Best Vegetarian Meatloaf

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This vegetarian meatloaf is hearty and pleases even the most passionate of meat eaters! It’s a family favorite dinner party recipe.

Vegetarian Meatloaf

Every now and then you come across a recipe that is a cut above the rest – one that makes everything you’ve made before pale in comparison. We present: our Vegetarian Meatloaf recipe! This vegetarian meatloaf is made entirely of nuts, rice, mushrooms, onions, herbs, and cheese. Somehow, it all melds into an appearance and texture just like a meatloaf. And it tastes AMAZING. As in, better than the meat version. It’s perfect for dinner parties, as a vegetarian Thanksgiving main dish or for Christmas dinner. Ready to get started?

How does this vegetarian meatloaf have the flavor & texture of meat?

This meatloaf is incredibly hearty, the perfect vegetarian recipe for meat lovers. My mom is a huge carnivore, and she absolutely adores this recipe! She even requests to make it every time that we come home for a visit. (Literally.) It’s kind of mind-boggling how tasty this vegetarian meatloaf turns out. You’d almost swear from the texture that it’s an actual meatloaf! Here are some of the secrets:

  1. Mushrooms: Once the meatloaf is cooked, you won’t know there are any mushrooms. But they are essential to the savory flavor and a chewy texture.
  2. Toasted nuts. Another secret is a mixture of cashews and walnuts that are toasted in the oven until golden and fragrant. Combined with the sautéed mushrooms, toasted nuts add a subtle meaty flavor to the dish and give this nut loaf some texture.
  3. Swiss cheese & cottage cheese: Swiss cheese brings a subtle meatiness and cottage cheese brings in the perfect texture complement.
Vegetarian Meatloaf

How to make vegetarian meatloaf

This vegetarian meatloaf recipe requires a bit of time to make, but the end result is totally worth it! To make this veggie meatloaf, here are the basic steps (or go to the full recipe below):

  1. Cook the rice: Cook the brown rice. You can easily do this in advance, which cuts down on prep time.
  2. Toast the nuts: Toast walnuts and cashews in the oven, until golden brown.
  3. Saute the onion and mushrooms: Sauté mushrooms, onion, and garlic with herbs and spices.
  4. Mix: Combine the rice, nuts, and mushroom mixture with chopped parsley, cottage cheese, Swiss cheese, beaten eggs, salt, and pepper.
  5. Bake: Butter a loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper and butter it again. Pour in the mixture and bake about 1 hour at 375 degrees, or until golden brown.

And that’s it! The veggie meatloaf will need to cool for about 20 minutes before being sliced, but it’s best enjoyed warm!

Storing vegetarian meatloaf

This vegetarian meatloaf stores very well as leftovers! Here’s what to do:

  • Refrigerate. Leftovers can be stored for a 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator.
  • Freeze. This vegetarian meatloaf freezes perfectly! Slice it into pieces and place it in a sealable container in the freezer. Reheat the meatloaf in a 375F oven.

Meatloaf sides

If you’re entertaining and looking for dinner party recipes, this crowd-pleasing vegetarian meatloaf is a fantastic fit for a dinner party. Our family makes it often over the holidays, as a vegetarian Thanksgiving recipe or for Christmas dinner. It always pleases meat eaters: even my meat and potatoes grandparents! Here are a few side dishes to serve with meatloaf:

This vegetarian meatloaf recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten free.

Note: We’ve get to find a way to make this into a vegan meatloaf. The eggs and cheese are crucial for adding flavor to this dish and holding everything together. If there’s a vegan meatloaf recipe you particularly enjoy, let us know in the comments! We hope to create a vegan meatloaf in the future!

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Vegetarian Meatloaf

Best Vegetarian Meatloaf

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (486 votes, average: 3.85 out of 5)

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 1 hour
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Total Time: 2 hours
  • Yield: 8 to 10 1x
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Description

This vegetarian meatloaf is hearty and pleases even the most passionate of meat eaters! It’s a family favorite dinner party recipe.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice 
  • 1 1/2 cups walnuts
  • 1/2 cup cashews
  • 1 yellow onion
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 3 ounces shiitake mushrooms
  • 3 ounces baby bella mushrooms
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon dried sage
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup cottage cheese
  • 12 ounces Swiss cheese, grated
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Prepare the brown rice using Stovetop Brown Rice or Instant Pot Brown Rice. (You’ll need 1/2 cup dry rice to yield 1 1/2 cups cooked; or you cook 1 cup dry rice and save the leftovers.)
  2. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  3. Place 1 1/2 cup walnuts and 1/2 cup cashews on a baking sheet and toast for 8-10 minutes, until lightly browned. Allow to cool.
  4. Meanwhile, finely chop 1 onion and mince 3 cloves garlic. Clean and finely chop the mushrooms. Finely chop the 2 tablespoons fresh parsley. When the nuts have cooled, finely chop them with a knife or in a food processor.
  5. In a large skillet, heat about 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms, 1 teaspoon marjoram, 1 teaspoon thyme, and 1 teaspoon sage. Cook about 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are golden. Transfer to a large bowl.
  6. In a small bowl, lightly beat together 4 eggs.
  7. In the large bowl, combine the onion and mushroom mixture with the toasted walnuts and cashews, parsley, 1 1/2 cups cooked rice, 1 cup cottage cheese, 12 ounces Swiss cheese, beaten eggs, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.
  8. Butter a 9-inch loaf pan, line the bottom with parchment paper, and butter it again. Pour the mixture from the bowl into the pan.
  9. Bake 1 hour until golden brown. Let cool in pan for 20 minutes, then invert loaf and remove from pan. Slice into pieces and serve warm. Leftovers can be stored for a few day in the refrigerator or a few months in the freezer (cut into pieces). Reheat in a 375F oven.

Notes

Adapted from Martha Stewart

  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: Vegetarian Meatloaf, Meatloaf, Vegetarian, Nuts, Cashews, Walnuts, Cheese, Dinner Party Recipes, Entertaining

Looking for comfort food recipes? 

Aside from this vegetarian meatloaf, here are a few of our favorite comfort food recipes:

Last updated September 2019

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About the Authors

Sonja Overhiser

Cookbook Author and writer

Sonja Overhiser is author of Pretty Simple Cooking, named one of the best healthy cookbooks of 2018. She’s host of the food podcast Small Bites and founder of the food blog A Couple Cooks. Featured from the TODAY Show to Bon Appetit, Sonja seeks to inspire adventurous eating to make the world a better place one bite at a time.

Alex Overhiser

Cookbook Author and photographer

Alex Overhiser is an acclaimed food photographer and author based in Indianapolis. He’s host of the food podcast Small Bites and founder of the recipe website A Couple Cooks. Featured from the TODAY Show to Bon Appetit, Alex is author of Pretty Simple Cooking, named one of the best vegetarian cookbooks by Epicurious.

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152 Comments

  • Reply
    Kelley
    December 6, 2010 at 11:06 am

    Mmmmm… nut loaf :) This looks really yummy!

    • Reply
      Sonya
      June 30, 2019 at 12:26 pm

      I have just made this with less than half of the cheese and I 7sed feta instead of cottage cheese
      No salt ….it’s wonderful and tasty

      • Reply
        Trish
        July 13, 2020 at 11:22 am

        Feta is incredibly high in salt, so although you didn’t add salt separately, you still got loads from your feta cheese.

    • Reply
      Angela Brown
      May 10, 2020 at 2:35 pm

      The seasoning is great! Nice hearty home cooked meal

  • Reply
    Tes
    December 6, 2010 at 11:19 am

    This loaf looks so healthy and delicious :)The picture is so stunning, too. I can’t wait to try this :)

  • Reply
    Angela FRS
    December 6, 2010 at 6:44 pm

    That looks really great, I will definitely make this–I make a walnut-lentil version but this sounds better.

  • Reply
    Jun
    December 7, 2010 at 12:15 am

    This look great. Vegan and delicious. Have to try making this.

    • Reply
      Jen
      November 14, 2012 at 10:39 am

      It’s not vegan, with cheese in it.

      • Reply
        j
        January 9, 2013 at 5:00 pm

        It’s not titled Vegan it’s titled Vegetarian. Vegetarian allows for cheese

      • Reply
        Bryan
        December 24, 2013 at 2:27 am

        Not to mention eggs… How is this at all vegetarian?

        • Reply
          Sonja
          January 2, 2014 at 8:04 pm

          Hi Bryan! This recipe is vegetarian, which means it uses no meat products. If you’re looking for recipes with no animal products like eggs and cheese, look for recipes tagged “vegan”.

  • Reply
    TiffKey
    December 8, 2010 at 7:22 pm

    YUM! This is similar to the pumpkin seed croquettes that my sister and I made for our vegan Thanksgiving! Thank you for sharing!

  • Reply
    farida
    December 8, 2010 at 11:36 pm

    The great vegetarian recipe for various nuts. Thanks

    farida
    http://www.kitchensuperfood.com

  • Reply
    Lindsay
    January 6, 2011 at 1:09 am

    So yummy. I made this (nervously) tonight and was worried about how it would taste since it makes so much. It exceeded my expectations! My meat-loving boyfriend declared it better than his meatloaf, which by the way, is delicious, as he went back for extra servings. I cut back a bit on the Swiss cheese to about 8oz. We’re (OK, I am) trying to start doing meatless-Mondays and am glad to have this on rotation. Thanks for the recipe!

    • Reply
      Alex
      January 6, 2011 at 10:30 am

      I’m glad you enjoyed it! Watch out, meatless Mondays could soon turn into meatless March… :)

  • Reply
    Mike
    January 6, 2011 at 8:55 am

    Looks good. I’d like to know the fat content.

    • Reply
      Alex
      January 6, 2011 at 10:29 am

      About 28 grams of fat (8 saturated) per serving. To go with 28 grams of protein. This is definitely one of the more hearty vegetarian dishes!

  • Reply
    Mike
    January 6, 2011 at 10:45 am

    Thanks for the quick reply. Yes it does look hearty. Is it possible to see the rest of the nutrient info like carbs, cholesterol, calorie, sodium, fiber, etc. Thanks

    • Reply
      Alex
      January 6, 2011 at 11:04 am

      I ran it though again with low-fat cheese (which is what we used). This is also for 8 servings, but it probably could be close to 10:

      Nutrition Facts
      Serving Size 163 g
      Amount Per Serving
      Calories 431 Calories from Fat 227

      Total Fat 25.3g
      Saturated Fat 3.4g
      Cholesterol 108mg
      Sodium 471mg
      Total Carbohydrates 37.5g
      Dietary Fiber 3.9g
      Sugars 2.1g
      Protein 17.4g
      Vitamin A 5% • Vitamin C 5%
      Calcium 8% • Iron 16%
      Nutrition Grade A-
      * Based on a 2000 calorie diet

    • Reply
      Sonja
      January 6, 2011 at 11:10 am

      It’s also full of good for you natural ingredients too :) Our eating philosophy is to not worry as much about the nutrition facts as the ingredients, so we try to make sure we’re eating lots of natural foods (though of course we’d save something like this for occasional consumption). Also the loaf is pretty large, so you may be able to squeeze more than 8 servings out of it if necessary. Enjoy!!

  • Reply
    Amanda
    January 30, 2011 at 5:51 pm

    I was skeptical about this – I don’t usually like vegetarian fake-out versions of meat dishes. But this is a fantastic receipt! My husband talked about it constantly, made all of our neighbors and his co-workers try it, ate the leftovers every day for a week, and then asked me to make it again the next weekend. I think this will become a regular in our house!

  • Reply
    Emily
    April 24, 2011 at 8:49 pm

    Oh. my. god. This was amazing! My husband and I are vegetarians and had been looking for a good meatloaf recipe. This is it! I added more mushrooms and cut the nuts to 1 cup (just a personal preference). My husband had thirds and thought it tasted very meaty. I have been loving your website and wonderful recipes. Keep up the great work!

    • Reply
      Sonja
      May 5, 2011 at 10:06 pm

      Haha – so glad you enjoyed it! This is one of our favorites for a substantial vegetarian meal :)

  • Reply
    Vanessa
    June 28, 2011 at 10:14 pm

    Your nut loaf both looks and sounds delicious. I’m a vegetarian surrounded by picky meat eaters (meaning they may not even try it). Do you know if this freezes well, just in case?

    • Reply
      Alex
      June 28, 2011 at 11:11 pm

      We haven’t tried freezing it, but I think that it would be fine. It’s a tasty dish that your family might even enjoy (just don’t pretend it’s meat!).

      :)

  • Reply
    kc
    August 10, 2011 at 12:52 pm

    This sounds really good. But I am concerned that a couple of the commenters seem to think that it’s vegan.

  • Reply
    Michelle
    September 11, 2011 at 10:49 am

    This sounds amazing!! I’d love to try this recipe, however we don’t eat dairy and live in a rural area where diary-free cheeses are not available. What could the cottage cheese be replaced with? I can’t wait to try it!

    • Reply
      Alex
      September 11, 2011 at 2:11 pm

      Hi! We’ve never tried one without cheese. However, I did a simple Google search for vegan nut loaf and found several recipes (looks like a lot of them use bread crumbs as a binder). You’ll have to let us know if you find a good one!

  • Reply
    yvonne
    December 11, 2011 at 7:39 pm

    Hi Alex,
    Was wondering if there is a gravy that can be used to dress the nut loaf. Come from a family who love a little gravy.?
    Thanks, Yvonne.

    • Reply
      Alex
      December 11, 2011 at 7:58 pm

      Hi! We don’t have a recipe for a gravy. You could try searching for a mushroom gravy to add to it :)

      • Reply
        Carol
        October 31, 2020 at 11:01 am

        My vegetarian gravy is amazing…….
        1 T butter
        1/4 C sweet onion minced
        3 small cloves garlic minced
        4 T flour
        4 C vegetable broth
        5 T low sodium soy sauce or soy substutute
        2 t. fresh parsley minced
        pepper to taste

        Melt butter in skillet
        saue onion and garlic for about 2 mins
        Transfer to a bowl and wipe skillet clean
        Add flour to pan and cook, stirring constantly, til flour taste is gone, about 1 minute
        Whisk in broth and soy sauce, whisk constantly, until it comes to a boil and thickens.
        Stir in onion & garlic and fresh parsley. cook for another minute.

        • Reply
          Nat Ivan
          December 28, 2020 at 4:22 pm

          Thank you for the recipe!

  • Reply
    grana pittman
    December 13, 2011 at 8:14 pm

    HEAVENLY made it exactly as written- the plan was IFit didn’t go over too well with everyone i’d eat on it thru-out the week,WELL SOMEBODY(or SOME BODIES) devoured it and left l’il ole me with a faint memory haha
    oops gotta go the culprits want me to make more thank you…

  • Reply
    Sasha
    December 17, 2011 at 4:40 pm

    Made this as written for Thanksgiving turkey alternative and it was a hit. Will be making this as Christmas dinner veggie option.

    • Reply
      Alex
      December 18, 2011 at 11:23 am

      So glad that it worked out for you! We’ve recently tried making some lentil loaves, but we couldn’t top this recipe :)

  • Reply
    Jane
    March 25, 2012 at 6:48 pm

    Made this tonight and it was delicious and very hearty with a good “chew.” I didn’t have shiitakes or cashews on hand so just used walnuts and 8 oz brown mushrooms. Added tarragon too. Was wondering if all that Swiss cheese would be overpowering but it blended beautifully. It was a little rich for my taste so will try lower fat cheeses next time. My husband is a “good sport” with my meatless adventures, but he went back for seconds! A great recipe!

    • Reply
      Sonja
      March 28, 2012 at 9:36 pm

      Great! We’ve found that this dish is consistently a pleaser with meat-lovers as well as meatless eaters. So glad you enjoyed it!

  • Reply
    Tania D
    August 18, 2012 at 11:37 am

    We have made this nut loaf many times- it is my family’s favourite loaf. My 4 year old and 8 year old love it and ask for it all the time! We have served it to meat eating guests and they love it too. I always freeze one loaf (the recipe makes two loaf pans) before cooking and it works great! You just need to thaw it for awhile before cooking but it tastes just as great as cooking it the day you mix it together. We usually eat it with a miso mushroom gravy and it’s wonderful.
    Thanks for the great recipe!

    • Reply
      susan
      November 15, 2014 at 7:33 pm

      thanks so much for answering the question i was going to ask. i like to make two meals at a time and freeze, especially if they call for ingredients on dont usually have on hand. i was wanting to get fresh herbs for this, so its nice to know i can freeze.

  • Reply
    Deirdre
    October 22, 2012 at 7:57 pm

    Making this for the second time tomorrow. Ever since my 9yo declared herself to be a pescitarian, I have been looking for recipes that my 13yo son will eat as well. He actually requested that I make it again!! Excellent!

    • Reply
      Sonja
      October 24, 2012 at 8:41 pm

      Awesome! This is one of our favorite recipes, especially for special occasions. So glad the kids enjoyed it too!

  • Reply
    Kristin
    November 7, 2012 at 12:34 pm

    This looks lovely – I wonder if anyone has tried mixing it up a day or two ahead, then baking it out of the fridge?

    • Reply
      Sonja
      November 11, 2012 at 4:41 pm

      Good idea! We personally have not, but I’ll ask my mom — she’s made it several times and I’ll see if she’s ever tried that :)

      • Reply
        Sonja
        November 11, 2012 at 9:26 pm

        Sounds like my mom has not tried making it ahead. Since it contains eggs, it would probably be best to make up the components separately and then combine them before baking. For example, you could make the rice, toast the nuts, and saute all the veggies in advance. Then when you want to bake it, you could combine those ingredients with the eggs and cheese and then bake. Would that work for you? I
        It is possible that you could make it up and freeze it, but we’re not sure whether the nuts might get soggy.

        Good luck!

        • Reply
          Tania D.
          January 20, 2013 at 1:19 pm

          We actually freeze it all the time (even if we’re planning on using it the next day) and it is just as delicious as the fresh version. We take it out in the morning to thaw it or we thaw it in a hot water bath. Either way, it is great to freeze!

  • Reply
    suzanne
    November 14, 2012 at 7:24 pm

    I have made other nutloafs. I am in love with them all. My adult children are not so crazy about the whole idea. I want to try this one, now that I am no longer vegan and just wonder if the nuts stay whole, or are they ground as in other nutloafs I have made? By the way, I am sure the mushrooms and cheese will turn around my children’s taste buds!

    • Reply
      Sonja
      November 14, 2012 at 9:12 pm

      The nuts are chopped before placing them into the nut loaf. If you love nut loaves already, I’d suspect you’d enjoy this one! Let us know if you try it out :)

  • Reply
    Roh
    November 22, 2012 at 6:45 pm

    This is a great recipe. I made this for a Thanksgiving potluck today, and everyone loved it. I made it more vegetarian-friendy by substituting a cup of non-fat Greek yogurt for the eggs.

  • Reply
    Kris
    December 27, 2012 at 11:26 pm

    Just finished eating this for dinner. Absolutly great! I did cut back on the Swiss cheese like another poster did, and it turned out perfect! A keeper staple recipe.

  • Reply
    Kevin Ross
    December 29, 2012 at 9:08 pm

    I made this for my vegetarian niece at our Christmas dinner and everyone loved it. We all agreed that we liked it better than meatloaf. I served it with a vegetarian gravy that I found at http://allrecipes.com/recipe/vegetarian-gravy/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Thumb&e11=vegetarian%20gravy&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=%2frecipe-tools%2fprint%2frecipe.aspx. Thanks for this and all of your other wonderful recipes!

    • Reply
      Sonja
      December 29, 2012 at 9:22 pm

      Awesome! So great to hear. We are partial to it over meatloaf as well :) Thanks for writing — glad it turned out!

  • Reply
    Nupur
    December 30, 2012 at 4:00 pm

    I’m so glad I tried this recipe- it made for a beautiful holiday dish last week. Thanks for the inspiration! I served it with vegan gravy (with nutritional yeast), maple roasted brussels sprouts and mashed potatoes.

    My only changes were to use Cheddar cheese instead of Swiss and to use poultry seasoning in place of all the spices. It was cheaper to buy one jar rather than 3 (these are not spices that I tend to use much).

    • Reply
      Sonja
      December 30, 2012 at 7:39 pm

      Wonderful – I’m so glad to hear it worked out! The sides sound like a delicious compliment!

  • Reply
    ricki
    January 8, 2013 at 1:11 pm

    Great nutloaf. . .I served to my son and daughter-in-law for Thanksgiving, but everyone tasted and raved about it.

  • Reply
    Sue smith
    March 15, 2013 at 1:51 am

    No need for gravy. I use apple sauce on top. We made nut loaf in the 70s and always topped it with apple sauce. It’s delicious.

    • Reply
      Sonja
      March 24, 2013 at 8:10 pm

      How interesting – I’ve never heard of apple sauce on nut loaf. Thanks for the idea!

  • Reply
    Angela Hughes
    May 1, 2013 at 12:10 pm

    My friend and colleague, Mary made this wonderful loaf and gave it to me to try. It is so heavenly!! Great texture and flavor. I will definitely attempt to make the nut loaf soon.

    • Reply
      Elizabeth
      August 25, 2020 at 12:17 am

      8

  • Reply
    Mary
    May 2, 2013 at 3:38 pm

    made this last night…yum-o!

  • Reply
    Lin
    May 5, 2013 at 12:42 pm

    Having spent all morning making this loaf I was disappointed with the outcome. It looked exactly like the picture on here; my husband ( the meat and potatoes man)would not even give it 3 stars. The only way he liked it was to put mushroom gravy on it. I was so disappointed.

    • Reply
      Alex
      May 5, 2013 at 11:42 pm

      Sorry you didn’t enjoy it!

  • Reply
    Jo Romero
    June 19, 2013 at 12:32 am

    This is great – just what I’ve been looking for. Trying to cut down on meat so would be great to give this a go. Thanks for posting, have pinned it so I don’t lose it! :)

  • Reply
    Ellen Henry
    August 19, 2013 at 3:41 pm

    I’m a chef and so I boldly messed with this a lot..didn’t have cashews, but had pecans..leftover white rice not brown, Monteray Jack cheese…I added lentils, grated carrot and a T of minced bell pepper, a T of tomato paste and 1/2 t of Kitchen Boquet. It’s in the oven now and smells great.

    • Reply
      Alex
      August 19, 2013 at 3:43 pm

      Nice! Hope it turns out :)

  • Reply
    Lisa
    November 6, 2013 at 11:05 pm

    Hi, Sonia and Alec
    Love your new kitchen. And love this “meatloaf”. I made it for 2011 holiday dinners and it was yummy. I’ll be making it again this year. I also made “minis” using muffin pans so each got a nice crust. Happy Thanksgiving! Lisa in Indy

  • Reply
    Lisa
    November 6, 2013 at 11:10 pm

    Oops. My apologies for misspelling your names, SONJA and ALEX!!!
    Lisa in Indy

  • Reply
    Barbara Flowers
    November 15, 2013 at 11:55 am

    I would like to try this recipe, but, I really hate mushrooms. Do you have any suggestions on what i could use instead of the mushrooms?

  • Reply
    Audrey
    November 28, 2013 at 1:36 pm

    Thank you for this recipe! I was desperately looking for something non-tofu that I could serve to my vegetarian son on T-day. Used walnuts and almonds and a mixture of cheeses as that’s what I had on hand. Also added some fresh spinach to the onion/garlic mix and some shredded carrots. I hope he likes it! It sure smells and looks good!

    • Reply
      Sonja
      December 1, 2013 at 3:48 pm

      Oh, we hope this worked out! Thanks for trying it and hope your son enjoyed it!

  • Reply
    Lisa
    November 30, 2013 at 8:53 pm

    I made this at the request of my college-age children for our Thanksgiving feast — outstanding! We may never make another turkey. I paired with Vegetarian Brown Gravy from Epicurious, mashed potatoes, my great-grandmother’s southern cornbread and buttermilk biscuit dressing, Brussels sprouts in Dijon mustard and your napa cabbage/ walnut/apple recipe for one of our best feasts ever. Thank you! I will be using your site a lot.

    • Reply
      Sonja
      December 1, 2013 at 3:46 pm

      Lisa – wow! This feast sounds amazing – we wish we could have tasted it! The nut loaf is one of our favorites – with mushroom gravy it sounds to die for. Congrats on your delicious meal – and thank you so much for trying our recipes!

  • Reply
    Christy
    December 22, 2013 at 8:51 am

    How far in advance can you make the loaf? My thought was that I could refrigerate it in the loaf pan (not cooked) and then remove and bake when I am ready. I am just wondering how many days can it stay in the refrigerator before baking?

    • Reply
      Sonja
      December 22, 2013 at 10:35 am

      Hi Christy! We’ve never assembled the loaf days in advance, but we think it would likely be ok for a few days in the refrigerator? I’d try to minimize the time it sits if possible, but it should be ok. Let us know if you try it and how it works.

  • Reply
    Ian smoult
    December 24, 2013 at 4:07 am

    Hi from Manchester, England. I tried out your nut roast for a pre Christmas get together with non veggie friends, I followed the recipe exactly as written and it came out perfect. It was soooooo good that all the non veggies finished it off! Thank you for sharing the recipe, I will definitely be using this recipe again and following your site. Ian

    • Reply
      Sonja
      January 2, 2014 at 8:03 pm

      So glad to hear this, Ian! Thank you so much for writing and letting us know. We’re so glad that it was a success!

  • Reply
    Kath
    December 24, 2013 at 3:37 pm

    I found this recipe last week. I’m in Australia and this is on my Christmas bake list today. I’m going to substitute the eggs with a different binder, use all fresh herbs and throw in some spices. Really looking forward to this.

    • Reply
      Sonja
      January 2, 2014 at 8:02 pm

      Sounds delicious! Let us know how it worked out with a different binder!

  • Reply
    Karen
    December 25, 2013 at 6:40 am

    That was also my question about making it in advance. I think though however i will just get all the ingredients ready and make it when its time. I am worried it may be dry if I need to reheat it.

    I am going to add toasted chestnuts to this also for my Christmas version and also top with a creamy mushroom gravy.

    Really looking forward to it.

    In Holland we have two Christmas days and I am going over to a friends where they are going to have their first ever Vegetarian Christmas. I am sure this will be the first of many for them.

    Thanks and Happy Holidays.

    • Reply
      Sonja
      January 2, 2014 at 8:01 pm

      Wonderful! Let us know how it worked out for you — we hope you enjoyed it!

  • Reply
    Jeanne
    December 30, 2013 at 2:51 pm

    I made this last night for Sunday dinner with my son who is vegetarian. EXCELLENT!! It is a lot of work, but more than worth it … I suggest using helpful appliances to get the ingredients tiny. :) THANK YOU so much for sharing this absolutely fabulous recipe. I wanted something natural and nutritious to take the place of meat but not something trying to ‘be meat’. This is a keeper for sure. I made this with smashed garlic potatoes, brussel sprouts & carrots, mushroom gravy, green salad, jello/fruit salad and pumpkin pie. GREAT!

    I was a bit nervous … afraid I would flop it … but I didn’t !!! Followed the recipe (which is new for me) … ;) Now I will give myself permission to experiment and see what I can come up with also.

    • Reply
      Sonja
      January 2, 2014 at 8:00 pm

      We’re so glad you enjoyed it! It does take a bit of effort, but we agree that it’s worth it for a special meal. Let us know if you come up with a variation!

  • Reply
    e'beth
    January 4, 2014 at 10:16 pm

    Tonight I made your nut loaf and it is outstanding! My husband and I both really enjoyed it. I’ve been a vegetarian for about 15 years and have made MANY different versions of meatless loaf, and this is by far the best I’ve ever tried. Great texture and flavor – I wouldn’t hesitate to serve this to my non-veggie friends. I made your tomato soup with ricotta dumplings last week, and it was also fantastic. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes. Thanks!

  • Reply
    Elizabeth
    January 6, 2014 at 3:43 am

    Just stopping by to say thank you for sharing this recipe! I served this dish on Christmas Eve and we all loved it, even my “where’s the meat?!” family members. My dad insisted it had sausage in it. Which of course it did not! It was especially tasty with cranberry sauce, so I might add dried cranberries next time. I only used baby bellas as the other mushrooms at the store looked suspect, and used the poultry seasoning as suggested by one of the commenters (just 3 of the required spices already combined in the same bottle.) It was the perfect veggie holiday dish. Thank you, again!

  • Reply
    Anonymous
    April 13, 2014 at 9:25 am

    Best nut loaf ever. Nut loaf can be so dry but this was far from it yet it was firm and came out of the mold perfectly. So, so good! I used a mixture of nuts, a mix of fresh mushrooms and dried shitake and added some spinach. I will definitely make this again. I’d just like to know the calorie content of one serving.

  • Reply
    Deborah
    July 3, 2014 at 1:11 am

    Have you ever used egg replacer in this recipe? If you aren’t familiar with the replacer it’s a dry powder that you mix with warm water. I was also wondering if one could replace the cottage cheese with a silken tofu.
    Thank you!

    • Reply
      Alex
      July 3, 2014 at 8:59 am

      Hi! Sorry, we haven’t tried a vegan version if this recipe.

  • Reply
    Deborah
    July 14, 2014 at 4:56 pm

    Has anyone made this with egg replacer instead of eggs? How about replacing cottage cheese with silken tofu for a vegan version?
    Thank you!

    • Reply
      Anonymous
      October 9, 2014 at 12:47 pm

      That’s what I’m about to do for our Canadian Thanksgiving. I have to make it vegan and gluten-free! I’ll let you know how it turns out…..

  • Reply
    Anonymous
    December 19, 2014 at 1:50 pm

    I am making your nut loaf for a very elegant Christmas dinner party I am having tomorrow night. I am wondering since there are 10 of us, if it would be ok to 1 1/2 the ingredients? also: is it ok if I make it today and bake it tomorrow eve? thank you! gretchen

    • Reply
      Sonja
      December 19, 2014 at 5:59 pm

      Hi! I think either 1 recipe or 1 1/2 recipe could work. The only thing with 1 1/2 recipe would be finding the right size of loaf pan! So you may want to try 1 recipe if you don’t have a larger loaf pan.

      Regarding making it in advance, we have not tried making it ahead before! Since it contains eggs, it would probably be best to make up the components separately and then combine them before baking. For example, you could make the rice, toast the nuts, and saute all the veggies in advance. Then when you want to bake it, you could combine those ingredients with the eggs and cheese and then bake. Would that work for you? I
      It is possible that you could make it up and freeze it, but we’re not sure whether the nuts might get soggy. Let us know if you try it out, and what you find! Good luck!

  • Reply
    Donna
    July 28, 2015 at 4:33 pm

    I made this yesterday. It was fantastic. I used pecans instead of cashews (didn’t have any on hand) used all organic ingredients and changed the cheese to white cheddar. I got tons of raves on it, everyone said it was better than “meat” loaf. And it makes an awesome sandwich. Thanks for sharing the recipe I will make it again!!.

  • Reply
    Carol Ayers
    September 26, 2016 at 3:02 pm

    Dumb question, how finely ground are the nuts? I’ve never made a nut loaf before and don’t have a point of reference. Finely ground so it is similar to finely ground bread crumbs or slightly more coarsely chopped so more the consistency of panko?

    • Reply
      Sonja
      September 27, 2016 at 8:34 pm

      I’d say coarsely chopped is fine, like the consistency of panko! Thanks for asking! Let us know if you make it :)

  • Reply
    anne
    November 11, 2016 at 1:13 am

    credit actually goes to Deborah madison and the Greens cookbook. This is her recipe. I have made it for years

    • Reply
      Sonja
      November 11, 2016 at 3:04 pm

      Thank you for this! I went to Martha Stewart’s recipe online and found that another reader had a comment similar to yours! “This recipe is delicious. I’ve been making it for many years, thanks to Deborah Madison’s recipe in The Greens cookbook. I’m wondering why she wasn’t credited, considering that the only thing that was changed was to specify Gruyere cheese? I’m disappointed that proper attribution wasn’t given to a fine vegetarian chef.” Looks like Martha needs to make a proper citation :) Thanks for letting us know!

  • Reply
    Steve G
    November 20, 2017 at 8:01 am

    Just to let you know this now has become a thanksgiving tradition at our house. This will be the third year I will be making this and folks veggy or not love it..
    And…
    Bonus! What ever is left makes for a great breakfast “meat” for the next few days… a slab fried up with an egg is marvelous…

  • Reply
    Anonymous
    January 3, 2019 at 9:13 am

    HI! When you say you can freeze, would you cook the loaf, slice it and then freeze? Or freeze it cooked and whole?
    Thanks
    Alex

    • Reply
      Sonja
      January 4, 2019 at 9:45 am

      Good question: cook it, slice it, and then freeze! You could freeze it whole too, and then defrost the whole thing (I’d let it sit in the fridge for a few hours and then re-warm in the oven). If you slice before freezing, it makes defrosting much easier.

  • Reply
    Steve
    January 27, 2019 at 1:15 pm

    I cooked this up this morning and the results were amazing! We’ll be having it tonight and there will be leftovers to show off to my colleagues tomorrow:)

    • Reply
      Sonja
      January 27, 2019 at 1:46 pm

      So glad to hear it! Thank you so much for making it and let us know what your colleagues think!

  • Reply
    Amy
    February 11, 2019 at 8:37 pm

    I’ve never reviewed a recipe before but, for this one, I had to. This is a great meatloaf substitute! It is delicious as well as dense in texture…like a real meatloaf. The only thing I did different was to bake individual servings (in medium sized ramekin dishes) so that I can pull one out of the freezer and have when my husband is eating meat. This recipe is a keeper for this vegetarian. My meat eating husband liked it too.

    • Reply
      Alex
      February 12, 2019 at 11:13 am

      So glad you enjoyed it and I love the ramekins idea!

  • Reply
    Linda Aivalotis
    March 24, 2019 at 9:48 am

    I have made this 2x, and it is excellent! I’ve shared it with my sister and we both agree that it is as close to the taste and feel of a ground beef meatloaf that we have ever had.

    • Reply
      Sonja
      March 24, 2019 at 12:32 pm

      So glad to hear it!!! It’s even better than meatloaf, right? Thanks for making it!

  • Reply
    Samantha W.
    June 3, 2019 at 8:50 am

    Wow, this is so good! Not only is it insanely filling, but the flavor and texture is better than regular meatloaf (in my opinion). I was honestly a little nervous to make this, as I haven’t ever made a nut loaf before, but it’s so tasty, I can’t imagine going back to my old recipe with actual meat. Thank you so much for sharing, and I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!! :)

    • Reply
      Alex
      June 3, 2019 at 9:23 am

      So glad you enjoyed it!!

  • Reply
    Joanna
    October 7, 2019 at 1:26 pm

    Delicious! I didn’t have all the spices called for in the recipe so I used what I had fresh from the garden – rosemary, thyme and Italian parsley. I also used old cheddar as I didn’t have any Swiss. This recipe is definitely a keeper.

  • Reply
    Jackie borgia
    October 29, 2019 at 11:11 pm

    This was absolutely amazing. My husband who gives me a hard time loved it as well. That is saying a lot. Thank you so much for this recipe. Can’t wait to make it again!

    • Reply
      Alex Overhiser
      October 30, 2019 at 10:38 am

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

  • Reply
    Tania
    November 18, 2019 at 11:45 am

    Looking forward to making this. Wanted to confirm one thing – the recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice but the first instruction says to cook the rice so I wanted to double check whether it was 1 1/2 cups of rice before or after it is cooked? Thanks

    • Reply
      Alex Overhiser
      November 18, 2019 at 6:45 pm

      Hi! The 1 1/2 cups is for the rice after it’s cooked. Enjoy!

  • Reply
    Dorota
    November 24, 2019 at 4:20 pm

    hello, do you use whole nuts or crush them?

    • Reply
      Alex Overhiser
      November 24, 2019 at 8:01 pm

      The nuts are finely chopped with a knife or food processor.

  • Reply
    Mo
    November 27, 2019 at 1:31 pm

    I wanted to love this especially since I have so much left over. It is just so rich and calorie dense that it upsets my tummy. I even cut the cheese in half. I’m new to being a vegetarian (4 months now) and meatloaf was always one of my favorite things. I’m looking to find a recipe that I can enjoy while the rest of my family is chowing down on their meat.

  • Reply
    Barbara
    December 14, 2019 at 4:22 pm

    This was absolutely delicious and my husband love it but i have two questions before I try again. I was unsure whether I was to use GROUND dried spices or just the dried spices in their original form so I just used what I had (the ground marjoram was intense at first but then muted by additional ingredients), Also, I baked it in a glass meatloaf pan and it was still somewhat wet – how much longer would you continue to bake it to have it bake through or would you recommend a metal pan instead? Thank you.

    • Reply
      Alex Overhiser
      December 14, 2019 at 8:04 pm

      Hi! The recipe is for the whole dried herbs, not ground. We’ve had luck with both glass and metal loaf pans. We’ve never had issue after the 20 minute rest, but I’d recommend an additional 10 minutes in the oven if it was really wet!

  • Reply
    Randi
    December 18, 2019 at 2:38 pm

    Delicious!!! Tastes even better a day or two later right out of the frig. Will be making it for the holidays. Thanks for a great recipe!

  • Reply
    Kelley
    January 7, 2020 at 3:00 pm

    I just wanted to drop a note to say that I have been using this recipe at least 4x a year for the past several years and its one of my family’s absolute FAVORITE dishes. We look forward to making it knowing that we will have leftovers for several days, and use those leftovers for delicious “meatloaf” sandwiches of various forms. Thank you SO much for this amazing gift!

    • Reply
      Alex Overhiser
      January 7, 2020 at 3:05 pm

      Thanks for leaving a note! I love to hear that it’s become such a family staple :)

  • Reply
    Kate
    February 6, 2020 at 11:35 am

    I mean what can I say! This is probably the best vegetarian alternative to
    Meat I have ever had the pleasure of eating! It totally messes with your mind because it looks and has the texture of meat but is totally meat free! I’m giving these ago as meatballs for my spaghetti!!!
    I was totally sceptical but have been converted instantly!!!

    • Reply
      Alex Overhiser
      February 6, 2020 at 12:08 pm

      Haha! So glad you enjoyed :)

  • Reply
    Tammy
    March 1, 2020 at 6:26 pm

    This recipe is wonderful. My family loved it! I also made a red pepper/cashew sauce to serve alongside it. So delicious!

  • Reply
    Sammy-J
    May 22, 2020 at 11:26 pm

    I’ve made this twice as indicated and it’s superb! Love it and will continue to make it over and over again!

  • Reply
    Cate
    June 27, 2020 at 5:08 pm

    Total disappointment! Followed recipe and instructions EXACTLY and it came out wet, soggy & crunchy. The “loaf” fell apart when removed after cooling. Such an expense for such a failure :(.

    • Reply
      Alex Overhiser
      June 27, 2020 at 8:02 pm

      I’m so sorry it didn’t work out for you.

  • Reply
    Lori
    July 6, 2020 at 10:43 pm

    The looks interesting and I would like to try it, however, I am lactose-intolerant. I have been able to find lactose-free cottage cheese, but not Swiss Cheese. Can you suggest a different cheese that is lactose-free to be used in place of the Swiss Cheese? Thank you.

    • Reply
      Alex Overhiser
      July 7, 2020 at 11:32 am

      Hi! Would a provolone work?

  • Reply
    Elizabeth Cobb
    August 25, 2020 at 12:27 am

    OMG. That’s the best vegetarian nut loaf i have ever made. My son, daughter-in-law, & 5 year old grandchild came for supper. I was a bit nervous serving this to them because they like meat. They loved it. Even took some for their lunches tomorrow. Also made the gravy & they loved that too + the mashed potatoes. My picky 5 year old granddaughter had a second helping. Thanks for the recipe.

    • Reply
      Alex Overhiser
      August 25, 2020 at 9:15 am

      I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks for making :)

  • Reply
    Nicola
    September 1, 2020 at 7:36 am

    Thank you for the inspiration!! This long time foodie looked for an ‘egg and brown rice’ loaf recipe and found yours. I did do a lot of substituting, but the end result was most definitely because of your excellent foundation recipe. Don’t like mushrooms, so put quartered brussels sprouts instead. Roasted walnuts with pine nuts. Lotsa fresh ginger too and fresh herbs like sage from the garden. Had it warm with apricot chutney. Curious how it will taste cold. Thanks again!

    • Reply
      Alex Overhiser
      September 1, 2020 at 8:35 am

      That sounds wonderful! Glad you enjoyed :)

  • Reply
    Teri
    September 19, 2020 at 1:01 am

    I made a very good vegetarian loaf last week , then this one yesterday. Today’s lunch was a bit of each, and yours is seriously better. My only change was to add soaked sun dried tomatoes. Slices just like meatloaf, especially nice with homemade savory plum sauce.

    • Reply
      Alex Overhiser
      September 19, 2020 at 10:53 am

      Oooo. Will have to try this sundried tomatoes!

  • Reply
    Hazel Vargas
    September 25, 2020 at 6:09 pm

    I plan to serve this on Thanksgiving, but I want to prepare it a day ahead since my oven will be busy on that day. Can I reheat the whole loaf in a microwave or do I need to slice it?

    • Reply
      Sonja Overhiser
      September 28, 2020 at 9:25 am

      Great question! It might be a little difficult to reheat in the microwave as a whole loaf since microwaves are a little uneven, but you could try it whole and just do it in small bursts until the entire thing is heated. You can also do it in slices but just don’t over heat it! If you have a toaster oven that might be a better option for reheating, but microwave should work as long as you’re careful.

  • Reply
    Carol
    November 5, 2020 at 11:58 am

    I made yesterday…I replaced cottage cheese with 3/5 italian bread crumbs and I replaced Swiss with Shredded cheddar, because i dont like cottage cheese and didn’t have swiss. I followed the recipe completely otherwise. I put warmed nuts into food processor so some were ground and some bits. It was amazing! I cooked for an hour…love the crunch on top. Spices and S & P on point! Made my vegetarian gravy with it, Mashed potatoes. Def making again…..THANK YOU!

  • Reply
    Kaitlin Frank
    November 23, 2020 at 12:09 am

    Do you have any suggestions to make this nut free?

    • Reply
      Alex Overhiser
      November 23, 2020 at 9:55 am

      Sorry, the nuts are really essential to this recipe. You could try looking up some lentil loaves but we don’t have a recipe.

  • Reply
    Susan Udry
    November 27, 2020 at 9:03 am

    love this, made it again this year. But, I substituted Farro for the brown rice. because I love farro. I think it migh make it chewier

  • Reply
    Barbara
    November 27, 2020 at 5:38 pm

    Made this yesterday for Thanksgiving. Would say it’s the best veggie loaf I’ve made over the years. Followed the recipe pretty closely except for the grated cheese — I added less than half of the 12 ounces called for and used a cheddar as that’s what I had on hand. Also, did not use the parchment paper in my loaf pan which one should do if they want to remove the loaf from the pan in one piece for serving. I thought about making a gravy but in the end did not and felt the the flavor of the loaf did not need any enhancement.

  • Reply
    alp253
    December 14, 2020 at 3:06 pm

    I am curious to know what this tastes like.. what is the stand-out flavor? Any descriptors would be appreciated.
    Would someone who isn’t a fan of normal meat loaf enjoy this, or is it too similar?

    • Reply
      Sonja Overhiser
      December 14, 2020 at 5:58 pm

      Great question! It tastes super savory and hearty — and we think it’s better than normal meatloaf! So yes, we think someone who doesn’t like normal meatloaf would like it. Hope you enjoy!!!

      • Reply
        Anonymous
        December 27, 2020 at 3:59 pm

        I ended up making this for one of our Christmas dishes and my husband and I really enjoyed it! Topped it off with a mushroom gravy and it was spot on.

        The next day I heated up a slice with a fried egg and some hot sauce and that was also delicious!

  • Reply
    Anna
    December 20, 2020 at 12:27 am

    Hi, my children dont like mushrooms, what I can use instead of mushroom?

    • Reply
      Alex Overhiser
      December 21, 2020 at 10:07 am

      Hi! Sorry, the mushrooms are essential for this one.

    • Reply
      Karen
      January 10, 2021 at 12:16 am

      It doesn’t taste of mushrooms so it’s unlikely they’d know unless you told them.

  • Reply
    Netty
    December 28, 2020 at 8:15 am

    The best veggie meatloaf ever, left out cottage cheese, but it was still great, we had it for Christmas dinner, leftovers next day you can thinly slice and use in kebabs, it holds together that well, and is very much like meat, excellent, thank you!

  • Reply
    Karen
    December 30, 2020 at 7:40 am

    I’ve made this veggie meatloaf 4 times now. Absolutely love it as does my meat eating partner. Very ‘tweak-able’ recipe. I add ketchup to the mix. Can never find shiitake mushrooms when I want them so just use normal closed cup. Don’t ever use marjoram but add extra sage and oregano and all sorts of other bits and bobs. Even chilli. Can’t always get swiss cheese so use anything I can find with similar texture and top up with cheddar. It’s so delicious. Better the next day. And yes, does have a very ‘meaty’ texture. I made this in lieu of a quorn roast for Christmas dinner.

    Despite it being a more involved recipe that I normally like, the instructions are very simple making it very easy to make and sooooo worth it.

    Oh yes – and this is the only veggie meatloaf I’ve ever made that hasn’t fallen apart.

    Bravo for coming up with such a gorgeous recipe!

    • Reply
      Alex Overhiser
      December 30, 2020 at 1:24 pm

      I’m so glad to hear this! Thanks for commenting :)

  • Reply
    Addie
    February 21, 2021 at 6:58 pm

    Hi, can you sub white rice or wild rice for the brown rice?

    • Reply
      Sonja Overhiser
      February 23, 2021 at 5:15 pm

      You can substitute white rice! We wouldn’t recommend substituting wild rice. Thanks for asking!

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