This vegan meatloaf is easy to make and super tasty! It has a deep & savoury flavour and comes with a great gravy recipe too!
By popular reader request, here is a fantastic vegan meatloaf recipe. It's a favourite in our house for sure and when I crave comfort food it really hits the spot, especially when served with a pile of creamy vegan mashed potatoes and my roasted red cabbage.
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.
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How to make vegan meatloaf
(For detailed measurements and instructions, see the printable recipe card).
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 it's done:
Step 1- 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.
Step 2- 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.
Step 3 - Make the really quick, super tasty vegan gravy while the vegan meatloaf is cooking.
Step 4 - Rest the meatloaf for a few minutes before slicing.
How to serve
I have included a recipe for a quick and tasty gravy to make as an accompaniment to this Vegan Meatloaf but you could make my vegan red wine gravy instead.
A couple of thick, hearty slices make the perfect partner to vegan yorkshire puddings, crispy roast potatoes or vegan mashed sweet potato. And some vegan green bean casserole on the side will take your meal right over the top!
Or a huge, fluffy pile of vegan 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!
Variation
Try skipping the gravy and serve the meatloaf with my homemade vegan BBQ sauce instead. Brush some on the top before baking and serve it on the side too.
What to do with leftovers
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.
How to make 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.
Planning your holiday 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.
I also have one for Christmas too!
DOWNLOAD MY CHRISTMAS DINNER MENU, SHOPPING LIST AND TIMELINE HERE!
Hungry for more?
If you love this recipe, you might also enjoy my Mushroom Lentil Loaf with Cranberries, my Vegan Roast, Vegan Beef and if you are gluten-free, my Gluten-Free Seitan Roast.
📖 Recipe
Vegan Meatloaf with Gravy
Author:
Ingredients
For the vegan meatloaf
- 1 small onion , finely chopped, golf ball size
- 2 large cloves of garlic finely chopped
- 198g / 1 cup cooked split 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 / ½ 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 / ¼ cup ground flax seeds
- 1 cup / 108 g bread crumbs , made from a stale loaf of bread, or use panko crumbs, or gluten-free breadcrumbs
- 90 g / 1 scant cup flour , all purpsoe, 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 / ½ 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 vegetable stock (I like to use mushroom stock) , (or blend 2 cups of water and 3 small 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
Nutritional information is provided for convenience & as a courtesy. The data is a computer generated estimate so should be used as a guide only.
This recipe was originally published on April 15th 2016 and updated with new photographs and a video on Sept 6th 2018.
Gerry says
Just made the vegan loaf and gravy, delicious! I reconstituted some dried gourmet mushrooms from a mix I bought at Costco and used the water from the soaking as the broth for the gravy. Wow! Lovely flavour. Highly recommend! Thanks so much.
A Virtual Vegan says
So pleased you enjoyed it Gerry! I've got a big container of those mushrooms from Costco. They are such good value and so tasty!
Julie Coon says
Just tried this tonight and found out you can also use the mixture to make tasty meatballs with. When you eat this cold in sandwiches, does it taste good with ketchup, just like real meatloaf does?
A Virtual Vegan says
Yes it makes great meatballs! I would imagine it goes well with ketchup in a sandwich. I've never tried it as I love mine with chutney and salad!
Jane says
Can this be enjoyable served cold? I have a function where they have requested cold meats and salads, but have vegans in their group...
A Virtual Vegan says
I sometimes eat leftovers in sandwiches, but I don't think that I would serve cold meatloaf at a function. This recipe might be better suited. It's very meat like and great sliced thin as an alternative to lunch meats. https://avirtualvegan.com/vegan-roast/ .
Shannon says
This looks so good! I was wondering if I could sub more green lentils instead of using the red lentils? Also, I'm not a fan of nutritional yeast, could I use something else in place of this in the gravy or omit? TIA!
A Virtual Vegan says
You can't sub the lentils. You must use the red ones here as they are what helps the loaf stick together. The nutritional yeast adds real depth of flavour in the gravy. There isn't anything that could replace it. I use it in lots of my recipes to add umami flavour. You could omit it but the gravy won't taste as good. Hope that helps!
Shannon Wagener says
I just made this tonight (as written!) and it was DELICIOUS!! Thank you so much for your excellent recipes, my 10 month old went bananas for this and my husband really liked it a lot too, adding to our dinner rotation!
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm really pleased you all enjoyed it Shannon. Thank you!
Peggy says
I always hated nutritional yeast until I read somewhere that it might be the flavour of the added b vitamins manufacturers fortify it with that I’m reacting to. Sure enough, when I managed to track down UNfortified yeast flakes, my response was much better. While I don’t hate it, I still usually halve what is called for in most recipes and then can find it is a positive not a negative. Hope this helps
thatgirl says
Made this last night to rave reviews!
We are vegetarian, so I used egg instead of flax for the loaf binder and gave it a little oomph with some thyme and smoked paprika.
The gravy is so easy to make, but to round out the big onion read, needs a little fat. Some pats of dairy or vegan butter added during the reduction time helps give it more a more silky read.
Thank you!
Jim says
Greetings - I am curious if you know if this recipe freezes well? Thanks, looks great!
A Virtual Vegan says
The gravy is absolutely fine to freeze, but I haven’t tried freezing the meatloaf so can’t say for sure how it would hold up. I have prepared it 2 days ahead though and kept it wrapped in the fridge then cooked it and it was fine. And I have cooked it once when my family were away and kept it in the fridge for a week after, reheating it slice by slice for myself and it was fine for all that time.
I think it would be ok if you freeze it uncooked but no guarantees as I haven't tried it. I’m thinking if I were going to freeze it though, I would probably do it after cooking (and once cooled). Then take it out and defrost in the fridge overnight and warm it through in a 350°F oven for 20-30 mins, or until piping hot. You’ll be able to stick a knife in the centre, pull it out and touch it to see how hot it is in the centre.
I hope that helps and sorry I can't be more specific.
Jim says
Thanks for the reply. I may do a trial run this weekend for a Christmas road trip. I’ll let you know how it goes
Eli says
Sooo delicious! I made this for a friendsgiving dinner because two of our guests were vegans. This got rave reviews from the vegans and everyone else as well! I used mung beans instead of green lentils because I couldn't find any at the store and it worked out wonderfully! My wife love it so much she asked me to make another one the very next day. I have a feeling this will become a staple in our house and I'm looking forward to trying out different variations with other nuts, seeds, legumes, seasoning, grains, etc. Thanks so much!!
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm really pleased you all enjoyed it. It's good to know it worked well with mung beans too!
Amelia says
I have to ask--what is the purple side on the pictured plate? Looks yummy! :)
A Virtual Vegan says
It's just steamed purple cabbage, also known as red cabbage depending where you are in the world!
Debbie says
I wanted to see if this recipe can be made without Garlic and Mushrooms? What substitutions can I make?
A Virtual Vegan says
The mushrooms and the garlic give so much flavour in this recipe. You could safely omit the garlic if you don't like it, but the mushrooms make up the majority of the substance of the loaf so I wouldn't recommend using anything else to replace them. Eggplant might work instead it's not something I've tested and I don't think the flavour would be good. It might end up soggy too. For optimum results I recommend following the recipe exactly.
Ashley Kern says
Hello! I love the recipe but wonder if I can use eggs instead of flax seeds? Thanks!
A Virtual Vegan says
The recipe has never been tested with eggs so I have no idea how it would turn out or how many you would need. Sorry!
Vanessa Mueller says
Would brown lentils work for this recipe?
A Virtual Vegan says
You could use brown lentils in place of the green ones, but you absolutely need to keep the red lentils in there as it's their texture that helps hold the whole thing together.
Syl says
Do you think it would work if I used mini silicone loaf pans? What would the baking time be?
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm not a fan of silicone pans for cakes etc as they don't cook as evenly and don't provide enough support, but with a meatloaf they should be ok. I can't give advice on timing as I've never tried it in mini pans and don't know exactly how big/small they are. It's a pretty forgiving recipe though. Just bake until they feel firm on top and are starting to crisp up and go golden on top. I would also stick a metal skewer into the middle and check it comes out piping hot.
Lynn says
This looks really good! I've gone back to being a vegan and am searching for new recipes :) I just need gluten free bread crumbs, lol. There's always another ingredient I need! I'll be back with a review once this has been made and gobbled up!
Audrey says
Hello :) what are your thoughts on using canned lentils?
A Virtual Vegan says
To be honest with you, I've never bought canned lentils so I have no idea what they are like, but as long as they aren't too soft they should be ok to use. If they are soggy they will make the whole meatloaf soggy though. They should ideally be just tender to work well in this recipe. Hope that helps!
Gudrun says
Yes they work great or frozen would also work
Frances says
Hi...I just finished putting together a double match together and I realized that I have prepared it 4 days in advance (I haven't cooked it yet). Can I freeze the uncooked loaves, or should I bake them and then freeze them. Will either one of those work, if not I'll be eating them all before Thanksgiving :)
(I have prepared and mixed the ingredients on Thursday [today] and my Thanksgiving meal is Monday).
Melanie McDonald says
Hi Frances. I haven't tried freezing this meatloaf myself so can't say for sure. I have prepared it 2 days ahead though and kept it wrapped in the fridge until the day, then cooked it and it was fine. Even more flavourful if anything. And I have cooked it once when my family were away and kept it in the fridge for a week after, reheating it slice by slice for myself and it was fine for all that time.
I'm kind of on the fence with it as it's 4 days. I think they should be ok uncooked in the fridge if well wrapped.
I think they would be ok if you freeze them uncooked too (although I can't say for sure as I haven't tried it). I'm thinking if I were going to freeze them though I would probably do it after cooking (and once they'd cooled). Then take them out on Sunday and defrost them in the fridge overnight. Then warm them through in a 350°F oven for 20-30 mins, or until piping hot. You'll be able to stick a knife in the centre, pull it out and touch it to see how hot they are in the centre.
So I'm on the fence but leaning towards just leaving them uncooked in the fridge. I'm pretty sure they will be fine.
I hope that helps. Sorry there's no definitive answer and happy thanksgiving!
TonieRenee says
I am interested how this turns out as well. Freezing causes things to lose moisture and cooking twice can also cause dryness. It would probably be fine to freeze in foil with shiny-side-in, and then bake with foil still on (the shin will allow for crisping/browning).
Please let us know what is done and the results.
Thanks
Frances says
Hi...I ended up baking the loaves the following day, and then reheating them 3 days later. They were all devoured and no leftovers. They were delicious.
Melanie McDonald says
I'm glad you managed to make it work and that you enjoyed them. Thanks for letting me know!