This vegan chickpea meatloaf is hearty, wholesome, and full of flavor and texture. With mushrooms, kale, walnuts, and wild rice, it's a beautiful centerpiece for the holiday table and a healthy dinner any time of year. Gluten-free and oil-free/whole-food plant-based (WFPB) with a nut-free option.
This nutritious, rustic chickpea meatloaf is exactly the kind of main course I think of when I'm craving a home-cooked, whole-food, plant-based recipe for a special occasion.
It's not a mushy loaf, either! Walnuts, chickpeas, wild rice, and mushrooms contribute varying textures and make it very satisfying.
This chickpea loaf is also gluten-free, depending on your choice of flour, loaded with nutrition, and easy to prepare.
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Ingredient Notes
Here's a quick overview of the ingredients you'll need...
- Chickpeas - for simplicity, the recipe is written to use 2 (15 oz) cans of chickpeas, approximately 3 ¼ cups.
- Wild Rice - you'll need 1 ½ cups of cooked wild rice; prepare in advance to save time.
- Mushrooms - cremini, white button, or shiitake are all great in this loaf.
- Kale - I prefer regular curly kale in this recipe, but lacinato (Tuscan) kale is also an option.
- Poultry Seasoning - this blend usually contains a combination of sage, thyme, onion, black pepper, marjoram, and celery seed. Make your own with this recipe for poultry seasoning.
- Smoked Paprika - if you don't have smoked paprika feel free to omit it, or use regular, sweet paprika instead.
- Walnuts - they add nice crunch and texture. For a nut-free option, raw sunflower seeds are great, or substitute ⅓ cup rolled oats.
- Thyme - either fresh or dried.
- Flour - this helps with binding. For WFPB diets, spelt or whole wheat are great; for gluten-free, chickpea or rice flour work well here.
See recipe card below for quantities.
How To Make Chickpea Meatloaf
Though this isn't a quick recipe, it's actually very easy to prepare! It breaks down into 4 basic steps: saute, process, combine, and bake. Here's a visual overview.
Scroll down to the recipe card for complete instructions.
- Sauté the onion and mushrooms until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, poultry seasoning, and paprika, and cook for another minute. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Add the chopped kale to the pan, and cook until dark green and wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
- In a large food processor pulse the chickpeas, walnuts, vinegar, tamari, salt, pepper, and flour just until chunky (about 7 or 8 pulses). Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Now add the sautéed vegetables to the food processor, and pulse just 5 or 6 times until the kale is shredded. Add the veggies to the mixing bowl.
- Stir to combine the chickpea mixture and vegetables. Then stir in the cooked wild rice.
- Transfer the mixture to a parchment lined loaf pan (see Equipment Notes below), and press down firmly so the mixture is compact. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 40 to 45 minutes.
Optional Glaze
If you plan to serve the chickpea loaf with gravy or cranberry sauce you may want to skip the glaze, but it's very easy to do and does look nice.
To add a glaze: at the 30-minute mark, remove the loaf from the oven and brush the top with your choice of vegan worcestershire (not gluten-free), balsamic glaze, or a combination of tamari and maple syrup.
Again, the glaze is totally optional and mostly for appearance. If you're a fan of balsamic vinegar, try this raisin-balsamic reduction. It only takes a few minutes to prepare and the flavor pairs nicely with this harvest loaf.
Resting Time
This recipe is made with all gluten-free, whole-food ingredients (unless you use wheat flour). This means that it will be fragile when you first remove it from the oven.
So it's important to let the loaf rest and cool for about 30 minutes before lifting it from the pan. Then allow to cool for another 15 to 20 minutes before slicing.
Serving Suggestions
Pair this harvest chickpea meatloaf with all of your favorite holiday appetizers, side dishes, and desserts. Here are some recommendations:
- Creamy Vegan Wild Rice Soup (oil-free, GF)
- Roasted Sweet Potato and Spinach Salad
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Balsamic Reduction
- Maple Cranberry Sauce (OF, GF)
- Healthy Mashed Potatoes (OF, GF)
- Easy Mushroom Gravy (OF)
- Instant Pot Acorn Squash (OF, GF)
- WFPB Pecan Pie (OF, GF)
- Healthy Pumpkin Pie (OF, GF)
Equipment
A large food processor is important for this recipe. It's the easiest way to chop the ingredients uniformly. I use this 14 cup model by Cuisinart.
I used an 8.5-inch by 5-inch loaf pan (1.5 quart) during recipe testing. Glass, ceramic, or metal are all fine. If using a metal pan cook time may be reduced by a few minutes.
Note: if you use a 9x5 inch pan the loaf will be shorter and cook more quickly. So keep an eye on it during the last 5 to 10 minutes.
Storage
Store leftover chickpea meatloaf in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat individual servings in a microwave or in a non-stick pan on the stove.
I haven't tried freezing the loaf yet, but all of these ingredients are freezer-friendly, so I do think it will be fine. We usually just enjoy the leftovers over the course of a few days.
Top Tip
Be careful not to over-process the ingredients in the food processor. This chickpea meatloaf is especially enjoyable thanks to the varying textures and chunky pieces of walnuts and chickpeas.
More Oil-Free WFPB Recipes:
If you try the recipe be sure to comment below and give it a star rating to let us know how it turned out!
📖 Recipe
Vegan Chickpea Meatloaf With Wild Rice
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups cooked wild rice
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 8 ounces cremini or white button mushrooms, roughly chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small bunch green kale, stems removed, chopped
- 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning blend
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme or 2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 (15 oz) cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained - or 3 ¼ cups cooked chickpeas
- ¾ cup raw walnut halves - or ⅔ cup raw sunflower seeds for nut-free.
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar - or 1 ½ Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons tamari - or soy sauce if not GF
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ to 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup flour such as chickpea or rice flour (for GF) or spelt or whole wheat
Optional Glaze (select 1 of the following):
- 1 to 2 tablespoons vegan worcestershire - (not GF)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons reduced, good quality balsamic vinegar - tap for recipe
- equal parts tamari and maple syrup
Instructions
- If you haven't already, cook wild rice according to package instructions, then set aside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F, and line a 1.5 Qt. loaf pan with parchment paper (this makes it easy to lift the loaf out of the pan after cooking).
- Preheat a large saute pan over medium heat. Dry sauté the onion and mushrooms until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, poultry seasoning, thyme, and paprika, and cook for another minute, stirring frequently. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Add the chopped kale to the pan, and cook until dark green and wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
- In a large food processor pulse the chickpeas, walnuts, vinegar, tamari, salt, pepper, and flour just until chunky (about 7 or 8 pulses). Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Now add the sautéed vegetables to the food processor, and pulse just 5 or 6 times or until the kale is shredded. Transfer the veggies to the mixing bowl.
- Stir to combine the chickpea mixture and vegetables, then stir in the cooked wild rice.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan, and use a large spoon or spatula to firmly and evenly press it down into the pan. Bake for 30 minutes. If adding a glaze on top, brush that on now. Return the loaf to the oven and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the top edges are golden and the center of the loaf is hot and only slightly soft when pressed. *Total bake time is about 45 minutes.*
- Let the loaf rest in the pan for 30 minutes, then lift out by the parchment paper onto a cutting board or platter. Allow to cool for another 15 to 20 minutes, then slice and serve.
Notes
Estimated Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific products and ingredients used. We calculate this information using the online calculator cronometer.com.
Marlene
You say to let it cool for quite a long time before slicing ( about 45-50 minutes total ). Is this dish served room temp/cold? I was thinking of making a vegan meatball with this recipe. Would adding some JustEgg help it stay together maybe?
Lori
Hi Marlene,
Since it's a loaf, it holds onto heat for quite a long time. So even after resting it is still warm. The reason for the extended rest is because it's made without any gluten-containing ingredients, or any saturated fat. So allowing it to cool off a little helps it hold together. If you're planning to make meatballs you won't have that same concern. The smaller shape should hold together more easily. But yes, if you are a fan of Just Egg I think that's a great addition. Since that will add some moisture you may want to reduce moisture elsewhere.
Tracy
This recipe has amazing flavor and texture. It’s so flavorful! I topped mine with vegan Worcestershire. I used the chickpea flour as listed and mine was crumbly, even after overnight refrigeration. I may try a different flour next time since I’ll definitely be making this again. Thank you for a tasty recipe!
Liana
Delicious 🤤 I made this for Christmas. I loved the glaze too. It has a nice bite to it due to the walnuts. Easy to make and it looks nice.
Tesha
We gave this a try yesterday. It had a great flavor and texture. It wasn't crumbly, but it wasn't a brick either. I substituted cannellini beans, since I thought I had chickpeas, but realized we were out at the last minute. Also added a bit of celery and bell pepper and subbed spinach for kale. It would probably be nice made into a hamburger. We had a lot left over so it's in the freezer, hoping it can handle a couple weeks in there. If it doesn't hold up I'll turn it into a sloppy joe mix and put it on buns. Thanks for the recipe!
Ashley
I made this as a Thanksgiving trial run and it was excellent. It will definitely be my main dish! I was wondering if you think it would work to prepare it the day before and bake it off the day of. Perhaps with slightly more time in the oven since it would be cold? Or bring to room temperature before baking? Thanks for a great recipe!
Lori
So glad you enjoyed it, Ashley. Prepping the day before sounds good. Yes, I would let it warm up somewhat, so that it's closer to room temp and you won't have to guess much about the bake time. Thank you for sharing your feedback!
Polly D’Eredita
Made this and followed the directions to the letter. Very crumbly, didn’t hold together at all. It tasted good but I was disappointed that it didn’t stay together. I even put it in the fridge after letting it sit out to cool for an hour and it still crumbled. Maybe I didn’t chop it fine enough. I reread the recipe again to make sure I had all the ingredients and I had everything. Help!
Lori
Oh no, sorry to hear that, Polly! I sent you an email, to the email address you submitted with your comment so I hope you received it. Would love to try to troubleshoot and figure out what may have happened. If the pieces of chickpea, walnuts, and veggies are too big that can definitely cause crumbling.
Marianne
I just made this tonight and it was delicious!! It held together well (I followed the directions exactly). I loved the combination of flavors and textures and I appreciate that you didn’t use a flax egg. I have made other loaves with flax eggs and I really don’t like that flavor in something savory. I have a question: for the kale, could you estimate a measurements in terms of cups? Thanks again!
Lori
Glad you enjoyed it, Marianne! I'm with you on flax eggs. Not a big fan of the flavor, and I find that they're rarely necessary.
The amount of kale in this is pretty forgiving, since it wilts down. I should have measured the chopped kale the last time I made it... but I'd say the small bunches I buy are usually around 4 to 5 cups when chopped, loosely packed.
Thanks so much for taking time to share your feedback with us!
Janell
Have you tried this in a muffin pan? Would I cook at the same temp but a shorter time?
Lori
Hi Janell,
No I haven't tried it in a muffin pan yet, but that's a great idea! Cook time will be much shorter, probably closer to 25 min. Let us know how it goes!