Savoury energy balls a.k.a. spicy bean balls with kale.
These tiny and spicy bean balls are the perfect pick-me-up snack when you crave something simple, savoury, but healthy. They are filling, cheesy, soft in texture and very very very delicious! Bean balls are great one bite treats, but also yummy with a bowl of salad, in some pita bread or simply spread on a slice of toast. Picnic season is coming and these bean balls (or these couscous balls) are gonna be the perfect quick and easy-to-make food to take with you.
Not even a long time ago, I was one of those who said oh, man, I would really love to go vegan, but I could never give up cheese. I was so damn sure I couldn’t even go a week without a piece of cheese. I never cared a lot for yogurt, milk, eggs or honey, but CHEESE. That was a whole other story. Do you know the great TLC show My Strange Addiction? Yes, that was me. I could have been one of them, seriously. I was a true cheeseaholic. I clearly remember what my mom said after she finally allowed me to go vegetarian almost 15 years ago. It was okay for me not eating meat as long as I eat a lot of dairy (because of calcium and PROTEIN, I guess :D). I was happy to follow her advice and eat every single cheese in the world. I even got cheese for my birthday and for Christmas. You can see what a crazy love it was. Me, ever giving up cheese? NO WAY!
But of course as I started to learn more about the cruelty of the dairy industry I reached a point where cheese just didn’t taste that good anymore. I couldn’t enjoy it anymore without feeling guilty, so my cheese days were slowly over. First it was hard, but the fact that I’m not causing pain and suffering to all those animals “tasted” better than any cheese I ever had. Plus hey, vegan cheese! Pretty cool stuff too! Who needs cheese balls as a snack (I used to make those all the time!), when you’ve got bean balls! So much more better, believe me. Or go for feta cheese, sliceable and super fancy walnut and herb cheese, delicious queso sauce, quick and easy basic cashew cheese or this multipurpose cauliflower cheese.
Never say never, right? If I could give up cheese anybody can. Please leave the cows alone ♥︎
Print
Spicy Bean Balls with Kale
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Yield: 20 balls 1x
Ingredients
- 1 can of cannellini beans
- 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds
- 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp tahini
- handful of finely chopped kale
- handful of finely chopped basil
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 small green chili pepper
- 1 clove of garlic
- salt, pepper
- optional: sweet paprika powder, sesame seeds and dried herbs to decorate
Instructions
- Add beans, sunflower seeds, nutritional yeast, tahini, cayenne, coriander, paprika, chili, garlic, salt and pepper to a food processor and blend until a sticky dough forms. Add kale and basil, and process just so they are mixed in evenly.
- Roll the mix into bite size balls. Decorate with paprika powder, sesame seeds or dried herbs. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Category: Snack
- Cuisine: Vegan
How fun are these!!! A great way to change up the “sweet” bite!
Thanks, Rebecca 🙂
Hello.these look fab!
How long will they keep in fridge for? I was thinking of incorporating some fermented goodies in them(kimichi..kraut etc)
Thanks, Amy!
I would say 3 days should be no problem for these in the fridge (I’ve actually had them once for almost a week and they were perfectly fine too, but I don’t want to give dangerous advices :P)
The addition of kimchi or sauerkraut sounds amazing! Let me know if you make these and how they taste with the fermented yummies.
What an interesting and delicious creation! They look very much like herbal fresh cheese balls…
Thank you, Angie 🙂
Wow these look wonderful! I was the same with cheese totally, but ten years later I haven’t looked back. So glad to have found your lovely blog! 🙂
Thank you, Amy! I think everybody thinks they can’t live without cheese, then once they try, they realise it’s so easy 😉
Oh my gosh! These looks so cute and fun!! I love them! Thanks for the recipe love!! Hope you have a great weekend!
xoxo Cailee!
Thank you, Cailee! 🙂
I love beans, but weirdly, I have never though of making bean balls. With tahini, smoked paprika, and herbs, they sound so good!
Thanks, Ben 🙂
Really original recipe, I am really curious about the taste.
Thanks, Adina 🙂
Oh my goodness! You are SUPER creative! I love these so much! xx
Thank you, Erin 🙂
Ahh! Spicy energy balls! Evi, you are ALWAYS keeping me on my toes with your super original recipes. Meanwhile, cheese for your birthday? 🙂 That totally made me chuckle. Thanks for sharing such a personal story and experience. Love this recipe and all of the super-healthy ingredients that are in it. Great post as always. <3
Thanks, Demeter 🙂
I know, cheese for birthday sounds crazy, but it’s true….also I often got cheese tasting as a gift 😀
Hey, I am SOOO not one to judge. I’m all for giving and receiving food or food-related items as gifts. I once got a chocolate factory tour for a gift. 😉 Meanwhile, who knows if there’ll be a vegan cheese tastings as a bday gift down the road? 😉 Hehe.
Wow, that chocolate factory tour sounds like a dream come true!!! As well as a vegan cheese tasting (I hope my boyfriend reads this here :D)
Wow! What a treat! I would have never come up with this a unique and awesome idea of making bean balls
Thank you, Anu 🙂
This is delish! But I could not form the balls. The paste kept sticking to my hands
Hi Dana,
If the mixture is too sticky, you could try to add a bit more nutritional yeast or sunflower seeds. And try to do it with wet hands or with an ice cream scoop 😉
How wonderful with some savory energy balls. They look so delicious. And I am one of those persons… “I could never give up cheese…” Haha, so stupid, since I hate the dairy industry too :/ I have to think more about it.
I totally understand you. I would have bet my life on that “I will never ever give up cheese”. However, there are so many amazing plant-based options, nut cheeses are simply amazing! I think the thought of giving up cheese was about million times scarier, than the actual act of simply not eating it. In the first few months I didn’t really talk about my veganism, coz I was terrified of failing. But after 2-3 months I didn’t even remember why I was ever so into cheese. It just stopped being appealing after a while. Also documentaries and books about animal rights helped a lot 🙂
These are so delicious, thanks for the recipe! Was unsure how I would find savoury energy balls but am very happy with the result. I added a dash of balsamic vinegar and a pinch of onion powder – so good. Definitely making these again…
I’m so glad to hear that, Aimee! The picture you took is sooooooo pretty 😍
Thank you I was never a fan of sugar but growing up I found myself eating it more and more. What’s worse is that I still like “natural salty stuff ” better. I told myself “stop”. There’s no use eating something just to feel “socially acceptable”. No, just no… I also became a vegetarian one year ago and I was a bit disappointed seeing all those snacks with sugar that don’t tempt me at all. But these one looks so yummy ❤️
Hey Freja,
I totally understand you, it seems like a lot of veggie recipes (especially snacks) are more on the sweet side, but I also prefer savory foods 😉
I hope you’ll like these balls, let me know if you try them!
I was wondering if this uses raw or roasted sunflower seeds?
You can use both. Raw sunflower seeds are a great neutral base, while roasted seeds give a lovely nutty taste. So use whichever you prefer 🙂
This sounds wonderful and I’m excited to try it. Have you tried freezing some and does it wreck the texture or anything?
Hi,
I have personally never tried freezing them, and also haven’t heard of any feedback from anyone regarding the texture after thawing.
But let me know if you experiment with freezing here 😉