegan beef alternative that can be found in most grocery stores. Beyond beef tastes incredibly like real beef! Really! It’s actually mind blowing! Which makes it the PERFECT vegan beef alternative when you are looking to replace ground beef for air fryer vegan meatballs.
Beyond Meat’s main ingredients are pea protein, rice protein, canola oil, and coconut oil. Beyond beef is also GMO free, soy free, and gluten free! Beyond meat is LOADED with protein, containing 20 grams a serving! It is also a good source of calcium and iron.
WHERE TO BUY BEYOND BEEF FOR AIR FRYER BEYOND MEATBALLS
You can buy Beyond Meat in most grocery stores. You will find it in the freezer sections with the other plant-based meat alternatives. Occasionally you can also find it already thawed out in the refrigerated section.
HOW TO MAKE AIR FRYER BEYOND MEATBALLS MORE FLAVORFUL
Beyond Beef is delicious all on its own and you can actually buy pre-rolled Beyond meatballs. But I personally love using the ground Beyond beef to roll my own meat balls because you can make your meatless meatballs even more flavorful and unique!
For this recipe, you will be adding grated eggplant, bread crumbs, garlic, ginger, and scallions to these air fryer Beyond meatballs. Let me explain why…
ADDING EGGPLANT TO AIR FRYER BEYOND MEATBALLS
Air fryer Beyond meatballs are the perfect candidate to sneak some more veggies in a meal. When making meatless meatballs with Beyond beef, I love to chop up or grate a vegetable to add extra nutrition and to cut the calories of each meatball.
How does this cut calories? When you add vegetables to a meatball (or any dish) you are adding a low calorie ingredient that adds extra bulk and fills you up…which makes each meatball lower in calories!
Adding vegetables, or in this case eggplant, to your air fryer Beyond Meatballs also adds a nice roasted eggplant flavor to the dish!
ADDING BREADCRUMBS TO AIR FRYER BEYOND MEATBALLS
Adding breadcrumbs to your vegan meatballs makes the texture a bit more firm and less moist (in a good way). You can skip the breadcrumbs if desired, but your air fryer Beyond meatballs will be a bit more soft and not so firm. You can also add gluten free breadcrumbs if desired!
HOW TO MAKE AIR FRYER BEYOND MEATBALLS
As mentioned before, making Air Fryer Beyond Meatballs is super simple! Here’s a breakdown of just how simple it is.
Step 1 : Begin by preheating your air fryer to 400 degrees F. If your air fryer does not have a preheat button, simply turn it on with nothing in it for 5 minutes before use.
Step 2 : Now it’s time to make those vegan meatless meatballs! Place a package of Beyond Beef in a large mixing bowl. Add 1 cup of shredded eggplant, 1/2 cup of bread crumbs, 2 tbsp of sliced scallions, 2 cloves of chopped garlic, and 1 inch of grated fresh ginger. Mix until evenly combined.
Step 3 : Roll your Beyond meat mixture into meatballs using about 1 1/2 tbsp of meat for each meatball (I just use a heaping tbsp to measure this, it doesn’t have to be overly accurate). Recipe makes about 24 Beyond Meatballs.
**you can make Beyond meatballs the size of your choice, it will just slightly affect the cooking time
Step 4 : Place your rolled Beyond meatballs on the air fryer tray in a single layer (if you have a small air fryer you will need to cook in batches). Place in your preheated air fryer and cook at 400 degree F for 10 minutes. Flip at the half way mark. If you like your meatballs more well done like I do, let them cook for 12-14 minutes.
And that’s it! Super simple air fryer Beyond meatballs that can be prepped and ready in a flash! And of course they will be slathered in drool-worthy vegan Gochujang peanut sauce! So while Air fryer Beyond meatballs are cooking, move ahead and prep your sauce.
Vegan Gochujang Peanut Sauce
These air fryer Beyond Meatballs are super delicious all on their own…but slather them in a spicy Gochujang Peanut sauce and these babies become absolutely addicting! The two main stars of this sauce are Gochujang and Peanut powder. This killer combo of nutty, spicy, savory is accompanied by garlic, ginger, lime and a few other ingredients…and it all creates a mouth watering sauce in 10 minutes!
This spicy peanut sauce is made with peanut powder instead of peanut butter…making it a low fat sauce! For those of us attempting to be mindful about their calorie and fat consumption…you are about to meet your new go-to sauce.
HOW TO MAKE SPICY GOCHUJANG PEANUT SAUCE
This Gochujang peanut sauce only takes 10 minutes, but it’s soooo incredibly flavorful!! To make this easy vegan Gochujang peanut sauce, simply combine 1 tbsp Gochujang, 1 tbsp mirin, 1 tsp soy sauce, 2 1/2 tsp sugar, 3 cloves of chopped garlic, 1 inch of grated fresh ginger, and 1 1/2 cup of water. Cook over medium heat for 8 minutes. This will allow the sauce to build flavor and reduce.
At the 8 minute mark, mix in 1 1/2 tsp of corn starch (which thickens the sauce), 2 tbsp peanut powder, and the juice of half a lime. Mix until smooth and evenly combined and allow to simmer for 1 more minute. You will need to mix the corn starch quickly and vigorously to keep it from clumping.
And that’s it! Sweet, spicy, low fat, vegan Gochujang Peanut Sauce!
LOW FAT GOCHUJANG PEANUT SAUCE FOR AIR FRYER BEYOND MEATBALLS
Yes! This is a low fat, oil free Gochujang Peanut Sauce! How? Instead of using peanut butter, you will use peanut powder! Peanut powder has all the peanut flavor, plenty of protein, but very little fat! Amazing right?! Because of this, you are able to make a super flavorful peanut sauce oil free and low fat!
You can find and buy peanut powder in the nut butter section of your grocery store and online!
WHAT IS GOCHUJANG
I just wanted to give a shout out to those that are wondering…”what is Gochujang”? If you love spicy food and this is your first experience with Gochujang, you’re in for a treat! Gochujang is a spicy paste used in Korean cooking. This paste is made from fermented soy beans, rice, chili peppers, and salt. Gochujang can be described as spicy, sweet, and well rounded. It’s comforting, complex flavor is an amazing addition to many dishes.
You can find and buy Gochujang in the international section of your grocery store, at your local Asian market, or online!
What to serve with air fryer Beyond Meatballs with vegan Gochujang peanut sauce
This easy, high protein meatless meatball recipe makes an amazing, crowd pleasing appetizer or snack for any dinner party or gathering! Vegan, vegetarians, AND meat eaters will absolutely love this dish!
You can also serve these air fryer beyond meatballs with Gochujang peanut sauce as a main course! Simply toss over rice and serve with steamed veggies for a protein packed meal that can ready to eat in 20 minutes!
AIR FRYER BEYOND MEATBALLS WITH VEGAN GOCHUJANG PEANUT SAUCE IS PERFECT FOR MEAL PREP
Want to get ahead of the game prepping for a party or dinner for the week? This air fryer Beyond meatball recipe is the perfect candidate for meal prep! You can make this recipe completely ahead of time and just reheat when ready to serve!
For best results, prep the meatballs, but only cook them for 7 minutes. This is long enough to make them firm, but not crispy. Store in the fridge, in an air tight container separate from the prepared Gochujang peanut sauce. When you are ready to serve them, finish air frying your meatballs for about 5 minutes, this will reheat them and allow them to become crispy. Reheat sauce, serve and enjoy!
You can prep ahead and freeze this recipe as well! Simply prep ahead as instructed above, store in an air tight, freezer safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
Air Fryer Beyond Meatballs with vegan Gochujang Peanut Sauce
Equipment
- air fryer
- grater
- sauce pan
Ingredients
- 1 package Beyond beef, thawed
- 1 cup eggplant, peeled and grated
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 2 tbsp scallions, sliced
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
vegan Gochujang Peanut Sauce
- 1 tbsp Gochujang
- 1 tbsp mirin
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 2 1/2 tsp sugar
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 2 tbsp peanut powder can substitute peanut butter, but sauce will no longer be low fat
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- 1 1/2 tsp corn starch
garnish
- 2 tbsp scallions, sliced thing
Instructions
Prep Beyond Meatballs
- Preheat air fryer to 400℉**if your air fryer doesn't have a preheat button, simply turn on your air fryer with nothing in it for 5 minutes
- Combine all of the ingredients for Beyond meatballs in a large mixing bowl
- Mix until evenly combined
- Roll mix into meatballs (use about 1 1/2 tbsp of meat per ball). Recipe makes about 24 meatballs**you can make vegan meatballs whatever size you desire, but cooking time will be slightly effected, adjust as needed
- Place Beyond meatballs onto the air fryer tray in a single layer (don't over lap) and place in preheated air fryer.**if you have a small air fryer you will need to air fry your beyond meatballs in batches
- Cook for 10 minutes, flipping at the half way mark**if you like your meatballs more well done and crispy, cook for 12-14 minutes
- While Air fryer kimchi Beyond meatballs are cooking, use your time wisely and prepare the Gochujang peanut sauce.
Prep the vegan Gochujang peanut sauce
- In a sauce pan, combine 1 tbsp Gochujang, 1 tbsp mirin, 1 tsp soy sauce, 2 tsp sugar, 3 cloves of chopped fresh garlic, 1 inch of grated fresh ginger, and 1 1/2 cups of water. Do not add the corn starch, peanut powder or lime yet!
- Cook over medium heat for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally
- At the 8 minute mark, add 1 1/2 tsp corn starch, 2 tbsp peanut powder, and juice from 1/2 a lime. Mix until evenly combined. Cook of one more minute.You need to mix the corn starch quickly and vigorously so it does not clump!
- Remove sauce from heat
Put it all together
- Once your meatballs have finished cooking and your sauce is ready, it's time to put everything together!
- Plate vegan beyond meatballs. You can pour the sauce over top of the meatballs and cover them OR you can serve the sauce on the side as a dip. Your choice! Garnish with sliced scallions
- Serve and enjoy!
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