Smoky Southern-Style Meatless Meatloaf is so delicious! It has a wonderful smoky flavor and it’s made with whole foods that are good for you. This black bean and chickpea meatloaf recipe has become one of our most popular recipes, and for good reason! Serve it with our Creamy Southern-Style Potato Salad and Spicy Sizzled Green beans!
![Sliced Vegan meatloaf on a slate tray with fresh herbs next to a yellow and orange napkin and a white dish of extra sauce and plates and forks]()
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Hi there! Thanks for visiting us, we’re so happy you’re here. If you’re looking for Southern inspired vegan comfort food recipes, you’ve come to the right place.
We love vegan comfort food and we’re really good at making it. Take a tour through our site and you’ll find all of the recipes that scream, stretchy pants required!
The good news, they’re all plant-based recipes, so you don’t need to feel guilty eating them. Now sit back, relax, and eat happy. 🙂
Also, in case you didn’t know, we’re published cookbook authors. We’ve written two vegan cookbooks that will help you make amazing vegan BBQ (you don’t even need a grill) and everyday meals, from breakfast to dessert.
Click on the titles to check them out. GREAT VEGAN BBQ WITHOUT A GRILL and THE ULTIMATE VEGAN COOKBOOK
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FOOD IS EMOTIONAL AND IS PART OF WHO WE ARE
Anyone who knows me knows that I love the South. I love the weather, I love the architecture, I love the trees with drooping moss, I love the friendly people, and I used to love the food.
I say “used to” because I’m no longer a big fan of fried food, and you can’t get away from it in the South. They fry everything. And they put cream in grits, darn it!
I used to love BBQ, but then I went veggie, so I came up with other ways to have my BBQ and eat it too. Have you tried one of my most popular recipes? Vegans and non-vegans rave about our delicious pulled BBQ carrots. Try it!
WHY I LOVE SOUTHERN FOOD
My love of most things Southern began when I was a child. My mom is from the South and we vacationed in South Carolina every summer. The food was a big part of those trips because it was a change of pace from the typical Midwestern Wisconsin fare of cheese and brats. I remember my mom packing brats in a big cooler to bring to her relatives. So yes, even from a young age, food made an impression on me.
Speaking of my dear mom, she made a bangin’ meatloaf back in the day. I loved her classic meatloaf recipe and the sides of mashed potatoes, gravy, and peas. I loved to mix my potatoes and peas together, and I smothered those big pieces of loaf with gravy. It was such a simple meal, but sometimes the simplest of foods are the best.
My life and views have changed a lot since I was a kid, but some things have stayed the same, such as my love for the South, a hearty vegan meatloaf, and BBQ.
Although I no longer eat animal products, and ninety percent of the food that I put in my body is whole, clean, and healthy, I still love good comfort food and that will never change.
WHAT IS VEGAN MEATLOAF?
Yes, we know. Traditional meatloaf has… meat. Vegan meatloaf doesn’t, but that doesn’t mean that the same flavors, textures, and appearance has to be different! Our vegan meatloaf, just like the traditional has a moist texture, tangy and sweet sauce, and looks exactly like a regular meat loaf! In fact, it’s so much like a regular meat loaf that this recipe has become a favorite amongst our non-vegan friends and family.
However, vegan meatloaf is different in a couple key areas.
- Vegan meatloaf doesn’t contain animals! Hooray! You can have all of your favorite parts about traditional meatloaf without harming our furry friends : )
- This meatloaf is free of cholesterol, animal hormones, and saturated fats.
- Our vegan meatloaf is filled with more fiber and tons of plant-based protein!
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF EATING VEGAN MEATLOAF?
There is plenty of protein in this gorgeous loaf, thanks to the black beans and the chickpeas, and there’s a whole lot of delicious smoky flavor.
The texture is about as close as you’re going to get to the kind I used to eat as a kid.
It’s super low in cholesterol, full of flavor, and good for you.you’re going to want to try this vegan black beans and chickpea meatloaf.
If you’ve looked around the internet you’ll see that a lot of vegan loafs are made with soy, nuts, mushrooms, or all of the above. Not this one. This “meatloaf” is free of all of those things. All you’ll find in this recipe are black beans, chickpeas, onions, vegetable broth, oats, corn meal, and spices and flavors that take the beans to another level.
How to Make a Black Bean and Chickpea Meatloaf
To make this gluten-free vegan meatloaf all you’ll need is a food processor, a skillet
, a large mixing bowl
, a loaf pan, and an oven.
- Process the chickpeas in the food processor until they’re creamy. Like this.
2. Process the black beans the same way you did the chickpeas. Like this.
3. Process the second can of black beans so that they’re slightly ground up. Like this.
4. Put them all in a big bowl and add some ground oats. Like this.
5. Add some corn meal, liquid smoke, and the aquafaba (bean juice from the chickpeas) to the beans.
6. Saute the onions and cook with the spices, salt, and pepper, then add the vegetable broth, Worcestershire sauce (vegan), and ketchup and mix it all up until it’s blended well.
7. Add the onion mixture to the bean mixture and gently fold until it’s completely blended.
8.Line a nine inch bread pan with parchment paper and spoon the loaf ingredients into the pan and spread evenly. Make sure that you get the loaf into the corners of the pan. Like this.
9.Spread the BBQ sauce evenly over the top and bake it for an hour and twenty minutes, or until a wooden toothpick is inserted and comes out clean. Let it cool and remove from the pan to slice.
If you want to spoon extra BBQ sauce on top, go for it! Can you ever eat enough BBQ sauce?
Notes on the BBQ Sauce – You can buy a vegan sauce or make mine. Click here for the recipe.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH VEGAN MEATLOAF
We love to serve our BBQ meatloaf with Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Spicy Green Beans, and Vegan Cornbread.
Make our bbq bean loaf and all of the sides and let us know what you think. We love to hear from you! And, don’t forget to take a picture of your gorgeous creation and tag us @veganosity on Instagram.
Let’s connect! Hop on over to our Facebook page and give it a like, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter, and follow us and share this and other Veganosity recipes on Pinterest. We’d be so grateful if you did. If you like this recipe and can’t wait to see what we’re going to share next, subscribe to Veganosity. Just fill in the subscription box above our picture in the top right corner of the page. And, Alex and I love hearing from you, please leave a comment and let us know what you think of our recipes.
The above links are affiliate links. Any Amazon purchases made through these links help support Veganosity.com at no additional cost to you.
Smoky and delicious meat free meatloaf with a tangy BBQ top. Made with black beans and chickpeas and a spicy homemade BBQ sauce. This is something that even meat eaters will love!
- 1 15 ounce can of chickpeas drain and reserve the bean liquid (aquafaba) for later - rinse the beans well
- 30 oz black beans Drained and rinsed
- 1 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Organic Old Fashioned Rolled Oats, 32 Ounce
">rolled oats coarsely ground in a food processor
- 1 cup corn meal
- 3 tbsp liquid smoke
- ½ cup aquafaba chickpea liquid from the can
- 2 tsp olive oil or 2 tbsp (30 ml) vegetable broth if you don’t cook with oil
- 1 large yellow or white onion finely diced
- 1 tbsp dried Italian seasoning
- 2 tsp ground sea salt or to taste
- 1 tsp ground black pepper or to taste
- 2 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce We use Annie’s brand
- ½ cup low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1/3 cup of ketchup
- 1 cup BBQ sauce
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp dark molasses
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper if you don't like spicy food omit this
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 pepper in adobo sauce – remove the seeds the pepper is optional, this will make the sauce extra spicy, if you use it make sure to remove the seeds Note: Don't add this if you don't like really spicy food.
- 1 tsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1 tbsp cilantro minced
- 1 tbsp cornstarch plus 1/4 cup (60 ml) water - mixed together in a small cup until dissolved
- Preheat the oven to 350° and line a 9” bread pan with parchment paper or grease the pan.
- Process the chickpeas in a food processor until creamy. Put in a large bowl.
- Process one can of black beans in the processor until creamy. Put in the bowl with the chickpeas.
- Pulse the second can of black beans until lightly ground into small pieces. Put in the bowl with the chickpeas and other can of black beans.
- Grind the oats until it turns into a course flour. Add to the bowl with the beans.
- Add the cornmeal, liquid smoke, and aquafaba to the bowl with the beans.
- Heat a large skillet on medium heat and add the oil or the 2 tablespoons of vegetable broth if you don’t cook with oil. When the oil or broth is hot add the onions and reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir well. Add the Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper, stir well, and cook until the onions are soft and translucent. Don’t let them brown. Approximately five minutes.
- Add the Worcestershire sauce , vegetable broth, and ketchup to the onions and stir until the ketchup dissolves. Add to the bean mixture. Gently fold the ingredients until they’re well combined. Spoon into the bread pan and press the mixture until it's evenly distributed throughout the pan, make sure that the loaf ingredients are pushed into the corners of the pan.
- Evenly spread the BBQ sauce on top of the loaf and bake for an hour and twenty minutes or until a wooden toothpick is inserted and comes out clean.
- Cool for ten to fifteen minutes to allow it to set before cutting.
- Mix the cornstarch and water together and set aside.
- Put the sauce ingredients in a blender and blend until fully combined and smooth. Pour into a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer and cook for twenty minutes, stir occasionally to avoid scorching the sauce.Add the cornstarch mixture and stir until fully combined and cook for five more minutes.
- Enjoy!
We use Quaker yellow cornmeal because the consistency works best for this recipe.
Wrap in foil and store in the refrigerator for up to one week.
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