Vegan Beet Loaf
Yes, Beet Loaf! Don’t be scared—it’s good! Do you love beets and carrots? How about seeds? If you do, you must try this recipe if you are looking to make something vegan (egg and dairy-free), gluten-free, completely allergen-friendly and of course nutritious.
If you’re not into seeds please check out the new easy Vegetable Beetloaf!
Easier Than You Think
Sounds complicated but it isn’t. Once you master how to fuel your body without the top allergens, you get creative on how to add the best nutrient-dense ingredients to your recipes.
The Perfect Blend of Flavours
To make the loaf mixture you cook the beets and carrots, soak some of the seeds to make them easier to digest (and blend), purée/process almost all the ingredients in the blender or food processor, and bake the loaves until the edges are crisp and golden.
Remember this recipe doesn’t have meat, so you don’t have to worry about undercooking it. Baking it long enough is important, it will give the ingredients a chance to stick together and produce the perfect blend of flavours.
Texture and Colour
This loaf has a softer pâté like texture. I’ve never liked meat pâtés, but my mom did buy some on occasion for parties. Ok, maybe that’s a bad example. It has a soft caky moist texture (in case you’ve never tried meat pâté). Once baked, the colour of this recipe won’t be as beet purple. It will transform into a light brownish tone sort of like a meat-filled loaf.
Who Eats This Way?
You might wonder why I make recipes like this one. Plant-based meals are filled with great flavours, packed with vitamins and minerals (we can all use extra), and provide us with energy to function every day.
Perfect for Various Diets
Fresh is Real’s recipes are perfect for various diets and lifestyles not just for people avoiding the top allergens. This site is a great resource for simple wholesome food ideas to add to our meal rotation.
No Nuts in My House
My oldest is allergic to peanuts and nuts, so we don’t have any in the house, which is why I cook using a lot of seeds. I’m sensitive to a whole bunch of foods and tested positive for the Celiac gene. Do I have Celiac or other autoimmune diseases? I don’t know yet. So I try my best to prepare healthy meals that are free of all the ingredients that make us feel unwell, or that could potentially send one of us to the hospital.
The Term Vegan
When I use the term vegan on my site, it’s to help my followers quickly find recipes that do not contain eggs and dairy (or other animal products). You might be avoiding eggs and dairy for various health reasons, or because you are indeed vegan. That is why including the term vegan in your online searches will direct you to the right recipes faster.
No Legumes, No Corn
The best part about this Vegan Beet Loaf is that it doesn’t contain legumes like chickpeas or lentils, and it doesn’t include corn as a filler. When you have allergies, Celiac, autoimmune diseases, or food sensitivities, it’s common to react to legumes, corn, and other familiar ingredients typically used to prepare meatless loaves. Hooray for this version free of corn or beans!
Mashed vs. Blender
I’ve made a similar recipe in the past, and in that one, I mashed the cooked beets and carrots. You could probably do the same with this one although you would still have to blend or process the soaked seeds to transform them into a smoother texture. I’ve also tested the recipe without soaking the seeds. Although with that method you need to grind them into a coarse meal before incorporating them into the mashed beets and carrots.
Meatless Balls Recipe
You could also roll the Vegan Beet Loaf mixture into meatless beet balls, but I feel that mashing the veggies would create the best texture for balls. I will post another recipe soon for meatless veggie balls of some sort.
Perfect Holiday Treat
If you are stressing out about what to make for your next family get together, I bet you could impress your vegan friends or cousin with food sensitivities with this one. It’s gluten-free and completely allergen-friendly.
Make this Vegan Beet Loaf with some mashed potatoes and gravy, a side of cooked veggies, and a salad like my Vegan Broccoli Cauliflower Leek Salad or my Easy Rainbow Coleslaw and you’re all set for a crowd-pleasing meal. Don’t forget a little something naturally sweet like my Raw Pumpkin Macaroons. They are simple to make, kid-friendly, and the right dessert for everyone that shouldn’t be eating bad refined sugary treats!
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If you made this Vegan Beet Loaf recipe, please leave a comment below, tell me about your experience, and rate the recipe.
Have fun making this recipe!
Vegan Beet Loaf
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 50 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 mins
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Snacks
- Cuisine: Vegan, Allergen-Friendly, Plant-Based
Description
We all love simple, healthy recipes. For this one, you can use your high-speed blender (or your food processor) to mix the ingredients for this satisfying Vegan Beet Loaf. We all have friends with special diets, and this recipe is perfect for your meatless friends, gluten-free family members, or even little Joe with a peanut/nut allergy. The Beet Loaf is comforting and delicious when served with a tasty sauce or gravy. If beets aren’t your thing, sub the portion of vegetables with rutabaga, butternut squash and carrots. The leftover possibilities are endless. Crumble some atop a green salad, add some to a wrap or sandwich, and equally good served cold as a snack.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup raw organic sunflower seeds, soaked and strained*
- 1/2 cup raw organic pumpkin seeds, soaked and strained*
- 1/2 cup raw organic sunflower seeds, ground into flour**
- 1/2 cup organic hemp seeds, ground into flour**
- 2–3 beets, peeled and cut into quarters (2 cups cooked)
- 1–2 carrots, peeled and cut into smaller pieces (1 cup cooked)
- 2–3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed (optional)
- 1 tablespoon psyllium husk***
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, large stems removed
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon dried fine herbs (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon sea or Himalayan salt
Instructions
- Soak half a cup of each the sunflower and pumpkin seeds for 4 hours on the countertop, or overnight in the refrigerator in some water*.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a medium saucepot, bring the prepared beets and carrot to a boil, reduce heat to low. Cook until tender, about 20 minutes.
- Strain soaked seeds and transfer them to a high-speed blender****.
- Add cooked beets, carrots, and remaining ingredients except for the seed flour. Blend until almost smooth. Leaving some whole pieces of seeds and veggies is ok.
- Add and gently incorporate the ground sunflower and hemp seed flour to the blended mix.
- Transfer mix to a parchment-lined loaf pan. You can add a little coconut oil or olive oil if you want.
- Cook loaf for about 50 minutes*****. Bake until edges look crispy and golden.
- Let sit for 10 minutes, loosen edges with a knife, pull out loaf(s) with parchment and serve right away, or even better enjoyed the next day.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Ps. Warm up a slice in a hot pan with a little bit of oil. Toast until crispy!
Notes
* Soaking your seeds for at least 4 hours helps with digestion. In a hurry? You can soak your seeds in boiled hot water until ready to use. Make sure you strained them well, so they are not too wet.
** Use a dry container Vitamix or coffee grinder to transform seeds into flour.
*** You could probably use ground flax or ground chia seeds as a substitute. Or leave it out. Psyllium helps to bind the ingredients together.
**** You can use a food processor although I haven’t tested that method.
***** Baking times could vary depending on the size of your pan. You can use one regular sized 8.5 x 4.5-in loaf pan, or two smaller 2 x 4-in pans. For smaller loafs decrease baking time to about 40 minutes. For regular sized loaf pans, you might have to increase the baking time to an extra 5 to 10 minutes.
