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Slices of vegan meatloaf on a white plate.
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4.97 from 28 votes

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.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegan
Servings: 10
Calories: 164kcal

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:

For Serving:

  • Fresh Basil Optional

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