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.

vegan meatloaf on a wooden board with parsley

*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!

close up of ketchup topping on top of the vegan meatloaf

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.

vegan meatloaf collage of sauteing vegetables and mixing

vegan meatloaf collage of making the loaf

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!

close up photo from side of vegan meatloaf

Want more savory vegan dishes? Try one of these!

The Best Vegan Lasagna

Easy Vegan Gravy

Vegan Baked Ziti

Inspired by this recipe.

vegan meatloaf on a wooden board with parsley
4.88 stars (258 ratings)

The Best Vegan Meatloaf

A classic style vegan meatloaf recipe made with a base of chickpeas. Unlike some vegan loaf recipes, this one is not mushy. It has a slight smoky flavor and makes for a beautiful centerpiece dish for any holiday or Sunday family dinner.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 50 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients 
 

Vegetables for Sautรฉing

  • 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

For the topping

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. I have found 1 cup of breadcrumbs to be enough, but if the mixture seems really moist, add an extra 1/2 cup. Stir with a large wooden spoon until very well combined.ย 
  • 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.

Video

Notes

  1. You may substitute gluten-free or whole wheat breadcrumbs if desired. The amount needed depends on how moist or dry your chickpeas are. I have found this varies depending on the brand. Use 1 to 1 1/2 cups.
  2. Make sure to find vegan Worcestershire sauce. Most have anchovies in the ingredients. Annie's brand has a good one you can find at most natural food stores. You can also order it online.
  3. Find liquid smoke near barbecue sauce in most grocery stores. You can leave it out, but it adds a great "smoky" flavor. One bottle will last you a long time.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 286kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 843mg | Potassium: 600mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 3598IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 110mg | Iron: 4mg
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Author: Nora Taylor
Did you make this recipe?Mention @nora_cooks_vegan_ or tag #noracooks!

 

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Comments

  1. ALL FOUR of kids and the hubby gobbled this one up! They had thirds! ย  A win for the entire family. Served it with vegan garlic mashed potatoes and a big salad. It was DELISH! ย Thank you!

  2. Hi Nora!
    I just recently found your blog! Tks a million for this delicious vegan meatloaf. I made it tonight for Father’s day dinner! Finally got to try it, wonderful! Easier to use my food processor for quick mashing of the garbanzo beans. It was so flavorful. Its best to place parchment paper in, so easy to pull it out & cool down! Thanks again! Blessings to you!

  3. I’ve been waiting to try a “no” meatloaf, avoiding those made with lentils. Tried this one tonight and even my husband who’s still consuming a little meat here and there loved it. We both had a second helping. Served it with vegan gravy. Followed the recipe except used only 1 cup of breadcrumbs and 1/4 tsp liquid smoke. We loved the edges which were firmer, so I might try using a muffin tin in the future. I’ll definitely make this again!

  4. I made this meatloaf earlier this week and had it with garlic mashed potatoes and veg. Delicious!! It reheated really well too.

  5. made this yesterday. ย Although I didn’t have celery sticks in, I did have some soffrito (onion, celery and carrot) that I’d prepared and frozen earlier so used this with some garlic granules. ย didn’t have liquid smoke so used a 1/4 tsp of chipotle flakes. ย UK used Henderson’s relish, a delicious vegan version of Worcestershire sauce from Sheffield.

    Result – it was absolutely delicious; and this has moved into one of my favourite recipes to cook and cook again. ย Thank you for sharing this recipe with everyone.

  6. My husband and loved this recipe, although I didn’t have the liquid smoke it was still very good.

  7. I made this last night and it was amazing! I didn’t have any celery or nutritional yeast so I replaced them with bell peppers and and parmesan. I also topped it with a sweet and spicy bbq sauce. Thank you so much for sharing!

  8. Delicious! Delicious! Delicious!!! I used BBQ sauce instead of ketchup and my roommate and I were blown away by the taste. ๐Ÿ™‚

    1. I have frozen a whole loaf before, after it was cooked. I just wrap it up well, or freeze in the pan, covered well. You could also freeze leftover slices.

  9. I canโ€™t find liquid smoke near me but it amazing just without it. I have made this 3 times in the last 2 weeks. My 13 month loves it and his non vegan mother as well, Thanks again NorA! Iโ€™ll say yours is the first place I check when Iโ€™m looking for ideas/ recipesย 

  10. I’m planning to make this meatloaf. Sounds delicious. My question: Would it work to grate the carrots rather than chop?

  11. I made this meatloaf for the first time yesterday and it was absolutely wonderful; delicious, very tasty and it even looked pretty. I followed the directions as written. I found that 1 cup of bread crumbs was sufficient. I waited about 30-40 minutes before cutting and I was able to cut nice clean slices. The meatloaf is good warm or cold. This recipe is definitely a “keeper”. The only variation I will make next time will be to make more glaze as it was extremely tasty. For those people looking for flax seed I found it at a health food store.

  12. My family devoured this! It just satisfied the vegetarians and the senior citizens in the household (who are meat eaters) but need soft foods now. Thank you for making an all American classic into a vegetarian favorite. There were no leftovers!

  13. This turned out great without the nutritional yeast. ย I couldnโ€™t find it anywhere! Just curious, what is the purpose of the nutritional yeast?ย 

  14. Will it make a lot of difference to the recipe if I skip the nutritional yeast? I have the ingredients except this.

  15. Turn out really good, thank you!
    I used low sosium garbanzos and no oil. Also replaced the celery for 1 yellow bell pepper, and the breadcrumbs for old fashion oats.
    Havevtonuse what i have already! ๐Ÿ™‚

  16. I made this day before yesterday. I did make some changes like making it half chick peas and half lentils (mix of red and green). It came out pretty good. I’m going to definitely make it again, probably following this recipe more closely. Thank you! It was a wholesome, healthy recipe.

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