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These vegetarian and vegan meatball subs are packed with TVP meatballs, then finished with rich marinara and a simple dairy-free cheese sauce. When broiled everything gets warm and toasty. So delicious…it’s a sandwich that even meat-eaters will love!
Why You’ll Love These Vegan Meatball Subs
If you grew up eating Subway’s meatball subs, this is a vegetarian version of that idea. You still get a toasted hoagie, plenty of marinara, and hearty meatballs, but made plant-based.
Instead of relying only on vegan cheese shreds that don’t always melt well in the oven, this recipe uses a simple dairy-free cheese sauce that stays smooth and melty under the broiler. Here are a few more reasons we love this recipe:
Emily’s Recipe Notes:
- Flavor: Savory, rich, tomatoey
- Texture: Hearty, meaty, creamy with a crisp, toasted roll
- Difficulty: Easy- beginner friendly
- Time: About 15 minutes once the plant-based meatballs are prepped!
Ingredients
Ingredient Highlights & Some Swaps
Homemade Vegan Meatballs
The base of these subs is my homemade vegan meatball recipe. They’re made with TVP and seitan and are meant to be a dupe for Gardein’s Meatless Meatballs you can find in the freezer section of most grocery stores.
They’re super savory, meaty, hearty, and high protein. I highly recommend making them from scratch, but store-bought plant-based meatballs can be used in a pinch.
Tapioca Starch
This helps thicken the vegan cheese sauce and creates a stretchy texture. I also use tapioca starch in my Ultimate Vegan Mac & Cheese recipe and my homemade fresh vegan mozzarella. It can be subbed for all-purpose flour.
Dairy Free Milk
My favorite plant-based milk for savory recipes is plain, unsweetened soy milk. I prefer West Life for cooking because it only has a few ingredients and no flavorings.
Look out for dairy-free milks labeled as unsweetened that still have “natural flavor” listed on the ingredient list… they often have a slight vanilla flavor.
Marinara Sauce
Use your favorite store-bought pasta sauce. My favorites are by Carbone, Rao’s or Trader Joe’s.
Vegan Mozzarella or Parmesan
You only need a small amount of vegan cheese for the sauce. Adding it to the béchamel-style sauce helps keep it creamy and melty. It can be omitted, but be sure to increase the salt in the sauce slightly.
Vegan Hoagie Rolls
Look for vegan rolls that are about 6 inches long.
How to Make Vegan Meatball Subs
Exact ingredient quantities are in the recipe card below!
Prep the Homemade Vegan Meatballs
Prep the vegan meatballs according to this recipe.
Place the veggie meatballs on a baking sheet and bake for 20 mins., flipping halfway.
Then, pan-fry for 2–3 minutes per side until lightly browned.
Reduce the heat to low, add the marinara sauce, and stir to coat. Remove from heat and set aside.
Make The Dairy-free Cheese Sauce & Assemble
Next, melt the vegan butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in the tapioca starch.
Slowly pour in the dairy-free milk while whisking. Cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened.
Add the vegan mozzarella or parmesan, if using, and whisk until melted and creamy.
Spoon 2–3 tablespoons of marinara onto each hoagie roll, add vegan meatballs, top with more sauce to taste, and finish with the cheese sauce. Broil until toasted.
How to Serve the Subs
Once broiled and toasted, the subs are ready to eat! You can top them off with some fresh basil and sprinkle of black pepper. They’re best served right away.
The vegan meatballs can be made in advanced and frozen. To make this recipe weeknight friendly, I love making a double batch of the homemade vegan meatballs and freezing them!
They’d also be great served with one of the side salads below:
More Vegan Sandwiches to Try
Ultimate Vegan Meatball Subs
Rate this RecipeIngredients
- 1 recipe homemade vegan meatballs, or use store bought (makes 16 meatballs)
- 1 tbsp olive oil or cooking oil
- 24 oz high quality marinara sauce, like Carbone, Rao’s or Trader Joe’s Tomato Basil Marinara
- 4 Italian hoagie rolls
- Fresh basil, for garnish
Vegan Cheese Sauce:
- 4 tbsp salted vegan butter, 56g
- 2 tbsp tapioca starch, 18g – or 2 tbsp all purpose flour
- ¼ tsp table salt
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- ¾ cup unsweetened plain soy milk, 160g – or other dairy-free millk
- ¼ cup grated Vegan Mozzarella Cheese, 28g or Violife Vegan Parmesan – optional but recommended (if omitting, increase salt by 1/4 tsp)
Instructions
- Prepare the vegan meatballs according to this recipe. (Makes 16 meatballs.)1 recipe homemade vegan meatballs
- After baking, heat a large skillet with oil over medium-low heat. Add the meatballs and pan-fry for 2–3 minutes per side until lightly browned. If using store-bought, cook according to package instructions. Reduce the heat to low, add the marinara sauce, and stir to coat. Remove from heat and set aside.1 tbsp olive oil or cooking oil, 24 oz high quality marinara sauce
- Slice the hoagie rolls open and arrange them on a parchment or foil-lined baking sheet.4 Italian hoagie rolls
- Make the vegan cheese sauce. In a medium saucepan, melt the vegan butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in the tapioca starch, salt, and onion powder and cook for 1 minute.4 tbsp salted vegan butter, 2 tbsp tapioca starch, ¼ tsp table salt, ¼ tsp onion powder
- Slowly pour in the dairy-free milk while whisking. Cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened. Add the vegan mozzarella or parmesan, if using, and continue cooking over low heat until melted and the sauce is smooth, creamy and slightly stretchy. Remove from heat.¾ cup unsweetened plain soy milk, ¼ cup grated Vegan Mozzarella Cheese
- Spoon 2–3 tablespoons of marinara onto each hoagie roll. Add 3–4 meatballs per roll, then spoon more marinara on top as desired. Finish by spooning the cheese sauce over the meatballs.
- Broil on high for 3–5 minutes, or until the rolls are toasted and lightly browned. Watch closely, as they can brown quickly. Top with fresh basil and serve warm.Fresh basil
Recipe notes
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Makes me hungry just thinking about it!!!