Easy Vegan Moussaka | FoodByMaria

Greek

Vegan Greek Moussaka

Last Updated:
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Big bowl of vegan moussaka ready to be eaten with fresh vegan feta and herbs.

Prep

20 minutes

Cook

1 hour 20 minutes

Yield

8 -10

This Vegan Moussaka is loaded with flavour and one of my favourite traditional Greek dishes to make.

Some of my favourite things to cook are traditional Greek dishes with a vegan or plant based spin. This Vegan Moussaka is no exception; it’s filled with potatoes, zucchini, eggplant, and lots of delicious olive oil. I love making casseroles this time of year, they are so warm and rich, the ultimate in comfort food!

A big casserole dish filled with Vegan Moussaka ready to be eaten and sprinkled with fresh herbs.

A bowl of delicious vegan moussaka topped with fresh herbs and vegan feta cheese.

The greatness of olive oil 

I’m sure you know that all olive oil is not created equal. But did you know currently there is a major issue with some olive oil being labeled a specific quality and even coming from a specific location and it just isn’t true! Olive oil not only tastes great but has a lot of health benefits, that is when it comes from a high quality producer. That is why I love using Keros Olive Oil from Ancient Foods. They focus on quality and sustainability, and that’s something I can get behind! Back to those benefits of cooking with olive oil:

  • The fatty acid in olive oil is a monounsaturated fat called oleic acid, making up 73% of the total oil content. Studies suggest that oleic acid reduces inflammation!
  •  Monounsaturated fats like this olive oil can withstand high heat without turning bitter or overpowering the dish- it is also amazing as a finishing oil.
  • Olive oil contains high levels of vitamin E and K
  • The trees in Greece where KEROS Olive Oil comes from are significantly older (and majestic) than most olive groves – many are over 1000 years old. Older trees produce oil that has more of the healthy components in olive oil, like phenols and antioxidants.

A close-up shot of olive oil used in this vegan moussaka recipe.

Olive oil being poured onto the cooked vegan moussaka.

Eggplant: more than an emoji

Did you know when you Google search eggplant, eggplant emoji is the second most searched word. There is so much more to this fruit than its social media following, so it’s no wonder we had to showcase it in this vegan moussaka. Eggplants are so good for you, one cup of raw eggplant contains:

I’m Your Mommy Now

Your Greek mommy that is. 😍 Step into my kitchen to learn how to make yummy Greek food. 🍽️💃

  • Fiber: 3 grams
  • Protein: 1 gram
  • Manganese: 10% of the RDI
  • Folate: 5% of the RDI
  • Potassium: 5% of the RDI
  • Vitamin K: 4% of the RDI
  • Vitamin C: 3% of the RDI

Vegan moussaka dish sitting on countertop ready to be cut into, surrounded by key Greek ingredients like vegan feta and olives.

Vegan casseroles

Like I mentioned above, casseroles are perfect this time of year. They can be prepared in advance which is a huge time saver at dinner time and usually make enough for leftovers. If you like this recipe be sure to check out some of my other plant based casseroles:

Give this plant based Greek moussaka a try and let me know what you think!

Big bowl of vegan moussaka ready to be eaten with fresh vegan feta and herbs.

Vegan Moussaka

4.39 from 13 votes
This Vegan Moussaka is loaded with flavour and one of my favourite traditional Greek dishes to make.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Course Main Dishes
Cuisine Greek
Servings 8 -10

Ingredients
  

For the Vegetables:

  • 3 large white russet potatoes peeled and cut into 1/2-1/4 inch slices
  • 1 large eggplant cut into 1/2- 1/4 inch slices
  • 2 large zucchini cut into 1/2-1/4 inch slices
  • 4-5 tbsp Keros olive oil
  • season to taste
  • 2 tbsp dry oregano

For the Lentil Meat Sauce:

  • 3 tbsp. Keros olive oil
  • 1 large white onion finely chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
  • Season
  • 2 tbsp. dry basil
  • 1 tbsp. dry oregano
  • 1 tsp vegetable stock paste
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp cloves
  • 2 400 ml can of brown lentils strained and drained
  • 1 400 ml can of black beans strained and drained
  • 600 ml crushed Roma tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp. Coconut sugar or white sugar is fine too

For the Oat Milk Béchamel:

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 400F and line three baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Cut your peeled potatoes, zucchini and eggplant and evenly coat with Kero olive oil, seasoning and oregano. Cook potatoes till soft, eggplant till tender and golden brown and zucchini till most of it's liquid has evaporated.  The reason we're pre cooking them is so there is no moisture in the baking dish for the moussaka.  You want this to be a mix of perfectly crispy and creamy, not watery!
  • To prepare your "meat" sauce all you will need in one deep pot.  Start by pre-heating your Keros olive oil and adding your onions.  Cook them down on medium-low heat for around 5 minutes or until soft.  Add in your garlic, salt + pepper, basil, oregano, stock paste, cinnamon and cloves and give your mixture a good stir.  Cook for 3 or so more minute on medium-low heat.  At this point your home should smell fabulous.  Add in your lentils, black bean, tomatoes and sugar.  Give it all a good stir before turning heat to low and popping on a lid and reducing for around 20 minutes.  You want the sauce to reduce enough that it's thick but not stew like!  Once cooked set aside.
  • For the bechamel, add the butter to a pot on the stove and heat it at medium to low heat. As the butter melts, sift the flour and add to the pan stirring vigorously, don’t stop. Keep stirring and let it cook for a bit.  Don’t let it burn and if it sticks to the pan then turn down the heat.  Begin adding the milk, cup by cup, and stir using a whisk.  Your heat should still be on medium-low and continue to add milk as it gradually thickens. Add milk till you get to the right thickness (you will probably notice bubbles developing).
  • Once you’ve reach your desired thickness, remove from heat and stir in nutritional yeast, cinnamon, cloves, salt + pepper and your lemon!  Give it a taste for seasoning before setting aside.
  • To assemble your Moussaka grab a deep casserole dish and lightly grease with olive oil.  Begin layers by adding your potatoes, then zucchini, then eggplant.  Then add a generous layer of "meat" sauce and top with your bechamel.  Cover with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove tin foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes.   You will know it's ready when the bechamel is more firm and less giggly when you shake the dish. Finish on broil (keep your eyes on this) for around 2-3 minutes to get that nice brown finish. Top with fresh thyme for serving!
  • Moussaka goes great with Greek Salad and feta (there are so many amazing plant based versions).

Notes

Any leftover "meat sauce" will last up to one week, in the fridge, in a tight sealed container.
The Moussaka will last up to one week, in the fridge, in a tight sealed container.
Please, please make sure you're using the best quality olive oil for this recipe.  It is key for it's nourishing, comfort flavour!  I highly suggest ancient foods!
Review This Recipe Let us know how it was!

 

I love cooking traditional Greek dishes with a vegan or plant based spin. This moussaka is no exception; filled with potatoes and lots of olive oil.

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Ancient Foods

Maria

So delicious even non-vegans will enjoy. Freezes surprisingly well, too. I thawed my leftovers yesterday and tasted just as good!

Maria Koutsogiannis

YESS! Maria, this makes me so happy! thanks for trying out recipe!

Nafeesa

Delicious and so hearty! Fantastic flavours and the recipe was easy to follow – it makes a BIG moussaka so it’s great to have some as leftovers too! Thanks Maria!

Maria Koutsogiannis

Thank’s so much love. It’s one of our favourites!

Jenny blomme

Going to be a yes for me dawg. Lots of delicious layers of flavour here. Easy recipe to follow. Was super impressed by the vegan beschemal as well!!

Maria Koutsogiannis

YESSS!!! Thanks so much for the love Jenny! This is amazing xx

Paola Rodríguez

Hey I’m making this as a side dish for tonight’s festivities! Vegan in a non vegan fam wish me luck ! So happy to have you for guidance! ❤️

Maria Koutsogiannis

You’re going to love this, my friend, please let me know how it goes!!

Maria Mcvay

It’s my first time making Moussaka, loved this recipe, it’s delicious, creamy and full of nutrients, the whole family enjoyed it! Will definitely make it again.

Maria Koutsogiannis

YES!! Thanks so much for the love, Maria. So glad you enjoyed this one as much as we do.

https://colombianwomen.net

What’s up, after eading this amazing post i aam too cheerful to share my familiarity herfe with mates.

Lucy Budzynska

Hello! My daughter is allergic to eggplant. What would be a good substitute do you think? Ta x

Maria Koutsogiannis

I would just use more Zucchini or another type of root vegetable like pumpkin!

Francesca Bragoli

As a non-vegan, I made this for dinner for a vegan friend and needless to say it is one of the best dishes I have ever made and just couldn’t get enough! The lentil “meat sauce” is packed full of flavour and the béchamel is INSANE! I couldn’t stop licking the spoon and quite happily would have just had that for dinner! I personally found that I needed more of the vegetables and I stupidly cut them the wrong way (short & round rather than length ways – silly me and lesson learnt), so next time I am going to increase the quantity of veg so I can have a couple more layers! But would 1000000% recommend for vegans and non-vegans alike… *continues to drool about that béchamel*….

Maria Koutsogiannis

Hey lady! thank you so much for this love. So glad you loved the recipe!!!!!!! YES YES YES YES!!

Amanda Engel

I really wanted to make this today…. but I don‘t know how much 2400ml lentils and 1400ml black beans are in cups or grams/kilograms… nor ounzes…

I live in Germany and they don‘t sell canned goods labeled with ml.

Could you please help?

Maria Koutsogiannis

Hello Amanda I just used Google to answer this question for you:

And to confirm, it is (2) 400 ml = 800 ml = 1 3/4 cup so total you need 3 1/2 cups and 1 3/4 cups respectively.

Thanks!

DanDan

Fabulous dish, thanks for sharing

Maria Koutsogiannis

thank you!

Post A Comment

Recipe Rating




Share to...