This vegan meatloaf is a comforting main course that’s perfect for the a special occasion! Made with chickpeas, lots of vegetables, and a maple glaze, it’s hearty and savory, with a realistic and ‘meaty’ texture. Despite the impressive results, it’s very easy to make from scratch.
Vegan meatloaf ingredients
- Olive oil for cooking the vegetables.
- Onions and garlic. These are essential for adding richness to the flavors.
- The vegetables: scallions, celery and carrots. This will add a hint of chunkiness to the loaf.
- Mushrooms. I used ordinary button mushrooms. These are a great way to add heartiness and making the final result more realistic.
- The spices: cumin, paprika and garlic powder. Add a generous amount to make sure that the meatloaf is far from bland!
- Tomato paste. This is a great ingredient for enhancing the flavors of the vegetables.
- Chickpeas. The key ingredient for this loaf. For convenience, I use canned chickpeas. You can, however, also cook your own from scratch.
- Ground flaxseed. This acts as an egg replacement which will help the loaf stick together.
- Nutritional yeast. I love adding this to the mixture in order to add a hint of cheesiness and umami.
- Rolled oats. These help to make the loaf firm and ensure that it doesn’t fall apart. You can also use panko breadcrumbs, but I wouldn’t recommend using flour because this may give the meatloaf a texture like a loaf of bread!
- Soy sauce. This is a great ingredient for bringing everything together, adding greater complexity and richness.
- Apple cider vinegar. You can also use lemon juice to add a hint of tanginess.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
How to make a vegan chickpea meatloaf
Cook the vegetables
Start by heating the olive oil in a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, scallions, carrots, cumin, paprika and garlic powder. Cook for 5 minutes, until softened fully.
Next, add the mushrooms, celery and tomato paste. Cook for 5 minutes more, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms shrink down fully.
Prepare the chickpeas
Drain and rinse canned chickpeas, then add them to a saucepan with water and around ½ tsp baking soda. Simmer them for around 5 minutes, then drain and rinse once more. This will easily remove the skins, which is essential for giving the vegan meatloaf a firm texture.
Now lightly mash around ¾ of the chickpeas using a fork, but make sure to keep some of them whole to give the loaf a more complex texture.
Shape and bake the loaf
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees C/180 degrees F and generously grease a standard loaf tin with vegan butter or olive oil.
Next, add the cooked vegetables, chickpeas, ground flaxseed, nutritional yeast, oats, soy sauce and apple cider vinegar to a large mixing bowl. Mix together, and add salt and pepper to taste.
Now transfer the mixture to the loaf tin and press it down firmly. Bake for 30 minutes. When almost done, start preparing the glaze.
Make and add the glaze
To make the glaze, simply whisk together apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, maple syrup, ketchup and cornstarch. Next, line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Carefully remove the meatloaf from the oven and flip it onto the baking tray. Brush generously with the glaze on all sides, and return to the oven for 5-7 more minutes, until the glaze firms up.
Recipe
Equipment
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Skillet
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Saucepan
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Conventional oven
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Loaf tin
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Large mixing bowl
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Small mixing bowl
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Baking tray
Ingredients
For the loaf
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup scallions chopped
- 2 small carrots diced
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 5 oz chestnut mushrooms diced
- 1 cup celery chopped finely
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 2 cans chickpeas around 3 cups
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 3 tbsp ground flaxseed
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- ½ cup oats
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
For the glaze
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
Instructions
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Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, scallions, carrots, cumin, paprika and garlic powder. Cook for 5 minutes, until softened fully.1 tbsp olive oil, 1 large onion, 2 cloves garlic, ½ cup scallions, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp garlic powder, 2 small carrots
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Add the mushrooms, celery and tomato paste. Cook for 5 minutes more, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms shrink down fully.5 oz chestnut mushrooms, 1 cup celery, ¼ cup tomato paste
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Drain and rinse canned chickpeas, then add them to a saucepan with water and the baking soda. Simmer them for around 5 minutes, then drain and rinse once more. This will easily remove the skins.2 cans chickpeas, ½ tsp baking soda
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Lightly mash around ¾ of the chickpeas using a fork, but make sure to keep some of them whole.
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees C/180 degrees F and generously grease a standard loaf tin with vegan butter or olive oil.
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Add the cooked vegetables, chickpeas, nutritional yeast, oats, soy sauce and apple cider vinegar to a large mixing bowl. Mix together, and add salt and pepper to taste.3 tbsp nutritional yeast, ½ cup oats, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
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Transfer the mixture to the loaf tin and press it down firmly. Bake for 30 minutes. When almost done, start preparing the glaze.
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Make the glaze by whisking together apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, maple syrup, ketchup and cornstarch.2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp maple syrup, ¼ cup ketchup, 1 tbsp cornstarch
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Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Carefully remove the meatloaf from the oven and flip it onto the baking tray. Brush generously with the glaze on all sides, and return to the oven for 5-7 more minutes, until the glaze firms up.
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Allow the loaf to rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.