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!
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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 family favourites like meatloaf, shepherd’s pie, spaghetti bolognese, pot roast etc.
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN MEATLOAF
SEE MY VIDEO FOR A VISUAL GUIDE. FOR INGREDIENTS & FULL INSTRUCTIONS PLEASE SEE THE RECIPE CARD AT THE END OF THIS POST
Vegan versions of recipes like meatloaf can be just as tasty as non-vegan versions and don’t have to be complicated to make. This Vegan Meatloaf is really straightforward. Here’s how:
STEP 1
All you have to do do is chop the onions, garlic and mushrooms.
If you can I suggest taking the lazy way out and doing all the chopping in a food processor. It’s then super quick and easy.
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.
STEP 2
Then you mix the chopped mushrooms, onions and garlic 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:
I use mine for recipes like this and for making Whole Wheat Bread and other quick breads and nothing ever sticks, even with very minimal greasing (or none at all if I forget).
STEP 3
Bake the meatloaf and make the really quick, super tasty vegan gravy.
STEP 4
Rest the meatloaf for a few minutes before slicing and serve with whatever takes your fancy.
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? 😍)
And some Vegan Green Bean Casserole on the side will take your meal right over the top!
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!
PLANNING YOUR THANKSGIVING MEAL?
DOWNLOAD MY VEGAN THANKSGIVING DINNER MENU, SHOPPING LIST AND TIMELINE HERE!
It makes Thanksgiving effortless. All you have to do is print it out, shop from the shopping list, then make it the recipes while following my time line.
WHAT TO DO WITH LEFTOVER VEGAN MEATLOAF
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.
Leftovers reheat perfectly too. Just wrap individual slices or a wedge of it in lightly greased tin foil and bake in the oven.
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!).
CAN I PREPARE VEGAN MEATLOAF IN ADVANCE?
This Vegan Meatloaf recipe 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. At holiday time it’s always lovely to have things like this made up ahead so on the day you can enjoy more time with your family rather than in the kitchen.
You can also bake it, cool it and keep in the fridge, then reheat the whole thing in the pan wrapped in tin foil. That way you can bake it in advance then warm it through just when you need it.
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.
This recipe was originally published on April 15th 2016 and updated with new photographs and a video on Sept 6th 2018.
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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
- 1 cup / 108 g bread crumbs , made from a stale loaf of bread, or use panko crumbs
- 90 g | 1 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 , or soy sauce
- 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.
Notes
- 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.
Nutrition
Susan says
Am I crazy or have you changed this recipe since last year? The ingredients I have written down have half as much as flour and no bread crumbs. That seems like a pretty big change texture wise. How does this new version compare to the old one? Loved the original but happy to try this new one if it’s an improvement 🙂
A Virtual Vegan says
No you’re not crazy, I did amend it slight after making my Cranberry Lentil loaf which is based off the same recipe. I wanted it to be a little firmer and easier to slice. I think it’s better now and it’s had great feedback since. Let me know what you think if you try the newer version!
Shirley Six says
I do not like mushrooms at all! Can they be left out of the recipe or substituted? It seems like a substantial amount to just omit.
A Virtual Vegan says
The only thing that might work as a substitute is eggplant, as it has a similar texture, but I have never tried it so am not sure how it would be or how good it would taste. Anything else and you would be substantially changing the recipe and other things would need altering too.
Robin Kempner says
I am planning to make this recipe tomorrow. Can I used canned lentils instead of raw?
thank you
Robin
A Virtual Vegan says
I have never tried it with canned lentils. As long as they aren’t too mushy they should be ok. I’ve never seen canned red lentils anywhere though?
CCC says
I prepped this last night but realized I forgot to add the ground flax seed! Can I continue without it? Or should I try mixing it in with the (now firm) meatloaf mixture and re-loaf it?
Also, for the shopping list, bread crumbs weren’t included. They are listed for this recipe but not in the overall shopping list for the Thanksgiving meal plan.
A Virtual Vegan says
The flax seed is pretty crucial because it’s what firms it up. It will still taste fine without it but might not hold together perfectly or slice well. It might be hard work to stir it through now, but I think I would.
And thanks for pointing that out about the breadcrumbs. I have now added it tot he shopping list. You have no idea how many times I checked and re-checked that list, so scared I’d miss something. Thankfully it’s something most people tend to have at home anyway.
CCC says
Thank you! I will try to mix in the flax seed. Looking forward to the meal!
Maria says
Can vegetable broth be used instead of mushroom broth for gravy?
A Virtual Vegan says
Yes that’s fine. If you can get mushroom broth though it has a much better depth of flavour so makes slightly tastier gravy.
Nancy says
For the gravy, you wrote to use 2 cups of water and 3 mushrooms if one doesn’t have mushroom broth. Do you mean 3 mushrooms or 3 cups of mushrooms?
Thanks!
A Virtual Vegan says
Just 3 mushrooms, blended with the water.
Staci Evans says
Do you need to use red and green lentils or can you just use 2 cups of the same kind?!
A Virtual Vegan says
They both have different purposes in the recipe so I’d advise using both. The red ones help stick it together and the green ones provide texture.
Nancy says
Can this be microwaved for reheating or will it fall apart? I have to make ahead of time and won’t have access to an oven Thanksgiving day .
A Virtual Vegan says
I have never tried microwaving it. I only ever reheat it in the oven. I think it would probably be ok. Just be sure to let it rest for 10 minutes before you cut it. One great way of reheating it which everyone loves (if you aren’t bothered about being healthy!), is to cook it as directed, let it cool, then slice it and fry the slices in a pan until they go nice and golden and crusty. It’s so good like that!
Amy Santana says
i would really love to know what that beet looking side dish in the picture. is there a recipe for that?
A Virtual Vegan says
It’s just steamed red cabbage!
Matilda says
Melanie ,I cannot wait to cook this vegan meatloaf and gravy up and set down to a nice meal with it at as the main dish. It looks absolutely Scrumptious. Thank you for sharing your recipes.
Angela Mitchell says
Just made this for Canadian Thanksgiving and I was half expecting it to be bad, but it was amazing! So full of flavour, and lovely texture. And the gravy was just incredible! We used the water from soaking dried mushrooms to make the gravy. So delicious.
A Virtual Vegan says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Angela. Happy Thanksgiving and thank you for stopping by to leave feedback!