A classic tasting Vegan Meatloaf made with a base of chickpeas that is SO simple to make. This is NOT another mushy vegan loaf. It’s beautiful, savory, hearty and extremely comforting alongside some mashed potatoes and green beans.
*This recipe was originally posted 10/12/17. Updated 9/24/18 with more appetizing photos and slightly updated instructions.
Ah, the Vegan Meatloaf. Have you tried making one yet? You can find many different versions all over the internet, from lentil loaf to tofu loaf, and probably many more.
Some I’ve tried have been quite good, but often even if they taste good, they don’t look very appetizing. I wanted to come up with a Vegan Meatloaf recipe that had more “classic” meatloaf flavors and would also look beautiful. Chickpeas to the rescue!
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The one thing you never want is a super mushy loaf. And it’s pretty hard to avoid, actually. But through some trial and error, I have come up with a non-mushy, flavorful and beautiful loaf that would be just perfect as the main dish for Thanksgiving, Christmas or any other holiday.
I remember one Thanksgiving several years ago that I was super excited to make a popular blogger’s lentil loaf recipe. I wanted to impress our guests with how good vegan cooking can be! Well, the loaf sunk in the middle and was just a complete mushy mess. Ugh. So frustrating.
HOW DO YOU MAKE VEGAN MEATLOAF?
This Vegan Meatloaf is easy to make, and most of the time spent is hands off.
First, saute the vegetables in either water or olive oil for a few minutes, until the onion is translucent. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Mash the drained/rinsed chickpeas in a large bowl (I always use a potato masher, works great!).
Then simply add the cooked vegetables and all the remaining ingredients. Stir very well!
Press the mixture into a loaf pan evenly, cover with foil and cook for 30 minutes. Remove foil, add the ketchup- Worcestershire topping and put back in the oven for 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven, let cool a few minutes, slice and serve.
I hope you all enjoy this vegan meatloaf! It’s:
Hearty
Smoky
Fiber-rich
Beautiful
& so Affordable
You can also leave off the ketchup topping and serve with this Easy Vegan Gravy instead!
Want more savory vegan dishes? Try one of these!
Dairy Free Creamy Mashed Potatoes
Inspired by this recipe.
The Best Vegan Meatloaf
Ingredients
Vegetables for Sautéing
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil OR water for oil free
- 1 small onion, diced small
- 2 small carrots, diced small
- 2 celery stalks, diced small
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
For the Rest
- (2) 15 oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed (3 cups)
- 1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke, optional, but good
For the topping
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 1 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and lightly spray a 9 inch loaf pan with oil, or line the bottom with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Saute the onion, carrots, celery and garlic in the olive oil or water over medium heat for 5 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Add the chickpeas to a large bowl, and mash with a potato masher (or fork). You do not want them to be completely pasty or mushy, but well broken up. Alternatively, use a food processor, but be careful not to over blend them and make them totally mushy. Pulse a couple of times if using a food processor.
- Add the cooked veggies and all the remaining ingredients to the chickpeas. Stir with a large wooden spoon until very well combined.
- Press the loaf mixture in the prepared pan, pushing down evenly with your hand. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- In a small bowl, stir together the ketchup and Worcestershire sauce for the topping.
- After 30 minutes, remove the foil, spread the ketchup topping evenly on top of the loaf and bake for another 15 minutes, uncovered. Remove from the oven.
- Allow to sit for at least 15 minutes before slicing if you can, it will hold up better. Sprinkle with fresh parsley if desired before serving.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Chandra
We used all the ingredients but it still feels mushy can we increase the bread crumbs or what should we do?
Nora
Sure, add a little more breadcrumbs, some chickpeas are drier than others. It will dry out some bough as it cooks. Hope it works out!
Aubrey
So excited to try this! Do you think it would work in a muffin pan for my child’s lunch?
Nora
Yes that would be fun! They will not need to cook nearly as long though, maybe only 20-30 minutes.
Ashley
I made this recipe for the first time and was slightly disappointed as it came out mushy, but still tasted great! It wasn’t until a few days later that I realized I had completely forgotten the bread crumbs! Oops! I will definitely be making again and making sure to use bread crumbs the next time. ha!
Nora
Oh yeah, that would make for a mushy loaf! It will be much better with the bread crumbs! Thank you!
MJ
Made this today and it was DELICIOUS! I didn’t make the ketchup topping but made mashed potatoes and poured mushroom gravy over all! Yummy! I was thinking of putting leftovers in the freezer but that’s not happening! This is my breakfast, lunch and supper tomorrow!! Lol. Thanks for a great recipe!! Keep them coming!! 😊
Carol
Been a vegetarian for years but recently I’ve been trying some vegan dishes. Other vegan meatloaves were rather tasteless, have literally fallen out of the pan and looked very unappetizing in their crumbled state. After cooling in the pan for 15 minutes, your recipe came out intact and looked great. In trying to reduce some of the carbs, I substituted 1 cup of dried mushrooms (from Costco) through my food processor and added 1/4 cup of dried, minced onions. I also added 1 cup processed walnuts cuz of all the health benefits of walnuts. (I’ve been using walnuts and chickpeas processed together in lieu of commercial “burger” products.) After mixing all ingredients, it seemed a little dry so I added 3 Tbsp. water. It baked up well, sliced well, and tasted very good. Thanks for a tasty recipe that doesn’t require exotic ingredients. Hubby loved it.
Jessica M
Hi! Well I bet this would have been amazing if I hadn’t made one small mistake…apparently my liquid smoke bottle and vanilla extract bottle – kept in the same cabinet – look EXACTLY the same. Yup, I put the vanilla in and didn’t realize it. No surprise, but it didn’t work. Ha ha! My husband and I ate it but my two teens vetoed it after the first bite. Oh well, these things happen. I will try the recipe again someday! 😀
maria
I have made today this meatloaf and ist was perfect!
Thanks for the recipe!
Ruth
I made the vegan chickpea meatloaf and it’s the bomb! Chickpeas have so many uses. Thanks for the recipe!