This Vegan Meatloaf is made with hearty black beans, earthy walnuts and savoury mushrooms. It's rich, meaty and flavourful, hearty and satisfying, and packed with protein and fibre. It's easily customisable and super easy to make! Perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas and everything else in between!
How to make this recipe
Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.
- Place the walnuts in a food processor.
- Pulse until you get a coarse powder.
- Transfer into a glass mixing bowl and set aside.
- Fry the onion and garlic for 5 minutes until softened.
- Add the mushrooms and fry for another 10 minutes until all the water from the mushrooms has been released and evaporated.
Tip: Don’t put a lid on otherwise the water won’t evaporate. You need to make sure all the water has gone from the mushrooms otherwise your meatloaf will be soggy.
- Add the cooked onion, garlic and mushrooms to the same food processor that you used for the walnuts (no need to wash it out) with all the other ingredients.
- Pulse until all ingredients are combined and you get a mixture that sticks together but still has some texture.
- Transfer this mixture to the bowl with the ground walnuts and mix well.
- Transfer into a one-pound loaf tin lined with greased baking paper.
- Bake in the oven for 45 minutes, until firm to the touch and top is slightly cracked.
Tip: Leave to cool slightly before removing from the tin and slicing.
How long does this Vegan Meatloaf keep for?
Meatloaf leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to a few days - reheat slices in a dry frying pan or in the oven.
Serving suggestions
Sauces:
- This onion gravy or this creamy gravy.
- Cranberry sauce.
- Ketchup.
- BBQ sauce.
- Potato Salad.
- Cauliflower Cheese.
- Potato Dauphinoise Gratin.
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes.
- Scalloped Potatoes.
- Scalloped Sweet Potato Gratin.
- Green Bean Casserole.
Substitutions you can make
- You can replace the walnuts with pecans, sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds.
- You can use any type of mushrooms you like: I used chestnut/button mushrooms.
- You can replace the black beans with white beans or green lentils.
- You can omit the nutritional yeast.
- You can replace the rosemary/thyme with any other herbs.
More vegan "meat" recipes
If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.
Watch how to make this recipe
Vegan Meatloaf (Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- 95 g (¾ cup) walnuts (or sub almonds, sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds)
- 1 tablespoon oil (coconut, olive, vegetable or rapeseed)
- 1 onion , diced
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 200 g (2 ⅔ cup) mushrooms , sliced (I used chestnut/button mushrooms but you can use any type)
- 800 g (28 oz) tinned black beans , drained and rinsed - 2 x 400g (14oz) tins (or sub green lentils or white beans)
- Few sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)
- Salt + pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Place the walnuts in a food processor and pulse until you get a coarse powder.
- Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Heat up the oil in a frying pan and add the onion and garlic once hot.
- Fry for 5 minutes until softened.
- Add the mushrooms and fry for another 10 minutes until all the water from the mushrooms has been released and evaporated - don’t put a lid on otherwise the water won’t evaporate. You need to make sure all the water has gone from the mushrooms otherwise your meatloaf will be soggy.
- Add the cooked onion, garlic and mushrooms to the same food processor that you used for the walnuts (no need to wash it out) with all the other ingredients.
- Pulse until all ingredients are combined and you get a mixture that sticks together but still has some texture.
- Transfer this mixture to the bowl with the ground walnuts and mix well.
- Transfer to a loaf tin lined with greased baking paper.
- Bake in the oven for 45 minutes, until firm to the touch and top is slightly cracked.
- Leave to cool slightly before removing from the tin and slicing.
- Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to a few days - reheat slices in a dry frying pan or in the oven.
Video
Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase any of these products, a small percentage will come to me with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog – thank you.
Diane Cheeseman
Could this be made with stick blender? I don't have good processor? Do have small chopper.
Also at what stage to I add the beans?
Rhian Williams
Yes should be ok either with a stick blender or a chopper. You add the beans along with the fried onion, garlic and mushrooms and all the other ingredients (other than the ground walnuts which you mix in after)!
Janet Paula
Even though I was just starting to prepare your meatloaf recipe, I reread it and noticed that it has no sauce. This would be my first time having meatloaf without any sauce. I wanted to know if I could serve it doused with my homemade tomato sauce, if need be, according to my taste? Do you think it would delete from or enhance the recipe?
Rhian Williams
Yes you can serve it with your home-made tomato sauce no problem! I serve this with gravy instead of putting a sauce on it. Sorry if it was unclear - I hope you'll enjoy it with your tomato sauce, sounds delicious!
cat
your recipe calls for black beans yet they are OMITTED IN THE ACTUAL RECIPE!!!! didI miss something????
Rhian Williams
Yes - if you read the recipe carefully, number 7 of the instructions says 'with all other ingredients', which includes the black beans.
Sandy
I used sunflower seeds instead of the walnuts, as you suggested...I did use the nutritional yeast. I made this in my Vita Mix blender because I don't have a food processor. I think it would have a bit more texture in the food processor and it would be perfect! Very tasty, thank you!
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much, so glad you liked it!
AG
Can I use dried organic blackbeans.IIf so how
and does it freeze .I am aiming to make several of your dishes for Christmas in the UK.
Thank you
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much! Yes this should freeze. You can cook the right amount of dried organic blackbeans so that the cooked weight comes to around 250g! Hope that helps!