air fryer kimchi beyond meatballs with vegan Gochujang sauce

These Air Fryer Kimchi Beyond Meatballs with vegan Gochujang sauce will simple knock your socks off! This easy to make, protein rich, Korean-inspired meatball recipe can be prepped and ready in 20 minutes and they are absolutely LOADED with flavor.

These air fryer Beyond Meatballs are savory, spicy, slightly sweet, and oh so delicious! This meatless meatball recipe is made with vegan Beyond beef, combined with shredded eggplant, kimchi, bread crumbs, garlic, ginger, and scallions. This mixture is then rolled into meatballs, air fried to perfection, and then smothered in a spicy, easy-to-make, vegan garlic Gochujang sauce.

These Korean-inspired, air fryer Beyond meatballs make the perfect appetizer or snack that will leave your guests drooling and crawling back for more. These vegan kimchi meatballs are also perfect for as a protein rich meal! Simply serve them with rice and steamed vegetable for an easy vegan meal that even meat eaters will love!

Jump to Recipe

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, kimchi, 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 kimchi to air fryer Beyond meatballs

Kimchi is a stinky, spicy, delicious food! It is traditionally made in Korea and has been consumed for thousands of years. It consists of vegetables, often cabbage or Korean radish, that are covered in spices including ginger, garlic, gochugaru, and spring onion, then salted and fermented. Kimchi is loaded with probiotics, that are beneficial to digestion, absorption of nutrients, and overall gut health. Kimchi is definitely an acquired taste, but in my opinion it’s amazingly delicious and the perfect addition to many meals. Kimchi is a great addition for many healthy vegan recipes, especially vegan air fryer beyond meatballs.

For these air fryer Beyond meatballs, you will simply dice up a cup of kimchi and add it to your meatless meatball mix! Simple step…loads of flavor and nutrition!

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 Kimchi Beyond Meatballs

As mentioned before, making Air Fryer Kimchi 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 kimchi meatballs! Place a package of Beyond Beef in a large mixing bowl. Add 1 cup of shredded eggplant, 1 cup of finely chopped kimchi, 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 kimchi Beyond meatballs that can be prepped and ready in a flash! And of course they will be slathered in drool-worthy garlic Gochujang sauce! So while Air fryer Beyond meatballs are cooking, move ahead and prep your sauce.

Vegan Garlic Gochujang Sauce

The Air Fryer kimchi meatballs are delicious all on there own, but pour this sweet, spicy, savory garlic Gochujang sauce all over them and you will be blown away with flavor!

This vegan garlic Gochujang sauce is incredibly easy to make, but it is loaded with flavor and finger-licking good!

WHAT IS GOCHUJANG

Before we dive into how to make vegan garlic Gochujang sauce, let’s go back to the basics…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. 

How to make vegan Garlic Gochujang Sauce

To prepare this vegan garlic Gochujang sauce you will need 1 tbsp Gochujang, 1 tbsp mirin, 2 tsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp soy sauce, 2 tsp sugar, 3 cloves of chopped garlic, 1 inch of grated fresh ginger, 1 1/2 cups of water, 1 1/2 tsp corn starch (that will be added towards the end), and 1/4 tsp toasted sesame oil (also added at the end).

Simply combine all of the sauce ingredients in a sauce pan, except the corn starch and toasted sesame oil (these will be added later), and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. This will allow your sauce to cook down and for all of those flavors to infuse. After 10 minutes, mix in corn starch and toasted sesame oil. And that’s it! Sweet, spicy, savory Gochujang sauce in a flash!

Tips for making Air Fryer Beyond Meatballs

• Remember to preheat your air fryer – always preheat your air fryer when making air fried beyond meatballs! This will allow your beyond meatballs to air fry evenly and in the amount of time recommend in the recipe. If your air fryer does not have a preheat setting, just turn on you air fryer, set at 400 degrees, for 5 minutes prior to cooking. Do not have parchment paper in the air fryer during the preheating process! With nothing holding the paper down, it could rise and catch on fire!
• You don’t need oil or parchment paper – When it comes to Beyond meat you actually don’t need parchment paper or oil spray to prevent it from sticking. There is enough oil and moisture in Beyond beef already to keep it from sticking to your air fryer. However, if you would like an easier clean up, put down some parchment paper.
• Make your own Beyond meatballs – You can buy pre-rolled Beyond meatballs. These are a good option when you are short on time, but when you have the time, make your own! Why? They are cheaper for one, about half the price. But more importantly, making your own Beyond meatballs gives you the opportunity to create a more flavorful, unique meatless meatballs and add extra vegetables to a dish! Add seasoning, hot sauce, chopped onions, garlic, peppers, or veggies…sky is the limit! GO CRAZY!
• How to thaw Beyond meatballs – Thawed Beyond Meat is better when it comes to air fryer meatballs (they cook more evenly and the texture is better). But you can air fry beyond meatballs when they are still frozen. The best way to thaw your Beyond meatballs is in the fridge over night. But if you are in a pinch you can defrost them in the microwave. Just cook microwave on the defrost setting and for 30 seconds at a time.
• How to REHEAT Beyond meatballs in the air fryer – yes! You can reheat your already cooked beyond meatballs in the air fryer. Cook at 375 degrees for 3-5 minutes (depending on thickness).

What to serve with Air Fryer Kimchi Beyond Meatballs with vegan Gochujang sauce

These Korean-inspired vegan meatballs make the perfect appetizer or snack for a party! Lay these babies out on the snack table and watch your guests drool over them! Serve these vegan kimchi meatballs along side air fryer Japanese sweet potato fries and Gochujang dip or air fryer Bulgogi Egg Rolls!

You can also serve this air fryer Beyond meatball recipe as a meal! Serve these Kimchi vegan meatballs and Gochujang sauce with rice and steamed veggies and you will have an easy, delicious meal that is full of flavor and protein!

Air Fryer Kimchi Beyond Meatballs with vegan Gochujang 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 garlic Gochujang 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.

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