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    Home » Entrees

    The Best Vegan Meatloaf

    Published: Nov 23, 2020 Updated: Nov 22, 2021 by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links

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    Vegan Meatloaf

    This vegan meatloaf is the best ever. It’s hearty, satisfying, loaded with flavor and glazed with a sweet and spicy tomato sauce.

    Vegan meatloaf topped with a tomato glaze and fresh basil on a white plate.

    I can hardly even believe how good this vegan meatloaf is.

    Even before it’s cooked it’s so darn good. Don’t taste the mix before you cook it, you guys! You’ll just want to eat it just like that, and you can too.

    It’s all vegan and ‘pre-cooked’ so nothing bad would even happen if you did, but rather have patience because it gets even better when cooked.

    And if you like this recipe then also check out our vegan nut roast.

    Vegan meatloaf slices on a white plate.

    How To Make Vegan Meatloaf

    You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.

    • Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil until softened.
    Sautéed onions in a frying pan with a wooden spatula.
    • Mash up chickpeas with a fork or a potato masher, the object being to keep it quite chunky but not too chunky.
    Mashed chickpeas in a mixing bowl with a fork.
    • Add breadcrumbs, soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, dijon mustard, ground flaxseed, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, tomato paste and cayenne pepper to the chickpeas in the mixing bowl. Add the cooked onions and garlic.
    Ingredients for vegan meatloaf in a mixing bowl.
    • Mix it into a thick batter.
    Vegan meatloaf batter in a mixing bowl.
    • Transfer it to a parchment lined loaf pan and smooth it down.
    Vegan meatloaf smoothed down into a loaf pan.
    • Bake it at 375°F for 30 minutes covered with foil.
    • While it’s baking mix up your tomato glaze. Add tomato paste, brown sugar, maple syrup, garlic powder and paprika to a bowl and stir together.
    • When the meatloaf has baked for 30 minutes, remove the foil and spread the tomato glaze on top.
    Spreading tomato glaze over the top of vegan meatloaf.
    • Put it back in the oven to bake for another 15 minutes (uncovered) and voilá!
    Vegan meatloaf on a white plate with fresh chopped basil.

    Chef’s Tips

    Breadcrumbs. We used homemade breadcrumbs – and when I say ‘homemade’, I mean I put some sliced bread in the blender and made breadcrumbs. I used 4 slices of a regular pre-sliced thick cut sandwich bread for the breadcrumbs. It makes around 2 cups of homemade breadcrumbs. We just put the bread in the blender and pulse blend it to get breadcrumbs.

    If you use a store-bought version of breadcrumbs such as panko breadcrumbs instead then you will need much less, in the region of 1 cup. This is because store-bought breadcrumbs are more dry than freshly made breadcrumbs. So if you’re using store-bought breadcrumbs then use only as much as you need to get the consistency that you can see in our photos.

    Line your dish with parchment paper. It’s crucial to line your loaf pan with parchment paper, and not just line it, but have a parchment paper overhang so that you can lift the entire meatloaf out of the pan using the parchment paper.

    This is necessary because the meatloaf isn’t super firm when it comes out of the oven, and the glaze on top is still quite wet, so you can’t be tipping it over onto your wire cooling rack the way you would with a loaf of home baked bread.

    Let it cool for around 10 minutes after coming out of the oven, and then you just lift it right out with the parchment paper onto a wire cooling rack, let it cool for another 10 minutes and then serve.

    Meatloaf topped with tomato glaze and fresh basil on a white plate.

    How To Serve Vegan Meatloaf

    This meatloaf is wonderful served with some vegan mashed potatoes or vegan mashed sweet potatoes or vegan stuffing, or alongside a delicious salad like our vegan kale salad or roasted butternut squash salad.

    It doesn’t need gravy because it’s not at all dry, but if you do want to serve it with gravy, that would be awesome too. Especially if you’ve got some mashed potatoes on the side. 

    We have a wonderful vegan gravy recipe and a vegan mushroom gravy recipe, and either of those would be great. If you want to serve this with gravy you could forego the tomato glaze, but it’s so good I don’t recommend missing out on it. 

    Vegan meatloaf slices on a white plate.

    Make Ahead, Storing and Freezing

    Make Ahead: You can make this up to the point that you would bake it, then just cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days, and then bake it when you’re ready.

    Storing: Leftovers are amazing! So you will love love love having leftovers of this! Keep it in the fridge (covered) for 4-5 days. You can serve it cold or reheat it as you like.

    Freezing: It is freezer friendly for up to 3 months. Wrap it well and freeze. Thaw overnight in the fridge and then reheat in the oven until warmed through.

    Vegan meatloaf topped with a tomato glaze and fresh basil on a white plate.

    More Vegan Dinner Recipes

    1. Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese
    2. The Best Vegan Lasagna
    3. Vegan Moussaka
    4. Vegan Pasta Bake
    5. Vegan Risotto
    6. Vegan Shepherds Pie
    Vegan meatloaf topped with fresh basil on a white plate.

    Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!

    Slices of vegan meatloaf on a white plate.

    Vegan Meatloaf

    This vegan meatloaf is the best ever. It’s hearty, satisfying, loaded with flavor and glazed with a sweet and spicy tomato sauce.
    4.96 from 23 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 45 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour
    Servings: 10
    Calories: 164kcal
    Author: Alison Andrews

    Ingredients

    Vegan Meatloaf:

    • 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
    • 1 teaspoon Crushed Garlic
    • 1 Small Onion (100g) White, Yellow or Brown, finely chopped
    • 2 (15-ounce) Cans Chickpeas Drained (3 cups)
    • 4 Slices Brown or Whole Wheat Bread (160g) processed into breadcrumbs (see notes*)
    • 2 Tablespoons Dark Soy Sauce
    • 2 Tablespoons Sweet Chili Sauce
    • 1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
    • 2 Tablespoons Ground Flaxseed Meal
    • 2 Tablespoons Nutritional Yeast
    • 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
    • 3 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
    • ¼ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

    Tomato Glaze:

    • ¼ cup Tomato Paste (56g)
    • 1 Tablespoon Light Brown Sugar
    • ½ Tablespoon Maple Syrup
    • ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
    • ¼ teaspoon Salt
    • ¼ teaspoon Paprika

    For Serving:

    • Fresh Basil Optional
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Add the chopped onion and crushed garlic to a frying pan with the olive oil and sauté until the onions are softened.
    • Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray and line it with parchment paper so that the meatloaf can be easily lifted out. Set aside.
    • Drain the chickpeas and add to a mixing bowl. Mash with a fork or potato masher until roughly mashed.
    • Make your breadcrumbs by breaking up the 4 slices of bread and placing into a blender and pulse blending until it makes breadcrumbs (see notes*).
    • Add the breadcrumbs, soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, dijon mustard, flaxseed meal, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, tomato paste and cayenne pepper to the mixing bowl. Add in the cooked onions and garlic. Mix very well into a thick batter. Make sure everything is evenly mixed (it’s a very thick mix). Transfer this into the parchment lined loaf pan and smooth down with the back of a spoon.
    • Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
    • While the meatloaf is baking, mix the tomato paste, brown sugar, maple syrup, garlic powder, salt and paprika in a bowl and stir together.
    • When the meatloaf has baked for 30 minutes, remove it from the oven and remove the foil. Spread on the tomato glaze evenly and return it to the oven, (no foil, uncovered) to bake for a further 15 minutes.
    • Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before removing from the loaf pan by lifting the meatloaf out with the parchment paper. Let it cool for another 10 minutes. 
    • Slice and serve with fresh basil.

    Video

    Notes

    1. I used 4 slices of a regular pre-sliced thick cut sandwich bread for the breadcrumbs. This makes around 2 cups of homemade breadcrumbs. If you use a store-bought version of breadcrumbs such as panko breadcrumbs then you will only need only around 1 cup breadcrumbs since store-bought breadcrumbs are more dry than freshly made breadcrumbs. Use only as much as you need to get the meatloaf mix to the consistency that you see in our photos in the blog post above. Chickpeas can also vary in their moisture content, so being a little flexible with this is important.  
    2. The tomato glaze is so good that we sometimes double it and use all of it for a thicker tomato glaze topping! If you like it as much as we do, you might want to do the same.
    3. This recipe was first published in March 2018. It has been slightly updated with extra tips and notes. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Serve | Calories: 164kcal | Carbohydrates: 25.8g | Protein: 6.6g | Fat: 3.9g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Sodium: 504mg | Fiber: 5.3g | Sugar: 7.9g
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @lovingitvegan on Instagram and hashtag #lovingitvegan
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    About the Author

    Hi I'm Alison Andrews, I'm the voice and cook behind Loving It Vegan. I love making delicious vegan food and creating vegan versions of all your old favorites, so that you’ll never feel like you’re missing out. Find out more about me here.

    Loving It Vegan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This site may contain some of these links to Amazon.com. If you make a purchase through one of those links, Loving It Vegan will receive a small commission from the purchase at no additional cost to you.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Debra says

      December 01, 2021 at 4:00 am

      Could this be doubled? I am sure it could be otherwise I will need to make two.I actually made this for my son and daughter in law last for Christmas, even non vegan guests liked it.

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        December 01, 2021 at 12:10 pm

        Hi Debra, I think it would be better to make two because doubling it might result in a very long bake time that might also end up with the outsides getting burned before the inside is done.

        Reply
    2. Anthony says

      September 13, 2021 at 11:29 pm

      I would like to try this recipe, but without the paste. I also was wondering how I could lower the sodium content, as I’m a pretty good sized guy so I would need to eat like 3 servings or 4 to meet caloric needs. Also can I make it lower in fat? And can you use cooked chickpeas instead of canned? Thanks.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        September 14, 2021 at 11:39 am

        Hi Anthony, to lower sodium you could use a low sodium soy sauce. This is already a very low fat meal since the only fat added to the entire loaf is 1 tablespoon of olive oil, which you can replace with low sodium vegetable stock if you prefer. Cooked chickpeas are fine, you would use 3 cups.

        Reply
    3. Danielle says

      May 15, 2021 at 4:39 am

      I’ve only made this recipe once, but I was so excited to try it out because I love chickpeas except the meatloaf turned out dry and crumbly. It didn’t stick together well and I’m not sure why. I used 1 cup of storebought panko bread crumbs, could I have used too much to make it to be dry? Should I add something in? I followed everything by what the recipe says, except I used chili powder instead of cayenne pepper. Also, it took a lot of work using a fork to mash up the chickpeas! I wasn’t expecting that. Are the skins of the chickpeas supposed to be removed or is it okay to include the skin? Thank you for the help. I do hope to try it out again.

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        May 15, 2021 at 10:05 am

        Hi Danielle, it may just have been a little too much breadcrumbs. The best thing to do is use only as much as you need to get the consistency right (and you’ll see the consistency in our photos/video). The issue is that even different brands of canned chickpeas can have different moisture content, so some will be more dry than others. The breadcrumbs we used – homemade – are a lot more moist than regular breadcrumbs. So if you make it again, either make up fresh breadcrumbs like we did, or just go VERY slow in adding the dried breadcrumbs in and only as much as needed to get the right consistency. All the best!

        Reply
    4. Nicolette says

      April 23, 2021 at 6:56 pm

      Can you use cannelloni beans instead?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        April 24, 2021 at 10:22 am

        I think you could!

        Reply
    5. Joanna says

      April 11, 2021 at 4:36 pm

      This turned out fantastic! (As well as all of your other recipes I have tried).

      Any idea as to how this recipe would work with lentil / do you have a lentil meatloaf recipe in the works?

      Thanks!

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        April 12, 2021 at 11:43 am

        Hi Joanna! I do have a lentil loaf recipe on my ‘to-do’ list! I haven’t tested this particular recipe with lentils but if you were using canned lentils I think it may work as a swap. 🙂

        Reply
    6. Rachel says

      January 16, 2021 at 4:02 pm

      This looks great! My son has a flax allergy. Do you have a recommendation that might work for replacing it? Extra nutritional yeast? Wheat germ? Thank you!

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        January 16, 2021 at 4:23 pm

        You could replace it with extra nutritional yeast or even just leave it out. 🙂

        Reply
    7. Netsanet says

      December 10, 2020 at 1:13 am

      Thanks for this delicious recipe. Will certainly be making it regularly. Suitable for Christmas and festive occasions with the red topping and green herbs on top ( I used chopped green spring onion). Was glad that I took your advice to make a double quantity of the glaze.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        December 10, 2020 at 10:14 am

        So happy you enjoyed it! 🙂

        Reply
    8. Gina Caracci says

      November 27, 2020 at 10:04 pm

      When this came into my inbox, I was hesitant as I dont like chickpeas or hummus as much as I try to. but I have been craving meatloaf.
      So I made it last night. I made the mistake of putting the topping on before baking (It took me almost an hour and a half to assemble this so I was in a hurry to clean up) but I simply scraped it off and baked it. The suggestion of doubling the topping was spot on. It was very moist and the topping knocked it out of the park. I didnt have maple syrup so used regular pancake syrup and it was still yummy. Had three small pieces and I was stuffed!
      Love that I had all the ingredients other than the chickpeas (and maple) and will make again. I may add more seasonings next time but like to try recipes first before experimenting.

      Thank you!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        November 30, 2020 at 2:22 pm

        So happy to hear you enjoyed it Gina! Thanks so much for sharing and the wonderful review!

        Reply
    9. Anna says

      November 26, 2020 at 8:16 am

      This looks too good to miss! I’ll be trying this out tonight for sure!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        November 26, 2020 at 9:33 am

        Thanks Anna!

        Reply
    10. Nancy says

      November 23, 2020 at 5:45 pm

      Hi, Im so excited to try this! I miss meatloaf! Can I use eggs instead of flax seed? (Im vegetarian not vegan. ) if so, how many? Thanks

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        November 24, 2020 at 11:28 am

        Hi Nancy, honestly I’m not sure that would work well here. The ground flax seed isn’t really replacing an egg in this recipe, it’s just added in for texture and flavor. I really recommend you make it as is without any changes. All the best! 🙂

        Reply
    11. Miriam Attard says

      August 27, 2020 at 11:02 am

      10/10!!! So good!! Shall most definitely be making this again. Had it with roasted veggies as a delicious winter dinner.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        August 27, 2020 at 12:44 pm

        Thanks so much Miriam!

        Reply
    12. Dawn says

      August 10, 2020 at 12:28 pm

      I’m thinking of making this recipe into small meatloaf ‘muffin’ portion sizes. I’m hoping it’s a great idea for meal prep and make ahead freezer meals. Any idea what the cooking time would be for them?
      Looking forward to giving it a try ????

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        August 11, 2020 at 9:54 am

        Hi Dawn, that sounds like a great idea! I’m not sure of baking times but I would guess about 30 minutes.

        Reply
    13. Alan says

      April 08, 2020 at 7:57 am

      Hi, can this be frozen? I am guessing it can at step five, sub storing the mixture in the freezer. Thanks

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        April 08, 2020 at 10:39 am

        Hi Alan, it’s definitely freezer friendly once baked. It can be frozen up to 3 months. However, I haven’t tried freezing it before baking, but I am guessing it should also be fine to do that! Either thaw in fridge before baking or bake directly from frozen, allowing extra time to account for it being frozen.

        Reply
    14. Deb says

      March 08, 2020 at 4:21 am

      This is my second time making this meat loaf. I love it and so does my daughter. ????????????5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        March 08, 2020 at 11:40 am

        Yay! Thanks Deb!

        Reply
    15. Viola German says

      December 18, 2019 at 2:45 am

      Any substitute suggestions for Sweet Chili Sauce? Is it possible to omit?5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        December 18, 2019 at 9:30 am

        Hi Viola, yes you can omit it, or replace it with tomato sauce/ketchup or barbecue sauce or really any kind of sweet sauce. 🙂

        Reply
        • Deb says

          December 27, 2020 at 2:56 am

          Love this recipe at Christmas time.????

          Reply
          • Alison Andrews says

            December 28, 2020 at 10:18 am

            So happy to hear that! Thanks Deb!

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