This Vegan Meatloaf is incredibly easy to make & is sure to please with it’s deep & savoury flavour. Serve sliced & smothered in rich, thick gravy for a truly satisfying meal!
I have received a few emails over the past few months asking if I could come up with a Vegan Meatloaf recipe.
I think something people find hard when transitioning to veganism, is making alternatives to the quintessential family favourites like meatloaf, shepherd’s pie, spaghetti bolognese, pot roast etc.
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN MEATLOAF
Vegan versions of recipes like meatloaf can be just as tasty as their meat filled counterparts and don’t have to be complicated to make.
This Vegan Meatloaf is really straightforward to make.
All you have to do do is cook the lentils and chop the onions, garlic and mushrooms. I take the lazy way out and do that in my food processor so it’s super quick. I have this one and love it:
It holds 14 cups so all fits in. If you have a smaller one you might have to chop in batches but it will still be quicker than doing it by hand.
Then you mix that up with all of the other ingredients in a big bowl and press tightly into a loaf pan before baking. I can’t recommend these USA Loaf Pans enough:
This Vegan Meatloaf recipe can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for a few days before baking so is great if you like to batch cook or prepare food at the weekends ready for the week ahead.
Leftovers reheat perfectly too. It really is very family friendly.
This meatloaf is incredibly full of flavour and texture. The mushrooms give it amazing depth but not in an obviously mushroomy way. In fact, my husband who does not like mushrooms happily ate this two nights in a row and thoroughly enjoyed it. He was shocked when I told him that they were the main ingredient.
TASTY & NUTRITIOUS
As well as tasting good, this Vegan Meatloaf is really good for you.
It is totally oil free, gluten free and packs a massive protein punch with 10 grams per slice. (If anyone asks you where you get your protein from, please throw a slice of this in their face!).
HOW TO SERVE MY VEGAN MEATLOAF
I have included a recipe for a quick and tasty gravy to make as an accompaniment to this Vegan Meatloaf but if you have any of my Red Wine Vegan Gravy leftover from another meal that also works well.
A couple of thick, hearty slices make the perfect partner to crispy roast potatoes (have you tried my Healthy No Oil Crispy Roasted Potatoes? 😍)
or a huge, fluffy pile of mashed potatoes and some delicious steamed vegetables, all drizzled with gravy. I have also made it and smothered barbecue sauce all over the top before baking, then served it with more for drizzling. It works so well!
Comfort food at it’s best!
Leftovers are absolutely fantastic when stuffed inside the mushrooms in this Easy Vegan Mushroom Pie recipe instead of the caramelized onions. Seriously, seriously good! I highly recommend you try it!
They are also great sliced thinly in sandwiches or just reheated again and served with potatoes and gravy as before. I could easily eat this a few days in a row.
PLEASE NOTE
To make this Vegan Meatloaf, you need some already cooked red and green lentils. It is important that these lentils are not overcooked as otherwise they will make the meatloaf mushy. Cook them until just tender. I give some more specific instructions in the recipe notes.
IF YOU TRY MY VEGAN MEATLOAF LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK
If you give this recipe, or any other a try, please let me know what you think. You can leave your feedback in the comments section below the recipe or share your pictures on Instagram or Twitter. I am @avirtualvegan. Tag me on Instagram with #avirtualvegan so I don’t miss it.
Vegan Meatloaf with Gravy
Ingredients
For the vegan meatloaf
- 1 small onion , finely chopped, golf ball size
- 2 large cloves of garlic finely chopped
- 198g | 1 cup cooked red lentils (measured after cooked)- do not overcook the lentils. They should be just soft. Red Lentils don't take long to cook at all and if they are overcooked and soggy it will make the meatloaf soggy. For tips on cooking see recipe notes.
- 198g | 1 cup cooked green lentils (measured after cooked)- do not overcook the lentils or the meatloaf will end up soggy. They need to be just tender. For tips on cooking see recipe notes.
- 226g | 3 cups mushrooms , finely chopped (measured after chopping). White, button, cremini (brown) or portobello are all fine to use.
- 62g | 1/2 cup walnut pieces , To make nut-free you can sub the walnuts for half a cup of oats or half a cup of sunflower seeds
- 4 tablespoons | 1/4 cup ground flax seeds
- 45g | 1/2 cup oat , rice, spelt or wholewheat flour (see recipe note for how to make oat flour)
- 1 tablespoon Tamari (or coconut aminos , or soy sauce)
- 1 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoons pepper
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- up to 120mls | 1/2 cup water , you might not need any at all
For the gravy
- 2 medium onions , chopped
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons tamari
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot or cornstarch (or just regular all purpose flour)
- 480mls | 2 cups mushroom broth , or 2 cups of water and 3 mushrooms
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 370°.
- Make sure the onion, garlic & mushrooms are chopped finely. If you have a food processor you can do this in there with the regular blade.
- Put them in a large bowl then add all other meatloaf ingredients except the water.
- Mix very, very well together. There is a lot of it and it is hard to mix with a spoon so it's much easier to get your hands in there and squidge it all together well.
You need it so that it sticks together nicely when you squeeze it with your hands. If it does this easily then don't add any water. If it's still a little crumby and wont come together add water very gradually until it just starts coming together. I often need no water at all. Definitely don't add more water than it needs or it will make the loaf soggy.
- Lay a strip of parchment paper down the length of a loaf tin with enough length either end to act as handles for pulling the finished loaf out ( my tin is 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.75 inches. Any tin roughly that size will be fine)
- Spoon in the meatloaf mixture and pack down really tightly.
Bake in the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes. Keep an eye on it towards the end. You want it to go a bit crusty and brown on the top but not too dark. You can cover it with a piece of foil if it does start going too brown.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin, covered tightly in foil for at least 15 minutes but up to 30 is ok. Then remove and slice.
For the gravy
- Sauté the onion slowly over a low heat until a deep golden brown.
- Transfer to a blender with all of the other ingredients and blend until very smooth.
- Pour into a pan and stir over a medium heat until thickened and piping hot.
- If you prefer your gravy a little thinner just add some boiling water from a kettle and stir well until you get the consistency you like.
- Serve the meatloaf sliced and doused in gravy.
Recipe Notes
If you wish your loaf to be gluten free use gluten free certified oat flour. Oat flour can be easily made by just blending or processing rolled or quick oats until they are a fine powder.
This meatloaf can even be made ahead and stored in the fridge for a few days before baking so is great if you like to batch cook or prepare food at the weekends ready for the week ahead. Leftovers also reheat perfectly. I wrap them in foil and warm through in the oven.
A few readers have said that the leftovers are extra good if sliced then pan fried until golden. I haven't tried it but it sounds good!
Tips for cooking lentils:
- Don't soak them prior to cooking.
- Rinse in a sieve with fresh water to remove any dust or debris.
- Cook on a stovetop, using 3 cups of liquid (water, stock) to 1 cup of dry lentils. Be sure to use a large enough saucepan as the lentils will double or triple in size.
- Bring to a boil, cover tightly, reduce heat to low and simmer until they are tender.
- For whole lentils, cook time is usually about 15-20 minutes.
- For split red lentils, cook time is typically only about 5 minutes.
- Spoon a couple out and taste them to check done-ness periodically and as soon as they are ready, drain and leave to cool.
Any leftover cooked lentils will keep for 5-6 days in a sealed container in the fridge and they also freeze really well.
MEATLOAF CALORIES
GRAVY CALORIES
Vee says
Great flavor but felll apart and was too mushy in middle but crisp on outside. I didn’t even add additional water . Tips?
A Virtual Vegan says
It is supposed to be crisper on the outside and softer in the middle. It is quite fragile too but if you leave it to sit for 15-30 minutes before slicing it, it should hold together well enough to get slices. You do need to treat them gently though when transferring them to the plate. Is there a chance you overcooked the lentils? That would make it wetter than it should be. And did you use the full amount of ground flax and oat flour. They are really crucial to this recipe.
Karen Fernandez says
I made it for our church fellowship meal and it went over very well. I struggled with getting the mushrooms chopped small until I figured out that I just needed to chop about 5 or 6 baby portobellos at a time. Didn’t need to add water. Might play a little bit with the spices and try different mushrooms. The gravy was really good!
Jen says
What kind of mushrooms?
A Virtual Vegan says
White, brown (cremini) or portobello are all fine to use.
Franjan says
Needed some sage and addition of lemon pepper was good too. Just seemed like it needed a bit more of an earthy flavor. Perhaps even some rosemary would be good.
Karen says
Great reicipe, but where do you get mushroom broth?
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you. I buy it in cartons at the store. All of them sell it here. It’s made by Pacific Foods. I link to it in the recipe so you can see what it looks like. It’s a brand that is very common across Canada and the U.S. You don’t have to use it though. I give alternative instructions just in case you don’t have any to hand.
Karen says
That’s great! I didn’t see the link. Thank you so much!!
Julie Redmond says
This look just what I am looking for. Cannot wait to try it.
A Virtual Vegan says
Hope you enjoy it!
Julie Redmond says
Just had it for dinner. It was delicious, my daughter said better than meat. We are new to vegan.
A Virtual Vegan says
That’s so good to hear Julie! I’m thrilled you both enjoyed it. Thank you so much for coming back to leave feedback. It’s much appreciated!
Janet says
Made this tonight but added a roasted diced poblano pepper. I was out of thyme so I added chipotle chili powder, cumin and pepper. I don’t think I cooked it long enough but we ate it and I loved how the top was crunchy. I will definitely try this recipe again. I also made the gravy without the onion and it was great.