Vegan Meatloaf Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is vegan meatloaf made of? ›

This Vegan Gluten-Free Meatloaf takes Meat-free Monday to a whole new delicious level! It's filled with so many healthy plant-based ingredients, such as lentils, mushrooms, chickpeas, onion, garlic, flax, oats, and seasonings, it's the best comforting, nourishing dinner everyone will enjoy!

In meatloaf, this is most commonly the eggs and breadcrumbs. Your binding ingredient is only second to the meat itself in your recipe and the reason why meatloaf crumbles. When this happens, it's because you didn't use enough. Next time, try adding in an extra egg and/or some more breadcrumbs.

Milk adds richness and moisture, while the bread helps keep the meatloaf texture softer. So, omitting milk would omit some creaminess and moisture. Those can be easily subbed out by many other ingredients like chicken stock, cream, butter, etc.

In essence, it boils down to a few simple steps: Combine ground meat, eggs, breadcrumbs, and other flavorful ingredients of your choice. Put this mixture in a lightly greased loaf pan and bake it until it's cooked through.

This often means the use of copious seasonings and spices, yeast extracts, enhancers like nut-based sauces and mushrooms, and coconut oil. Due to various ingredients and processes used, some brands of plant-based meat have actually accomplished the flavor of real meat…

The most popular base ingredients in making vegan meatloaf are lentils, beans, quinoa, tofu, brown rice, and tempeh. How long does vegan meatloaf last? Store the loaf in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Or, freeze the meatloaf whole or in individual slices.

Most recipes require bread crumbs soaked in moisture as the binder to improve the quality of your meatloaf, but there are plenty of other options. In fact, many people consider using Panko instead because it is light and airy and helps the meat crisp as it cooks.

Use high-fat meat.

For a meatloaf made with a leaner beef or turkey, consider mixing in some ground pork and/or veal in order to achieve a moist, tender meatloaf. Chopping up bacon and adding it to the mix is always a great way to add fat. Oh, and covering it in bacon never hurts, either.

For an average meat loaf, use 1/2 to 3/4 cup fresh, soft bread crumbs to every pound of meat. When using fine, dry crumbs, use half as much. Other Ingredients: Eggs bind the mixture, add flavor and increase browning, but too much egg will make a meat loaf tough and rubbery.

What if I don't have brown sugar for meatloaf? ›

A combination of white sugar and molasses is your best bet for a brown sugar substitute, as that's exactly what brown sugar is made of (1). To make your own light brown sugar, mix 1 cup, or 200 grams (g), of granulated white sugar with 1 tablespoon (tbsp.), or 15 milliliters (mL), of molasses.

Eggs are an ingredient in nearly every meatloaf, and they have two distinct roles. Egg yolks, which are mostly water but contain a good amount of protein and fat, add flavor, richness, and moisture. They also help bind the meat together and get the loaf to set in a stable form without the need to overwork the meat.

Tempeh is a vegan meat substitute made from fermented soy. It's high in protein and works well in stir-fries and other Asian dishes.

A meat substitute, also called a meat analogue, approximates certain aesthetic qualities (primarily texture, flavor and appearance) or chemical characteristics of a specific meat. Substitutes are often based on soybeans (such as tofu and tempeh), gluten, or peas.

The only issue is that regular Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies or fish sauce, so it's not vegan. And while you can buy ready made vegan Worcestershire sauce, it's not necessarily all that widely available across the world. Which is why making your own is a great idea.

The most common recipe nowadays consists of ground beef, carrots, sausages, boiled eggs and breadcrumbs, cooked in the oven and normally served with a side-dish of mashed potatoes or rice.