Best Vegan Moussaka (Authentic Recipe) – Jarastyle

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Last modified: August 17, 2023. Originally posted: August 17, 2023 By Sophia DeSantis

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This vegan moussaka recipe is hands down the best one you’ll ever have! It’s 100% authentic based off of my Greek mom’s recipe and will knock the socks off all your guests.

While Greek moussaka can take some effort, much like a lasagna, it is possible to make it easier the day you put it together following all my tips and tricks.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Ralphs. The opinions and text are all mine.

This post was originally published on 11/14/16

Taking my mom’s Greek recipes from her childhood back in Greece and making them vegan is my super power. My vegan spanakopita is one of my huge successes, but my vegan pastitsio is a close second!

NOTE: You can print the FULL recipe with all ingredients & detailed instructions below!

Preparation tips

One good thing about Greek recipes like moussaka, is that there’s so much going on it’s easy to make adjustments! Here are some tips that should help you along the way:

• I found the canned cooked chickpeas gave a slightly better texture. You can also use dried chickpeas, but make sure to soak them overnight.
• If you prefer not to use wine, then add veggie broth in place of it, although the red wine gives it a great flavor.
• You can make breadcrumbs if you prefer homemade. Toast 2 pieces of bread until crisp, then blend in a food processor.
• If you are not using a high speed blender you can either soak the cashews overnight or grind them into a fine powder using a coffee grinder.
• You can use regular black pepper in place of white pepper in both parts of this recipe, the white allows the béchamel to look smooth without any black spots in it.
• If you hate eggplant, you could also sub potatoes for the eggplant, or even zucchini. Just make sure to cut the zucchini thick and salt it as it has a lot of water.

What to Serve with Moussaka

You don’t really need to serve this veggie moussaka recipe with anything because it’s an all encompassing meal; you have protein, grains, and veggies so one and done!

But, if you wanted to make something a bit extra, I suggest serving it with a salad, greens or veggies of some sort. Here are some of our favorite sides for vegan moussaka:

Tips for Preparing in Advance

Moussaka is a love hate kind of recipe. It is SO good but takes some work. However I have a few tips on how you can prep this recipe so that is isn’t so hard the day you need it.

1. Make the meaty filling, blend the béchamel, and prep the eggplant.
2. Store all of these in the fridge in separate containers until ready to use. I would suggest that you make these no more than 2-3 days ahead of time.
3. You can also make the meaty filling and béchamel and freeze them until ready.
4. The moussaka itself can be assembled the day before you want to serve it if you don’t have time the day of.
   • Once assembled, half bake it.
   • When you’re ready to serve bake it the rest of the way the day of.
   • Make sure to check to see if you need to add some broth to the dish so it doesn’t dry out when baking.
5. If it starts to get too dry and burn at the bottom, then just drizzle a little broth along the sides so it sinks to the bottom of the dish.

Tips for freezing and storage

You can also make this lentil moussaka completely ahead of time and freeze until ready to eat it. Nothing is as good as it is fresh, but this recipe freezes pretty well. Make sure it has cooled completely before you attempt to freeze it. Here is how I do it:

1. Make the moussaka. Cool completely.
2. Wrap the top in plastic, with the plastic layer touching the top to help with freezer burn.
3. Wrap the top in foil.
4. Freeze.
5. You can also follow this process with individual servings by wrapping the cut pieces in plastic, then foil.
6. When you are ready to eat it, defrost it on the counter.
7. Then you can heat in the microwave or reheat in the oven adding a drizzle of broth if it starts to get dry or burn.

Common Questions

What is the difference between lasagna and moussaka?

While the two dishes are similar, the main difference between lasagna and moussaka is that lasagna uses pasta to separate layers, and moussaka uses eggplant.

How do you cut an eggplant for moussaka?

I like to cut the eggplant into circles about ½ inch thick for moussaka.

Can you prepare moussaka in advance?

Yes you can! You can prepare the layers ahead of time and assemble just before baking. Or, make it completely and freeze until you’re ready to enjoy!

More Vegan Greek Recipes

My heart is made full from Greek food, and how could it not be? It’s part of my family’s history, and it just tastes so darn delicious! I’ve loved transforming traditional recipes into vegan Greek food, including this vegan moussaka, here are some more of my favorites:

Best Vegan Moussaka (Authentic Recipe)

Sophia DeSantis

This vegan moussaka recipe is hands down the best one you’ll ever have! It’s 100% authentic based off of my Greek mom’s recipe and will knock the socks off all your guests.

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Prep Time 40 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs

Course Main Course

Cuisine Greek

Servings 10

Calories 354 kcal

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

Instructions 

Prep the eggplant:

• Slice the eggplant into thick pieces, about ½ inch. Place them on a paper towel and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the salt. Allow them to sit for about 10 minutes while preparing other parts of the recipe. This will help bring out some of the water.

• After about 10 minutes, take eggplant pieces and wipe off any excess water with a paper towel. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet and brush with oil or broth. 

• Put eggplant in the oven and broil. Start with 5 minutes on each side, keep checking and leave until golden brown. Mine was 8 minutes on the first side, and 5 on the second.

Make “meat” sauce:

• Sauté onion and garlic with the rest of the salt (1 teaspoon) and oil or splash of broth until brown. 

• You can choose to chop the cooked chickpeas and walnuts now instead of chopping the whole mixture after. Simple pulse in a food processor.

• Add chickpeas, lentils and walnuts, sauté 1-2 minutes.

• Add broth, fresh chopped tomatoes and parsley. 

• Cook partially covered for 20 minutes until the liquid is almost gone and beans are al dente. Then add the tomato sauce, wine and pepper. Stir and cook partially covered for another 5 minutes until most of the liquid is gone. Add more broth if needed.

• Allow it to cool a bit, then if you haven’t pulsed the chickpeas and walnuts already, put the whole mixture into a food processor and pulse to make it a chunky ground meat like texture. This is optional, if you prefer to leave it whole, that’s fine too. Just take note that if you don’t pulse the mixture a bit the texture will not be as meaty.

Put the moussaka together:

• Brush bottom of a 9 x 12 dish with a drizzle of oil or broth.

• Put ¼ cup breadcrumbs on the bottom to coat it and help prevent burning.

• Line the dish with half of the eggplant pieces.

• Sprinkle with ¼ of the parmesan.

• Top with the “meat” mixture.

• Sprinkle ¼ cup breadcrumbs on top.

• Sprinkle with ¼ of the parmesan.

• Place half of the eggplant pieces on top.

• Sprinkle with ¼ of the parmesan.

• Pour the béchamel over it.

• Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of breadcrumbs.

• Sprinkle the top with the last ¼ of the parmesan.

• Bake for 30-35 minutes until the top is brown. Make sure not to overbake or it will dry out. Allow it to cool so it can thicken and settle.

• Devour your hard work!

Notes

• You can also use dried chickpeas, make sure to soak them overnight. I found the canned cooked chickpeas gave a slightly better texture.
• If you prefer not to use wine, then add veggie broth in place of it, although the red wine gives it a great flavor.
• You can make breadcrumbs if you prefer homemade. Toast 2 pieces of bread until crisp, then blend in a food processor.
• If you are not using a high speed blender you can either soak the cashews overnight or grind them into a fine powder using a coffee grinder.
• You can use regular black pepper in place of white pepper in both parts of this recipe, the white allows the béchamel to look smooth without any black spots in it.
• If you hate eggplant, you could also sub potatoes for the eggplant, or even zucchini. Just make sure to cut the zucchini thick and salt it as it has a lot of water.

Tips to prep ahead:

• Soak chickpeas if using dried. You can make the “meat” mixture, béchamel and parmesan before the day you put it together to make it go must faster day of.

Baby/toddler food idea:

• Great baby and toddler food. Make sure you pulse the “meat” mixture well so that there are no large pieces of walnuts left. You may also want to skin the eggplant as the skin can sometimes be tough for young ones to eat.

Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.

Nutrition

Calories: 354kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 13gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 571mgPotassium: 613mgFiber: 7gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 637IUVitamin C: 14mgCalcium: 43mgIron: 7mg

Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.

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Courtesy : https://www.veggiesdontbite.com/greek-vegan-moussaka-gluten-free/