Vegan Dutch Bitterballen

Vegan bitterballen served in a black bowl with mustard sauce and more bitterballen in the background

Vegan bitterballen is a very tasty meat-free and dairy-free version of the most popular dutch snack-bitterballen. It has a crispy outer layer and a deliciously gooey center. Made with mushrooms and eggplants, it's hard to guess that it's vegan.

Course Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine Dutch

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Resting time 8

Total Time 8 30

Servings

Calories 136kcal

Author Vandana Chauhan

Ingredients

Ingredients for mushroom filling

2.5 cups finely chopped eggplants
2.5 cups finely chopped button mushrooms
4 garlic cloves minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon ground black pepper adjust as per taste
Salt as per taste

Ingredients for roux

4 tbsp margarine/ coconut oil
0.5 cup all purpose flour
1.75 cups vegetable stock
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Ingredients for coating

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup bread crumbs
6 tbsp corn starch
0.5 cup water
Oil for deep frying

Instructions

Finely chop the mushrooms and eggplant.
Heat oil in a pan. Add chopped mushrooms, eggplant, minced garlic, thyme, pepper, and salt. Cook for around 12-15 minutes or until the moisture of the mushrooms get evaporated and the eggplants are also cooked. Switch off the gas and keep the mixture aside.
Melt margarine in a pan. Add flour and keep stirring until the flour is no longer raw. Add vegetable stock, ¼ cup at a time while stirring continuously. Add nutmeg. Keep stirring and cooking until the mixture is smooth and thick.
Add the mushroom, eggplant filling. Mix. Check and adjust the seasoning. Switch off the gas and let the mixture reach room temperature. Transfer the filling to an airtight container and keep in the fridge for at least 4-5 hours or until the mixture solidifies.
Mix water and corn starch in a bowl to make a slurry. In two other separate bowls put flour and bread crumbs. Make an assembly line by first putting the flour bowl then corn starch slurry and finally the bread crumbs bowl.
Take a small portion of the mushroom filling in your hand. Roll between your palms to make a ball. Roll the ball first through flour then, corn starch slurry, and finally bread crumbs. Keep aside on a plate. Repeat the process with the remaining filling.
Put the balls in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for atleast 2-3 hours.
Deep fry the balls until they turn golden brown. Serve hot with mustard sauce.

Notes

For the filling use a type of fat which solidifies in the fridge like coconut oil or margarine. This will help in setting the filling otherwise it won’t be possible to make balls with the filling.
Use a variety of eggplant which has fewer seeds.
For best results, refrigerate the filling overnight.

Nutrition