This hearty vegan meatloaf is made from a base of seasoned chickpeas, veggies and savory seasonings, all topped with a flavorful maple glaze. It's not quite a classic meatloaf. It's better.
I had a hard time figuring out what to include in this vegan meatloaf recipe. Why is that, you ask? Well, it's been a loooooooong time since I had authentic meatloaf. In fact, I never even ate it that often as a kid.
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But I got so many requests for a killer vegan loaf over the years that I decided to just have at it. Since I had no idea where to start, I did what any vegan cook would do.
I used chickpeas.
As luck would have it, chickpea loaf is pretty awesome. Chickpeas are hearty and substantial. They work great as the base for all kinds of amazing vegan dishes, like chickpea burgers, chickpea stew, and chickpea chili. So it totally makes sense that they'd make a good loaf! In fact, they're perfect for taking the place of meat in a dish like this, particularly when blended up with all kinds of savory seasonings and veggies. Our loaf gets topped with a lightly smoky tomato maple glaze and everything comes together to create the most delicious of vegan comfort food flavor bombs.
I had to ask my husband if it tasted anything like normal meatloaf. He assured me that it was delicious, and about as much like traditional meatloaf as one of my veggie burgers is to a regular old burger. Perfect!
What Readers are Saying
From Jan: "What a great recipe to introduce vegan loaf to non-vegans. This is my second time making. Both times It turned out fantastic and my guests raved." ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
From Jayde: "Wow! Blown away with the texture I got from your brilliant recipe!!! I did change up the spices and doubled the glaze mix (Im a sauce lover) but I am so grateful I found your recipe Much love from Australia ❤" ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
From Sara: "One of my favorite meals! Thank you for sharing such a nice recipe!" ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ingredients You'll Need
- Chickpeas. The recipe calls for canned chickpeas, but you're welcome to cook them yourself. Try this method and make sure you've got about 3 ¾ cups of cooked chickpeas for the loaf.
- Onion.
- Celery.
- Carrots.
- Garlic.
- Panko breadcrumbs. Regular breadcrumbs work too — just check the ingredients to ensure they're vegan.
- Non-dairy milk. Look for varieties that are unflavored and unsweetened. Soy milk, almond milk and oat milk are all great options. Canned coconut milk is the only variety that I'd avoid using.
- Vegan Worcestershire sauce. Most brands of Worcestershire sauce contain anchovy paste, so be careful here. Annie's, Edward & Sons and Whole Foods are all anchovy-free. You can also use homemade vegan Worcestershire sauce.
- Soy sauce. Gluten-free tamari or liquid aminos can be substituted if needed.
- Olive oil. This adds some moisture to the loaf. Leave this out for an oil-free version.
- Ground flaxseeds. Look for these in the natural foods section of your store.
- Tomato paste.
- Liquid smoke. Look for this near where the barbecue sauce is sold at your supermarket. I know not everyone is a fan of liquid smoke, so feel free to leave it out if that's you. You could also substitute some smoked paprika.
- Salt & pepper.
- Maple syrup.
- Apple cider vinegar.
- Paprika.
Tip: For an alternative to the maple glaze, try topping your vegan meatloaf with my vegan gravy. It'll give it a whole new flavor profile!
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
- Place the ingredients for the loaf into a food processor bowl. This includes the chickpeas, diced onion, carrots and celery, minced garlic, breadcrumbs, milk, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, oil, flaxseed, tomato paste, liquid smoke, and black pepper.
Tip: If you have a very large food processor you can add everything at once. Otherwise you'll need to work in batches. I'm using an 11 cup model in the photos, and it's filled to capacity.
- Pulse everything in the food processor. Whatever you do, don't let it start running and walk away. Your mixture will turn to mush and you'll end up with a sad, mushy vegan meatloaf.
- Every so often you'll want to stop the machine, open the lid, and use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and redistribute the ingredients.
- Taste-test the mixture at this point and season it with some salt if you'd like. Feel free to adjust any other seasonings to your liking.
Tip: Make sure you don't overblend the mixture. Keep some texture and chunks of chickpeas and veggies.
- Lightly oil the inside of a loaf pan and line it with a strip of parchment paper to make your vegan meatloaf easier to remove when it's done baking.
- Transfer the chickpea mixture to the loaf pan. Press it in and smooth out the top with a spatula. Pop the loaf into the oven.
- Mix up the glaze by stirring together tomato paste, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce and paprika while your loaf bakes.
- After about 30 minutes, take the loaf out of the oven and cover the top with the glaze, then return it to the oven to finish baking.
Tip: I've made this loaf using a few different pans and had the best luck with a 9-inch glass Pyrex pan.
- Let your vegan meatloaf cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving it.
Tip: This loaf firms up as it sits, so consider making it well in advance if you'd like it to be really sturdy.
Leftovers & Storage
Vegan meatloaf will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 4 days, or in the freezer for about 3 months.
Leftovers can be heated in the microwave or popped in the oven for a few minutes. Oh, and they make an awesome sandwich!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Just use gluten-free vegan breadcrumbs, or substitute rolled oats. You'll also need to use gluten-free tamari in place of soy sauce, and make sure your Worcestershire sauce is gluten-free (Edward & Sons is).
Yes! I've heard from a lot of readers who did this with success. I skip the step to save time and because I find the loaf delicious without it.
You can! Just chop your veggies up very finely, and mash the chickpeas with a fork or potato masher.
Traditional, savory vegan side dishes go great with veggie loaf! Try vegan mashed potatoes and gravy, vegan green bean casserole, wild rice pilaf, and/or vegan cornbread.
More Vegan Comfort Food Recipes
Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
📖 Recipe
Classic Vegan Meatloaf
Ingredients
For the Chickpea Meatloaf
- 2 (14 ounce or 400 gram) cans chickpeas, (or 3 ⅓ cups cooked chickpeas) drained and rinsed
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 medium celery stalks, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup unflavored soy or almond milk
- 3 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (optional)
- 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
For the Maple Glaze
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
- 1 teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly oil a 9 inch loaf pan and arrange a strip of parchment paper width-wise along the center, with just a bit hanging over the sides.
- Working in batches if needed, place all the meatloaf ingredients except for salt into food processor bowl and pulse until the chickpeas are broken up and the ingredients are well mixed, stopping to scrape down the sides of bowl as needed. Do not overblend. If you're working in batches, transfer each batch to a large mixing bowl when complete and then mix by hand.
- Taste-test the mixture and season it with salt to taste.
- Press the mixture into prepared loaf pan and bake 30 minutes.
- While meatloaf bakes, stir the glaze ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Remove the loaf from the oven after 30 minutes and spoon glaze overtop of the loaf.
- Return the loaf to the oven and bake it another 20-25 minutes.
- Remove the loaf from the oven and allow it to cool at least 10 minutes before cutting. (See Note.)
Video
Notes
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This was so delicious. It’s hearty and satisfying. I can’t wait to make this again and serve it to my non-vegan/vegetarian family members! Unfortunately, I did not have the ingredients to make the glaze so I made my own concoction with what I had. I can’t wait to try the glaze next time. Also I pulsed the veggies and chickpeas individually then mixed it all in a bowl with the milk and breadcrumbs and that worked well too
This makes a spectacular sandwich, especially with a zingy condiment like mustard or a sharp cashew cheese. I don’t think I’ll eat it any other way in the future.
I never have had a problem with it setting up. I even added a shredded zucchini this time. I do sauté my vegetables for at least 5 minutes before adding them to the mix. I’m also halving the recipe so probably longer for the full recipe.
Tasted great and am also confused about the comments where people are saying it did not firm up. I don't have a food processor so I cooked the veggies in a pan (maybe taking the moisture out this way helped?) and mashed the chickpeas in a ziploc bag. Combined it all with about 1-1.5 tsp salt and packed it into the pan. Perfect. The glaze made plenty, although it's a little on the ketchup-y side for me (but great when it gets a tiny bit crisp from the oven!). In laws loved it, too. Makes at least 8 servings although it is pretty low in protein by itself so you may want to pair with something.
I think that I probably over-processed it is as it came out very mushy and sticky even after resting >30 mins. But even with that faux-pas there was really no flavor outside the top crust with the glaze. Not sure what this needs but a lot more seasoning.
I have been using this recipe for years. Now it has changed and is awful! It would not firm up and was just mush after an hour and a half of cooking and almost an hour of sitting out. The egg and the milk ingredients are absolutely not needed, and what I think ruined it.
Are you sure you're looking at the right recipe? This recipe has been the same since I first published it in 2015, and it doesn't contain any milk or egg ingredients, as it's vegan.
Please erase my comments if you are not going to give me a feedback. Thx
typos- sorry I was dictating
Finally diced - I meant finely diced
,y repertoire - my repertoire
Update
SUCCESS 🙌... delicious, firm enough to slice it beautifully. Tasty, the glaze was delicious.
Yes!, the veggies were a tiny bit crunchy, that preserves their nutritional value, but that was perfect because it adds texture and they were cooked and delicious. We ate it at all between my husband and I😱🫢. Definitely is taking the first place of ,y repertoire. Thank you 😊
Ok. I'm extremely confused 😕🤔. Some comments say " too mushy" others " too bland" what?. I followed the recipe and the meatloaf is looking amazing! I baked it in a similar loaf pan you used but ceramic, ideal for this type of recipes. I think people that are complaining about the texture did not really follow the recipe very well, over mixed it or did not bake it in the correct loaf pan. One thing I learned when cooking with chickpeas is that you have to drain them very well and if possible put them in the strainer in the refrigerator for a while until they are completely drained they actually firm up a little bit. We have no eaten the loaf yet. I made it for tomorrow. (I'll write a review after we eat it) but I added sage, thyme and salt because obviously I tasted the mix before I put it in the oven. Another thing I did, actually my husband helped me was to use my food processor but I noticed that that mix was being processed at the bottom and the top was still not fully processed. So what we did is put it in bowl and manually mix half of the very good processed mix with the other half and process it a little bit more in the food processor.
Another thing I don't understand is that some people are saying that the veggies were raw? how is that possible the meatloaf is in the oven for almost an hour or maybe a little bit more! veggies have to be finally diced. This loaf is looking perfect we can wait until we eat it tomorrow with mashed potatoes and green beans. This is my first time making of loaf, even though we've been vegans for almost 18 years and I cook a lot, homemade everyday. I'm pretty sure tomorrow is going to be firmer but It is right now I looks perfect I was able to take it out of that baking pan and put a back I was just checking the texture. I'll keep you posted...Thank you!
Did this recipe. It will be out in https://www.makepurethyheart.com
Currently cooling for 10mins, it looks meat loaf,
Your new profile pic looks beautiful
One of my favorite meals! Thank you for sharing suck a nice recipe!
I made it exactly as written, and it was delicious! Definitely will become part of the dinner rotation!
My husband loved this recipe but I couldn't get it to firm up. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated since we both agree the recipe is the best one we've tried so far but would like it to keep it's shape.
Glad you enjoyed it! Make sure you're not overblending the ingredients in the food processor. I can also help to try a different baking pan (I used a glass Pyrex pan) or a different brand of chickpeas, as some are mushier than others. Also make sure to let it sit for a few minutes before slicing. The longer it sits the more it firms up, so you could even make it a day ahead. I hope that helps!
Hi
I am going to try your végé meat filling to make a trad Québec tourtière. I’ll let you know.
Can I successfully double or triple this recipe?
You can, but you'll probably still need to blend it in batches. I can *just* fit one full batch's worth of ingredients in my 11 cup food processor.
Oh my gosh I loved this! What a fun recipe thank you. I don't like "glaze" on "meatloaf" so I amped up the loaf itself by adding sage and a few spoons of jarred horseradish -- something I always added to meatloaf in my pre-vegan days. Delish!! Oh, and I only had one container of cooked chickpeas in the freezer, so I made it with essentially one can chickpeas, one can cooked kidney beans. Best non meat "meatloaf" I'v ever had yay!
Great, great recipe, thanks for posting!
So easy, so quick, and great the next day or two as leftovers or in a meatloaf sandwich.
Some adjustments I made to enhance the results...
- 3 TBSP Ground Flax (I buy red flaxseed and freshly grind the seed.)
I premix the ground flax with the soy sauce to all the flax to expand, increasing the binding strength.
- 3 Cups of Breadcrumbs (Creates a bit drier and firmer loaf, adding more firmness for sandwiches.)
And finally the Glaze, triple the recipe. Original was too thin, 2x did the trick, 3x allows for glaze on the sandwiches the next day and the next day...
Great as leftovers for up to 3 days.
Just in the oven but tasted before I put it in and was delicious
Try a little vegan egg substitute to make the loaf a little more firm. I've had luck doing so with chickpea burgers recently - and am looking forward to this "meatloaf" as well.
I made this today for my (non-vegan) husband and myself. I baked it in a larger shallow dish for a little less time as I didn’t have one the right size, and topped it with ketchup as I had no maple syrup. We both loved it, and are looking forward to eating the leftovers during the week.
What a great recipe to introduce vegan loaf to non-vegans. This is my second time making. Both times It turned out fantastic and my guests raved.
What are your recommendations for reheating after making the day before serving?
So glad you enjoyed it! If you make the loaf a day ahead I'd just seal it up right in the baking dish using plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge. Then you can pop the entire thing in the oven at 375 the following day. I'm not sure how long you'll need to reheat it for, so my suggestion would be to use a thermometer to check the internal temperature.
Careful! Do not heat plastic wrap above 200°F. Use plastic wrap to store and aluminum foil to reheat, and I agree - oven reheating is the best!
Thanks! Yes, definitely unwrap it before heating. :)
This was the first recipe I made from your site. It was on Facebook. This is incredibly delicious. Growing up I was grossed out by meatloaf because of the ground meat. This was such a treat. I followed the recipe exactly and it was perfect.
Can this be frozen? Either before cooking or after?
Yup! I've frozen it after cooking and it was fine! I'm not sure how the raw veggies would hold up if you freeze it before cooking though.
I have made this many times! It is DELICIOUS ! Yes, it can be a bit soft when fresh out of the oven, but we were told it would stiffen up if aloud to sit. Please do not freeze it as I did once, it is not good. Thank you for such a yummy and easy recipe!