A Mexican-style vegan black bean meatloaf recipe with sweet potato, pepitas, cumin, chili powder, chipotles, and more, topped with cilantro lime avocado crema.
It’s time for another vegan meatloaf recipe! I know, I know, it’s perhaps not the most exciting news to receive on a Monday morning, but trust me- this Mexican-inspired vegan black bean meatloaf with sweet potatoes and pepitas is seriously delicious. Yes, it takes some time to make and bake, but the results are well worth it. This could be the perfect unconventional Easter centrepiece to suit another unconventional year, come to think of it!
the inspiration
This recipe is a Mexican spin on my Mediterranean Chickpea Meatloaf from last month. Given how much my family and some of you enjoyed it, I knew that I had to get to work creating variations on it. This version is spiced up with cumin, coriander, chili powder, oregano, and chipotles in adobo sauce (which my parents, who both grew up in a time and place where such foods were not readily available, always mistakenly call “adobe peppers in chipotle sauce”- hashtag adorbs), and gets its bulk from a combination of black beans, sweet potatoes, and pepitas.
the details
Yes, there is some work involved, mainly in the form of chopping/grating and cooking vegetables and grinding a few ingredients in a food processor, but once you get the meatloaf in the oven, it’s hands off while it bakes for about an hour. I’ll give you fair warning that it does need to sit for around 30 minutes after it comes out of the oven to set before it can be sliced, so don’t put this on your menu for a harried weeknight. This is more of a special weekend recipe to enjoy making when you have lots of time on your hands, or a weekday recipe if you have a lot of free time!
ingredients you will need
For the black bean meatloaf, you will need extra virgin olive oil, red onion, garlic, sea salt, pepper, sweet potato, celery, cumin, chili powder, coriander, oregano, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, black beans or pinto beans, pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds) or sunflower seeds, ground flax seeds, cilantro, rolled oats (ground into a flour), balsamic vinegar, lime juice, and barbecue sauce.
For the cilantro lime avocado crema, you will need avocado, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, sea salt, and pepper.
how to make Mexican black bean meatloaf
Warm the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for five minutes. Add the salt, pepper, grated sweet potato, celery, and all of the spices, including the chipotle pepper and adobo sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, for a few more minutes, until the sweet potato and celery have softened slightly. Remove from the heat.
Place the pepitas or sunflower seeds in a food processor fitted with the ‘S’ blade. Process into a coarse meal. Transfer into a large bowl.
Place the black beans or pinto beans in the food processor fitted with the ‘S’ blade. Pulse several times, until broken up and crumbly. Stop pulsing before the beans become a paste, however, as some texture is desirable and prevents the loaf from becoming too gummy. Transfer the beans into the bowl.
Next, add the cooked onion/garlic/vegetables/spices to the bowl, followed by the flax, ground oats, cilantro, balsamic vinegar, and lime juice. Stir very well to combine. I usually get my hands involved at this point to ensure that everything is well mixed.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Ensure that there is overhang so that you can lift the loaf out of the pan after it bakes.
Transfer the meatloaf mixture into the prepared pan and pack it down firmly with your hands. The more firmly you pack it, the better the loaf will hold together once baked. Spread the barbecue sauce over top and bake for one hour.
While the meatloaf is in the oven, make the avocado lime cilantro crema. Place the avocado, lime juice, cilantro, sea salt, and pepper in a food processor fitted with the ‘S’ blade. Process until smooth, adding a couple of tablespoons of water to thin, if desired. Transfer into a container.
Finally, remove the loaf from the oven and let it cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes. Carefully lift it out of the pan and slice. Top with a dollop of the crema and any other desired accompaniments to round out the meal!
what to serve with this vegan meatloaf
I served it with quinoa, salsa, and a cumin lime cabbage slaw- very delicious, if I do say so myself. You could also serve it with roasted sweet potatoes and steamed greens or a kale citrus salad. Leftover black bean meatloaf is great on sandwiches.
more black bean recipes
- Black Bean, Quinoa + Sweet Potato Salad with Kale and Corn
- Black Bean and Delicata Squash Burrito Bowls
- Black Bean Hummus
I hope that you love this vegan Mexican black bean meatloaf as much as I do! If you make it, let me know how you enjoyed it by leaving a comment and rating below the post. And if you share a photo to Instagram, tag it @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen. Seeing what you’ve made is one of the highlights of my week!
Have a great start to your week, and enjoy!
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Vegan Black Bean Meatloaf with Cilantro Lime Crema
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A Mexican-style vegan black bean meatloaf recipe with sweet potato, pepitas, cumin, chili powder, chipotles, and more, topped with cilantro lime avocado crema.
Ingredients
Black Bean Meatloaf
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
- 4 medium garlic cloves, grated or minced
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 ½ cups peeled grated sweet potato (from 1 medium, see note)
- 2 celery ribs, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon mild chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1–2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely minced
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce (from the can of chipotle peppers)
- 3 cups cooked black beans or pinto beans (or 2 14-oz cans, drained and rinsed)
- ¾ cup roasted pepitas
- 3 tablespoons ground flax seeds
- 1 cup rolled oats, ground into a coarse flour
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
- ⅓ cup barbecue sauce (for the topping)
Cilantro Lime Crema
- 1 large ripe avocado, pitted and flesh scooped out
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice (or to taste)
- 1 large garlic clove, minced or grated
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Water, as desired to thin
Instructions
- Warm the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for five minutes. Add the salt, pepper, grated sweet potato, celery, and all of the spices, including the chipotle pepper and adobo sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, for a few more minutes, until the sweet potato and celery have softened slightly. Remove from the heat.
- Place the pepitas in a food processor fitted with the ‘S’ blade. Process into a coarse meal. Transfer into a large bowl.
- Place the black beans or pinto beans in the food processor fitted with the ‘S’ blade. Pulse several times, until broken up and crumbly. Stop pulsing before the beans become a paste, however, as some texture is desirable and prevents the loaf from becoming too gummy. Transfer the beans into the bowl.
- Next, add the cooked onion/garlic/vegetables/spices to the bowl, followed by the flax, ground oats, cilantro, balsamic vinegar, and lime juice. Stir very well to combine. I usually get my hands involved at this point to ensure that everything is well mixed.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Ensure that there is overhang so that you can lift the loaf out of the pan after it bakes.
- Transfer the meatloaf mixture into the prepared pan and pack it down firmly with your hands. The more firmly you pack it, the better the loaf will hold together once baked. Spread the barbecue sauce over top and bake for one hour.
- While the meatloaf is in the oven, make the avocado lime cilantro crema. Place the avocado, lime juice, cilantro, sea salt, and pepper in a food processor fitted with the ‘S’ blade. Process until smooth, adding a couple of tablespoons of water to thin, if desired. Transfer into a container.
- Finally, remove the loaf from the oven and let it cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes. Carefully lift it out of the pan and slice. Top with a dollop of the crema and serve with any other desired accompaniments to round out the meal. Enjoy!
Notes
I grated my sweet potato using the grater attachment on my food processor. You can also use a box grater.
If you don’t have any pepitas on hand, use an equivalent amount of hulled sunflower seeds, pecans, or walnuts.
Feel free to make a double batch of the avocado crema if you’re feeding a crowd. It makes enough for 4 servings, but the loaf makes 8-10 servings.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Category: Supper
- Cuisine: Mexican
Keywords: vegan black bean Mexican meatloaf
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Jennifer
I really enjoyed this meatloaf. Very tasty and we all had to have seconds1
★★★★★
Allison
Thank you!!