Two Bean Meatless Meatloaf (Vegan, Gluten-Free)
My Mama's meatloaf is the stuff of legends.
Relegated to elementary lunchroom horror stories and sitcom fodder, meatloaf tends to get a bad wrap, but I promise you, my Mama's meatloaf will change the opinion of even the staunchest of meatloaf opponents.
That all being said, this isn't my Mama's meatloaf.
Because, well, the elimination diet doesn't allow for red meat. Let alone a full pound of ground cow. So this technically shouldn't be called "meatloaf" at all. It really should just be called "loaf". But that sounds disgusting. Who wants to just eat "loaf"?
So why did I wax on poetically about my Mama's meatloaf if I'm not going to make it for you? Because this vegan version of the American classic is adapted from the simplistic genius of Mama's recipe. I used two different types of beans, oats, and sunflower kernels to approximate the texture of the meatloaf and then filled it with all kinds of delicious flavors. The best part about Mama's meatloaf is the brown sugar molasses and ketchup glaze that goes over top of the meatloaf and gets all gooey and caramelized.
Is this a replacement for a nice, piping hot slice of meatloaf from my Mama's kitchen? No. But it's a pretty good vegan and gluten-free approximation. And completely delicious piled high next to a place of mashed potatoes and steamed green beans. I was really quite happy with the results of this one. The loaf held its form well, it was a little bit gooey and a little bit crumbly (just like "real" meatloaf). The real test of meatloaf? How's it hold up to the next-day sandwich test?
Well, I'd say it passed with flying colors.
Someday I'll share my Mama's recipe with you, but for now, you'll have to try your hand at the vegan version.
📖 Recipe
Two Bean Meatless Meatloaf
Ingredients
For the Glaze:
- ½ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 2 tablespoons mustard
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
For the meatloaf:
- 1 cup oats
- 1 small onion diced
- ½ large green pepper diced
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ cup sunflower kernels
- 1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 can pinto beans drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- In a small bowl, whisk together all glaze ingredients. Set aside.
- In a food processor, pulse the oats until chopped well, but not into a powder.
- Add onion, green pepper, garlic and sunflower kernels and pulse again until well combined.
- Add in chickpeas, pinto beans, chili powder, Worcestershire, salt and pepper. Pulse until beans are almost nearly pureed. Leave a little bit of texture.
- Spoon bean mixture into a greased loaf pan and even out.
- Pour glaze over bean mixture.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until glaze is caramelized and loaf is solid.
Nutrition
What are your favorite toppings for a meatloaf sandwich?
I like to go simple and just put on a whole crapton of mustard. Yum!
Want to save this recipe?
I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Hi Cassie, I am so excited to make this tomorrow, however Worcestershire sauce is not vegetarian (and also I am in India, so it'll be very hard to find), so I was wondering ... what do you think I can substitute it with? What would you put in to achieve a similar taste?
We actually have vegan brands of Worcestershire sauce here in the States! 🙂 The flavor of Worcestershire is pretty complex, but maybe some soy sauce or Liquid Smoke might do the trick. There are also recipes out there for making your own Worcestershire sauce, but they can be a bit complex (and require quite a few ingredients). Good luck!
Hi there if you look at the forks over knives website/app they actually have a recipe for vegan Worcester sauce - it's a great substitute and keeps for a few weeks in the fridge
Cassie, help!
I made this with homemade dried beans, and didn't completely dry them of the soaking and cooking liquid. My meatloaf is a gooey, mushy mess. Will cooking it longer help?
Hmmm, it might! The longer it cooks, the more liquid is cooked out. Good luck!
I've made this a few times now and absolutely love it. But I went to make it yesterday and didn't have sunflower seeds. Have you tried any other type of seeds/nuts? I had some chopped peanuts but I hesitated because I thought the flavor might be a bit much. Ideally I'd use sunflower seeds, but in a pinch what else do you think might work?
Great recipe, Cassie - my 3 year old who is vegan with lots of food allergies could actually eat this recipe without any alterations and loves it! So do I. Thanks.
Delicious, loved it. Thank you for this recipe!
Hey! Looks great, can you use black beans instead of pinto?
I don't see why not. They have a similar texture. 🙂
I tried black beans...and it was horrible!! we threw away the loaf it was bitter & soggy!! I was very dissapointed 🙁
This sounds great. Can it be prepared a day ahead of time and then cooked? Or maybe cooked a day ahead and then reheated? Or will that dry it out?
I cut out meat from my diet last January and have been loving experimenting with so many great veg recipes out there. I finally got around to making a meatless meatloaf last night for the first time and really liked it. It wasn't this recipe and it had some flaws, but now I can't wait to try some other meatless meatloaf recipes. This one looks really great, especially the glaze! Will be adding this to my list of recipes to make pronto!
Awesome! Let me know how you like it. The glaze is definitely my favorite part. 🙂
This is awesome! Tried it exactly as you created it the first time and then played with it a little the second time. Delish both ways! We've always been vegetarian and my kids (13 & 11) asked for it the second time! Thanks so much.
xoxo
Awesome! So glad you liked it. And I love hearing when kids like stuff! I need a "kid approved" stamp.
thank you for posting this recipe, i made it for dinner this evening and it was delicious and healthy too! my husband loved meat loaf before we went vegetarian so i was hoping to find a good recipe so he could enjoy it again. he liked it a lot 🙂
A great "meatless" idea! I have been missing "the loaf" and didn't even realize it. I went "BBQ" with my spices and it turned out fantastic, with such a nice texture. Thank you so much!
Awesome! So glad you liked it. 🙂
I'm back to tell you what a huge success your meatless meatloaf recipe was at our house. Even my 89 year old MIL loved it! Thanks so much for posting. 🙂
why is the molasses listed twice on the glaze? is it really 4T of molasses? or should it just be 2?
Nope, just a mistake! Thanks for catching it. It was supposed to be mustard. Fixed. 🙂
Looks fantastic! I've already got a meatless meatloaf recipe that I love, but it's very carb-y. I could never eat it on a sandwich. 🙁 But, this looks more substantial, protein packed, and delicious!
It's a little carb-y, still, but delicious on a sandwich. 🙂
Yes! My daughter and my husband both decided to be vegetarian. It is not a phase anymore...and I know the hubby misses meatloaf. I mastered the veggie burger, but a meatloaf recipe seemed daunting. Thanks--I'll be giving it a try this week.
Let me know how you like it! 🙂
Hi Cathy, I will be trying this recipe to night but I would be very interested in learning your veggie burger recipe. Its the one of the recipes I have not mastered! Thank you!
Hi Jessica! I make black bean burgers. My recipe is here. Good luck!
I am so so excited to try this! Thanks for such a great recipe!
Hope you like it!
Regular oats or quick cooking oats?
I used regular rolled oats, but it doesn't really matter because they are going to get chopped up in the food processor anyway. And quick cooking oats are just chopped up rolled oats. 🙂
Oh my word this looks delicious. I am definitely trying this on Sunday. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
Mayo and cheese are my topping choices for meatloaf sandwiches.
Let me know how you like it!
I made this tonight for dinner, and it was so good. I can't wait to eat some of the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
So glad you liked it! 🙂
Thank you a thousand times for sharing your meatless meatloaf recipe! I am a vegetarian but occasionally have cravings for meatloaf. It's one of the few red meat dishes I miss! I've tried various meat-free versions but they were just so-so. Yours looks fantastic and I love that it includes ingredients I actually have around!
I'll be trying this out soon!
Hope you like it Rachel! 🙂
Worcestershire is not usually vegetarian. FYI
you can get vegetarian Worcestershire sauce in a health food store. But it is true that most grocery store brands are not vegetarian.
Holy cow, that looks delicious.
It was pretty delicious!
I Cooked It For The First Time With My Sister And It Came Out AMAZING! Nice Recipe.
I just tried to make it and it won't cook. It is mushy and it has cooked for over an hour