They are crispy on the outside, tender and savory on the inside. With a delicious sweat and sour sticky sauce, these are the perfect vegan version of Japanese-style meatballs, Nikudango.

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Vegan Meatballs – Nikudango 肉団子

Nikudango, or Japanese-style meatball, is a popular comfort food in Japan. They are usually made of minced pork, fried and then coated in a sweet and sour sticky sauce. I veganized this dish by using tofu, panko breadcrumbs, and vegan mince.

These meatballs are actually very versatile. You can make various dishes with them, just by using a different type of sauce. They can be served over rice, with breads, or even in soups. So, go ahead and make a big batch! They keep well in the freezer.

What ingredients you need

Here is a list of the ingredients you will need to make these Japanese-style meatballs.

For the meatballs

• Tofu
• Panko breadcrumbs
• Vegan mince
• Potato starch
• Sesame oil
• Kelp stock powder
• Salt

For the sticky sauce

• Garlic
• Ginger
• Maple syrup
• Soy sauce
• Rice vinegar
• Potato starch
• Water

A detailed recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.

Ingredient Notes

Tofu – I use silken tofu (絹ごし豆腐), but you could also use firm tofu (木綿豆腐).

Vegan mince – minced meat such as OmniPork or Naturli’s Plantbased Mince work best for this recipe.

Kelp stock – or Kombu dashi (昆布だし) is equivalent to veg stock/bouillon in Japanese cooking. It’s readily available at Japanese supermarkets and on Amazon. If you don’t have kelp stock, you can substitute it with veg stock powder.

Potato starch – can be subbed with cornstarch.

Panko breadcrumbs – they are lighter and flakier than regular breadcrumbs. If you don’t have panko, you can use regular breadcrumbs or make your own.

To make panko:

1. Remove the crust from a piece of white bread.
2. Pulse the bread in a food processor to make coarse crumbs.
3. Bake in the oven at 300 F/ 150 C degrees for about 5 minutes, until the crumbs are dry, but not toasted. You don’t want the crumbs to brown

How to make Vegan Meatballs

A detailed recipe is in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, but let me give you a quick overview of the process. 

1. Make the sauce – in a sauce pan, heat the ingredients for the sticky sauce for 2~3 minutes until the sauce thickens.
2. Make the meatballs – add tofu and panko to a food processor and blend into a paste. Combine the paste with the rest of the meatball ingredients and mix well. Shape the mixture into balls.
3. Fry the meatballs – I usually deep fry, but you could also pan fry or air fry them.
4. Coat meatballs in sauce – add the cooked meatballs to the pan with the sweet and sour sticky sauce, and stir to coat.

How to serve and store

I usually serve these meatballs with sticky sauce with rice or steamed veggies. Broccoli, spinach and bok choy pair especially well.

Another way you could enjoy these meatballs is with a simple marinara sauce, for a meatball spaghetti dish or a meatball sub.

You can store cooked meatballs in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge. In the freezer, they will keep for up to 2 months.

Thank you for visiting my blog! If you made this recipe, or any other recipes of mine, be sure to tag me @veganesetokyo on Instagram and use the hashtag #veganesetokyo. I would love to see your creations❤️

ヴィーガン・肉団子のレシピ