Last Updated on February 27, 2026 by PorchLightReading
Easy Special K Loaf recipe made with Special K cereal. Delicious vegetarian loaf recipe made with cottage cheese, eggs, butter and a few other simple ingredients.
Growing up SDA this was my comfort food of choice. On those cold New England nights my mother would make us this amazing vegetarian roast simply made with Special K cereal.
The aroma of dinner would drift up the stairs to the second story floor and bring all the kids in the kitchen asking if dinner was almost ready.
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- Table of contents: Special K loaf recipe
- Ingredients
- Step by step cooking directions
- What to serve with Special K loaf
- Recipe Notes and Substitutes
- Jump to recipe card
Special K Loaf Recipe
This Special K loaf recipe is a long time favorite among Seventh-Day Adventists and anyone who loves a meatless main dish alternative. Made with Special K cereal, eggs, cottage cheese, and seasonings, this dish a savory and perfect for potlucks and family dinners.
Although meat was not a staple in my home growing up, it is on our meal menu throughout the week now. But every once in a while we want a meatless night and even my meat loving husband likes this dish!
Ingredients
- ½ chopped onion
- 1- 24oz container of cottage cheese
- 1 ½ packets of George Washington seasoning/broth (may substituted for ½ packet onion soup mix or vegetarian chicken bouillon)
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup melted butter
- 3 ½ cups Special K cereal
- ¼ cup chopped pecans (optional)
Step by Step Directions
Preheat oven: Preheat oven to 350℉. and grease a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.
Prepare wet mixture: In a large mixing bowl add ½ diced onion, 1-24oz. container of cottage cheese, 1 ½ packets of George Washington Seasoning (substitute available below) 2 eggs beaten, ½ cup melted butter and ¼ chopped pecans (optional). Combine.
Mix dry ingredients- Fold in 3 ½ cups of Special K Cereal taking care not to mash the cereal too much.
Bake the loaf: Transfer the mixture into prepared pan. Cover with tin foil and bake for 45 minutes at 350℉. Uncover and bake at 400℉ for an additional 30 minutes, until golden brand and firm along the top and crispy along the sides.
What To Serve With Special K Loaf
This is the perfect dish for any night of the week. It goes great with a simple garden salad and mashed potatoes. I also like to dip mine in BBQ sauce and other love a simple gravy to pour over the top.
- Mashed potatoes
- Baked potatoes with all the fixings
- Steamed vegetables (green beans, asparagus, corn, squash)
- Garden salad
- Garlic bread
- Vegetarian mushroom gravy
Recipe Notes and Substitutes– As I’ve mentioned above, you can substitute the George Washington broth for ½ packet of onion soup mix or vegetarian chicken bouillon. George Washington seasoning/broth can be a little hard to find but they do sell it on Amazon, as I’ve linked for you above.
I hope you like this vegetarian loaf recipe made with Special K cereal, as much as my family does!
Special K Loaf Recipe
Vegetarian Roast – Special K Loaf Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ chopped onion
- 1 24oz container cottage cheese
- 1 ½ packets George Washington seasoning/broth
- 2 eggs beaten
- ½ cup melted butter
- 3 ½ cups Special K cereal
- ¼ cup chopped pecans (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- In a large mixing bowl combine ½ chopped onion, 24 oz. cottage cheese, 2 beaten eggs, 1/2 cup melted butter, 1 ½ packets of George Washington broth and ¼ cup chopped pecans.Folding in 3 ½ cups Special K last.
- Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray and pour in the mixture.
- Cover with tin foil and bake for 45 minutes at 350°.
- Uncover and bake at 400 degrees for an additional 30 minutes, until brown and firm along the top and sides.
Notes
- The nutrition information provided is an estimate and will very based on different bands of ingredients used and cooking methods.
Nutrition
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Do I just mix the dry seasoning in right from the packets or do i need to mix with water first? Thanks.
Hi Jennifer, Just mix the dry seasoning right from the packet into the cottage cheese mixture. Do not add water. Sorry it took a couple of days to respond! Summer gets a little extra busy with the kids. :-)
Love this recipe and make it often! There are a few variations on this but basically the same core ingredients. I also use celery and ground sage and garlic powder. I sauté onions and celery and garlic and bloom the spices before mixing in with other ingredients but may not be necessary. Will have to try it without the sauté.
Special K loaf is great hot out of the oven but my favorite is the next day, using it to make sandwiches or reheated for a few days after. Great source of protein and good ol’ former-SDA life nostalgia.
My aunt is a firm believer in browning but butter but I can get a tad impatient! So I bet the sautéed onions and spices make this great dish even better. Yes! I completely agree about the sandwiches and reheating it for leftovers!
Thank you so much for sharing this delicious recipe. I had lost my recipe in a house fire 30 years ago and had all but forgotten this dish. Cannot wait to surprise my adult children with this meal on their next visit. Oh what memories this will bring us all.
Oh I’m so sorry to hear about the fire! It must have been a very trying time. Family dinners are so special and I’m glad you have the recipe once again. I’m sure they will all love it. :-)
I baked it in silicone cupcake bakers. That way they are snack size and every piece gets crust. Just cut down baking time accordingly. I also added a cup of Morning Star Farm griller “hamburger “ to add more protein. So yummy. I buy GWBroth on Amazon. Thanks for posting this great classic recipe. I was able to find plain special k at Walmart.
Can this be frozen? How do I thaw and reheat??
Hi Malcolm, This recipe gets eaten up pretty quickly in our household and leftovers don’t last long! However, once cooked and cooled completely, score into slices and freeze in a freezer safe container. Reheated individual slices in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or reheat the entire loaf in the oven. For reheating in the oven, allow loaf to thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Cover in tin foil and reheat in oven at 350℉ for 20-25 minutes until heated through.
This is the best recipe ever! Comfort food for some of us who grew up having this for potlucks or special days. Thanks for offering this to us. I really like the options for GWB that you’ve given. Thanks for the memories, too!
Thank you Barbara for your kind words! You’ve completely made my week. It’s absolutely one of our favorite family dinners and one that goes so quickly at potluck!
I as well am a SDA. This Special K loaf is wonderful. My husband tried it and now he wants it all the time. I sauteed the onions and pecan in the butter. I’m not a fan of the George Washington seasoning; I use the Knorr vegetable seasoning. Made two larges pans for church today per request
Tracie, that sounds delicious! One of my all time favorite dishes for potlucks.
I’m making it right now for potluck at church. Let’s see how it goes, Thanks for the recipe 😊!
Yummmm…. My mother has made this for forever. Grateful that I am making it for her today. I love this recipe with rice crispies too!
Rice Krispies! My kids would find that so fun, so we might just have to try that. Thank you for the suggestion!
I’ve been making this exact roast for 40 years, my grown children still request it when I invite them over for dinner, the only difference is I add celery and use a mushroom gravy, I leave the nuts out because the aren’t crazy about them in this dish, as my little grandson says ” it’s the bomb”
Becky that sounds delicious with the mushroom gravy! I completely agree with your grandson “it’s the bomb” and my children’s favorite as well.
I have baked special K roast before, and I loved it. I also used vegetarian bouillon, and I am willing to try it again, seeing that I have not baked it for some time now. Thanks for sharing.
Hello I am new to this and age 74 in oregon, I have all the things to make this cottage cheese loaf but do not have special K cereal however i do have corn flakes. would this work at all?? thank you for your kind help Diana webber from Oregon
Hi Diana, I would suspect that it could work but corn flakes are made out of corn and are more crunchy. Where as Special K is made with rice and wheat and are more puffy. With having different ingredients for the cereal I would image that both taste and texture would be different than the original recipe.
I also grew up SDA and this is the ultimate comfort food for me!
Lipton has a beefy onion soup mix. That’s what I use. I can’t say for certain if it’s *actually* vegetarian, but it does say artificially flavored and doesn’t list any animal products in the ingredients.
To make it a bit richer, I brown the butter, toast the nuts, and caramelize the onions. It’s a bit extra effort, but I promise you it’s worth it!
Thanks for sharing!
Chantel, that sounds delicious!
The ingredients in the G Washington seasoning are disgusting. 99% chemicals plus onion powder. Why would u recommend that?
Thank you so much for your feedback. George Washington Broth is a popular seasoning that can be found on Amazon and is enjoyed by many. However, everyones dietary needs and desire for ingredients differ. Perhaps you might be able to find your own substitute. Best of luck ~Sara
You can find vegetarian chicken bouillon, it’s what my family has always used in this recipe.
Oh, what a great suggestion! We’ll have to give that a try next time it’s on our weekly menu. Thank you Brooke :-)
Please Karen! Calm down and stop being judgmental.
I had this at a SDA potluck one year and LOVED it! Almost better but definitely cleaner feeling in the mouth than beef meatloaf if you eat meat! They spread a small can of tomato paste over the top before baking and that added a wonderful taste to it! YUMMY 🍅
Oh tomato paste… We might just have to give that a try! Thank you for the topping suggestion :-)