The Ultimate Vegetable Lentil Loaf is hearty, delicious and made with pantry staples! It’s customizable to be gluten free, oil free and can be made ahead. Plus, the leftovers make for great vegan meatloaf sandwiches!
After a few attempts (five to be exact) at making this vegan lentil loaf, I have finally come up with a veggie version that tastes pretty darn good and is extremely filling!
I wanted to keep this lentil loaf recipe (aka vegan meatloaf) easy, with ingredients you may already have in your pantry. After doing a little digging, I was able to piece this together from a few resources.
- One source was this recipe from Made to Create, which is wonderfully simple, and also had good reviews from when I shared it on my Facebook page!
- Then there was this one from Oh She Glows, which is a walnut version using apples and raisins, but I wanted one with all veggies (Angela’s looks delicious and I will be trying it later).
- Last but not least, I referenced this recipe at My Vegan Cookbook.
This lentil loaf has great texture, flavor and is super filling. Be prepared, one slice will most likely fill you up, it sure does for me. I’m not kidding when I tell you this is one hearty and filling lentil loaf.
I especially love the glaze for the top of this lentil loaf, which was adapted from Angela’s recipe. You could serve a little extra on the side, or double the amount if you like, slathering a little more over top the lentil loaf once cooked.
For a fall flavored or holiday (Christmas or Thanksgiving) lentil loaf, try this Lentil Walnut Loaf with apple, fennel and sage. It’s just as amazing!
Now on with the recipe – make a loaf and share the love!
Table of Contents
Ingredients You’ll Need
In this WFPB recipe, mashed brown lentils are combined with sauteed carrots, onion, celery, oats, flaxmeal and herbs and baked in a loaf pan with a tangy glaze top creating a hearty vegan lentil loaf.
Here is everything you will need:
- Lentils – Use brown lentils for best results as they cook up tender and can easily be mashed. Canned lentils work too, as noted in the recipe card.
- Veggies – The vegetables include the usual mirepoix of onion, carrot and celery, with added red bell pepper. Feel free to sub in other veggies if you like. Some have left comments of adding zucchini for the bell pepper. You get the idea, you can adjust to what you have on hand or prefer.
- Garlic – If you don’t have fresh garlic, use 1 heaping teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Oats – Use old fashioned or quick oats.
- Flour – Any flour will work so use what you prefer or suits your dietary needs. For gluten free, use oat or gluten free flour blend.
- Flaxmeal – We’ll be making flax eggs, combining flaxmeal with water.
- Herbs & Spices – I absolutely love the thyme in this lentil loaf recipe, but have added cumin for a little earthiness and warmth. Feel free to omit the cumin all together, especially if making for the holiday table such as Christmas or Thanksgiving. And if you like spicy, you’ll love the ground chipotle pepper in this recipe with the glaze, it’s such a nice combo of sweet and spice!
- Glaze – The glaze is a flavorful and tangy mix of ketchup (organic pref.), pure maple syrup and apple cider vinegar. Feel free to double the glaze.
How To Make Lentil Loaf
- Cook the lentils. Cook your lentils, let set for about 15 minutes, most of the liquid should be absorbed. Mash or puree about 2/ 3 – ¾ of the mixture. You should be able to easily mash the lentils with a back of a fork or slotted spoon.
- Saute the veggies. While lentils are cooling, saute the vegetables (above right).
- Combine and mix. Add the lentils to the sauteed veggie mixture along with the oats, flour and flax egg. Mix well to combine.
- Pack into loaf pan. Once everything is mixed, pack the lentil mixture into a 9 x 5 loaf pan. It helps to use parchment paper to line the loaf pan, making it easier to remove the loaf using the overhanging paper.
- Add glaze. Spread glaze over top and distribute evenly as possible.
- Bake. Place lentil loaf in the oven at 350 degrees for 45 – 50 minutes.
What To Serve With Lentil Loaf
This lentil loaf pairs great with a variety of sides like these:
- Vegan Mashed Potatoes made in an Instant Pot or stovetop
- Green Beans Almondine
- Crispy Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Scalloped Potatoes
- Baked Vegan Mac & Cheese
- Healthy Baked Beans (Instant Pot + Slow Cooker)
- Vegan Macaroni Salad
- Savory Sauteed Kale
- Steamed asparagus
- A light and simple salad for freshness
- & Leftovers make great ‘meatloaf’ sandwiches!
How To Store Leftovers
- Refrigerator: Keep leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 – 6 days, in a covered container. Leftovers make for great sandwiches!
- Freezer: To keep longer, store in the freezer for up to 2 – 3 months. To freeze, let the lentil loaf cool completely. Slice into individual cut pieces and store in freezer safe containers (affiliate link) with parchment paper between the slices so they don’t stick together. You can also use or freezer safe ziplock bags, removing as much air as possible before closing.
- Reheat: I don’t recommend reheating the entire loaf at once because it will most likely become too dry. I do recommend cutting slices and then reheating. Reheat in the microwave or oven at 350 for 5 – 10 minutes.
Make Ahead
You can make your lentil loaf the day or two before and store, uncooked, in the refrigerator until ready to heat. When ready bake according to instructions.
Why Is My Lentil Loaf Mushy?
Too much moisture is most likely the culprit, creating a mushy lentil loaf. To combat this, when cooking the lentils, be sure to cook down the water all the way. There should be no more than 1 tablespoon water (and it’s ok if there is none). If using canned lentils, omit the flax egg (there’s plenty of moisture in canned lentils, even after draining).
If you try this vegetable lentil loaf recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.
PrintTHE ULTIMATE VEGETABLE LENTIL LOAF
A wonderfully flavored lentil loaf for the whole family to enjoy. The leftovers make for great sandwiches too!
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 90 min
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: Serves 8 1x
- Category: Entree
- Method: bake
- Cuisine: Vegan, American
Ingredients
Loaf
- 1 cup dry lentils (use green/brown)
- 2 ½ cups water or vegetable broth
- 3 tablespoons flaxseed meal (ground flaxseeds)
- ⅓ cup water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil OR steam saute using ¼ cup water
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 1 small red bell pepper, finely diced
- 1 carrot, finely diced or grated
- 1 celery stalk, finely diced
- ¾ cup oats (I used GF oats)
- ½ cup oat flour or finely ground oats (any flour of choice will work here too)
- 1 heaping teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ heaping teaspoon cumin, optional
- ½ teaspoon each garlic powder & onion powder (for good measure!)
- ¼ – ½ teaspoon ground chipotle pepper, optional
- cracked pepper & sea salt to taste
Glaze
- 3 tablespoons organic ketchup
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
Instructions
Prepare lentils: Rinse the lentils, remove odd pieces. In large pot add 2 ½ cups water/broth with lentils. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 35 – 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. It’s ok if they get mushy, we are going to roughly puree ¾ of the mixture when cooled. Once done, remove lid and set aside to cool (there should only be a little bit of water so do not drain), lentils will thicken a bit upon standing, about 15 minutes is good.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Make flax egg: In small bowl combine flaxseed meal and ⅓ cup water, set aside for at least 10 minutes, preferably in the refrigerator. This will act as a binder and will thicken nicely upon sitting.
Saute vegetables & spices: In saute pan heat oil or water over medium heat. Saute garlic, onion, bell pepper, carrots and celery for about 5 minutes. Add spices mixing well to incorporate. Set aside to cool.
Mash the lentils: Using an immersion blender, food processor, back of a fork or potato masher, blend ¾ of the lentil mixture. For me this was an important part, I tried it other ways and this worked to help as a binder. If using an immersion blender, tilt the pot slightly to the side for easier blending.
Assemble lentil loaf: Combine sauteed vegetables with the lentils, oats, oat flour and flax-egg, mix well. Taste, adding salt and pepper as needed, or any other herb or spice you might like. Place mixture into a loaf pan lined with parchment paper, leaving it overlapping for easy removal later. Press down firmly filling in along the edges too.
Glaze: Prepare your glaze by combining all ingredients in a small bowl, mix until incorporated. I recommend making each tablespoon heaping so you have plenty of this great sauce on top (if using tomato paste and mixture is too thick, add a teaspoon of water, or a little extra vinegar & syrup). Spread evenly over top the loaf.
Bake: Place in center of the oven, and bake in oven for about 45 – 50 minutes. Let cool a bit before slicing.
Serves 8
Serving suggestions: Serve with cooked asparagus, green beans, brussels sprouts, mashed potatoes, roasted red potatoes, scalloped potatoes, savory sauteed kale, baked beans, macaroni salad and/or simple salad, etc.
Notes
You may like to double up on the glaze, having some to put on the loaf after it’s removed from the oven.
If you don’t care for a little spicy heat, omit the chipotle powder.
Store: Leftovers will last 5 – 5 days in the refrigerator, in covered containers. To keep longer, store in the freezer for 2 – 3 months. To freeze, cut into individual slices with parchment paper between the slices and store in freezer safe containers or bags (if using baggies remove as much air as possible).
Reheat: I do not recommend reheating the entire loaf at once. It will most likely become too dry, as the heat will take too long to reach the center. I recommend cutting slices and reheating.
Make ahead: If you need, you can make your lentil loaf the day before and store uncooked until ready to heat, bring to room temperature and heat according to instructions above.
Using canned lentils: You can use canned (15oz) lentils (or about 1 ½ – 2 cups), just be sure to drain and rinse them well, and mash about ⅔ – ¾ or so.
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT: This loaf pan is a great size, or something similar. For lining the loaf pan I cut these parchment liners in half (affiliate links). For more of my favorite cooking tools, shop my kitchen essentials!
Updated: The Ultimate Vegetable Lentil Loaf was originally published in November 2012. It has been retested and updated with new photos and helpful tips in November 2019. No changes were made to the recipe as it’s still just as good!
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Jen says
Fantastic! I doubled the recipe to make two loaves, one for my family to enjoy now, one to enjoy later.
★★★★★
Joyce Cowan says
Thanks for this delicious recipe
It was the nicest lentil recipe we have tried and was great the second night sliced and warmed up in the oven in a bolognese tomato sauce. Delicious!
★★★★★
Stacy says
I made this last night and added some cajun and chipotle spices for flavor. It was great!
★★★★★
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
So sorry it didn’t turn out for you! Nothing worse then wasted time + ingredients. Not sure why this would be flavorless though, but all tastes are different. As for mushiness, you may need to let it cool a bit longer, that should help a lot! It can seem mushy when cutting into it too soon, cooling helps immensely. Hopefully you’ll try again and double the spices!
Kelly says
Can’t figure out where to add a new comment so replying to this one. Made this recipe for the first time for Plantsgiving 2020 and LOVED it! Same for my omnivore fiance. I tasted it while mixing and it seemed very bland to me too. I literally doubled all spices and added 1 tsp of fennel seed to it. It was fantastic!! Also made it ahead of time and that worked out very well, too. Thank you so much for this recipe! I may have to make it for my family next year!
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
So glad you loved it was a hit! Thanks for sharing, Kelly!
Janine says
It turned out better than I could have ever imagined. Thank you for the recipe!
★★★★★
Diana says
BEST lentil loaf I’ve ever tried!!! Based on the comments, I doubled the DELICIOUS sauce. The lentil loaf is very flavorful and excellent on its own, but the sauce sends it over the top! This one is a keeper for sure!
★★★★★
Donna says
I made this for dinner tonight. It was soooooo good! Easy to follow directions and delicious results!!!
★★★★★
Mama2G says
Hi Julie,
I made this recipe yesterday and it was OUTSTANDING! I used 2 eggs instead of making “Flaxseed Egg” and doubled the glaze which I’m so glad I did! My husband has not stop talking about how delicious this loaf was! I used some of the left overs in breakfast burritos this morning, but I trimmed the glaze off. And the big bonus to this dish was the amazing eliminations we had this morning due to all that wonderful fiber! Thank you again!
★★★★★
Danie says
Thanks! Easy recipe and came out great! One wrinkle…it’s a vegan recipe, but in the actual steps of the recipe above it says “add the egg.” Since a vegan recipe wouldn’t include egg, I couldn’t find it in the ingredient list or photo (I checked, twice.) No worries, I’m not vegan so I added one egg (and next time may add two.). I think it helped make it “stickier”.” Also since my so. Like spicier food, I added hot pepper flakes. Added nice bite!
★★★★★
Sam says
It says “flax egg” which is an egg replacement made from flax as described in the recipe ;) I don’t think it’s necessary, I didn’t use it in mine
Audrey says
I just had to comment on how wonderful this lentil loaf recipe is! I’ve tried a few recipes from a number of websites and this one is my favorite by far. I would advise others that if it’s a little moist after first coming out of the oven, definitely try leaving it alone for a bit and it will definitely stiffen up (also after going in the fridge overnight). Thank you for this awesome recipe! :)
Katei says
Just made this with my 2-year old as both a fun activity and healthy meal. He loved it! Will definitely add this to our regular rotation.
★★★★★
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Thank you so much for sharing, Katei! Sounds like the best time ever, with a delicious ending! Cheers :)
Alexis says
I was excited to try this lentil loaf recipe, however after following the recipe the end result came out extremely mushy and somehow dry and wet at the same time. The only flavor was in the vegetables. I don’t know if I just don’t like lentil loafs or if I messed up the recipe by using whole wheat flour instead of oat? Overall disappointed in the final product and making it was two hours wasted.
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Sorry your lentil loaf didn’t turn out as expected. There is nothing worse than wasting ingredients and time, I know the feeling! I’m not sure what happened in your case, but I know it wasn’t the flour. I hope you try again with better luck, or find one that works for you.
LINDA says
I had a mushy loaf the first time I tried it. Today I added bread crumbs to the lentils after mashing. What a difference. I also added cayenne pepper. Quite tasty.
Stephanie says
So good!! I made for my thanksgiving and will be doing again for Christmas. Had a ton of vegan gravy on top and vegan mashed potatoes on the side. My non Vegan family loved it too! Only thing I changed was tomato paste instead of ketchup :)
★★★★★
Megan says
Just tested this out to make for Christmas dinner and it was insanely delicious! I can’t wait for the holiday, everyone is going to love it.
★★★★★
Jenny says
I made this today and my kids loved it!! What a great recipe.
★★★★★
Mark says
Great recipe. As a newcomer to the vegan life I have really struggled finding great recipes to cook your website really helps.
★★★★★
Angie Guy says
I made this loaf for Thanksgiving this year (11-2019). It turned out very nice and mom and I enjoyed it. It had a lovely flavor and the glaze was terrific. I subbed the balsamic vinegar for a bit of smoky goodness (liquid smoke). It was a delicious Thanksgiving meal. Thank you! We also had leftovers for several days and it made a great sandwich.
★★★★★
Naan says
I have been a vegetarian for many years and tried many different loaf recipes. This is one of the best. Thanks for sharing.
Helene
★★★★★
Bridgitte says
I made this yesterday, with minor substitutions and it was wonderful. Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
Martin Whiteley says
Hi Julie.
Thanks for the recipe inspiration – I’m not much of a cook, and had never made anything like this before.
After reading through your advice and all the comments, I decided to double-up+ on the amounts to 500g (dry weight) lentils … you need a BIG bowl and a strong arm!
I was concerned about it being too wet (as per the comments), but I’m still unsure where the actual liquid was supposed to come from, as mine was very dry. Cooked lentils + dried oats + oat flour + soaked ground flax = very dry mixture, right? I should have added some water (stock) before putting in the oven, but at least it made for easy cutting and serving, as you can see here! >> https://i.imgur.com/Q1zyqaQ.jpg
Extras I can recommend: fresh chilis, dried cranberries, and definitely some sliced tomato on top.
It was heavy but very edible, best served with the extra glaze plus something saucy. I hope to revisit this soon, with some further tweaks.
Thanks again.
★★★★★