These plant-based sweet and sour meatballs made the perfect holiday appetizer that everyone can enjoy! 

plant-based sweet and sour meatballs

This recipe is sponsored by Lightlife.

Can you believe it’s already December? It seriously feels like it was September just yesterday!

Even though we’re heading into some colder weather, I’m actually really excited because I LOVE December! It’s a time for brunches, holiday parties, potlucks and so much great food!

And because of all the great foodie festivities this month, I wanted to create a simple crowd-pleasing appetizer recipe that is perfect if you’re hosting a holiday dinner, or heading to a holiday potluck!

These plant-based sweet and sour meatballs will become one of your favourite go-to appetizer recipes. They’re made with Lightlife veggie meatballs, which can be enjoyed by everyone (and trust me, even meat-lovers will love them!) I love using these veggie meatballs to make this appetizer because they’ll save you some serious time (and clean up) in the kitchen from having to make veggie meatballs from scratch.

The veggie meatballs get tossed up in a sticky sweet and sour sauce and cooked down to perfection. They’re then topped off with some sesame seeds, green onions and cilantro for an extra burst of flavour. You can serve them up on a platter with some toothpicks so you’re guests can just grab one for an appetizing bite!

plant-based sweet and sour meatballs plant-based sweet and sour meatballs plant-based sweet and sour meatballs

A few notes on this recipe:

These plant-based sweet and sour meatballs are super simple to make. The secret is all in the sauce! For the sauce, we’re using a mix of hoisin sauce and rice vinegar to get that sweet and sour flavour combination. If you don’t have rice vinegar on hand, you can use something else acidic like lime juice or white wine vinegar. You could also substitute the hoisin sauce for a different sweet sauce like sweet chilli sauce, or even some maple syrup.

You’ll want to cook down the meatballs in the sauce until the sauce becomes nice and thick, and evenly coats all of the meatballs. This also allows the meatballs time to really absorb that delicious flavour!

To top these off, I recommend toasting your sesame seeds, (if they’re not already toasted) this gives SUCH great flavour to the meatballs.

Serve these up in a dish with some toothpicks in them so you’re guests can easily pick them up and eat them mess-free! If you’re bringing these meatballs to a potluck or an event, just cover them up and re-heat them in the oven at 350 degrees F for 5-10 minutes until warm. (Though if you put them in the oven remember to remove any toothpicks first!)

plant-based sweet and sour meatballs

These plant-based sweet and sour meatballs are:
  • 100% plant-based so everyone can enjoy them
  • Easy to make
  • The perfect holiday party appetizer!
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plant-based sweet and sour meatballs

Plant-based sweet and sour meatballs

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Jess
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 10-15 servings 1x
  • Category: Appetizer
  • Method: Cook
  • Cuisine: Asian

Description

Easy to make sweet and sour meatballs that are 100% plant-based!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
  • 3 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp sriracha
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 3 packs of Lightlife veggie meatballs
  • 2 green onions, chopped
  • sesame seeds & cilantro to top

Instructions

  1. Mix the garlic, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sriracha and sesame oil together in a small bowl.
  2. Pour the mixture into a pan on medium-high heat, until it begins to bubble.
  3. Add the veggie meatballs and lower the heat to medium, letting cook for 2-3 minutes on each side.
  4. Remove from heat and top with green onions, sesame seeds and cilantro

Notes

Add a toothpick in each meatball so they are easy to eat as an appetizer!

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge


Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 meatball
  • Calories: 158
  • Sugar: 2g
  • Fat: 5g
  • Saturated Fat: 1g
  • Carbohydrates: 12g
  • Fiber: 4g
  • Protein: 15g