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Vegan Meatloaf

This vegan meatloaf recipe is moist, hearty, and nutritious. It has all the flavor and comfort of a traditional meatloaf, while being vegan and gluten-free.

Meatloaf is one of the most comforting foods that you can make during the winter. It’s comforting, hearty, and super filling, while being packed with winter flavors. But there’s one big problem with meatloaf: it’s usually made with meat, with a good amount of gluten, too. And so I set out to create a gluten-free, vegan meatloaf recipe that was just as tasty as a traditional meatloaf. 

This recipe hits the nail on the head. Nutritional yeast, tamari, mushrooms, and walnuts give the vegan meatloaf a meaty flavor, while lentils, flaxseed meal, and oats give it a meaty texture. It’s full of strong, cozy flavors and spices like fennel seeds, maple syrup, and hot sauce, and topped with a sweet, sour, and sticky glaze. This vegan meatloaf has everything you could want in a meatloaf recipe, and so much more.

Overhead view of the ingredients for vegan meatloaf, each in a separate bowl: lentils, mushrooms, bread crumbs, carrots, shallots, oil, walnuts, nutritional yeast, tomato paste, vinegar, maple syrup, tamari, ground mustard, oats, garlic, salt, pepper, flaxseed meal, hot sauce, oregano, basil, and fennel seeds

What You’ll Need

Here are all the ingredients needed for this gluten-free vegan meatloaf recipe. Be sure to check out the recipe card at the bottom of the article for the exact amounts of each ingredient.

For the Lentil Meatloaf:

  • Olive oil
  • Carrots
  • Mushrooms – You can use whatever type of mushrooms you like. I usually keep it simple with cremini or button mushrooms, but shiitake mushrooms will add even more meatiness to the dish. 
  • Shallot – If you don’t have a shallot, a red onion will work just fine. 
  • Garlic
  • Kosher salt
  • Ground flaxseed meal
  • Lentils – You want to use lentils that are already cooked. Green or brown lentils will both work fine. 
  • Gluten-free breadcrumbs
  • Walnuts
  • Oats – Be sure to use fast-cooking oats.
  • Nutritional yeast
  • Tomato paste
  • Gluten-free tamari – Tamari is very similar to soy sauce, but doesn’t have wheat. I like to use a low-sodium tamari.
  • Maple syrup – Be sure to use 100% real maple syrup.
  • Hot sauce – This is an optional ingredient, but I strongly recommend it.
  • Dried oregano
  • Dried basil – If you prefer, you can use Italian seasoning in place of the oregano and basil.
  • Fennel seeds – These are optional

For the Glaze:

  • Tomato paste
  • Apple cider vinegar
  • Maple syrup
  • Ground mustard
  • Gluten-free tamari
Close up of three slices of vegan meatloaf on a serving tray, next to the rest of the meatloaf and some parsley

How to Make Vegan Meatloaf

Here are the steps for making this fun, healthy, and hearty lentil meatloaf.

  • Prep. Preheat your oven to 350F, and line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
  • Cook the veggies. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the carrots, shallot, and mushrooms, and cook until the carrots are tender and the mushrooms have released all their liquid. This should take about 10 minutes.
Side by side with a pan full of uncooked carrots, shallots, and mushrooms, and a pan with those ingredients cooked in it, with a wooden spoon
  • Season. Add the garlic and some salt, then cook until the mixture becomes fragrant. This should take roughly a minute. 
  • Make a flax egg. Add some water to the flaxseed meal and let it sit for 10 minutes. The mixture should become fairly thick. 
  • Make the loaf. Add all of the cooked ingredients, the flax egg, some lentils, and the rest of the ingredients in the recipe to a food processor. Turn the food processor on, and process the mixture until it forms a cohesive dough. 
Side by side with a food processor filled with tomato paste, lentils, walnuts, yeast, bread crumbs, and seasonings, and a food processor with all of those ingredients blended together
  • Add the rest of the lentils. Pour the rest of the lentils in the food processor, and pulse until just combined. 
Side by side with a food processor full of vegan meatloaf dough, topped with some cooked lentils, next to a food processor with the lentils mixed in
  • Shape the meatloaf. Place the meatloaf dough in the loaf pan, and press down slightly, then smooth out the top. Let it sit for 15 minutes.
  • Make the glaze. Add all of the ingredients for the glaze into a bowl, and whisk together.
Side by side of a bowl with tomato paste, vinegar, maple syrup, mustard, and tamari in it, with a whisk, and a mixing bowl with those ingredients mixed together
  • Glaze the loaf. Pour or brush all of the glaze across the top of the meatloaf.
Side by side of an uncooked vegan meatloaf in a pan, and an uncooked vegan meatloaf in a pan with a brush painting glaze on the top of it
  • Bake. Place the meatloaf in the oven and bake for 45 minutes. After the meatloaf is done cooking, let it rest in the loaf pan for 10 minutes, then move it to a wire rack for at least 10 more minutes before serving. 
Side by side of an uncooked vegan meatloaf in a loaf pan, topped with glaze, and a cooked vegan meatloaf in a loaf pan, topped with glaze

Tips for Success

Here are some tricks and tips for making the best possible gluten-free vegan meatloaf.

  • Cook the lentils ahead of time. For the best results, I recommend cooking the lentils the day before, then straining them fully before placing them in the fridge. This will save you a lot of time when you make the meatloaf, and also help with the texture.
  • Make consistent cuts. When cutting the shallot, mushrooms, and especially carrots, try to be consistent. You want the pieces of each veggie to be cut to a similar size, so that they cook at the same time. It’s never fun to eat a meatloaf where some of the carrot pieces are still a little raw, while the rest have finished cooking. 
  • Let it properly rest. This vegan meatloaf is going to smell absolutely incredible when it’s baking in your oven. You’ll want to dive into it when you take it out, but have a little patience. By letting the meatloaf rest and cool for the proper amount of time, you allow it to absorb all the liquids, and firm up. 
Close up of three slices of vegan meatloaf, with the rest of the loaf behind it

Serving Suggestions

Since this is a rich and hearty dish, I like to serve it alongside a lighter salad, or some veggies. Here are a few of my favorite recipes to pair with this vegan meatloaf.

A plate with two slices of vegan meatloaf, and a fork taking a piece from one of the slices

How to Store and Reheat Vegan Meatloaf

This recipe can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 350F oven for 10 minutes, or in the microwave on 80% power in 30-second increments. 

Can This Recipe Be Frozen?

You can definitely freeze this recipe for an easy meal at any time. Store it in an airtight container, and freeze for up to 4 months. Reheat directly from the freezer in a 350F oven for 15 minutes. 

A vegan meatloaf on a serving tray topped with chopped parsley next to sprigs of parsley

Vegan Meatloaf

4.2 from 13 votes
This vegan meatloaf is hearty, comforting, and entirely gluten-free. It has a base of lentils and odds, and is topped with a sticky, sweet, and sour glaze.
author: Alyssa
yield: 10
A serving tray with half a vegan meatloaf on it, uncut, and three slices of vegan meatloaf, topped with parsley, with parsley on the serving tray
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 55 minutes
Total: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients
  

For the Meatloaf:

For the Glaze:

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a 9×5 loaf pan with parchment and set aside.
  • In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Sauté the carrots, mushrooms and shallot until carrots are tender, and the mushrooms have released their liquid, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and ½ teaspoon salt and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  • Meanwhile, combine the flaxseed meal with ⅓ cup of water and let sit for 10 minutes to gel.
  • Add the cooked vegetables, 1 cup lentils, flax egg, and remaining ingredients, including the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, to a food processor. Process until a dough starts to form, scraping down the sides as necessary so everything is fully incorproated. Some larger pieces of carrots are ok, it doesn’t have to be completely uniform. Pulse in the remaining ½ cup lentils.
  • Transfer dough to the prepared loaf pan, pressing it down with a wooden spoon or spatula. Smooth the top. Let the mixture sit in the loaf pan for 15 minutes to allow the liquids to absorb.
  • Whisk all glaze ingredients together then pour over the loaf.
  • Bake for 45 minutes, then cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing from the dish. Cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving. You can serve at room temperature or warm. Remaining slices can be frozen or kept in the fridge for 2 – 3 days.

Notes

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months. Reheat in the oven at 350F for 10 minutes if in the fridge, and for 15 minutes if in the freezer.

Nutrition

Calories: 211kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 602mg | Potassium: 530mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 2396IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 3mg
cuisine: American
course: Dinner

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98 comments on “Vegan Meatloaf”

  1. this was fantastic! i subbed homemade chickpea flour for the breadcrumbs and millet for the quinoa (both what I had on hand). doubled the tomato topping. My husband and I are not vegans but adding meatless dinners and we both loved it!

  2. Hi, thank you for the recipe. I’m on a low carb diet, so I am planning to substitute breadcrumbs with psyllium husk, and omit the maple syrup. Do you think that will work?

    1. Avatar photo
      Teagan Mosenthal

      You can definitely omit the syrup. I haven’t tried it with psyllium husk, but I think that should work! Let me know how it turns out!

  3. I’m planning on making this recipe this weekend and I see a lot of people had trouble with the meatloaf being mushy. Has anyone figured out something we can do to prevent it?

  4. Like many others, it’s not ‘setting’. I’m pretty experienced with veggie meatloaf. The taste is great! I’ll try again and NOT use the food prices, that might work. It’s been cooking about 50 minutes and still not set. I’ll take it out and pan fry some slices.

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  6. I made this for Thanksgiving, 2 recipes of it. I wish I had read the comments first. It tasted great, but like so many others, both of my loaves came out like mush! It definitely needed a lot more dry ingredients. We enjoyed the flavor but I was hoping to impress some non vegans and I think many did not even give it a try due to its mushy texture.

    1. I’m not sure why people are having this issue! Are you at altitude by chance? I’ll try to test this again this week and see if I can figure out what’s going on 🙂

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  8. I wish I noticed these comments before making the meatloaf tonight! Mine also turned to pudding.. but it tastes wonderful so we spread it on toasted sourdough with mashed potatoes too, haha. If anyone finds a way to firm it up, let us know!

    1. I’m so sorry it didn’t work for you! I’ve retested this multiple times so I’m not sure why some aren’t firming up!

  9. haven’t tried this yet, but wondering if you could do this with poultry seasoning instead of Italian seasoning for a more “thanksgiving” type flavor? If so, what amount would work best?

  10. I made this and it was amazing! My question is can I assemble the lOaf and freeze it and take it out to bake later? I want to pre make a bunch of these!

  11. I had the same experience as some others, with the loaf being quite soft in the middle. I let it cool and then sliced it. Once sliced, I tried both baking the slices to get a better crust and also pan frying. Both worked to firm up the slices.

  12. Hi there! Going to try this out and wondering if “ground mustard” is mustard (like from a jar) or mustard powder/ground mustard seed. Thanks!

      1. Nah any excuse to get out the spice grinder! I did have the same problem as some others with the not-quite-cooking-through and being a little mushy, but the taste was fantastic. Thanks!!

  13. Could you comment on how the lentils should look after you cook them? What is their texture? Firm/slightly mushy? How dry should they be? Totally dry, like sit in a strainer for a while? Thanks so much. I have a feeling that is where things are going wrong for others, and don’t want to have that happen. THANK YOU!

    1. I would say in between firm and mushy. You want them to be soft like other beans that you eat out of the can. No crunch to them, but not mushy 🙂

  14. This is the best tasting bean loaf Ive ever had, and I have been a vegetarian for 25 yrs. My problem with this recipe, like many others in this thread, is it Never firmed up. It went in as mush and came out as mush. I even cooked it twice as long. I am super bummed. Next time I will add breadcrumbs and use a heartier lentil instead of red. I am curious why it worked so well for some and not for others. Followed the recipe to a tee, with the exception of the miso.

    1. I’m not sure why others have had this problem 🙁 I’ve made this multiple times and not had that issue. I’ll make some notes in the recipe to add suggestions 🙂

  15. Hi, I recently saw a documentary called “What the Health?” on Netflix, and am seriously considering becoming a vegetarian…and even vegan so here I am looking for recipes to try. I love meat and esp eggs 🙁 I can’t believe how bad they are for you.. Anyway, is it possible for you to put up a youtube vid of how you made this? It’s just easier to follow nowadays when we see things made live.

    1. There is one on YouTube, yes! I’ll make sure to update the post with it 🙂 Another thing you might want to consider is my new program called Powered by Plants: https://www.simplyquinoa.com/powered-by-plants It’s all about teaching people how to transition to a plant-based diet!

  16. Hii Alyssa!

    I don’t know how you came up with this recipe…but the meatloaf was DELICIOUS!! So much flavour!
    The only difference that I did was I substituted the nutritional yeast for some shredded white cheese.

    One question, how do you get it out from the pan because mine is soft…do you turn the pan upside down?

    Thank you so much :))
    Jessy

  17. I made this last night for some guests that are open to vegan receipes, they loved it and I loved it!!! The texture was a little mushy but still able to slice out. Thank you so much!!!!

  18. Avatar photo
    Sarah Bromley

    Made this for me and my husband as part of our Sunday roast and have to say it was absolutely delicious. Will cut what’s left into portions and freeze for future dinners but it’s looking like it won’t get as far as the freezer as we keep attacking it. We had it with roast potatoes, broccoli and egg free Yorkshire puddings, it was amazing and well worth the effort to make. Will definitely be bookmarking this to make again.

  19. As a holistic nutrition coach, I’ve been following you for quite awhile and love all your recipes! I just made this last night, and I gotta say . . . it is absolutely awesome. The only thing different is that I baked it at 450 degrees in a convection oven — only b/c the oven was that temp for roasted veggies. It turned out great. This would also make great burgers… yum!

  20. The flavor was fabulous. However, like some others, mine did not firm up. Might add some whole wheat pastry flour or bread crumbs next time.

  21. Alyssa,
    First and foremost- Thank you so much for your website! I just found it and I am in love with the recipes!! Thank you for all your hard work and dedication. I am vegan and I’ve just transitioned my kids over to veganism and I am so going to make this recipe. It looks amazing. But, I have a child with nut allergies..is there anything I can substitute for the nuts? And also any substitutes for miso paste? Thank you so much!

    1. Excited to hear how you like it, Jennifer! I’m not 100% sure on the nut substitution as I haven’t personally tried it without nuts, but you could try sunflower seeds I think. And the miso? You could just leave that out, you just may want to add a touch more salt/tamari. Enjoy!

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    1. I had the same issue. I’ve made this twice now…second time I added more oatmeal, and although the flavour is there, it ends up just plopping out of the pan.

      1. Hmm not sure why that’s happening for you! I’ll whip this up again this week and let you know if I can troubleshoot for you! xo

  24. Omg. I never leave comments on blogs.. But damn. I made this exactly as written and it came out SO GOOD. Even my omnivore husband tried multiple bites and really liked it. I’m gonna add this to the regular meal rotation and will probably make 2 loaves at a time. Thank youuuuuuuu!

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  26. I had a hard time with this recipe. The flavor is great but it had a pudding consistency even after baking for twice the recommended time. Eventually I dumped it back in a bowl and added probably 2 cups cooked quinoa and a half cup extra oats and salvaged it. But it ended up taking me several hours in preparation and fixing it. Not worth it. I can’t understand how others were able to make this following the instructions and ingredients in the recipe. I’m not a novice cook and have experience with veggie meatloaf. Very mysterious.

    1. Hmmm I’m not sure what could have happened there? I’ve made this a bunch of times and never had any issues. Sorry about that!

    2. I am also neither new to cooking nor making meatless loaves and wasn’t successful with this recipe.

      The flavor was great but it never did set, and I cooked it for well over an hour *more* than the recipe suggests. The outside was fine but the inside, even at the ends, was a mushy pudding consistency. I couldn’t get it to firm up at all.

      My guess is that either my cooked lentils (which are left up to interpretation in the recipe) had more liquid than required (though they seem to form the majority of the glue for the loaf) or the listed 3/4 cup quinoa is a pre-cooked rather than post-cooked measurement, which really makes a difference.

      It’s good enough that I’ll try again and will post if I can get a different result.

  27. I made this for dinner last night as my first attempt at a meatless loaf. This was very delicious served with wild rice. I made no substitutions; but a few commenters stated that it didn’t hold together for them, so I added 1 cup of Italian bread crumbs and 3 tablespoons of aquafaba (replacing traditional egg) just in case. Leftovers tonight and putting this recipe in my rotation. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!

  28. Avatar photo
    Cynthia Notturno

    Fantastic and satisfying recipe.
    It was delicious and very tasty.

    I didn’t have any miso on hand – so I simply left that out of the recipe, but wonderful just the same!

    Thanks Alyssa!

  29. Hi,
    This recipe looks wonderful…

    I’ve never used miso or tamari. (We have to cut down sodium) But, I’d like to try this recipe. (Also, we have to be soy-free)

    I was thinking about buying South River miso… They have a chick pea and azuki miso. They also have a chick pea and azuki tamari. Which flavor miso and tamari would you recommend?

    Also, any substitutions for the miso and tamari? Or, any organic low sodium soy-free miso and tamari that you would recommend?

    Thanks 🙂

    1. I’m not sure about the low-sodium miso, but I LOVE their chickpea miso – it’s so yummy. You could also use coconut aminos to replace the tamari 🙂

  30. I made this and it was delicious. There were a lot of ingredients that I have never used before so it was somewhat intimidating but the picture made me want to give it a try. I’m glad I did because I will make it again for sure.

  31. I wasn’t aware that the lentils were brown and as it looked orange I used the orange variety. Turn out great anyway Thanks

    1. Oh great! I’m glad to know that variety works as well 🙂 Yes, lentils come in all sorts of colors: black, brown, green, red. Glad you enjoyed it! xo

  32. Avatar photo
    brittany crewe

    hey question – am I supposed to cook the lentils or quinoa before adding them to the food processor?

    1. I’m pretty sure you could just leave it out, but maybe try adding 1 tablespoon of flour and see how that goes. Chia meal would also be an option!

  33. Alyssa, here in Australia oats are not considered gluten-free. I think there’s too much potential cross-contamination and even organic ones are marked as containing gluten. Otherwise this recipe looks great. Do you think that quinoa flakes would work as a substitute?

    1. I used rolled, but you could do any! Since they’re getting ground up, I don’t think the type will really matter that much 🙂

  34. Avatar photo
    Emilie @ Emilie Eats

    I am so obsessed with this!!! I love bean loaves, so this is right up my alley. I’m loving that you added walnuts and quinoa (of course) for extra nutrition. Must try this soon!!

  35. Looks amazing — I will try this for SURE. By the way, not being a huge lentil person (yet), would you say all lentils are created equal? I know they come in different colors. I’m sure any would work in this recipe but do you personally have a fave? 🙂

    1. Nope – actually not all lentils are created equal. I used brown lentils in this recipe (will update the description) and those are definitely different than beluga and French. I think they will all still work, the consistency of the loaf might just be a teeny bit different 🙂 Enjoy!

    1. Hmmm you could probably do some more carrots and maybe some celery. I haven’t tested without the mushrooms, but I think as long as you have the volume right, you could really use any other type of veggie. Let me know what you end up trying! xo