Name: Vegetarian Chickpea Loaf with Indian Spices Recipe
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 130 min
Ingredients: 2 15.5 ounce cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans) (drained and rinsed); 1 pound white button mushrooms (chopped); 1 medium onion (chopped); 2 stalks celery (chopped); 2 carrots (diced or chopped); 2 cloves garlic (minced or about 1/2 teaspoon jarred minced garlic); 1 cup panko breadcrumbs (make sure they are gluten free); 2 tablespoons gluten free flour; 3 tablespoons Vegan gluten free Worcestershire sauce ((read the label; most Worcestershire sauce has fish in it)); 2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce (gluten free); 2 tablespoons olive oil; 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds (or egg replacer or 2 eggs if you don't need vegan); 2 tablespoons tomato paste; ½ teaspoon tumeric; 1 teaspoon smoked paprika; ½ teaspoon cumin; ½ teaspoon curry; ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more if you like spicy foods); ½ teaspoon dry mustard; ½ teaspoon garam marsala; ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper; 1 teaspoon cumin; 1 tablespoon olive oil; ½ small onion (sliced); ¼ cup tomato paste; 2 tablespoons maple syrup (or more if you like); 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar; 1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce (gluten free); 2 tablespoons water (optional, to thin sauce, if necessary)

Vegetarian Chickpea Loaf with Indian Spices pops with East Indian flavor. Your vegetarian and vegan friends and family will love this recipe. Sized to serve either 8 for a family or 48 for a crowd.

This Vegetarian Chickpea "Meatloaf" with Indian Spices can easily be vegan.

Vegetarian Meatloaf with Chickpeas and Indian Spices

If you are vegetarian or vegan and you previously ate meat, do you miss your Mom's Meatloaf? Well, I do. Our vegans at Opequon Quaker Camp raved about this Vegetarian Chickpea Loaf. The original recipe came from Connoisseurusveg.com. I thought the recipe was good, but I found it too mushy and felt it needed more spices. So I added Italian spices when I made it in 2019 for Catoctin Quaker Camp‘s staff and counselors, and they loved it. Take a look at that recipe, Vegan Chickpea Meatloaf with Italian Spices. I wanted to make it again the next week for Opequon Quaker Camp. After consultation with several of the Opequon camp cooks, I decided to switch it up and make it with Indian spices. It was a HUGE hit. The texture is good and the flavor is amazing.

What You Need

For this recipe you need a knife, cutting board, measuring cups and spoons, mixing bowls, and a food processor, as well as an oblong loaf pan. But what you really want is some terrific stemware, am I right?

Vegetarian Chickpea Loaf with Indian Spices Recipe

A vegan chickpea "meatloaf" that has the texture of meat, but is so much healthier and flavorful.

Author: Recipe Idea Shop

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Prep 1

Cook 1

Resting Time 10

Total Time 2 10

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Gluten Free, Indian, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings

Calories 158 kcal

Ingredients

Chickpea Loaf

2 15.5 ounce cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans) drained and rinsed
1 pound white button mushrooms chopped
1 medium onion chopped
2 stalks celery chopped
2 carrots diced or chopped
2 cloves garlic minced or about ½ teaspoon jarred minced garlic
1 cup panko breadcrumbs make sure they are gluten free
2 tablespoons gluten free flour
3 tablespoons Vegan gluten free Worcestershire sauce (read the label; most Worcestershire sauce has fish in it)
2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce gluten free
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds or egg replacer or 2 eggs if you don't need vegan
2 tablespoons tomato paste
½ teaspoon tumeric
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon curry
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper or more if you like spicy foods
½ teaspoon dry mustard
½ teaspoon garam marsala
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Topping

1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ small onion sliced
¼ cup tomato paste
2 tablespoons maple syrup or more if you like
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce gluten free
2 tablespoons water optional, to thin sauce, if necessary

Instructions

Make the Chickpea Loaf

Heat oven to 375F degrees.
Spray a standard loaf pan with oil and set it aside. (See note below.)
Mix all the ingredients for the meatloaf (not the sauce) in a large bowl until blended well.
Working in small batches, transfer the meatloaf mixture to your food processor and pulse until the chickpeas are broken up but not smushy.
As you complete each batch, scrape it into the loaf pan. Continue until all the chickpea mixture is processed.
Press the mixture to compress in the loaf pan, smoothing the top.
Bake the chickpea loaf for 40 minutes.

Prepare the sauce

In a dry sauté pan, toast the cumin until is becomes very fragrant (5-8 minutes).
Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan and heat for a few seconds until hot.
Add the sliced onion and cook about 5-7 minutes until the onion is caramelized (browned). If the mixture becomes too dry, add another tablespoon of olive oil.
Add the remaining sauce ingredients, stir to thoroughly combine, and cook the sauce down by half (maybe 10 minutes). It will be a deep brown-red color.
Taste and adjust sauce flavoring so that it is not too vinegary. You may need to add a little more maple syrup. It should be robust but a little sweet tasting.
When the chickpea loaf has baked 40 minutes, remove it from the oven and spread the sauce evenly on top of it. Bake another 25 minutes. Watch it to make sure the top doesn't burn. If it starts to look crusty around the edges, remove it from the oven.

Let Rest

Remove the chickpea loaf from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

NOTE: I baked this in a standard meatloaf pan, but it would be better to bake it in a pan that is not so deep. Try it in a cake pan instead. Mine was just a bit too wet.

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More Chickpea Recipes To Try

Vegan Chickpea Meatloaf with Italian Spices
Moroccan Chickpea Stew
Mediterranean Chickpea Stew
Eggplant Chickpea Spiced Quinoa
Slow Cooker Middle Eastern Chickpea and Lentil Soup

Vegetarian Chickpea Loaf with Indian Spices is to-die-for. SO, so flavorful.

Vegetarian Chickpea "Meatloaf" with Indian Spices. YUM!

Kathy Owen

Kathy acquired the blog, Recipe Idea Shop in 2024. She was raised on a farm in Arkansas where having a big garden and good food to eat was the norm. She shares recipes for homemade comfort food and new trending dishes.
Kathy began her blogging journey in 2011 when she founded PetticoatJunktion.com, a home décor blog focused on repurposing and upcycling furniture, and thrift store finds.