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!
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!
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 1/2 cups 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. 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.
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
This is very good. I actually love it left over, its good in a bun as well.
I’m so glad! We like to make sandwiches with the leftovers as well.
Good favor very enjoyable with recipes like this one it’s easy to be vegan
Thanks so much!
I made it today and we loved it and it was great added some bell peppers. We are vegan and this meatloaf was so crisp with flax seeds and Panko bread crumbs. No more beyond meat meat loaf.
That’s so great!
This is really good! I used 1 cup of bread crumbs and mine seemed just SLIGHTLY dry. Not even enough to be mad at. I think it’s because the chickpeas had almost no moisture to start. Next time I might add a couple of tablespoons of vegetable broth or use 3/4 cup of bread crumbs if I get the same brand of chickpeas. I definitely want to make this again. I used a little more liquid smoke just because I love that stuff and it gave it just the smokey flavor I wanted. Mine held together with no problems and didn’t crumble apart or anything despite it needing a tad more moisture. I just went vegan 5 days ago for health reasons. I have digestion problems and meat/dairy makes it so much worse. I have tried 3 of your recipes and I just love this website. You make going vegan WAY more exciting than just roasting some vegetables or eating salads. Thanks for keeping it awesome!
You’re welcome!
Our daughter is allergic to nutritional yeast. Okay to leave out? Any substitute suggestions?
Thank you
Yes, you can leave it out, no worries! It will still be good. Thanks!
Can this be made ahead of time and reheated? I’m thinking about making it for the main dish for the vegans and vegetarians in my family for Canada’s thanksgiving, but if I could make ahead of prefer that to have less to do day-of.
Yes, you can make it ahead of time. I would just cover it with foil and reheat it in the oven until just warmed through. Maybe leave off the topping until you re-warm it. Another option is to prepare it, put in the loaf pan then refrigerate then. Then you would just need to bake it. Thanks, hope that helps!
Thank-you! I made it a day ahead & let it sit & it turned out great. My mom who isn’t vegan kept sneaking tastes of it too!
That’s great!
THE BEST vegan meatloaf I have ever had – and ever made!!!
I’ve made it for friends…..meat eater friends … and they LOVE IT
thank you Nora
Thank you so much! I’m happy everyone likes the loaf!
I made this today and it was absolutely delicious. I added a bell pepper to the veggie sautee and increased the onion a bit. I also added 2 eggs instead of flax to the mix (we are plant based and primarily vegan but do still eat eggs). I noticed this made it wetter than it probably should have been so increased the panko to 2 cups. It was perfect. Oh and I doubled the sauce recipe and added a bit of maple syrup to it. I let it rest for 15 minutes and then pulled it out of the loaf pan by the overhanging parchment. Perfectly formed and sliced with ease and plenty left for dinner tomorrow as well.
So amazing, Nora. Thank you
You’re welcome!
Very tasty. I had no flaxseed but was excellent without it!
It was so good! My husband doesn’t like regular meat loaf but we are becoming vegan and this vegan “meat” loaf just hit the spot. Kids really liked it too.
I had to use half chickpeas and half white kidney beans as I ran out of chickpeas, texture was perfect, taste amazing, and all in all a very big success in our house!
I’m so glad that I’ve found your blog! Being vegan is not easy and we need all the inspiration possible.
Next step is vegan cheese! Wish me luck?
That’s so great to hear! Thanks for the great comment!
Very nice recipe!! It makes great leftovers too!
After experimenting with varieties of vegan meatloaf for more than 25 years, I tried “The Best Vegan Meatloaf,” and the flavor was so tasty, I’ve discarded all my previous recipes. I’m now hooked and trying not to bake more than one at a time for me and my wife. Kudos on this recipe! Can I give it a 5.5 rating?
That’s great to hear!
Hi…can you use tomato paste in place of the ketchup?
Sure! Though it won’t taste very good as the topping I’m afraid.
Would panko bread crumbs work just as well?
Looking forward to trying this recipe! Thank you.
Yes, they work well here! Hope you enjoy it!
In the nutritional info, how big is 1 serving? And is it 2860 for the whole loaf because it say 286k calories? Or did you mean 286 calories per series? Thanks in advance!
It is for one serving or 1/6th of the loaf. Hope that helps!
I have made this over and over….even for non vegan friends…it’s a huge hit and everyone loves it…
Thanks!
You’re welcome!! I love to hear that!
This was incredible! One of the most delicious things I’ve ever cooked! I left the topping off and made your vegan gravy and a side of mashed potatoes and beans. Just beyond good!!! It tasted like the Swedish meatballs at ikea on steroids and cruelty free! Thank you Nora! All the way from New Zealand
You’re so welcome! Thanks for the great comment!
I’m eating it right now. It’s absolutely delicious! My whole family loves it. I’m the only vegan, and am so happy to have found you. Thank you ❤️
You’re welcome!!
I love meatloaf but my friend doesn’t eat meat so when I came across this recipe I became super excited . I tried this recipe today and it turnt out pretty good . The only changes I made was I added some Thyme , red,yellow and green bell peppers . I didn’t use nutritional yeast, Worcestershire sauce neither liquid smoke and it turnt out good . I do think I could have used a little more bread crumbs. Overall great recipe .
I was looking for a tofu loaf but found this recipe… SO GLAD I FOUND THIS ONE. The only changes I made were to add mushrooms, exchange 1 can chick peas for 1 can black beans, and exchange 1/2 cup bread crumbs for oatmeal. I have this recipe bookmark so it’s a keeper!
Thanks so much!!
How much mushrooms did you use?
Love this recipe! It’s a crowd pleaser every time. Thank you!
I’d like to try this recipe (not mushy sounds VERY good!), and I’d need to know if it uses dry or fresh breadcrumbs. I can’t tell from the video. Thank you!
I use dry, pantry bread crumbs, but you could probably use fresh or homemade.
I am not a fan of “eating” onions, however I can do onion powder OR can I mince the onions so they’re really, really freakin tiny?? If I do that, will I need a different amount of onion (more/less) or no? Thank you in advance, looking forward to trying this recipe….once I figure out the “onion issue”. LOL
Oh sure! You could just leave out the onion, or substitute 1 teaspoon of onion powder for flavor, no problem!
Can I prep this and put it in the loaf pan then cook the next day? Tastes delish when before cooking!
Yes, that is fine to do. Thank you, hope you enjoy it!
I made this just now. The flavor was absolutely delicious. I subbed one can of chickpeas for lentils, and added yellow orange and red peppers and purple onions. I also added crumbled white mushrooms…but some how mine came out mushy…maybe it needs to rest longer or maybe all the veggies made it more moist. I will try again because it’s gorgeous and looks just like a turkey meatloaf. Thank so much for the recipe. It’s so good! Maybe it will stiffen overnight in the fridge.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I think all the veggies plus lentils instead of chickpeas probably led it to be a bit mushy. But it probably will firm up overnight. Thank you!
This was fantastic!!! The whole family gave it 10 stars!
I did make a couple subs, black beans instead of garbanzo and Rolled oats instead of breadcrumbs.
I used 1.5 cups of oats and it could’ve used another 1/2 cup.
Not sure if that black beans are wetter than garbanzo beans since everyone was good with only 1 cup of breadcrumbs. I had to cook the loaf an additional 20 mins without the foil and topping sauce to firm it up more.
I also doubled the topping sauce because it was too delicious!
Thank you so much, I’m glad everyone enjoyed it! I do think black beans can be slightly more moist, though it really depends on the can or if they are homemade.
Hi..would you be able to give approximate measurements for the carrots, onion and celery? Thank you so much…this recipe sounds great.
The exact amounts are listed in the recipe card, hope that helps and you enjoy!