This is a Classic Meatloaf, with one twist: it’s made with Impossible Burger Meat. High in plant-based protein and perfect for a holiday spread or just weekday dinner. You can make this with Beyond Meat too, it works great. This will be the most realistic Vegan Meatloaf you’ve ever made!
Why This is the Best Vegan Meatloaf
Holds together just like real meat: Not all faux meat is made the same. When it comes to mimicking real meat, Impossible and Beyond are in a league of their own. Other brands are crumbly, don’t stick together, and are impossible to form into a meatloaf shape. But with Impossible Beef or Beyond Beef, they work just like real meat. It’s really easy to bring together.
Ready in under an hour: Just mix together all the ingredients in a bowl, shape it into a loaf, and bake for half an hour. Couldn’t be quicker or easier.
Small serving, easily doubled or tripled for a crowd: This recipe is designed to use a single package of Impossible Beef. It can serve two adults generously. But if you’re feeding more people, then just use the buttons in the recipe card below to double or triple the ingredient quantities. Increase the baking time by 10 minutes for every additional pound of vegan meat.
Ingredients + Substitutions
A few important notes on some of the ingredients used in this Impossible Meatloaf recipe:
Impossible Beef: Of course, the most important ingredient here is MEAT. (Where’s the BEEF?!?!?!) You can use either Beyond Beef or Impossible Beef interchangeably here, I usually use Impossible because it’s a bit cheaper where I am. I find that Beyond has more “beef-like” flavour while Impossible tastes a bit more neutral. Other brands of vegan ground meats don’t work so well, because they’re very crumbly and don’t stick together. And when you’re making meatloaf, well, the whole point is to be able to form it into a free-standing loaf! (Another example: my Stuffed Bitter Melon Soup recipe, which also calls for either one of these two brands, wouldn’t work with any other vegan meat.)
A note on packaging size: Depending on where you are in the world, your package of faux meat may come in packages of 300g (UK), 340g (Canada), or 16oz (USA). Since I’m Canadian, I developed this recipe for the 340g packages. But it’s flexible enough to accommodate the other package sizes as well, since the ingredient ratios don’t have to be super precise. Just add a bit more ketchup or barbeque sauce if you’re using the 16oz packages.
Oats: Yep, this meatloaf uses oats as a filler, which makes it naturally gluten-free as long as you use gluten-free oats. (Both Impossible and Beyond Meat are gluten-free). It’s based on a Quaker Oats recipe I used to make before I stopped eating meat. It was my go-to meatloaf recipe so I’m glad I was able to easily adapt it to plant-based, without compromising the taste. By the way, both old-fashioned rolled oats and quick oats are fine. You won’t detect any oaty flavour in the baked meatloaf, I promise.
Onions: Measure out the onions carefully, dice them fine, and don’t add any more than what the recipe calls for. Too much onion will easily overwhelm every other flavour in this Impossible meatloaf.
Ketchup or Barbeque Sauce: Adds just enough moisture to keep the meatloaf from becoming too dry, plus sweet, savoury, and tangy elements. I like to do a half-and-half mix of both.
Worcestershire Sauce: A classic meatloaf condiment, giving its familiar flavour. Don’t worry, if you can’t find the obscure vegetarian version, just substitute with Maggi Sauce or even Soy Sauce instead.
For a full list of ingredients and quantities, refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step-by-Step Process
Step 1: Add all the ingredients to a medium-sized bowl.
Step 2: Mix until well combined.
Step 3: Shape into a loaf. Place on a lined baking pan.
Tip: If you are using a metal baking pan, the bottom of the meatloaf may overcook slightly. Place a silpat (silicone baking mat) between the tin foil and the baking pan to help keep the bottom from becoming too hard.
Step 4: Bake for 20 minutes in a preheated oven at 375 °F.
Step 5: Remove from the oven. Brush generously with ketchup or BBQ sauce.
Step 6: Put back into the oven and bake for another 10 minutes.
Tip: You can use the buttons in the recipe card below to double or triple the ingredient quantities. Increase the baking time by 10 minutes for every additional pound of vegan meat.
Meal Prep & Storage Tips
Fridge: Impossible Meatloaf will keep in the fridge for up to three days. It’s best if you leave the meatloaf whole, to prevent it from drying out, but no biggie if you’ve already cut it into slices. Just make sure it’s stored in an airtight container.
Reheating: Microwave until heated through.
What to Serve with Impossible Meatloaf
Here are some more dishes that go great with vegan meatloaf, either as a side or dessert:
Recipe FAQs
To keep a vegan meatloaf from falling apart, you can use a combination of binding ingredients and moisture retention techniques. Use a vegan binding agent like flaxseed, breadcrumbs, or oatmeal. Then add some moisture in the form of ketchup or barbeque sauce. Also, make sure to use a realistic meat option like Impossible Beef or Beyond Beef, which are sticky and made with ingredients that bind together naturally just like real meat.
Cooking vegan meatloaf without a loaf pan results in a better texture with lots of browned, crispy surface area, along with a shorter cooking time. By placing the meatloaf on a baking sheet and shaping it free-form, you ensure even cooking, prevent sogginess, and allow for quicker cooking. Plus, you won’t be limited by the size of the loaf pan, so you can make bigger (or smaller) batches depending on your needs.
Vegan meatloaf is typically made from plant-based ingredients to replicate the texture and flavor of traditional meatloaf. Common components include plant-based meat alternatives like Impossible or Beyond Meat, which closely mimic the taste and texture of real meat. Additional mix-in’s like chopped onions and garlic, as well as binding agents like ground flaxseed, breadcrumbs, or oatmeal, plus ketchup or barbeque sauce add flavour. The result is a delicious alternative to traditional meatloaf that appeals to vegans and non-vegans alike.
More Recipes Using Vegan Meat
- Vegan Hutspot
- Vegan Egg Roll in a Bowl
- Vegan Gumbo
- Kongbiji Jjigae
- Vegan Olivier Salad
- Stuffed Bitter Melon Soup
If you like trying faux meats, you might also be interested in my review of Vegan Chicken Products.
Recipe Card
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Impossible Meatloaf
Use Imperial/Metric buttons below to toggle between volume vs weight measurements. I recommend weighing out your ingredients for best results.
Equipment
- Baking pan, lined with aluminum foil (I use a Nordic Ware quarter sheet pan)
- Medium mixing bowl
- Basting brush (*optional; you can also use a spoon to spread the ketchup over the meatloaf)
Ingredients
- 12 to 16 ounces Impossible Beef or Beyond Beef see Note 1
- ½ cup rolled oats or quick oats
- ⅓ cup yellow onion, finely diced or grated
- ¼ cup ketchup or barbeque sauce + more for topping
- 2 tsp vegetarian Worcestershire sauce *can sub with Maggi sauce or soy sauce
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 °F.
- Add all the ingredients to a medium bowl and mix until well combined.
- Shape the mixture into a loaf and place on a lined baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and brush generously with more ketchup or barbeque sauce. Bake for another 10 minutes.
- Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Impossible Meat packaging: Depending on where you are in the world, Impossible Meat may come in sizes of 12 oz (340g) or 16oz (454g). This recipe is developed for the 340g packages, since I’m Canadian. But it’s flexible enough to be used for the 16oz package too, just add a bit more ketchup or barbeque sauce.
- Doubling or tripling the recipe? You can use the buttons in the recipe card below to double or triple the ingredient quantities. Increase the baking time by 10 minutes for every additional pound of vegan meat. Also increase the baking time by 10 minutes if baking in a loaf pan.
- Mini meatloaves: 1 batch of this recipe can be split and baked in 2 mini loaf pans to make single-serving personal meatloaves.
This has become a favourite in our house. I make it all the time now!
I am so happy to hear that it’s become a staple 🙂 Thanks for leaving a review!
I made this the other day and meant to leave a review. It was really tasty and extremely simple. Mine was a little pink in the middle but maybe it’s because I baked it in a bread pan. Leftovers were delicious, I sliced it and put it in a sandwich!
Yay, I’m glad you liked it! Yes, I have noticed that making the recipe in a loaf pan requires a bit of a longer bake time, I will add it to the recipe notes for future readers. Thanks for leaving a review