Vegan Meatloaf with Chickpeas and Lentils (gf)
This healthy vegan meatloaf is full of protein-rich lentils and chickpeas, tender wild rice, hearty oats and a mix of colorful veggies and fresh herbs. It’s a versatile holiday main dish, that’s perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas (or even a weeknight dinner).
For more tasty vegan recipes, check out our Christmas, Thanksgiving, lentil, and chickpea recipe roundups.
Vegan Meatloaf
Lentil loaf is an old school vegan recipe that still stands up to the test of time. It’s easy to make, nutritionally dense, and so tasty!
The great thing about lentil loaf is that there’s no one way to make it, so as long as you have lentils, grains, veggies, and seasoning, you can use any vegetables you have on hand, even if you’re following a recipe.
This vegan meatloaf offers a twist on the traditional lentil loaf with the addition of chickpeas, wild rice, and oats as the base. It’s bursting with flavor from sauteed onion and garlic, bits of sun dried tomatoes, and luscious fresh garden herbs.
Give this chickpea lentil meatloaf a try for dinner or save it for a special occasion!
Ingredients for Vegan Meatloaf
All of these ingredients are fresh whole foods that are easily accessible at any grocery store.
- Vegan Worcestershire sauce
How to make Vegan Meatloaf
Step 1:
Combine wild rice and 1 cup of the vegetable broth in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes.
Step 2:
Add lentils and remaining 2 cups vegetable broth and bring back to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 20-25 more minutes, until lentils and rice are tender. Set aside.
Step 3:
In the meantime, preheat the oven to 375°F and heat olive oil in a large pan on the stovetop over medium heat.
Step 4:
Add onion to the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes.
Step 5:
Add garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add celery, then cook for 5 more minutes, until tender.
Step 7:
Add shredded carrots and sun dried tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes, then remove the vegetable mixture from the heat and set aside.
Step 8:
Mash the chickpeas in a large mixing bowl. Add rice and lentil mixture, veggie mixture, walnuts, oats, oat flour, and mash until the mixture is uniform with the large chunks broken up.
Step 9:
Add tomato paste, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and all herbs and spices and stir to combine.
Step 10:
If the mixture is dry and crumbly, add more broth. If it’s too wet, add more oat flour to help it hold its shape.
Step 11:
Transfer mixture to an 8”x4” loaf pan sprayed with cooking oil or lined with parchment paper and press to shape the loaf and smooth out the top.
Step 12:
Cover and bake for 40 minutes or until firm.
Step 13:
Uncover and bake for 20 more minutes, or until firm.
Step 14:
Mix together ketchup, agave, and black pepper in a small bowl.
Step 15:
Uncover loaf and spread ketchup mixture on top and bake uncovered for an additional 10 minutes. Bake for 5-10 minutes longer if you prefer a set “glaze” on the top versus a sauce.
Step 16:
Let cool for 10-15 minutes to set, then slice and serve.
Vegan Meatloaf FAQ
There are many different ways to make vegan meatloaf using ingredients from lentils to seitan. If you prefer a healthy vegetable-forward meatloaf, try a recipe with lentils, rice, and veggies like this one, a nut loaf, or tofu meatloaf. If you prefer a meatier, hearty texture, try a recipe with seitan, TVP, or store bought vegan ground “beef”.
Lentils are healthy, full of fiber, and an excellent source of protein—one cup of dry lentils contains a whopping 45-50g of protein! This lentil loaf recipe contains 1 cup lentils as well as other protein-rich ingredients like chickpeas, walnuts, and wild rice so 1 serving (⅛ of the cooked loaf) contains approximately 10g protein.
It’s important to mash your lentils well before making your loaf so it holds together. You don’t want them too mashed so that they are paste like, but if they are not mashed enough, they will crumble. If you’re still having issues, you can try adding a binder or egg replacer to the mixture like JUST Egg or flax eggs.
Lentils are a delicious, heart-healthy ingredient to incorporate into your cooking. Not only are they low in fat and calories and high in fiber and protein, but they are also a good source of essential vitamins and minerals like B vitamins, folate, potassium, and iron.
Servings: 8
- ½ cup uncooked wild rice
- 3 cups vegetable broth divided
- 1 cup dry lentils
- ¾ cup cooked or canned chickpeas
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup diced celery
- ½ cup shredded carrots
- ⅓ cup sun dried tomatoes
- ⅓ cup chopped walnuts
- ½ cup oats
- ½-¾ cup oat flour
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon brown mustard
- 2 teaspoons vegan Worcestershire sauce or more soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage or 1 teaspoon dried
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Topping
- ½ cup ketchup
- 2 teaspoons agave
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Garnish
- Chopped fresh parsley
- Sprig of rosemary
-
Combine wild rice and 1 cup of the vegetable broth in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes.
-
Add lentils and remaining 2 cups vegetable broth and bring back to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 20-25 more minutes, until lentils and rice are tender. Set aside.
-
In the meantime, preheat the oven to 375°F and heat olive oil in a large pan on the stovetop over medium heat.
-
Add onion to the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes.
-
Add garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
-
Add celery, then cook for 5 more minutes, until tender.
-
Add shredded carrots and sun dried tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes, then remove the vegetable mixture from the heat and set aside.
-
Mash the chickpeas in a large mixing bowl.
-
Add rice and lentil mixture, veggie mixture, walnuts, oats, oat flour, and mash until the mixture is uniform with the large chunks broken up.
-
Add tomato paste, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and all herbs and spices and stir to combine.
-
If the mixture is dry and crumbly, add more broth. If it’s too wet, add more oat flour to help it hold its shape.
-
Transfer mixture to an 8”x4” loaf pan sprayed with cooking oil or lined with parchment paper and press to shape the loaf and smooth out the top.
-
Cover and bake for 40 minutes or until firm.
-
Uncover and bake for 20 more minutes, or until firm.
-
Mix together ketchup, agave, and black pepper in a small bowl.
-
Uncover loaf and spread ketchup mixture on top and bake uncovered for an additional 10 minutes. Bake for 5-10 minutes longer if you prefer a set “glaze” on the top versus a sauce.
-
Let cool for 10-15 minutes to set, then slice and serve.
- You can replace all or some of the fresh herbs in this dish with dried herbs, but it is recommended to use fresh if possible for the best flavor. To replace fresh herbs in any recipe, use ⅓ the amount of dried. For example, you can replace 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs with 1 teaspoon of dried herbs.
- You can replace the ketchup in the glaze with tomato paste if you don’t like the sweetness of ketchup.
- You can replace the wild rice with brown rice or another type of whole grain rice with a similar cooking time. Do not use white rice—it will cook too fast and alter the texture and taste of the recipe.
