Vegan Lentil Loaf
This is the best vegetarian and vegan meatloaf! This easy lentil loaf is stuffed with veggies and lentils, and is even better than the classic!
I’ve been working on this lentil loaf recipe for weeks and am so excited to finally share it with you. This veggie lentil loaf is hearty and has those cozy flavors I remember from when my mom made meatloaf when I was a kid. If you’re ready to move away from light summery salads, this is a great place to start. I’m not going there yet, but you may want to pin this recipe for Thanksgiving. Just saying.
This recipe developed in a funny way. One night a few months ago, my family was having dinner at one of our favorite local Italian restaurants. My littlest love started having a hard time and went on a little walk with Yummy Hubby. They strolled past a diner and came back to our table excitedly chatting about “Meatloaf Mondays” at the diner. As you can imagine, I immediately began dreaming up ways to make a meatless Meatloaf Monday at home. I tried a vegetarian lentil meatloaf recipe but it was just too mushy, and I wanted to get rid of the dairy. After about 5 tries, I’ve gotten the lentil loaf down.
I remember as a kid loving the sweet tomato glaze, but being a little grossed out by the actual loaf of ground meat. This vegan loaf has the meatloaf flavors, but is so much better. It’s packed with veggies that add a ton of flavor and texture, and bulked up with protein and fiber rich lentils. Not to mention how inexpensive lentil based recipes are!
Most of the time I make lentils I cook dried French green lentils from scratch. I have a post all about cooking lentils here. Freshly cooked lentils are far superior in salads and soups, but in this lentil loaf? I use the vacuum packed steamed lentils from the produce section of the grocery store. After testing this recipe with both dried lentils and vacuum packed steamed lentils, I’ve decided that using store bought cooked lentils is totally worth the shortcut. I usually get my lentils from Trader Joe’s. If you cook your lentils from dry, you will need about one cup, as they double when cooking. Be sure to use green or brown lentils, as the red ones are much softer.
Important tip alert!
1. Be sure your lentils aren’t still wet from cooking or your loaf could end up soggy.
2. Don’t over blend. You want some chunks of lentils and veggies for texture.
When I made this vegan lentil loaf this week, I decided to ditch the loaf shape and stuff the mixture into sweet bell peppers instead. Be sure to watch the video to get a better idea of the stuffed peppers! I love the extra texture and sweetness the peppers add underneath the vegan “meatloaf” and they are just plan cute, aren’t they? You could also bake this in a muffin tin for mini lentil loaves. Serve with the best Vegan Mashed Potatoes.
Which do you like better? The loaf or the pepper version?
If you liked this recipe, try my Vegan Lentil Meatballs Or Vegan Lentil Sloppy Joes next! You can find my favorite Mediterranean Lentil Salad here! And if you’re looking for more hearty vegan main dish recipes, try my Vegetable Wellington!
Vegan Lentil Loaf
This easy veggie filled vegetarian and vegan lentil loaf is even better than the classic meatloaf! Be sure to use green or brown lentils, not red.
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked French lentils (Be sure your lentils aren't too wet from cooking.)
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
- 1 ¼ cup diced crimini mushrooms
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon bbq sauce
- 2 tablespoons flax meal
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup quick oats
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 3 bell peppers, halved and seeded (optional)
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- pinch brown or coconut sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute onion, carrots, celery, pepper, and mushrooms with a pinch of salt and pepper until softened. Add the garlic and saute another minute longer.
- In a food processor, pulse together the lentils, cooked vegetables, tomato paste, bbq sauce, flax meal, parsley, salt, pepper, oats, and breadcrumbs. You may have to work in batches if your food processor is small. Do not puree, but blend into a chunky dough. You want some bits of veggies for texture.
- Form the dough into a ball and place on the prepared cookie sheet. Form into a "loaf" shape as shown in the pictures. Alternatively, fill bell pepper halves with the lentil mixture and place in a baking dish. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and spread the ketchup on top. Sprinkle with sugar to help caramelize the topping. Bake for another 10 minutes. Let the lentil loaf cool at least 10 minutes as it firms up during this time.
Notes
You can use vacuum packed steamed lentils from the produce section.
Lentils labeled "green" or "brown" will work here. Do not use black or red lentils.
Nutrition information is approximate and calculated by a third party. If your health depends on nutrition information please calculate again.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 sliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 190Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 8gProtein: 10g
I made this last for dinner and it is absolutely wonderful. we will be eating this no-meat loaf often. thank you for a great recipe!!!!
Hi
Can the loaf be cooked at a much higher temperature say 400f? I’m entertaining and everything else cooking at this heat. Has anyone tried this?
Thanks
It TASTE SUPERB.
How long should mini muffins be baked?
I’m wondering the same thing.
I made a few tweaks, to adjust flavor, but I love this recipe and so does my boyfriend ! Paired it with roasted potatoe wedges & salad 💕 I will definitely be making this again. Thank you so much 🙏🏼
I don’t eat mushrooms ….is there a substitute?:)
I can’t think of anything that would replace mushrooms. The way they absorb flavor. I’m not a big fan myself, but if you chop them up fine enough you won’t even know they are there. Or get creative. Maybe tofu or eggplant. Unless it’s doctors orders, I’d just suck it up and give it a shot. Reduce the amount and really chop them up. Remember also that the cells that compose your tongue are new every 7 years. Tastes change. You might find you can tolerate or even like foods you used to hate. I’m not saying teat your food allergies, because I have and I know it gets ugly, but if it’s a taste thing… mixed into a loaf is a pretty easy way without the commitment of a stuffed portabella. Also, I don’t know why this is in all caps. I’m hoping it won’t be in the comments, it’s not set on my keyboard. I’m not yelling at you.
How about using eggplant? I can. Absorb liquids & flavors just as much as mushrooms.
WE HAVE A MUSHROOM ALLERGY IN OUR HOUSE SO I MAKE IT WITH ZUCCHINI AS THE MUSHROOM SUBSTITUTE AND IT COMES OUT AMAZING! JUST SUBSTITUTE THE SAME AMOUNT OF ZUCCHINI FOR MUSHROOMS. I’VE MADE THIS ABOUT 4-5 TIMES ALREADY FOR VEGANS AND OMNI AND THEY ALL LOVE IT!!
Made this lentil Loaf tonight, it was so delicious!!! I will be making this again. I cooked at 400°F (as I had other things cooking at that temperature) and it still turned out great. Thank you.
I used zucchini and it was delicious!
cAN THIS recipe be made before hand and frozen?
I’ve made a double batch and frozen one for a few months – it turned out great! P.s. don’t know why this is in all caps… I can’t change it
The packaged lentils from Trader Joe’s contains 3 cups. Since I would like a larger loaf and would like to use them all, shall I increase everything by approximately one third?
youd increase by half since youre adding half of the called for amount of lentils
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Looks delicious! i am looking for some make-ahead freezer meal to use after i have my baby. do you think making this raw, freezing it, and then cooking it frozen would work? How long do you think it would need to cook for and at what temperature? Thank you!!
I did this exact thing! I didn’t cook from frozen though – I took out the night before and let it thaw before cooking as mentioned above. Turned out great and was an awesome post-baby dinner. Congrats on your little one – good luck!
I don’t have a good procossor! Can I use my blender?
My exact dilemma. No food processor.
Don’t need one. I diced everything so finely that it just all miss well.
*mixes
I’d like to make this gluten free. What besides GF bread ( usually isn’t vegan) do you suggest? Would homemade oat flour work?
Hi Lori! I used Ian’s Gluten Free Breadcrumbs here, which are vegan, but oat flour should work as well. Let me know how it goes and I hope you enjoy the recipe!
i used corn tortilla chips, popcorn cakes (basically just popcorn) and redbeet/flaxseed crackers as bread alternatives
Panko
Organic Chickpea crumbs by whatusee Foods. Only one ingredient – chickpeas. (I purchased at Whole Foods but it’s a “local” company.) You could also probably make your own by just dry roasting chickpeas and pulsing in your blender/food processor.
Made this eaRlier this evening but When I was about to take it out of the oven I realized I’d left the lentils on the counter and never mixed them in. I was surprised to see that it still came out great, well formed and delicious.
Wow! So glad it still worked out for you!
O. M. G. Delicious!!! I added braggs liquid amino acids, non vegans loved it too. Thank you!
can I just use regular lentils? No idea where to get french ones lol
Yes! Just regular lentils are what you want here (Brown or green not red split lentils) enjoy!
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Spread lentil mixture in a pie pan.
Top with mashed potatoes.
Bake 35 minutes.
To make Shepard pie.
Also I cook my lentils in vegetable broth to make it tastier.
Great idea, did you change the seasonings at all?
I made this and it was so good. I do recommend adding more veggies and it would be fantastic. I also didn’t have all the ingredients but I made do and it was great.
Hi! I wanted to love this recipe but it turned out mushy and never “set”. what do you think i did wrong? my lentils were moist so i put them in a strainer first. should i of added more oats or breadcrumbs?
SAme! I followed recipe exactly…I used the vacuum sealed lentils
That’s the worst! So sorry. A couple of things:
1. This happened to me in testing when I over blended the mixture, and when the other ingredients were too wet.
2. One reviewer on facebook mentioned that they bake this 10 minutes longer.
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For those wanting a substitute for readcrumbs try using almond meal instead…delicious and extra nutrition to boot 😊
How much Almond meal?? Thank you for the tip btw 😀
I want to make this tomorrow for Canadian thanksgiving. Can I make it in a loaf pan? Thanks!
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I LOVE love love this recipe. It’s sooo good! I make it at least once or twice a month. It’s on regular rotation in our house. My husband who eats meat even says he prefers it over regular meatloaf. The leftovers are even better the next day
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This was delicious! I didn’t have mushrooms so I just skipped them and crossed my fingers and added a tablespoon of mustard. I had made Lentil soup the day before and that had potatoes and other veggies but I just measured out 2 cups of the soup, draining as much liquid as I could. My husband couldn’t stop eating it.
Thank you!
Hi 👋🏽 can I replace the flax with vital gluten?
I’m sorry – i’m not sure! I’m just not very experienced with vital gluten!
My daughter is vegan so I’m making this for Thanksgiving for her.
Can it be made several days in advance? Will it spoil? Or should I make it and freeze it?
Hi. I am making this for my vegan sister for Thanksgiving. I have to travel with this about 5 hours. Should I make, bake and freeze, or should I just combine cooked ingredients and keep chilled and bake off on thanksgiving morning. Thanks for any input!
Has the ‘is This able to be frozen’ question been answered? I batch cook and would love to get this out of the way for later this week.
I’ve frozen it – it turned out great! Just thaw and bake as mentioned above. 🙂
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I made this tonight for my mom and it was so good! I paired it with mashed potatoes and a sweet kale salad. My mom liked it so much that when she went home and was hungry again later, she made a sandwich out of a slice of loaf and some of the salad. Such a versatile recipe. A definite keeper!
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Is the flax meal in this recipe intended as an egg replacement? Can i use an alternative if so?
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Can i make this today and bake/serve tomorrow?
Oh also is it two cups dry lentils or two cups cooked? Thank you.
2 cups cooked lentils and it should be fine made a day early.
I liked it. If you really enjoy vegetables, this is for you. I’m not one of those people, but it tastes okay enough that I’m willing to make it again. It’s also super healthy so that serves as motivation to keep eating it.
I did switch out the flax meal for like 5/8 the amount in chia seeds because that’s what I had and I am broke af at the moment.
Lol oops did not mean to leave my review as a reply to this. So many freakin ads messing with my phone.
Any liquid added to this recipe?
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Not too bad! Made this to ensure a meatless entree was available for a vegetarian guest at one of my get togethers. I tasted and tweeked it a bit with spices. I liked it and so it seems the vegetarian and some meat eaters as well. 🙂
Thanks Chey! So nice of you to make something special for your veggie guest 🙂
Hi there.
If you place the meat lisd into patty pan tins is the cooking time still the same.
Thanks sharon
Do you have to use the flax? I don’t have that? Is there a substitute??
You could try some mashed potato.
As a vegan, I made this for some people who do not eat onions or garlic and left those out. This recipe is amazing. It is flavorful and really nice. I cooked my lentils though adding more time for the recipe.
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Hi. Would it be a good idea to cook the green lentils in the morning and use at night. Would that make the more dry?
Hi! my son has a legume allergy. Could you recommend anything i could sub the lentils for? I have this trouble with most vegan burgers. Thanks so much 🙂
Yum, this was so good. I’m new to going meatless and was skeptical about trying this. I’m so glad I tried it. I will be making this again. I think next time I’ll try to make mini versions so I can freeze them for quick meals. I did swap zucchini for the mushrooms since I don’t care for mushrooms and it worked well. Thank you for sharing!
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please could you share the link for the type of food processor I should buy?
Is two cups Of trader Joes vacuum packed lentils one entire pack?
Hi. Thank you so much. I have tried several meatloafs and they are usually too dry. I put some extra bbq sauce in and cooked in silicone muffin tins. Also used BBQ sauce instead of catsup. Loved it!!!!
Made this lovely recipe tonight. Stuck to the recipe. Turned out terrific! We will definitely make this again. Roasted potatoes and brussel sprouts completed the meal. Yummy!
Not having a food processor, I used a mortar and pestle whose pestle is thick and stubby with a flat crushing surface about 1-1/2 “ across. It did not come with my set but rather I looked for it in Mexico and found it in one of the shops in a public market. It is made of Stone. Also I left the mixture in a large stainless bowl and just kept crushing and stirring until the consistency looked and felt right as per the instructions. It is a wonderful recipe that was a “hit” at my house.
Thank you.
Journeycakes
Not having a food processor, I used a mortar and pestle whose pestle is thick and stubby with a flat crushing surface about 1-1/2 “ across. It did not come with my set but rather I looked for it in Mexico and found it in one of the shops in a public market. It is made of Stone. Also I left the mixture in a large stainless bowl and just kept crushing and stirring until the consistency looked and felt right as per the instructions. It is a wonderful recipe that was a “hit” at my house.
Thank you.
Journeycakes
I cooked the green lentils a couple hours ahead of time, then I drained them into the sink using a plastic mesh sieve. Next I set the sieve full of cooked lentils on top of an absorbent cloth so the mesh was in direct contact with the cloth. After a couple of hours, Gravity and the cloth’s absorbency drew enough of the excess liquid out of the cooked lentils that were then ready to use in the recipe.
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Hi, Where the video to the lentil meatloaf?
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hi can this be made in a loaf pan? Thank you 🙏
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AMAZING! You have hit this one outta the ballpark. One thing I have missed on my way to going vegan was meatloaf. More becAuse I love love love meatloaf sandwiches. The hubs and I really enjoyed it for dinner and loved the sandwiches for lunch the next day. Followed the recipe except I used the whole pack of Trader Joe’s lentils and just added a little extra of the other ingredients to compemsate. It was perfect. Key is really letting it rest out of the oven for the 10 minutes or so so it holds its shape when you slice. Thank you Marina!
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cAN WHOLE ROLLED OATS BE USED INSTEAD OF QUICK COOK OATS?
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I made this and it was amazing, turned the leftovers into meatballs the next day!
Also, I used mung beans instead of lentils and it worked really well
Hi
I am excited to try this! I am allergic to flax. What would you suggest I substitute for the flax ingredient? (Also, allergic to almond ingredients) thanks so much! My husband turned to a vegan diet to help with inflammation due to arthritis. Thanks again.
-Melanie from maine
Ps sorry for all caps. Having technical difficulties.
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Hi!I really, really wanna try this recipe but we don’t have maple syrup where I live. There’s anything that can be used as a substitute?
can I use canned lentils?
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TRADER joes is out of the vacuum packed lentils. Does anyone know who else sells a similar product?
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I’ve tried a few lentil loaf recipes now, and this is by far my favourite!!! The only one my children ate/loved (finally!) it did take me much longer than an hour to make though… but worth it!
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This vegan lentil loaf was so Unbelievably delicious!! I’m new to making vegan food and even my husband was impressed. I ran out of time and didn’t put the mixture into a food processor. It Still held its shape and sliced perfectly. The only other changes I made were that I grated The carrots (I’m lazy!) and I I used my “go-to” meatloaf sauce (ketchup, mustard, brown sugar) for on top.
DELICIOUS!!!
I’m not sure why this is all in caps…my caps lock is not on. Anyway, I really, really like it as a sandwich better. well, as far as it tasting more like traditional meatloaf. Not bad on its own either. Even my hubby liked it! He too, prefers it on a sandwich. will definitely be making this again. thanks for the deliciousness!!
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The lentil loaf turned out very yummy! It held together well, although I did let it cool before slicing. I put baby Ray’s Bbq sauce on the top since I had it in my fridge. I did have to google to get a measurement on how many cups of dry lentils to use to get 2 cups cooked. No biggie. I also had to take the top off my food processor several times to keep the bottom from becoming mush while the top still needed mixing. it may have just been my processor. I really liked the addition of the mushrooms. this is a keeper! …and I do not know why it is typing in all caps…caps button is off!
Hi steph,
I was going to see if I could get the ingredients for the side salad that you have for this dish.
Thanks,
Jenny
can i use the canned lentils? These look sooooo Good! I’m definitely pinning this so I can make it soon! My family loves lentils loaf in all forms, so this will be a hit. Thanks!
I just made this tonight. I am sitting here in shock because my husband liked it. I didn’t have mushrooms and I added zucchini. I will definitely be making this again.
I wish the recipe’s written instructions would have said oat FLOUR instead of quick oats. I followed the recipe to the letter and when I went to look for a picture of the dough i found the video, which showed you putting ground oats. I had to pulse my dough a few more times or else I would have ended up with oat flakes I guess. Now I guess I’ll end up with a chunk-less loaf. Bummer when I’ve spent all afternoon trying to get this perfect.
Hi Sher, So sorry for the confusion! I have never used oat flour. I use quick oats, which are basically the same as rolled (old fashioned) oats cut into smaller pieces. When I don’t have quick oats, I make my own by pulsing rolled oats, which is what you are seeing in the video. Dough with oat flakes (or even some whole rolled oats) is totally fine as they cook down. In the hundreds of reviews no one has mentioned an issue with oat flakes 🙂 Hope you enjoy anyway!
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