Vegan Filipino Bola Bola

Try this delicious vegan Filipino Bola Bola, which is the Philippines’ version of traditional meatballs.

What is Bola Bola?

Bola Bola is a Filipino sweet and sour meatball dish usually made with pork, beef, or chicken.

To veganize it, the meat replacement we used is garbanzo beans, also known in other countries as chickpeas.

Also, here’s a fun fact: Did you know garbanzo beans (chickpeas) are the healthiest beans you can eat?

Here are the benefits of eating garbanzo beans:

Rich in:

• protein
• folate
• fiber
• iron

And may help prevent:

• Diabetes
• Gut flora
• Heart Disease
• Obesity

Tips on Making Vegan Bola Bola:

• Feel free to freeze the bola bola in a freezer-safe bag for up to 6 months.
• If you don’t like cooking with coconut oil, vegetable or olive oil works.
• The bola bola can be used as a filling for any siopao recipe.

How to Make  Bola Bola:

Listed below are all the ingredients you will need:

Veggie Meatballs (Bola Bola):

• can garbanzos beans
• cumin
• coriander powder
• pepper
• tablespoon oats
• tablespoons all-purpose flour

Bola Bola:

• unrefined coconut oil
• white onion
• garlic
• soy sauce
• tomato sauce
• tomato paste
• pineapple chunks
•  green bell peppers
• red bell peppers
• salt 
• pepper

To make the Bola Bola (Veggie Meatballs) Dish:

In a blender, add garbanzo beans, liquid from garbanzo beans, blend until pulpy and pour to a medium-size bowl.

And in the same bowl mix together the cumin, coriander powder, teaspoon of pepper, rolled oats, and all-purpose flour:

Once everything has been combined, take 2-3 tablespoons and roll it into a ball:

Bola Bola: 

In a frying pan over medium heat and add unrefined coconut oil and saute onion and garlic until translucent:

Add meatballs and fry until all sides are golden brown.

In the same pan, mix together the soy sauce, tomato sauce, tomato paste, pineapple chunks, bell peppers, salt, and pepper:

Simmer for about 2 minutes and best served hot:

Frequently Asked Questions for Vegan Bola Bola:

Q: What does bola bola mean?

A: Literally translated from Tagalog to English is ball ball.

Q: What kind of brand of all-purpose flour is best to use for bola bola?

A: I personally like anything produced by Bob’s Mill or Pillsbury, and if you can get organic flour that works too.

Q: Can I freeze the veggie meatballs (bola bola)?

A: Yes, you can freeze the veggie meatballs, but not the sauce. It’s best made fresh.

Looking for more vegan authentic Filipino recipes:

• Vegan Isaw
• Chicken Afritada
• Fried Rice
• Tofu Sisig
• Sinigang (Sweet & Sour Soup)
• Vegan Tocino

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5 from 1 vote

Vegan Bola Bola

Smothered is sweet and sour sauce, these vegetable meatballs will be a hit to any meat lovers out there.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time13 hours hrs 16 minutes mins

Total Time17 minutes mins

Keyword: chickpea meatballs, vegan bola bola

Servings: 2 -3 servings

Author: Lainey

Ingredients

Veggie Meatballs (Bola Bola):

• ▢ 1 can garbanzos beans drained
• ▢ 2-3 tablespoons liquid from garbanzo beans
• ▢ ½ teaspoon cumin
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon coriander powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon pepper
• ▢ 2-3 tablespoon oats
• ▢ 3 tablespoons all purpose flour

Bola Bola:

• ▢ 2 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil
• ▢ 1 small white onion sliced into cubes (petals)
• ▢ 4 cloves of garlic minced
• ▢ 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• ▢ 180 grams of tomato sauce
• ▢ 2 tablespoon tomato paste
• ▢ 1 cup pineapple chunks drained
• ▢ ½ cup green bell peppers
• ▢ ½ cup red bell peppers
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon pepper

Instructions

To make the Bola Bola Dish:

• ▢
  In a blender, add garbanzo beans, liquid from garbanzo beans, blend until pulpy and pour to a medium size bowl.
• ▢
  In the same bowl mix together the cumin, coriander powder, teaspoon pepper, rolled oats, and all-purpose flour. Once everything has been combined, take 2-3 tablespoons and roll into a ball.

Bola Bola: 

• ▢
  In a frying pan over medium heat and add coconut oil.
• ▢
  Saute onion and garlic until translucent, then add meatballs and fry until all sides are golden brown.
• ▢
  In the same pan, mix together the soy sauce, tomato sauce, tomato paste, pineapple chunks, bell peppers, salt, and pepper. Simmer for about 2 minutes and best served hot.

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