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This Vegan Lentil Loaf is the best, healthy main dish for Thanksgiving, Christmas or memorable weeknight dinners. Enjoy with your favorite fuss-free sides for the ultimate feast. Vegan, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Oil-Free, Soy-Free, Nut-Free Option.
Table of Contents
This Vegan Lentil Loaf is easily one of the healthiest, most flavorful meatless loafs out there. It combines brown lentils, red lentils and walnuts to create the perfect, non-mushy texture. You’ll be able to slice and serve this loaf with ease, then enjoy with a highly-recommended serving of Tahini Gravy!
A Delicious Plant-Based Protein
Let’s be real – finding a protein to serve for the holidays that will suit everyone’s dietary needs isn’t always the easiest feat. But this vegan meatloaf alternative checks off all the boxes. It’s naturally gluten-free, grain-free, egg-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and easy to make nut-free. Plus, when you serve it with my creamy Tahini Gravy and mashed potatoes, I promise no one will be complaining.
This lentil loaf is crispy-on-the-outside, textured-on-the-inside and is really just the most delicious healthy, plant-based protein. It’s a bit more time-intensive than my dump & bake casseroles or one pot dinners, but every step is worth it. Play some good tunes and grab a friend or family member to cook this with.
What You Need for the Best Vegan Lentil Loaf
The base of this lentil loaf is made with a mix of red lentils, brown lentils, mushrooms and walnuts. It’s then seasoned with fresh herbs and tender veggies and held together with my favorite egg-replacer – ground flaxseed.
Each ingredient used serves a specific purpose and for best results, significant substitutions should be avoided.
How to Make Vegan Lentil Loaf
- Cook the lentils with vegetable broth and water in a large pot for 30 minutes.
- Sauté the onion, celery, and carrot in olive oil until soft and fragrant. Add the mushrooms, spices, tamari and garlic and cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes.
- Strain the lentils using a fine metal strainer and remove as much extra liquid as possible.
- Mix the lentils, vegetable mixture, walnuts, ground flax, and tamari and firmly pack the mixture into a loaf pan.
- Bake for 50 minutes then allow to cool on a cooling rack for 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
- Serve warm with vegan gravy, or as desired.
Caitlin’s Cooking Tips
- Take your time sautéing the vegetables. Keep cooking until all of the moisture released from the vegetables evaporates and the vegetables are as dry as possible. Rushing this step will affect the texture and cook time of your lentil loaf.
- Use fresh herbs. Fresh rosemary, thyme, and sage are significantly more flavorful than dried herbs and truly make this lentil loaf taste like Thanksgiving!
- Make sure to use ground flaxseed. In stores you’ll find both ground flaxseed and whole flaxseeds. Ground flaxseeds are essential to properly binding the vegan loaf together. If you only have whole seeds, grind them into a mealy consistency before adding to your loaf.
Serving Suggestions
This vegan lentil loaf is an amazing main dish to serve for holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. Make it a full vegan meal and serve alongside classic holiday sides like Vegan Mac and Cheese, Candied Sweet Potatoes, and Vegan Green Bean Casserole. Topping your loaf with my savory Tahini Gravy is a must, too.
If you’re looking for more holiday main dish recipes, you’ll also love this Vegan Holiday Roast and this Vegetable Lasagna with White Sauce! Or, plan your own menu using my Vegan and Gluten-Free Thanksgiving guide.
How to Store Lentil Loaf
Leftover lentil loaf slices are preserved best in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Leftovers are best reheating in the oven or toaster oven at 300F for 20 to 25 minutes, or until warmed through. Readers have also had success warming individual slices through in a dry skillet over medium heat.
Substitutions
- Nut-free option: If you are allergic to nuts, substitute the chopped walnuts for chopped sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds.
- Lentil options: I developed this lentil loaf using brown lentils, but green lentils can be used as a 1:1 substitution. Substituting the split red lentils with green or brown lentils, however, is not recommended.
- Soy-free option: Tamari can be substituted for coconut aminos. Or, if you are not gluten-free, soy sauce is also an option.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, this vegan meatloaf can be frozen. Cook and cool the lentil loaf according to instructions. Once cooled, slice into 6 to 8 slices and place each individual slice on a parchment lined baking sheet. Flash freeze the loaf slices for 1 to 2 hours, or until frozen solid. Transfer the slices to a freezer safe bag or container for up to 2 months.
Traditional meatloaf recipes typically use eggs and breadcrumbs to bind the loaf together. This vegan lentil loaf uses ground flaxseed as a binder to keep it grain-free, gluten-free and plant-based.
When the lentils are done and ready, they will be soft and tender. The red lentils will be softer and paste-like and the brown lentils will be tender, but still intact.
If your vegan lentil loaf came out mushy, I would guess the “batter” was too wet. This can happen if the vegetables are not dry enough. Once you begin to sauté mushrooms, they will release moisture. In order to avoid a mushy loaf, it is important to sauté until the excess moisture has evaporated.
Enjoy! If you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I would also love it if you could leave a comment below with a recipe rating! Thank you for the support 😊
Vegan Lentil Loaf
Ingredients
For the Lentils:
- 1 cup brown lentils dry
- 1 cup red lentils dry
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
For the Lentil Loaf:
- cooked lentils above
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 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 cremini mushrooms finely diced
- 3/4 cup ground flaxseed
- 1/2 cup walnut pieces
Instructions
- Cook the Lentils: Add the brown lentils, red lentils, vegetable broth, and water to a large pot. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce the heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 30 minutes.
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 375F once 10-15 minutes have passed. Line a 4×8” loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Aromatics: Warm the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrot and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Seasonings: Add the mushrooms, rosemary, thyme, sage, and 1 tablespoon tamari. Sauté for 8 to 10 minutes, until almost all of the liquid has evaporated from the pan. Add the garlic and sauté for an additional 1 to 2 minutes. You want the vegetables to be as dry as possible!
- Strain the Lentils: 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.
- Combine: Transfer the lentils and cooked vegetable mixture to a large bowl. Add in the walnuts, ground flax, and remaining tablespoon of tamari. Mix until everything is evenly incorporated, then use a spatula to firmly pack the “batter” into the 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: 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. You can also let the lentil loaf sit in the fridge overnight if you’d like it to be firmer.
- Serve: serve warm, topped with gravy or as desired. Leftovers can be reheated in the oven or toaster oven at 300F for 20-25 minutes. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days, or pre-slice and freeze for up to 2 months.
Recipe Notes
- Substitutions: tamari can be substituted for liquid aminos or soy sauce (not GF). I have not tested this recipe with any binder other than ground flax, and cannot recommend substitutions
- Oil-Free: omit the olive oil in step 3 and sauté the onion in 1/4 cup (60 ml) of water instead; adding more water as necessary to prevent sticking.
- Make-Ahead: the lentil and vegetable filling can be made up to 3 days in advance; simply store the filling in the fridge until ready to use and proceed with mixing and baking the loaf.
- 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!
What is the yummy looking gravy on the picture that you serve with this meatlessloaf?
That would be the Tahini Gravy from another post!
Can I use a 9×5 in loaf pan? Or does the size have to be exactly the same? I’m new at baking so I don’t have a clue about any of this. Thanks!
It will still bake, but the loaf will be much thinner and you may need to cook it for less time
Can I substitute flax seeds? Thanks
I would not recommend it. You could try using another GF flour (but I have not tested this) or ground chia seeds, but I think the chia seeds have too strong of a taste
could i leave out nuts all together? little one is allergic.
You can leave them out, but I would actually recommend substituting with Sunflower Seeds, so the loaf still has some “bite.” Otherwise it will be very soft!
I made this recipe all for myself to meal prep for work lunches and loved it, reheats great. However I felt like it was missing a sauce so I made the Cranberry Dijon Mustard from 2 Market Girls Mushroom wellington recipe and it paired so well! Plus it makes it even more festive.
1/3 cup frozen cranberries
1 tbsp water
1 tsp maple syrup
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tbsp flour
2 tbsp smooth dijon mustard
http://twomarketgirls.com/index.php/2018/12/16/mushroom-wellington/
I made this for Thanksgiving, along with your tahini gravy…so delicious! I’m definitely making it again for Christmas 🙂
Yum! I’ll be making it for Christmas too 🙂
This looks soooo good, I’m saving it!
I’m allergic to walnuts and pecans, but cashews and almonds are okay for me. Do you think one of those would be a good substitute?
Almonds would work!
I loved this recipe! I made it the day before (it made a lot more than I expected) and I baked it in a casserole dish than left it in the fridge overnight and today I had it for lunch with the gravy on top along with chopped asparagus, cranberry sauce and some kombucha! I absolutely love the texture, especially with the walnuts!
Thanks, Ellie! Glad you enjoy it as much as I do 🙂
Hello Caitlin! I currently have my loaf baking in the oven. I’m super excited to enjoy it later. I was thinking about pan frying the individual slices before serving for extra crispness vs reheating in the oven. Do you think it would still hold up that way?
That sounds like a great idea!
I am going to try this! Can I replace brown lentils with green split peas?
I’m not sure if that would work as they are slightly different, but let me know if you try it out!
Made this for Thanksgiving tomorrow. Stole a small slice off the end for myself tonight, and it turned out wonderful. The only substitution I made was more tyme in place of the rosemary since I’m not a fan. Making the lentils in veggie stock gave this load a boost of flavor. (I made the veggie casserole too, and I can’t wait to dig into it tomorrow. It looks amazing!) Thanks for posting!
Thank you, Trish! I hope everyone enjoyed it 🙂
How long would you relate it in the oven for? xo mine is cooking now and smells so good!
The baking time is listed in the recipe instructions 🙂
I’ve never seen/heard of 8×12 loaf pan before. Is this accurate?
Whoops! Thanks for catching that, Emily. I updated the recipe, it should be 8″ x 4″
Is there a substitute for brown lentils? Like green lentils or another type of grain? I seriously cannot find brown lentils at my grocery store.. I really want to make this recipe for Thanksgiving though!!
Green lentils should work!
I’m eating this right now for lunch. It is delicious!
Glad to hear it, Sara!
Omg I just made this recipe, I’ll be honest I wasn’t sure it would taste that great because once I added the flax it was a bit overwehlming. It tasted super flaxy before I baked it. I took it out of the oven and the edges got crispy and the lentils on top got super crunchy and it tastes like thanksgiving! I used extra carrot, onion, celery and a red bell pepper instead of mushrooms. And I didn’t have sage so i used poultry spice and extra thyme and rosemary. Sooo good! Thank you Caitlyin!
Yay! I’m glad you enjoyed it Amanda 🙂
also what about canned lentils?
I would suggest using dried lentils, as canned lentils can vary in softness and you would need a lot of them for the loaf! You already have to cook the red lentils anyways, I dont believe they sell canned red lentils x
Do you think I could strain the lentils with a cheese cloth?
If you double it up, I think that should work!
I can count the amount of times I have ever had a meatloaf on one hand, but barely two fingers for a vegan meatloaf! I made a bread or a loaf out of pinto beans before, so I guess that counts? This lentil loaf looks absolutely spectacular and it looks like it packs so many hearty flavors and spices. Next time I make my bean bread, I’ll use lentils, onions, liquid aminos, and lots more spices for that extra flare!
Question – are the mushrooms completely necessary? I’m allergic so I would just exclude them but will it alter the final result too much? Please let me know! I’m going to make this for my Friendsgiving 🙂
I haven’t tried it without the Mushrooms, and they do provide some volume and texture to the dish. I think it might be okay without them though if you add a little extra carrot and celery – let me know if you test it out!