Hearty and Comforting, this Vegan Lentil Loaf has BIG flavor, but no weird ingredients! Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, and Oil Free.
I’ve kind of been obsessed with Lentils recently, so I knew that I wanted to make a Lentil Loaf for the blog this year to celebrate the holiday season.
There are a lot of Lentil Loaf recipes out there, but I’m convinced this one is the best 😉 Not only is it healthy, hearty, and packed with BIG flavor, but it’s also Vegan, Gluten-Free, and Grain-Free!
While other loaves may be mushy, I made sure that my version was not! This Lentil Loaf has a thick and hearty texture with a nice bite. This is due to the use of both Red and Brown Lentils, some Walnuts for texture, and using Ground Flax instead of flour to bind everything together!
What’s left is a crispy-on-the-outside, textured-on-the-inside loaf that tastes really damn delicious. This loaf is packed with both Vegetables and Fresh Herbs to give it a delicious, deep flavor. It may not look like much, but you’ll remember the taste. Dare I say you might even crave it?
Packed with fiber, plant-based protein, and some healthy fats, this Lentil Loaf is a great plant-based option for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. It’s also worthy enough for a weeknight dinner if you feel so inclined. Just don’t forget to top it with a healthy serving of Vegan Tahini Gravy, which really takes things to the next level!
I will say that this recipe is more time-intensive than some of the other content on From My Bowl, but every step (and ingredient!) serves a purpose. Take your time and please read the instructions carefully. Bonus points if you play some good tunes and grab a friend or family member to cook this with!
A Few Final Thoughts:
- Try to remove as much liquid from both the cooked Lentils and vegetables before you mix them together and add them to the pan; otherwise, your final loaf may be mushy
- If you have a Nut Allergy, the Walnuts can be substituted for either Sunflower Seeds or Pumpkin Seeds
- This loaf freezes well, but I would suggest you pre-slice it beforehand for easier serving later.
If you’re looking for more Vegan Thanksgiving recipes, you’ll also love this Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole and this Maple Roasted Acorn Squash with Wild Rice Stuffing!
Finally, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I love seeing your delicious recreations 🙂
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Vegan Lentil Loaf
Prep Time: 20 Minutes- Cook Time: 80 Minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 Servings 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
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Hearty and Comforting, this Vegan Lentil Loaf has BIG flavor, but no weird ingredients! Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, and Oil Free.
Ingredients
For the Lentils:
- 1 cup Brown Lentils, dry
- 1 cup Red Lentils, dry
- 3 cups of Vegetable Broth + 2 cups Filtered Water
For the Lentil Loaf:
- Cooked Lentils, above
- 1 small Yellow Onion, diced
- 2 stalks of Celery, diced
- 2 cloves of Garlic, minced
- 1 cup Carrot, shredded
- 1 tbsp Fresh Rosemary, finely chopped
- 1 tsp Fresh Thyme, finely chopped
- 4 leaves Fresh Sage, finely sliced
- 2 tbsp Reduced Sodium Tamari, divided
- 5 medium Cremini Mushrooms, finely diced
- 3/4 cup Ground Flaxseed
- 1/2 cup Walnut Pieces
Instructions
- First, cook the lentils. Combine all ingredients together in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat; reduce the heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375F once 10-15 minutes have passed.
- In the meantime, cook the Vegetables for the filling. Add a splash of Water to a large sauté pan along with the Onion, Celery, and Garlic. Cook over medium heat, then add in the Carrots with an additional splash of water and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
- Next, add the diced Mushrooms along with 1 tbsp of Tamari and the fresh Herbs. Stir well and sauté the mixture over Medium heat until almost all of the liquid has evaporated from the pan, around 10-12 minutes. You want the vegetables to be as dry as possible!
- Once the Lentils have finished cooking, transfer them to a fine METAL strainer (do not use a strainer with large holes) and use a spatula to “stir” the lentils and remove as much extra liquid as possible. The Red Lentils will break down and become a thick puree, while the Brown Lentils will remain relatively intact.
- Add the Lentil Puree, cooked Vegetables, Walnuts, Ground Flax, and remaining 1 tbsp of Tamari to a large bowl. Mix until everything is evenly incorporated, then firmly pack the “batter” into a greased or lined 8×4″ loaf pan. There should be a little extra batter protruding from the top of the pan – I like to round this out to create an even top of the loaf.
- Bake the loaf in the oven for 50 minutes, then remove and let sit in the pan for 5 minutes before carefully transferring to a cooling rack. Let sit for at least 30 minutes before serving, preferably overnight. I would suggest reheating the loaf in the oven just before you slice it, so it can be served warm.
Notes
- I have not tested this recipe with any binder other than Ground Flax, and cannot recommend substitutions
- Tamari can be substituted for Liquid Aminos or Soy Sauce (not GF)
- Leftovers can be stored in the fridge and will last for up to one week; you can also pre-slice and freeze the completed loaf to save it for another day!
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53 comments
Made this lentil loaf for thanksgiving and loved it! My non-vegan family members enjoyed it too! What was especially great was that it kept its shape and did not fall apart at all. I’ve had this happen many times with vegan loafs so I was happy this was able to sit on a table in it’s shape and not crumble when cut into. I forgot to make the gravy but I bet that would make it even better.
★★★★★
Thanks, Emma! So glad to hear you and your family enjoyed it. 🙂
Thus recipe is bursting with flavor! My non- vegan guests were very impressed.
★★★★★
Awesome, Thank you Sarah! 🙂
This was SO so delicious, and satisfying! I made one two weeks ago on a Saturday, and wanted to eat it every day for nearly every meal all week. I froze 2 slices, and ended up getting both of them out of the freezer to eat last week, and now it is once again a Saturday, and I will make this again today, for sure! My husband is not vegetarian, and he liked it too, although he ate his meats for several of the meals when I was having this lentil loaf. I think he would have had another helping or two, but he saw how “obsessed” I was, and wanted to leave the rest for me. Thank you so much for this recipe! I made a couple of adjustments, because I am such a fan of mushrooms: I used mushroom stock instead of veggie, used a mix of 3 different kinds of fresh shrooms, and added a tablespoon of mushroom umami powder from Trader Joe’s.
★★★★★
Super yummy! I used vegan better than beef bullion instead of the vegetable stock and it was amazing! I also only used ⅓ cup of flax and it was perfect!
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed it!
I made the Lentil Loaf and while it tastes delicious mine was very mushy. I hate mushrooms so left them out and added more veggies but even with straining everything it was very soft. Maybe I should have added more ground flax seeds to help it bind better? I did add pumpkin seeds for some textural bite but maybe my lentils were too soft as well. Next time I make it I’ll use 1 1/2 cup brown lentils and 1/2 cup red lentils. Thanks for the recipe and I’ll let you know how it goes the next go round.
★★★★
Getting the vegetables as dry as possible when you’re cooking them out – what sort of vegetables did you add in? Totally let us know how it goes!
I made this yesterday to have for dinner today as a test run since I was looking for a vegan option to bring to my extended family’s Christmas dinner. It was perfect! Everyone liked it and it’s definitely going to be at the Christmas dinner. 🙂 I loved the consistency and flavour, plus it hols up very well when sliced, you can even slice it pretty thinly.
I used ~2/3 cups ground flax seed husks since you cannot get whole ground flaxseed here and that worked very well.
Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
That’s awesome! I hope everyone enjoys it – have a nice Christmas dinner!
Amazing — loved the moist and tender interior paired with the crunchy exterior, and the flavor had so much depth. I was pleased to find that the texture remained intact even two days after baking the loaf…it didn’t last any longer than that because my family and I wanted leftovers!
★★★★★
Thank you! Happy to hear you and the family enjoyed it!
Hey, could mushrooms be substituted? I was thinking eggplant perhaps, to add some variety in the loaf instead to just more celery and carrot. Thank you for cool recipes!
Hey! If you’re not a fan of mushroom, eggplant could probably work well. If you give it a try let us know!