Out of all my favourite vegan recipes, this lentil loaf ranks in my top 10. This is a big deal, considering I’m in love with no less than 3,000 foods at any given moment. The original loaf recipe hails from talented chef and author, Terry Walters. I’ve enjoyed playing around with the recipe countless ways since I first made it in 2011. There’s just something about the combo of hearty, stick-to-your-ribs lentils, shredded carrots and sweet apple, chunky celery, toasted walnuts, and a sweet tangy glaze to finish it all off. It’s total comfort food to me.
I find myself eating the cold leftovers for breakfast in the morning. It gets crumbled over salads, stuffed into wraps and buns, and more recently thrown onto pasta sauce over a bed of spaghetti squash. I once ate half a loaf in the span of about 8 hours. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I guess it could be worse! To complicate matters, Eric is also a huge fan and we often find ourselves vying for the last slice…
The only issue I have with the recipe I made a couple years ago is that it’s quite labour intensive. For this version, my goal was to simplify the recipe without compromising the flavour and texture. I also played around with different ingredients and amounts. I’ll be sharing my 3rd trial with you today – it’s actually my new favourite out of all of them I’ve made. Make sure to see my notes below for a few tips I’ve picked up along the way.
Glazed Lentil Walnut Apple Loaf, Revisited
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Adapted from 2011 recipe, which was adapted from Terry Walters.
Yield: 1 large loaf or various mini loaves
Ingredients:
- 1 cup uncooked green lentils
- 1 cup walnuts, finely chopped and toasted
- 3 tbsp ground flax + 1/2 cup water
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1.5 cups diced sweet onion
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup grated carrot
- 1/3 cup peeled and grated sweet apple (use a firm variety)
- 1/3 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup oat flour
- 3/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 2 tsp fresh thyme (or 3/4 tsp dried thyme)
- salt & pepper, to taste (I use about 3/4 tsp sea salt + more Herbamare)
- red pepper flakes, to taste
Balsamic Apple Glaze:
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 2 tbsp apple butter (or unsweetened applesauce in a pinch)
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1. Preheat oven to 325F. Rinse and strain lentils. Place lentils into pot along with 3 cups of water (or veg broth). Bring to a boil and season with salt. Reduce heat to medium/low and simmer, uncovered, for at least 40-45 minutes. Stir frequently & add touch of water if needed. The goal is to over-cook the lentils slightly (see pictures in post). Mash lentils slightly with a spoon when ready.
2. Toast walnuts at 325F for about 8-10 minutes. Set aside. Increase oven temp to 350F.
3. Whisk ground flax with water in a small bowl and set aside.
4. Heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sautee the garlic and onion for about 5 minutes. Season with salt. Now add in the diced celery, shredded carrot and apple, and raisins. Sautee for about 5 minutes more. Remove from heat.
5. In a large mixing bowl, mix all ingredients together. Adjust seasonings to taste.
6. Grease a loaf pan and line with parchment paper. Press mixture firmly into pan. Whisk glaze ingredients and then spread half on top of loaf. Reserve the rest for a dipping sauce.
7. Bake at 350F for 40-50 minutes, uncovered. Edges will be lightly brown. Cool in pan for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. I usually wait until loaf is cool before slicing.
I used to have a problem with my lentil loaves falling apart on me. I’ve since discovered that it really helps to over-cook the lentils a bit, so the consistency of the lentils is doughy, almost like mashed potatoes. As you can see in the photos, the lentils are the perfect consistency to bind with the other ingredients.
In addition to playing around with the ingredients, I also switched up the sizes of the tins/pans:
Trial 1: I made 4 mini loaves (the green and red ones).
Trial 2: I used a muffin tin. I got about 16 portions out of the batter which was great, but I made the mistake of using paper muffin liners and they completely stuck to the paper. Next time I will grease the tins well and not use paper liners. I also cooked them a bit too long (40 mins at 350F) and they dried out more than I’d like.
Trial 3: I made 2 medium-sized loaves using 9×5 loaf tins and baked for about 45 minutes or so. Keep in mind you can also use one big loaf tin too!
The loaves freeze well too. Just make sure to fully cool the baked loaves before wrapping and freezing.
If you are looking for a nut-free version, you might want to try using toasted sunflower seeds. I probably wouldn’t use a full cup of seeds, but maybe 1/2-3/4 cup. For a gluten-free loaf, use GF oat flour and breadcrumbs and of course be sure to check all other ingredients.
As for serving suggestions, this loaf is great paired with applesauce, sautéed greens, and mashed/roasted potatoes.
With any luck, I might have a few left for our Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday. If you are celebrating Thanksgiving this weekend, have a wonderful holiday!
Looking for more Thanksgiving recipes? Check out my Thanksgiving Recipe round-up here, featuring high-protein garlic mashed potatoes, holiday salad, pumpkin garlic knots, and more.
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{ 607 comments… read them below or add one }
I love your site! This is so much more gourmet than my lentil loaf recipe! Good ideas!
I would love to try this for Thanksgiving this year. Do you think the flavors would work if I substituted chopped, boiled chestnuts for the walnuts? I’m eating low-fat vegan and have eliminated nuts from my diet.
I’m sorry, but I just do see what’s different between the two loaves? Am I going crazy? The ingredients look almost identical… hmm?
Anywho, I love your 2010 version and plan on making it for my T-Day this weekend!
The difference is mostly in the process, it’s a bit simpler than the first (no processing of bread or lentils, for example). I also increased the veggies, raisins, and nuts and found the texture to be heartier & less dense.
It doesn’t make it crumbly by not processing? I had thought that had been your biggest lesson from the first go round?
Either way, I LOVE this recipe and now have a craving for it!!!
My roommate watched me make it once though and she did admit that I was in the kitchen for a long time. I said, “it’s worth it. trust me.”
It was, but I realized that by cooking the lentils for longer, you can skip the processing all together. Just cook them until they are a bit doughy in texture. I just mash them slightly with a spoon. Saves cleaning a processor.
Great tip! Thanks!
This is the way I prefer doing it! So good!
Mmmm! I may need to convince my Mom to make this for Thanksgiving dinner this weekend! Shouldn’t be too difficult a task ;)
These look amazing! Your timing is fabulous, too – during this morning’s commute I was thinking about how I wanted to make something like this. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!
I have been wanting to try this recipe since I first saw it back last year, but I admit that it looked like it would take a long while to make and that’s what stopped me. I can’t wait to try this new & improved recipe! I’m thinking I might add this to my weekly meal plan for the coming week!!
Happy Thanksgiving! This recipe looks delicious and you have never failed me….ummmm, but, can I ask if the apples cause the loaf to be sweet? I tried another lentil loaf last year for Thanksgiving and it was more sweet than savory and I would love a savory recipe. It really looks good so I would love to try it out for Monday!
It definitely has some sweetness, although I’d say that comes mostly from the raisins and glaze. There is only 1/3 cup grated apple in here. You could try using less raisins or making the glaze a bit more tart if you prefer. Let me know how it goes if you make it!
Oh, boy! I made this tonight and I made a few changes that made it savory. Your recipes are soooo delicious!
I took out the raisins, as you suggested, but left in the apple. I took out the apple butter from the glaze and added in mustard. It was so good that I had three pieces! HAH!
I love those subs! Now Im trying to imagine the glaze without apple butter…I’ll have to try it.
Would that be 2tbsp of mustard?
My mother in law made this for the holidays and used dried cranberries instead of raisins and it was delicious! The cranberries really added a nice seasonal flavor. I am planning to make it myself this week.
I definitely need to make this!! I made Terry’s version and need to revisit it. Chris and I both loved it and it’s great for leftovers!
Hi, do you think red lentils will work? I have a bag that I am dying to unload plus all these fall apples. Thank you for this post!
Hey Nikki, I would guess that red lentils might make the loaf mushy and Im not sure how they would impact the overall moisture content. I do like the texture the green lentils provide. If you do try it out, let me know how it goes!
Thanks for answering! I think I will just get the green ones since it looks like you have been working on this for awhile! Thanks again for posting.
np :) I hope you enjoy it
I agree – i tried it with red lentils last night and it did make it mushy (they absorbed all the water & it turned into a pot of lentil mush :) still made the recipe and it was still delicious but probably too wet.
Thanks for following up!
Just FYI, it worked wonderfully with brown lentils!
Glad to hear that, thanks!
I JUST bought lentils for making a loaf, good thing I came across this recipe! : )
Looks delicious and perfect for left-overs and holiday season get togethers. Also, I think I could easily make this gluten free. The glaze looks especially awesome :)
Definitely on must make list! Made one last year but without the glaze…it needs the glaze! :)
totally agree – the glaze makes it!
I made this for Christmas last year! As the only vegan in a large family of meat-eaters, I made my own little feast to bring to the celebration including this loaf, roasted veggies, vegan mashed potatoes, and a vegan chocolate cream pie. Many people taste tested the loaf and loved it! I like the idea of mini-loaves as well…this makes it easier to freeze single servings.
That is great to hear Shelley. I’ve found many non-vegans love it too.
I love that you made your own feast. I am always worried about standing out. But I think this year I will do just that and have all the wonderful VEGAN dishes I love. Great idea and thanks !
Sincerely,
Jami
Have I told you lately how much I love your blog? I love your blog. Thanks for doing what you do.
Thank you Diane, I appreciate it!
Already had this recipe planned for this weekend. Love it so much! Thanks for the tip on cooking the lentils longer instead of processing – it’s so hard to clean my processor once the lentils have stuck to it! (Since, of course, I can never wait to eat this so prep dishes don’t get washed). :)
hah I know the feeling
This recipe looks amazing, but I have a question for you. I’m allergic to nuts…do you think I could replace the walnuts with something like oats, quinoa, rice, or more lentils? Thanks! :-)
Hey Olivia, I would probably try toasted sunflower seeds (if you can eat them, that is), but you probably wouldn’t need a full cup. maybe 1/2-3/4 cup? This way you’ll still have a nice crunch.
I used about 3/4 cup of lightly salted pumpkin seeds (I get them at Costco) instead of the nuts. Works great! More recently, I also threw in about 1/4 cup crushed hemp seeds for added texture.
Sounds amazing, totally going to try this one!! I need to put more effort into eating better :) x
Love your site too, and love Lentil Loaf. Question. When a recipe (your recipe) calls for 1 cup walnuts chopped and toasted. Do you measure 1 cup whole walnuts then chop or do you chop enough walnuts to measure 1 cup?
Great question Susan! It depends on how I write the recipe. If I write “1 cup chopped walnuts” it means that I measured after chopping. But if I write “1 cup walnuts, chopped” it means I measured before chopping. Maybe to make it more clear I could write 1 cup walnut halves, chopped? :)
I love all your recipes! Your blog made my transition to a veggie based diet possible. As for how to make the measurement clear, I would just say one cup walnuts, and then in the directions say to chop them. I always assume if it says chopped in the ingredients, that means you measured it chopped.
Another question, I don’t eat bread- could I use oat flour instead or would that make it slimy?
I made the mushroom balls for thanksgiving last year, and didn’t use any bread or oats. They turned out great, just not totally held together. I had to hide some so I could have them at dinner. Once they were sampled, I couldn’t keep them from disappearing. I have been wanting to try this recipe, but am worried that without a binder I will have stew.
Keep up the good work!
I’m so making and freezing these! There’s going to be some craziness coming up and it’ll be nice to have them ready to roll!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Wow, Ange, you must have done a TON of work to bring us the best version! This looks great, I am going to try it. I love that so much veg is included in it, as well as lentils. Thank you, thank you.
I’m such a big fan of the original loaf (a link to it from another blog was how I found OSG), so I can’t wait to try this one out!
This looks delicious! I may attempt it this weekend. I’d like to try it in cupcake pans.
Happy thanksgiving!
This looks amazing Angela! I love that glaze…it is just beautiful! It’s too funny as I am with you, I’ve got a similar lentil loaf recipe this gets better the longer it languishes in the fridge and is especially good crumbled over salads and drizzled with fresh salad dressing. I was torn on what loaf to make for Thanksgiving this weekend….I might have a winner here! Happy Thanksgiving!
You are right it does get better with time! Funny how some dishes are like that. I seem to like it cold as much as warm too.
It’s so amazing how much it looks like regular meat loaf! :D I’ve always loved seeing and trying your Fall recipes the most out of all the other seasons.
This looks delicious! I’ve been afraid to try lentil loaf, as I didn’t grow up with meatloaf and the whole “dinner in loaf form” idea kind of scared me. But you’ve inspired me to give it a try!
SO i got invited to two thanksgivings…of course being vegan…i like to bring something we can eat :-) so the first one, tonight I”m bringing vegan pumpkin pie and i put like 50 vegan cabbage rolls in the crock this morning :-) BTW love the zyliss julienne peeler for this! I was so excited to use it yesterday I was hyperventilating. But for Sunday…maybe I’ll make this :-) Was also thinking looking at the ingredients and adding other veggies I could make a fantastic pot pie with lentils :-)
sounds like you have everything covered! Have a great Thanksgiving.
This looks really good – I’ve been brainstorming ideas for a Thanksgiving main and this seems like it would work really well, nice and fall-ish. Thanks for sharing!
This sounds great!!! I recently have become slightly obsessed with lentils [picked up a package of pre-cooked ones at Trader Joe’s] :) I’ve never cooked my own or cooked anything using lentils, typically just toss them into a salad- this is a great meal!
This looks great! I’ve made something similar – but never thought to add apples and a glaze topping. Thanks for the great recipe!
Beautiful! I think this dish could make anyone give up meatloaf!
Happy Thanksgiving, Angela!
I am definitely making this for Thanksgiving this year! I’d like to know what else is in your top 10!
I loved your lentil loaf from the first time around and with the Balsamic Apple Glaze…i am in heaven. I love balsamic anything and that just looks so inviting. This is going to be a big hit, Angela. It looks delish!
This looks amazing! I have my own vegan lentil meat loaf recipe that I love but I have to try it with the walnuts and apple, fun twist!
I was looking for something to have for my Thanksgiving main this year and this looks perfect! I can’t wait to try it!
This looks delicious! I’ve seen other recipes for lentil loaves, but I’ve never made one before. I always bring a vegan dish to my parents’ house for Thanksgiving, and this looks like the perfect choice! It also looks like the perfect thing to make on the weekend and eat throughout the week for easy lunches and dinners. I can’t wait to try it! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I agree, it’s just about my fav “leftovers” to have in my fridge!
I love lentil loaf but my meatatarian parents refuse to eat it :( Oh well! I get the whole thing to myself! I like the idea of making them in muffin molds as individual servings and then freezing the left overs :P
I’m making this right now!! I had the recipe copied out from a previous post, but came back to check about the lentils. I’m excited for the over-cooking instead of processing the lentils :) So excited to eat this tomorrow. (Also have the pumpkin sesame cookies on the go!) Love your site!
That looks just delicious, I love the idea of the apple in the loaf and glaze on top. Will look forward to trying :)
If you want your lentils to have a mashed potato consistency, I highly recommend using red lentils. When stirred, they become mashed potato-like & taste great. I mix them with Yukon gold potatoes to get ‘holiday mashed potatoes’ with protein & less starch. So yummy & almost guilt free!
that’s such a great idea to using them in mashed potatoes. I’ve tried navy beans before but never red lentils.
I’ve made the original many times before and absolutely love it. I will definitely be giving this version a try. Happy Thanksgiving to you this weekend!
This recipe looks absolutely amazing! I will be cooking dinner this year and as the only vegetarian in a group of open minded people I would love to make something that dazzles them and doesn’t leave them feeling like they are missing out on the warm homey feeling the richness of turkey brings.
Can this be made the day before and then tossed in the oven for the final step?
And how many servings does this provide? How full was your 9×5? (Dinner will be for 4-6 people)
Just giving my two cents – I have made this loaf a day or two in advance before and just kept the batter covered in the fridge and just baked before serving. It tasted great! I served a party of 8 with one loaf before but I had A LOT of sides. You will probably be fine but it wouldn’t hurt to make a double batch so you can eat the leftovers for the following week! :)
Thanks for your tips Samantha! Glad to know that works.
I originally tried the recipe in a large loaf pan (I dont know the size but it was way bigger than a 9×5). For one trial I made this week, I used TWO 9×5 loaf pans. Keep in mind the loaves didn’t have a ton of height – just over an inch or so.
I think it serves about 7-8 max.
Enjoy! Let me know how it goes.
I made this last Christmas and LOVED it – but agree with others – took lot of time. Since Fall began I have been thinking about it again – thanks so much for posting this.
Happy Thanksgiving – this is the first year in awhile we have not been in Ontario on this weekend celebrating with our friends. We were in Montreal last weekend so could not travel again (from NY) – was GREAT to be in Montreal as there were several vegan restaurants. So wonderful to have more than just salad to choose from on a menu (I live in rural, meat eating country!) Have a great holiday weekend!
Thanks Suzanne!! Sorry to hear you aren’t in ON, but it sounds like you had a wonderful time in Montreal. Do you have a fav vegan restaurant there?
Dang! Now I want to make this instead for my Thanksgiving meal this weekend. Hmmmm, I’m already making your original recipe but oh man the apple addition really piques my interest.
Happy Thanksgiving! And I loved your pics of Whistler…and Victoria….and Vancouver. But mostly Whistler because it’s where I live. I’m so glad you enjoyed yourselves in BC.
Living in Whistler, you say? Hmm I might have to come live with you for a couple months! hah
I think this is probably one of my favourite vegan recipes – ever!! Like you, I love the nuttiness of it and am dying to crumble some over a salad. It’ll just be my mum and I celebrating Thanksgiving here at my house this year, and we have a ginormous turkey to cook, but I might have to make this as well and enjoy it in the weeks to come! (You can only have turkey for so many meals in a row!)
This is one of my top ten favs of your recipes for sure….. I have served this at many holiday dinners to many happy omnivours!I appreciate some of the prep work being taken out.. I will give it a whirl! I never did mind the work that went into it though because I found I could make the ‘batter’ a day or two in advance and just bake the day off the dinner. Either way, you should now I have accepted many gushing compliments on your behalf for the walnut lentil loaf!
I’m happy it’s gone over so well for you and your guests Samantha. Great to hear the batter can be made ahead too. That always saves a few headaches on busy food prep days.
Hi! If could you use real eggs instead of the flax eggs? How many should I use? Thanks!
Hey Anna, I really have no idea. You might want to read through the comments in the original post to see if anyone mentioned using real eggs. Goodluck!
A quick follow up, I think it turned out great! I made a double batch with 3 eggs, red bell pepper, spinach, corn, and peas instead of celery, and reduced the bread crumbs. Can’t wait to try it!
I love the idea of single servings made in a muffin tin. You might want to try the company If you care Unbleached muffin liners they are amazing!!!! I have not tried it with this recipe but they have not failed me yet… even with tricky stick vegan muffin recipes. Just an idea, Happy Thanksgiving:)
hellooooo fall deliciousness!!
This looks and sounds delicious! It would be a great thing to prepare to have through the week.
Often for dinner, I cook a couple of sides (say, steamed brocolli and roasted potatoes) and some sort of protein for my husband (chicken or whatever; he eats meat) and I have edemame or tofu or something. This would be a nice switch up!
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I’ve been looking for a lentil loaf recipe! I’m gonna make this this weekend!
Hi Angela, I have been a long time reader but have been rather reticent in my comments. I adore your blog and philosophy and over the years you have quietly nudged me in the direction of veganism with your wonderfully crafted recipes, now so that I am wanting to make the ‘big switch’ to veganism myself. I was wondering if you recommend any books and/or websites that could give me more information of switching my diet and the ethical/environmental effects? Many love, V.
Hey Victoria, Thank you for your lovely comment. I’m so happy to hear you are considering the switch – congrats! As for my fav books, I’ve enjoyed In Defense of Food, Crazy Sexy Cancer, Omnivore’s Dilemma. Food Inc movie. Ive also heard good things about The China Study and Eating Animals.
I need to make this loaf…especially for freezing purposes! I need to start making things for when the baby gets here and have it ready to go sitting in the freezer. I remember seeing your loaves last year and thinking how I wanted to make them, so I’m glad you’re putting it right in my face again to do ;)
I just bought lentils for the first time, I’m excited to use them!!! Your loaf seems amazing! Do you think it would freeze well? My Husband and I don’t have the same taste in food, so I don’t think he would eat it.
yup it does freeze well. Just make sure it’s fully cooled before wrapping it up. Enjoy!
This looks awesome. Just to follow up on this point – if I bake it, let it cool and freeze, when it comes time to rewarming it to serve, is there a temperature and time you recommend for rebaking it?
I was lazy and just warmed leftovers on a skillet :) however if you plan to re-bake it later on the oven, I would suggest cooking it for a bit less time (the first time) just so it doesnt dry out. For reheating anything around 300-350 should do the trick. Enjoy!
I made a version of this based off Terry Walters’ recipe too and I loved it! I haven’t made it since then though… I need to change that!
As usual that looks very appetizing. I think I can actual do this recipe from where I am. Thanks. :)
This recipe looks too interesting to pass up. I want to try it today but I don’t have any walnuts. Do you think that pecans will work? Was also thinking about substituting dates for the raisins since I have this thing about eew raisins. Love your site keep up the good work!
Yum! I can’t wait to make this Ang. Now even simpler too–thanks!!
this will be perfect to make mini loaves to freeze for busy days! do you think oat bran would work instead of the breadcrumbs though?
just wanted to let anyone know this works fine with oat bran! the glaze is sooo sweet & yummy, its hard to believe there’s only a tbsp of maple in there!
I am REALLY excited to make this, but I have two questions. 1. What can I substitute for the flax/water combo (can’t afford a bottle just for the one recipe) 2. Is it OK to use regular flour instead of oat flour? I pretty much have the other ingredients on hand so want to have my first try making it as cheap as possible in case I mess up!
Hi Kim, I dont know of another vegan sub for the flax egg (perhaps a chia egg though). As for subbing flour, Im sure you could, although you might need a bit less white flour since it can tend to make things a bit dry. goodluck!
Wow. I tasted this in progress and it is so good. My loaf and mini-muffin like loaves are in the oven now. I can’t wait for Thanksgiving dinner. It did take awhile to put together but it was kind of fun to make. Next, the sweet potato casserole. What an amazing website you have and you are in my area!
Thank you so much Lisa! Happy Thanksgiving :)
Angela is there any way to use canned lentils here? I have a ton of them to use up!!
x
probably! I would drain, rinse and then cook them in the pot until they achieve the same texture as shown in the photo. Let me know how it goes!
I have made both. Both are yummy. The original stayed intact for me better than the second, which we found to a bit crumbly. I think I will stick to the original. Thanks for all your hard work. Love your site.
Oh wow… This just made me hungry all over again! Can’t wait to try it!
I just made this loaf yesterday! It was is so good! Even my meat-eating boyfriend loved (and he is picky!)… It was definitely worth it! Thanks for the great recipes, I’ll post the pics up on my blog soon and link them back to here :)!
Just made this for my Thanksgiving dinner. It’s delicious! I think my non vegetarian family will love it too!
I made this last night and it was delicious! Every bite filled with texture and flavor. I could take a bath in that glaze!
This looks awesome!
Love the patty cake ones :)
Perfect addition to next weeks menu! Especially since I think I have most of the ingredients.
I’m curious, have you ever tried using quinoa flakes instead of traditional bread crumbs?
BEAUTIFUL! As always!
Hi Angela. I have been reading your blog for a while now and just started to read your blog from the very beginning. Your blog keeps me up late at night (in a good way). I love your blog and it makes my day. Thanks for your positivity! A MN loyal fan.
Hi Grace, Thank you so much for your kind words! I’m so honoured you enjoy it so much!
OMG! I just finished making this with 1/2 cup of walnuts instead and it is INCREDIBLE..thank you so much. This is going on my favorites list. Are you willing to share what your other top favorites are, and share recipes? (hint,hint)
Can regular lentils be used or do they have to be green? Thanks
I’m never quite sure how to use lentils in a way that I really love. This loaf sounds like it may be the ticket!
OMG! This is sooooo delicious. I just made it. I have been looking for a good loaf recipe. Thank you, thank you , thank you! I used a large loaf pan and it came out perfect. I will double the glaze recipe next time so there is plenty for after it cooks. The mixture held together very nicely and I’m thinking of adding some Italian spices next time and making some meatballs. What do you think?
I had the same thought to try as meatballs – I tried one and it dried out a bit (esp. not having the glaze, but maybe next time I will still brush them with glaze). I think I will have to play around with cooking time!
Oh, thanks for letting me know. Did you bake or saute it?
Thank for a great recipe! Quick question, my loaf was very ‘wet’ and almost mushy. Any suggestion? I am cooking at altitude.
I didn’t have raisins (because they are yucky). I used craisins. The picture makes the loaf look, um, yucky…but it was super tasty! The leftovers are mellowing in the fridge and I bet they will be even better then the original! The apples butter in the sauce…to die for!
This ties for one of my favorite loaves now! I simplified this recipe even more in a lot of ways, by using frozen bagged carrots, peas, and corn instead of celery and carrot, I skipped the sautéing part and just mixed the raw onion and garlic with the mixture, I skipped the walnut toasting part and just added it in, I did all my chopping in the food processor, I used the food processor to grate the apple and used an apple instead of apple butter in the sauce and just processed it til it was slightly chunky. I used the processor to process a slice and a half of bread for my crumbs. Even with all these shortcuts, it still took ages and working full-time I would not make this again on a weeknight. It would have to be a dinner for company or something. But at least I have lots of leftovers! My Eric and I loved the sauce on top too – I might make more next time!
Angela —
I made this recipe for my meat-loving parents this evening (along with a side of roasted brussel sprouts…mmmm) and it was such a hit. My dad even confessed to not missing the meat! Thank you so much for sharing these recipes… You’ve really inspired my family and I to make positive changes in our lifestyle.
-Christina
Hey Christina, Wow that is so great to hear!! So glad it was a hit. :) Thanks so much for your kind words, goodluck with all your changes!
YUM!! Wow, this was so good! It will be a new staple, I do believe. Perfect for when you are craving some comfort food. It was a bit flax-y for me, so I might put less next time, but that is probably just a personal preference. Thank you for this!!!
Hey, great looking recipe I want to make right away! Quick question, though: is there something I can use for the bonding agent besides the flax/water glue? I am very allergic to flax (like I turn entirely red allergic), and I imagine there are some substitutions. Ground chia, maybe?
Hey Adam, I’m sure a chia gel would work too. Chia absorbs more water than flax though so you probably don’t need to use as much ground chia as flax. Goodluck & let me know how it goes!
wow I cannot wait to try this..might just have to do it tonight.
Made it for thanksgiving this year, along with your pumpkin pie. Yummy!!!!
Thanks for letting me know, so glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Angela! I LOVE your site, and I’ve made several of your recipes, and i’m never disappointed. I made a thanksgiving version of this loaf yesterday to bring to my mother’s house, and it was a BIG hit! I made a cranberry/blueberry reduction glaze for the top, and it was amazing. i’m defiantly making this again, thanks for sharing! (can’t wait for your cookbook!)
That is so great to hear! Thank you for letting me know. That glaze sounds amazing!
I’ve been bringing a lentil loaf to thanksgiving for the past 6 years…never the same recipe because I like to try new things. I think I’ll be making this one this year, looks so good!
Just wanted to say that I made this last night and WOW! I used French green lentils and left out the raisins (hubby hates). Even my picky 2 year old liked it. This is going into rotation permanently! Thank you!
Thanks for letting me know Stacy! Glad you all enjoyed it :)
I had Thanksgiving up at a cabin this year with some friends of friends and tried your loaf for the first time. I used two smaller loaf pans and baked one ahead of time and froze the other ‘raw’ for another time. Even after a couple of days in the fridge the pre-baked loaf was fantastic! Everyone else at the dinner asked if they could give it a try and it was a huge hit. I was asked (profusely) to share the recipe. I was feeling really uncomfortable being the only vegan in a group of people I barely knew and you knocked their socks off–thanks so much!
Wow that is awesome!!! Dont you love when vegan food is a big hit like that? Thanks for letting me know how it went.
Hi! your blog is really lovely and useful. I’m a vegan too and I’m writing you from Israel,where vegan recipes are not likely to be found at all.
Lovely to meet you Noa!
I just made this. It is so good. The only changes I made were that I minced the raisins and I replaced the apple butter with mustard. Delicious.
Angela,
I made it for dinner tonight and it was delicious! I followed it to the T, well almost I didn’t have certain things so I substituted:
Panko for breadcrumbs
Oregano and majoram for dried thyme
3/4 cup of carrots because I ran out!
I also cooked the lentils for a bit over an hour. My meat eating husband loved it! I look forward to having it for lunch…and dinner!
What a great recipe! Hubby LOVED meatloaf and we’ve just turned vego so I might have to make this for him haha
The glazed lentil walnut apple loaf. Can it be made
with no nuts or seeds? I have heart issues and
cannot have either.
Thanks…I so love your website and reading
your charming and humorus blogs.
This is FANTASTIC!!!!!!
Try red lentils!! I used them with the same amound of water and they turned into much more of a paste that held everything together.
Awesome recipe! I made this for thanksgiving and everyone loved it!
Thanks for the tip Heather!
Hi Angela :)
I just made this last night and have now made extra “glaze” for a sauce. I will be testing it on my Gran later. She has been vegetarian for many years but never has anything like this – always sticking to eggs, cheese, chips, and chocolate!! ((actually that’s about all she eats if I think about it!!)) So I hope that she’ll appreciate this :). I’ll let you know later!! And I plan to try out other recipes of yours, for her :).
Jade C
I am completed addicted to this lentil loaf. I’ve tried both your lentil recipes and this one was quite a bit easier without sacrificing any flavor. I did substitute cashews for the walnuts on this loaf since I didn’t have any in the house and it tasted equally delicious. Thank you!
Im so happy to hear that Tracey! Enjoy :)
Is that corn in the picture??? I don’t think there is corn in the recipe? Either way, I just made the recipe as is and it is DELICIOUS!!
haha that does look like corn!!! I had to go look myself. Weird. Nope no corn in the recipe, but maybe it is part of the onion or something? Anyway, Im so glad you enjoyed it!!
This was awesome!! I made a loaf and had enough left over to try out a Flower shaped bread mold. I’ve been eating flower shaped loaf on salad all week! mine came out a little too moist, but it was too much water in the lentils. Thanks for the recipe.
I am currently planning on obliterating my grocery store’s stock of all the ingredients to make this loaf (I do hate that word though). This was absolutely delicious. I didn’t have ketchup or apple butter but our garden happened to supply us with tons of apples and tomatoes so this recipe took a while to make (had to make the ketchup and apple butter first!) but it was so worth it. Also, I had to use mixed nuts but it was still the bomb. Planning on making it again for our vegan Thanksgiving day party. And probably before that too. Rock on.
I made this loaf tonight and followed the recipe exactly. I made 2 small loaves and it was delicious. I served it with mashed sweet potatoes coconut oil and my husband loved it.
By far the best lentil loaf I have ever eaten!
Normally I like some condiment or chutney with it.
This needs none of that!
I made 2 loaves with the recipe and each was 4
portions. So I have 8 meals of protein and it freezes
great! I simply put each portion in foil.
Oh my goodness, this looks SO GOOD!!! I’m wondering if there is something that I could substitute for the nuts. My son has a nut allergy, so we don’t even have them in the house. :-( I am really anxious to try this and hoping that something else can be used. Your suggestions are greatly appreciated! :-)
Maybe you could use sunflower seeds? I would use much less though.
Not sure if I can get Green Lentils here where I live – would it work just as well if I substituted them with Brown Lentils? Never made a Lentil Loaf before, so am really keen to try this!
Yes I think brown lentils would work well too :)
I am making this right now. I switched the Apple Butter for Traders Joes Fig Butter. Mine is not done yet, but the glaze does taste amazing!
Just made this last night. It turned out amazing. My non-veg husband ate TWO pieces and said it was good. My friends at work did a double take because they swore it was “meatloaf”. They could not believe it was vegan. This is definitely my go to Thanksgiving “main course” option this year. Oh and I served it with the last few green beans from my garden and the last potatoes I dug up :(. Can’t wait till next season to grow those items in my backyard.
This looks super delish! and a fantastic swap out for meatloaf. I will try for sure. Thanks!!
Never add salt or tomato products to lentils until they are soft and cooked. Salt will prevent the outer shell of the lentil from becoming perfectly soft!!
Lovely looking loaf- I will be making it today!
Hi there. Just wondering do you think this can be made and refrigerated overnight before cooking the next day?
I made the loaf this weekend and it was awesome! We had it for dinner and then again for lunch on Saturday. My husband loved it and especially liked the left over sauce served with rice and veg. My mother is a vegan and I can’t wait to share this.
Love. Love. Love. Seriously, every single recipe of yours I’ve tried has turned out perfectly–I’m telling you, flavor soul mates we are! I made this today and brought it to my brother’s birthday with our family and it was a huge hit. My very omnivorous family is slowly warming up to the idea that no animal products doesn’t have to equal dry, bland, unsatisfying dishes. The only one who didn’t like it was my brother, ha! He’s weird. I followed the recipe exactly except for subbing the celery with green bell pepper, since that’s what I had on hand. It’s soooo delicious, and I’m glad I have leftovers to eat for the next few days. Thank you yet again, Angela!
Hey Jamee, This is great news, thank you!
I made this and my husband named my version “Mush Loaf” :-( Any ideas what I could have done wrong or ways to make it more dry and less mushy? We loved the flavors and think it would have been pretty great if I hadn’t somehow messed it up!
Hey Megan, Try baking it longer next time and/or adding more breadcrumbs. Also, if you haven’t already you might want to test your true oven’s temp to make sure it’s accurate. That can throw off cooking times.
for those not doing grains – I omitted the flour and breadcrumbs and it still came out DELICIOUS! Still added eveything else the reicpe calls for. Plus cinnamon and pecans instead of walnuts. So yummy!!
That’s great to know, thanks for sharing!
Hey Angela
So I decided to try this recipe. I didn’t roast the walnuts. I was a little rushed so I used a mini food chopper for the onions,celery and carrots. I didn’t make your glaze cos I had leftover sweet and sour sauce and used that. I baked it all up in large silicone muffin tins (made 6), thinking the whole time I am not going to like this….it was sooooo gooood!! Sooo stick to your ribs good. Can’t wait to share this with my meat loving brother who is trying, grudgingly ,on doctor’s suggestion ,to go veg.
Thanks again for another winner!
Great news – so glad you enjoyed it!
I made this last night for dinner and used a single large loaf pan…it took forever to cook. Ended up cutting off the ends and pan searing them so we could eat….the rest was super mushy and raw tasting. All said and done, I doubled the cooking time for a 5×9 loaf. This was totally my fault and nothing to do with the recipe because I didn’t plan to adjust the cooking time for a single loaf up front. Learn from my mistake…if you want a single large loaf plan to cook it for at least 60 minutes and maybe closer to 80 depending. Angela, thanks…this is fantastic (for lunch today and dinner tonight) will definitely be making on the regular!
Thanks for the tip Megan! I will add a note to the recipe :)
This lentil loaf is pretty much my favorite meal now…and I have to say that I just got an idea…lentil loaf baked in muffin pan, with pureed mashed potatoes piped on top as the “frosting”. Or squash!
Love that idea!!! Wow
Do you have any tips on warming the frozen loaves? I made two small loaves and froze one (delicious!) and now I’d like to eat the second :)
In the past I have just let it that in the fridge or on the counter, but I suppose you could speed things up by cooking it at a low heat in the oven?
I stumbled across your website and oh, I’m so glad I did! My naturopathic doctor put me on a very strict anti-inflammatory diet for my allergies and I’ve been pulling my hair out trying to find recipes that actually contain ingredients I’m allowed to eat! Your website has so many recipes I can enjoy w/ only having to cut out or substitute just a few ingredients (sometimes none! or just 1 or 2).
Can’t wait to try this Lentil Walnut Loaf! Only have to cut out the ketchup and balsamic in the glaze, but that’s okay!
This is my new favorite recipe! The walnuts and celery gave it such a great texture, and that glaze! It was perfect. I ate the last of it on my sandwich for lunch, and now I’m so sad it’s all gone. Thank you for creating such delicious recipes. Because of you, my boyfriend thinks I’m a fabulous cook. Ha! :)
I have a mini loaf tin that holds 8. Can I use that? Would I just use nonstick spray or use the parchment paper? Do you spray the parchment paper if that’s what you use?
I made this last night and it is awesome! I substituted whole wheat flour for oat flour because I couldn’t find oat flour in my supermarket.
I made this last night using my mini loaf pan . Came out perfect! I baked them at 350 for 25 minutes! I will definately make these for Thanksgiving for the vegans!!
I forgot to mention I ground oats in the food processor for oat flour!
SO GOOD. Made into 12 muffins and cooked about 30 minutes using 325 convection oven.
I just wanted to share a meal I made using leftover lentil loaf. I made the lentil loaf a week or so ago and made two mini loafs, and tucked one away in the freezer. I pulled it out tonight and it looked soggy, so I put it in the oven to reheat and it was fine. I had leftover baked sweet potato, so I took a tortilla, I used ancient grains, and heated it up in a skillet. I sliced the sweet potato, the lentil loaf and a dolop of mango chutney and put that on half the tortilla and heated it up until crispy, then folded it over. Tuck in some kale for crunch and color. It was SOOO GOOD!
Now I want to make more lentil loaf so I can make the tacos again! Thanks!
Made this this weekend and LOVED it. It’s right up there with the Lightened up Protein Power Goddess Bowl….two of my new faves:)
Hi Angela, You are so talented and should be very proud of your work and this beautiful site. For the lentil loaf I was wondering if I can use cornstarch and water instead of ground flax seed? Thanks
Hi Tina, I’m sorry I have no idea how it would turn out using cornstarch. I recommend sticking with the ground flax if possible. Goodluck!
Hi again, it turned out great with the cornstarch. Everyone loved it, thanks so much for the recipe. May I suggest that you make a section on your site with what cooking utensils you use and recommend. Thanks from Tina and I love your humor by the way!
When you freeze them, how do you prepare them when ready to eat? I am excited to try these!
I usually let them thaw at room temp and heat it in the oven until warmed through. Sometimes I throw a slice on a skillet to warm it up too.
Hi Angela,
I am making the lentil, apple, walnut loaf for us for Thanksgiving. We also are making a turkey for the traditionalists! We have one oven. Is it possible to make the loaf the day before and reheat it while the turkey is resting? Thank you so much.
Hi Joan, I can’t see why that wouldn’t work! I would undercook the loaf slightly when cooking the first time around (maybe 10 mins less or so?) just to make sure it doesnt dry out when reheating in the oven. You might want to read through the comments as well because someone may have reported back about doing this. You’ll have to let me know how it goes!
This is fantastic!!! I made a half recipe of this tonight as trial run before Thanksgiving. I omitted oat flour and breadcrumbs, and instead used about 1/3 cup regular rolled oats for
1/2 of the recipe. I also topped it with chipotle ketchup (no-sugar ketchup + 1 tablespoon minced canned chipotle in adobo sauce + a little of the adobo sauce from the can.) This addeda wonderful smoky, spicy layer of flavor! I’m definitely serving this on Thanksgiving! Thank you soooooo much!
Thanks for the recipe. I tried it last night and I can vouch for the fact that it tastes even better today. I don’t really like super sweet things so I subbed raw cranberries for the raisins and added some grated jalapeno, left the glaze as is. This was really really good, not to mention healthy and filling. As leftovers I’m liking it with a little mustard.
I’ve made and enjoyed a couple of your recipes now, so consider me a fan!
Hi Angela!
I am planning on making this loaf for Thanksgiving. However, we are going to be travelling and I plan on taking it with me already made. What is the best way to reheat it once I get to the place where I will be serving it? In the oven as a whole or in pieces in the microwave?
Thanks!!
Odette.
Thank you for posting this wonderful recipe. I am making my first ever vegan Thanks Giving. I was very worried about what I would make until I tried this. It is perfect.
Just want to add the change I made was to use 3 TB chia seed soaked in 1/2 cup water to make “chia goo”, instead of the soaked ground flax. It was pretty thick so a little more water, or less chia might be better but overall it worked very well. The second time I made it I used one TB molasses in the glaze instead of maple syrup so it would not be so sweet.
I also had to cut the walnuts in half because I am on a fat restricted diet. It was still great. I like it so much I just had a piece for breakfast!
I included this yummy looking dish in my Thanksgiving Recipe Round-Up this year – Keep up the good work.
http://moicontrelavie.com/2012/11/17/mclv-mange-thanksgiving-recipe-round-up/
Made this tonight……so yummy!!
This was absolutely amazing! I made this about a month ago… gone in no time! LOVED it!
Dear Angela,
I’ve been following your site for a while, but am just commenting now. Thanks for this recipe. I made it last night, and did what a commenter said by making it the day before. The ‘batter’ is so tasty I wanted to eat it right there. We are hosting thanksgiving tonight (I live in Europe now) and really think this will be a hit. That and the spiced red lentil soup we made as well. Thanks again, really inspiring stuff here. Also, I thought the recipe looked like a lot of work, but this was quite simple. Thanks!
-Chloe
I’m so glad you are trying the recipe, I hope you like the finished product too. Enjoy!
I made this and it is delicious! I used chopped up dates instead of raisins (because I was too lazy to go to the store) and it turned out perfectly. Thanks!
Just tried this recipe tonight and it was fantastic!! Rave reviews from all that tried it. I even forgot to add the flax&water combo to it and it was still very tasty (and held together well). Thanks for creating and sharing such a wonderful recipe. Can’t wait for that cookbook…
Quick question: do you serve this warm or cold? I made it last year but for the life of me I can’t remember! Thanks!
You can serve it either way! I prefer it warm for a holiday meal but its also amazing cold for leftovers.
I just found your site recently and I wish I would have found it sooner!!! I cooked this today and it was awesome!!!
Im so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know.
Wow! BEST lentil loaf I have ever had…this was a big hit at Thanksgiving, even for the meat-eaters! I will definitely make this again! It made a little more than could fit in a bread/loaf pan so I ended up making 4 extra mini loafs in a cupcake pan, just oiled it with olive oil and it didn’t stick. I also used cashews + pecans instead of walnuts. I’m not sure the parchment paper is necessary if you oil the pan well instead, so next time I’m going to try making the big loaf without parchment paper. Thanks so much for this awesome recipe! I can’t wait to eat the leftovers!
I have been working towards a vegan diet but I have always fallen back into eating cheese / dairy / eggs after a few months. I was bored with the recipes I had. The ones I found online were often super complicated or too time consuming (I have two small kids). Your site has completely changed my outlook. Every recipe I have tried so far has been amazing. My kids love the food, I love the food, even my husband who likes to eat meat loves the food. The variety of recipes you have here is amazing. Thanks to this site I see no need to go back to my old ways of eating dairy or eggs. I like these recipes much more and feel great about eating this way. Thank you and keep up the amazing work! I will be buying your book when it’s ready!
Hey Kelly, It’s a pleasure to meet you. I appreciate your kind words about the blog so much! Thanks for trying them out. :) I’m so grateful!
Just made this and it turned out exactly like the pictures, thank you so much!
Made this last night, and we had it for lunch today. I loved it, and so did my 17 month old daughter! I made them in a muffin tin, so we have a bunch left in the freezer for quick lunches.
I also made your vegan gravy. I’ll admit, I was very wary because the ingredients seemed so random, but it was seriously my favorite gravy I have ever had. Thanks!
Hi Angela,
I just made this last night- It was amazing! Both myself and my husband loved it- I think I chopped the veggies too fine, not as much crunch… lession learned.
I had a thought, maybe a wee bit of roasted corn? What are your thought on maybe adding a bit, that woud give a little texture?
Thanks for the great blog, keep the recipes coming…
(also love your happy trails cookies!)
Julie
I think corn would be really good!
Wondering if you use fresh or dried bread crumbs. Thanks!
Sounds delicious! Can you make this recipe and freeze it before baking? I have to bring a it to an out of town dinner and would like to make it days ahead of time.
Hi Mary, What some do is prepare it (but dont cook it yet) and place it in the fridge in the loaf pan all wrapped up. Cook it the day of fresh if possible. It does freeze well too, so I’m sure that would be fine, but then you’d have to figure out how to reheat it ensuring it didn’t dry out. Let me know how it goes!
Made this last night..loved it!!! The balsamic and the apple go so well together! I felt full and yet not heavy :) Excellent!!
This sounds soooo good! I was wondering, do you know the nutritional facts for the recipe though?
Thank you!
I’ve tried this with sunflower seeds and it works out perfectly! Thanks for the great recipe :)
How much sunflower seeds did you use? Want to try this recipe but we have a nut allergy
I made this tonight – it’s great! Me and my husband are trying to eat more vegetarian meals, and I must admit that I made this as a “side dish” because the last two lentil loaves we had weren’t very good – and I wasn’t going to let my husband go hungry because I wanted to try again…..but he admitted, this is very very good and the time spent making it is worth it.
It’s a keeper!
Just found my vegan option for Christmas dinner, thanks very much for the recipe!
Made this for dinner last night and it was a hit! Thanks for the amazing recipe!
This was great! Thanks so much. It was labor-intensive (2 hours prior to the baking, but I’m slow at chopping, etc.) but worth it. It made a large amount, and of course I was nervous it wouldn’t hold together, or something – but it was perfect. Heavy, juicy, held together, really really good. Definitely the best veggie loaf I’ve made. And I loved the glaze. I used “fruit-sweetened” ketchup from the health food store, so it wasn’t too sweet. A nice touch.
Love this idea, I’ll be making it for a vegetarian Christmas meal!! If you freeze this dish, do you reheat it from frozen, or let it thaw? Or maybe I should just refrigerate it…I am planning on making it 3 days ahead of time!
Thank you so much, I can’t wait to eat this!
Hey Kimberly, You can prepare it, put it in the pan – but dont cook it – and just keep it in the fridge. Allow it to come to room temp and then cook as normal. I hope this helps! I expect you could also freeze it, I would read through the comments as Im sure others have reported back about this. goodluck!
Can I substitute chia seeds instead of the flax? And if so, do I have to grind them up or do you think it’d be fine as is?
Thanks!
Can I use something besides Ketchup? It literally makes me gag but I want to try this.
hmm what about tomato paste or tomoato sauce?
I’ve cooked this for our Christmas Eve family dinner tonight. Smells delish and can’t wait to taste. Having it along with a roasted pumpkin salad, and other salads my family brings, summer here. I’ve never heard of apple butter so made up a quick apple sauce using cidar & spices and when I have more time (and apples) will try the apple butter. Merry Christmas, so glad I found your blog.
Can I make this ahead of time? Im looking for things that can be done the night before. Thanks and Merry Christmas
Hey, I made this for christmas and really liked it but it was a little mushy, and im starting to think i did something wrong with the lentils. was i supposed to let them absorb all 3 cups of water and then mash them? (thats what i did) or was i supposed to cook them a little less and drain some water?
My wife and I made this last night. It was really awesome. Thank you for posting this, and thank you BuzzFeed for sharing it.
I’m so happy to hear you both enjoyed it! Thanks for trying it out.
I made your lentil/walnut loaf for Christmas. I made in a large loaf pan. However, it was pretty mealy/sticky throughout. Good flavor but not so good to look at. Any suggestions?
Hey LouAnn, Do you think it needed a bit more time in the oven perhaps? Ovens can vary quite a bit so my guess would be that it needed a bit more time if it was sticky. I hope it goes better next time if you make it! Take care
My husband is a real meat eater, so when he had seconds of this loaf, then ate it cold in a sandwhich the next day for lunch…. I new this was going to be a winner! Thanks Angela!
I made this yesterday for a New Year’s Eve dinner where I was the only vegetarian. Many of the others (including one extremely picky eater) had it and loved it! The only changes I made were using pecans for walnuts because they were what I had and substituting a jar of mildly curried apple cranberry chutney for the glaze because I’m visiting someone’s house and didn’t have any of the glaze ingredients. What a wonderful recipe!
This was my NYE dinner last night – winner!! Thanks for blogging. :)
Hi Angela, I just wanted to comment on what a delicious recipe this was! My husband and I love, love, love it! Thank you so much for sharing these recipes, yours is my go-to-site for meal planning and preparation. We have been vegan for almost a year now and you should know what a fantastic resource and an inspiration your blog is. Thank you for helping us live healthier, simpler lives through your sharing and caring; your gifts are greatly appreciated. Happy New Year to you and your family!
Just wanted to let you know I made this last night. I had made the lentils the night before so I had to chop and put together. I changed the glaze a bit – I made it with ketchup, brown sugar, water and dry mustard. It was good last night, but absolutely phenomenal for lunch today (as I type this). I think next time I’ll make it on the weekend when I have more time so I can just heat it up one night for dinner. Easy and delicious.
PS – I was really surprised how similar to a meatloaf this is. My boyfriend commented that you almost get the same texture as with ground beef! But so much better for you!
Hi Angela,
Do you think I can use chickpeas instead of lentils?
Im really not sure Mia, sorry about that! If you do try it out please let me know how it goes.
Hey Angela!!
I’m making multiple recipes from your site this week and I am so excited. Everything I’ve made from your site comes out delicious.
I left a question for you on a different recipe and now I have another question regarding this one and the oat flour and breadcrumbs. I have neither at home and I am making this tonight (already have some ingredients prepped). I have instant oats as well as non-instant. Could I put them in the food processor and make them fine like flour? And what about the breadcrumbs? I have bread I could toss in the processor as well but I’m not sure how important the ingredient is.
Thank you!!
Hi Angela, Just writing to say that I thoroughly enjoy your blog. The recipes, of course, many of which I’ve made (and kept!) but also the narratives that accompany the recipes — the evolution of the recipe, how it’s fitting in with you maintaining a healthy lifestyle, etc. Inspiring. When notification arrives in my email that you’ve made a new post, I check it out immediately. Thanks, and Keep Up The Excellent Work!
Hi Matt, Well thank you for brightening my day! That really means a lot to me. Take care, Angela
My husband is your basic American carnivore, so when I mentioned I was making this recipe, he was a little hesitant (especially since he is not a lentil fan). The moment we both had our first bite, we were hooked! We especially really enjoyed the homemade BBQ sauce. Thanks!
My husband made this recipe last night and it was absolutely delicious. He forgot to add oats and breadcrumbs, but even so, it held together fine when he sliced and served it. Next time we’ll follow the recipe more closely. I love all your recipes, but this one is a real winner. The addition of raisins is inspired. Thank you!
I pretty much eat daily from your recipes. I trust your taste buds because they haven’t failed me yet! Trying the Chocolate Chia Pudding tomorrow morning and prepping a grocery list for this lentil loaf. I can’t wait to try it on my meatloaf-loving husband. Thanks for helping me in my journey to heath – one recipe at a time!
health* :)
Made it tonight for the first time. It was easy but long….I admit I took a short nap in the middle (and stopped a zillion times to tend to children). Also doubled the recipe to bring to a mourning friend. Four loaves are in the oven now and I’m so excited. The glaze was tasty and the mixture is yum….so I have high hopes. Is oat flour the same as oat bran? Couldnt find oat flour and crossing fingers for success!
I just wanted to let you know that I adore your blog, and I come to it pretty much every day to get inspiration for what to make. I am just dying to buy your cookbook when it comes out. Also, I made this LentilLoaf for my parents and hubby around the holidays, and they LOVED it. My mom even tried to make a spin off a Meat Loaf sandwich with the leftovers. Anyways I am always excited to find yet one more things that is easy to make, and delicious on your blog. Thanks for the inspiration!
Aw thank you Sierra, I appreciate it!
Great recipe. It came out like the pictures. I am almost 80% vegan and always searching for good recipes. My meat -loving hubby liked it too. i added Worcestershire sauce to the glaze and added a little of the glaze to the batter. It was a lot of work though. Did you try to make it with the pulp from juicing carrots celery and apples? anyone else?
This is AMAZING! The first time I made it I made the loaf- just like you said I ate the leftovers cold. I just made them in a muffin tin, half batch, probably a little heavy on the veggies and cooked them for 22 min. They came out perfect! And the topping, well I could put that on anything! Thank you!
Wanted to try this for a while and finally made it for diner. We both enjoyed it. It’s a bit of work but its worth it. Next time ill double the recipe and freeze half of it. Love the crunch of the nuts in it!
I made this tonight – going Vegan for one month, just for a new health challenge. Loved it!! Your recipes never fail me!
The recipe calls for green lentils. Do you mean French Lentils or the standard lentils which are less firm and a muddier color?
Oops I meant standard lentils :) Sorry for the confusion!
This..is..so..good!! To date, I have made this twice, and each time only made one substitution: Almond meal in place of the bread crumbs. My family devoured this, and I am making another one since we plan on being out this weekend and want some good food to have on hand for lunch. This travels so well, and is so easy to make. I’m so happy to have stumbled across your website. Thank you for all your wonderful recipes!!
I don’t have a loaf pan… If I do cupcake version- should I cook ~30min? (I know you said 40min made too dry). Or is the consistency sticky enough for me to hand-form mini loaves and cook on cookie sheet?
I would just keep an eye on it…30 mins sounds about right but you will likely need to check it sooner. Let me know how it goes! Enjoy
My mother and I just made this recipe tonight and we absolutely loved it! I did change a couple of this however, I replaced the flax seeds with whole grain bread and added a couple of eggs as a binding agent. Although I’d heard about lentil nut loaf I never thought of trying it before, but when I saw the picture of your finished product, I knew I just I to give it a whirl.
This loaf is delicious. And I LOVE the glaze! A question for Angela or others regarding freezing: After it’s been initially baked and frozen, at what time and temperature should it be cooked when we are ready to eat it? Do I need to defrost it? Thank you!
Yup I usually defrost it first. Cooking time will vary – I’m sorry I don’t quite remember. Just keep an eye on it. maybe 350F?
i was just about to try the oroginal recipie when i found this VERY helpful site! thank you so much…
I split the recipe in two for my small family and baked half in a small casserole dish. The other half went into a bag in the freezer and was defrosted in the fridge a week later. It worked perfectly, as we got 4 servings from each half.
We absolutely loved it, but the glaze was too “ketchuppy” for my liking and I wound up scraping it off. I replaced the ketchup on the second round; I used 2T of tomato paste instead of 1/4c ketchup. We really liked it that way.
I used gluten-free rice flour bread for the crumbs, and coarsely chopped oatmeal instead of oat flour. My mom always put oatmeal in her meatloaf, so it was a nice homey feeling.
Thanks for a great recipe!
So glad you enjoyed! we also love the topping with tomato paste. Thanks for your feedback!
Both my husband and I liked it and I will make again! I didn’t chopped the walnuts too much and enjoyed the crunch.
Next time I will try adding some chopped brown mushrooms. Thanks.
Oh my good grief this was delicious! I even fed it to meat loving guy friend and he liked it too. This is one of those things that deserves to be made at least monthly, but all the chopping may make this special occasion food. Either way, sublime!
This recipe is great! I couldn’t find ketchup with no sugar so I used a pasta sauce instead and it was amazing! Thanks so much for posting all these awesome recipes!
This recipe is SO delicious, you don’t miss meat at all! I can’t believe how good it tastes. I forgot to buy celery so I added a bit more grated apple. I couldn’t find ground flax but I read that it’s OK to omit or replace the 3TB with 1TB of oil. The nuts add great texture and the golden raisins added great flavour. I’m telling everyone about this recipe!! Thanks!
Thank you for your feedback Kay!
I just found this recipe on Pinterest (and re-pinned!) and had to make it right away. I used a whole apple, but no raisins (not a fan) and went heavy on the walnuts. As it was baking, I looked at the comments and thought I should lower my expectations because, yea it’s just a lentil loaf. But wow, it is really awesome. LOVE it! I also subbed in some Worcestershire for the apple butter and didn’t put the glaze on until near the end of baking because we like crunchy tops. Ketchup always felt weird on faux meat loaf, so this glaze really ups the ante. Definitely will be put into rotation! Thanks.
Just made this. It’s delicious!
I made your lentil loaf for dinner this evening and it was incredibly delicious! Thank you for the recipe! I made it exactly as the recipe states, except for the breadcrumbs. I just ground extra oatmeal into a coarse flour and used that. I baked mine in 4 mini-loaf pans, then froze 3 of them for later. I will definitely be making this again!!
I am making this now and it’s been in the oven for over an hour and it’s nowhere near done. I hope it turns out ok. I’m a little nervous.
Hi! My husband and I tried this recipe last night as it looked/sounded delicious! The only changes we made was: GF all-purpose flour instead of Oat Flour and we used 1/2 C breadcrumbs instead of 3/4C. The mixture stuck together wonderfully and we had no trouble with it falling apart, HOWEVER it was not very flavorful and actually quite bland.
I could tell on my husband’s face the “I’ll eat it, but please don’t make it again” look and I felt the same. Any suggestions for boosting the flavor? Do you think changing the type of flour may have made it more bland? Would appreciate any recommendations as it is a great combo of ingredients.
I have never rated a recipe I found on the web until today. This lentil loaf was AMAZING! The best vegan dish I’ve ever cooked. Thank you!
Just wanted to thank you for this fabulous recipe. I make it about once a month and love it more and more each time. I usually leave out the raisins (texture thing) and bread crumbs (because I never have any laying around), up the walnut and veggie, use quick oats instead of oat flour and add in dried chives to the mix for even more flavour. Since I detest ketchup (yes, we do exist), I revamped the glaze to my tastes by mixing together red pepper jelly and balsamic glaze/reduction (PC brand… I think it’s supposed to be for meat but man I love that stuff on anything and everything!!!). So delicious!
I have made this twice and used apple butter in the glaze that I had made from your recipe. My husband and I both loved this, it was wonderful for dinner and we ate it in sandwiches the rest of the week. I have passed this recipe on to a couple of ladies in my knitting group and both are anxious to try it. It would be helpful if you could provide the nutritional information on this.
Looks great and gave it a go the other day using mashed sweet potato instead of lentils and added a flax egg to bind.. verry yummy, but do the lentils act as a sort of glue to hold it together? as i wanted to take it with me for lunches on a trip so would like it to be more loaf like…? wondering if it is ok to reheat and how long would you expect it to keep?
Love the blog
Hi Lauren, The lentils do act as a bit of a binder, they also absorb moisture and give the loaf body. It keeps in the fridge for about 1 week. Enjoy!
This recipe is AMAZING. I was never a fan of meatloaf when I ate meat and my vegan loafs have been mediocre. This is definitely a keeper though!!! Thanks for your awesome site–you’re my hero! :-)
Hi Angela,
Been wanting to make this forever and finally did tonight—my husband (total carnivore), my 15-month-old son, and I absolutely loved it. We truly do enjoy all of your recipes! Thank you so much:)
Since the lentils are uncooked, do you soak them the night before as well as rinsing? I’ve only ever bought cooked lentils from a can, but I thought that if I bought dried lentils I’d have to soak them overnight…?
Just polished off two pieces before attempting to subversively feed it to the kids for dinner in a little while. :) Very tasty. I could do a third before dinner without feeling too guilty. Looking forward to lunch tomorrow given the rave reviews of leftovers.
You don’t happen to have the nutritional information calculated and posted do you Angela? If not, let me know if you are interested in the calculation I’ll perform if you don’t have it already.
Thanks as always.
Here are my calculations for the entire recipe using vegetable broth for the lentils and excluding the raisins. I didn’t have any and I don’t really like them. :)
Calories 2312
Carbohydrates 266 g
Fat 102 g
Protein 90 g
Fibre 93 g
Sugars 35 g
Based on 1/8 of the loaf, 2 thick slices as a serving
Calories 231
Carbs 27
Fat 10
Protein 9
Fibre 9
Sugars 4
I take that back. That IS 1/8 of the recipe. However, it is 1/4 of the recipe (2 times that amount) that I consider two thick slices. I made two smaller tinfoil loaf pans, and each sitting I ate half of a loaf. It was good. ;-)
Great recipe! I just made this, the crispy twix bars and the tahini dressing (to use w/ kale as a kale caesar!) for dinner with my family.
Is there a substitute for the flax? Just found out I’m allergic… Is there a purpose for it or could it be omitted?
Hi Mary, It’s used in this recipe as a binder similar to a hen’s egg. I would suggest using ground chia seed in place of the flax. I haven’t tried this myself, but I can’t see why it wouldn’t work. Enjoy!
Once again…a delicious recipe. I made it with walnuts. My daughter (7) made it with sunflower seeds. I liked the sunflower seed one better. She liked the walnut one. I think my man will like the sunflower seed one. (He HATES walnuts!) I think I will try this with different nuts and/or seeds. The glaze is sooo good, but if used as a dipping sauce needs to be heated first as it seems a bit too… i dunno…..vinegary (maybe too much tomato sauce). Yes, it sure does stick to the ribs! Must say…..it took soooo long to make before I could get it into the oven. Best made on the weekend, then reheated during the week.
I have been eating vegan for just over a year now and have tried a few different recipes for “meat”-loaf, but this one hands down beats them all! I think it tastes even better the next day. Thanks so much, Angela!
This was FANTASTIC!! I made it for lunch for some friends that came over and while I made food for the vegetarians and the meat eaters even the meat eaters loved it!!! I will definitely make this again!! I didn´t have any flax seeds so I used egg replacer and also didn´t have unsweetened apple sauce (too hard to find here in Spain) so I took the advice of one of your readera and used mustard, absolutely LOVED this recipe!! Thank you!!
I’M JUST PUT IT IN THE OVEN. ALTHOUGH I AM BRAND NEW TO COOKING, THIS WASN’T TOO DIFFICULT FOR ME… EXCEPT I WENT OVERBOARD WITH MY PEPPER FLAKES TO TASTE. I ATE A LOT OF IT BEFOR I PUT IT IN THE OVEN. IT WAS SOOOOO TASTY, EXCEPT FOR THE BITES WITH TOO MUCH “HEAT”! I LOOOOVE HOT, SPICEY FOOD, BUT I ADDED AS MUCH PEPPER FLAKES AS THYME… BAD IDEA.
I CAN’T WAIT TO TASTE IT!
Eating this as I’m typing! Superb! Substituted brown rice (cooked a bit mushy) for the bread crumbs. Baked it in muffin tins as you suggested. LOVE IT!!! And I sure do love that I will be freezing portions for future delicious meals. This is definitely a must-make recipe. Thank you Angela!
Yummy! I made this and it turned out great. Freezes well, too!
Just made this tonight for my family, and it was an absolute hit! They are non-vegans and they loved it. I made with a can of brown lentils and it turned out perfectly! 10/10 for foolproof and delicious recipe!
I forgot to mention I put some beautiful homegrown fennel in instead of celery, worked like a dream.
I have been eyeballing this recipe for quite some time and finally made it tonight. It was incredibly good! I left out the bread crumbs, used half a cup of walnuts and 1/4 cup dried cranberries in the “meat” as well as cooking the lentils with a tablespoon of dried rosemary and 3 bay leaves and adding 1/2 tsp cumin and ginger and 1/2 tbsp of Braggs Liquid aminos and Worcestershire sauce. I left out the maple syrup in the sauce and had to use apple cider vinegar, but WOW!! It was so good! If not for you and your wonderful blog, I would never have grown past the salad and bean/rice combo phase of being a vegan. I would never have gotten my husband to experiment with vegan meals, either. Thank you so much for being my muse!
HOLY COW! Forgive a dad jumping into your comments but I just made this and I am blown away. Did a few subs based on lack of apples (used pears) and raisins (used cranberries) but otherwise, followed your recipe (which I, as a man, rarely do). This was amazing. Had extra after my loaf pan and made 2 ramekins worth for the 2.75yo twin girls. One (let’s call her the “will try anything to please daddy” one) ate an entire ramekin’s worth while the other (let’s call her the “shudders and/or gags at the taste of anything new” one) did her normal shudder after one bite but was convinced to eat more with the help of cashews on top and did pretty well, too. I (let’s call me the “loves almost anything vegan” one) thought it was awesome: moist, flavorful, sweet, healthy, etc. Definitely on my make regularly list! Thanks.
Hi Larry, Thank you for the lovely comment- made me smile!! So glad it was a hit.
This recipe is SO good. I just pulled some loaves out of the oven — probably the 5th time I’ve made this for dinner. I’ve served it to meat-eating guests too, who loved it. It also freezes well so I always make an extra loaf to put in the freezer for a night when I don’t have time to cook. :-)
This is so delicious! I made this last night and it was awesome. I sliced apple, sweet yellow onion, and fresh tomato over it before I baked it (mom always used to make meatloaf that way) and it added a nice little sumthin sumthin to the presentation. I soaked the raisins in warm water prior to adding them so they were really plump and juicy in the loaf.
This is a great base for any vegan loaf, I feel like there is a lot of room to play in this recipe. I can’t wait to experiment with different nuts, dried fruits, and spices (I was out of thyme so I used dried oregano, which was awesome!). I had just made some bbq sauce the day before so I used that instead of your recipe (I’ll use yours next time!) but it accented your loaf really well, here’s the recipe if you want it (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/down-home-with-the-neelys/neelys-bbq-sauce-recipe/index.html) I omitted the worcestershire, I used liquid smoke in its place, and instead of the ACV I used my secret weapon: spicy coconut vinegar (http://www.sukapinakurat.com/) if you like a little spice get some, it’ll change your life. It added a nice little kick.
This recipe is going in my favorites box for sure! Thank you so much and I can’t wait to try another recipe!
Made this loaf tonight and it was like Thanksgiving and Christmas in one, most delish ever. your site and recipes rocks…………
THANK YOU for this AWESOME recipe. I enjoyed cooking it and it came out well. I think with more practice it will come out even better. Definitely going to be a staple in my kitchen. I just recently went vegan and your recipe is a big help. Looking forward to trying others. Thank you!!
I just cooked this delicious meal…. So so good! Even my meat loving hubby went back for seconds :) this has been a really good winter warming meal. Thank you xx
You were so right about not using the paper liners. non-stick spray worked like a charm and these were delicious!! I was skeptical as a new vegan and have always turned my nose up at any entree in the form of a loaf but wow!!! The apple butter is subtle and the consistency is perfect!
I made this a couple nights ago with minor substitutions. I added extra garlic, dried cranberries in place of raisins, cooked the lentils with bay leaf in the water, and used sage instead of thyme in the loaf. I had to use more sea salt than mentioned, but the flavor is really terrific. Also, for the sauce I omitted the apple butter and used a little mustard in place of it for some pungency. The one problem for my taste was the texture. I find it a bit mushier than desired. Because I loved the flavor, do you have a suggestion of an addition ? I was thinking about adding chopped sunflower seeds for more of a crumbly texture. Otherwise, I find it to be more of a stuffing recipe.
Tonight I will slice and grill the loaf portions, make additional sauce and serve with roasted potatoes from my garden, green beans and homemade wheat rolls.
What do you suggest subbing for the bread crumbs to make it gluten-free?
i know this response is a little late but you could try stale (or toasted) gluten free bread ground into a fine powder (:
I think the flax is used to bind the loaf? I wonder if I could substitute chia seeds? Thanks!
Hey Susan, Yes it is a binder. I haven’t tried chia seeds yet, so I’m afraid I don’t know for sure. I would use ground chia seed and not whole flax seed if I was going to try it out though. Let me know how it goes!
I made the lentil “loaf” but instead of making a loaf, I made a pie. I grated potatoes and a little onion (oh, the non-vegan part coming…) and an egg to bind, then put into a pie shell–baked for 30 min at 400, brushed a little oil on and cooked another 10 minutes. Then I started the lentil mixture, and poured it into the pie shell. The depth was perfect, and the crunchiness of the potato shell was great. I followed someone’s suggestion of adding mustard instead of apple butter, and it was delicious! Thanks!
Can’t wait to make this! It appears that there is corn in it, but no corn is listed in the recipe. Is that lentils or carrots I’m seeing?
Am planning on making this for Thanksgiving this year (yes, I plan ahead that much – I LOVE the holiday season). Any thoughts on how this would turn out if I got everything together and in the loaf pan the day before and kept it in the fridge overnight before cooking? Thanks for everything you do for us!!!
I want to make this tomorrow night, and I have everything to make it except walnuts :( I have lots of pecans and almonds though. Do you think the pecans would substitute well in it? I hate to make a special trip to the store just for walnuts if another nut will work just as well. I’m so excited to try it!
I will totally be making this for my vegan Thanksliving potluck! I love the mini loaf-pans, they’re adorable.
Angela~ I just wanted to say THANK YOU for this amazing recipe. I know you work hard to tweak everything you make and it shows – If it comes from OhSheGlows I know it will be terrific, and this recipe did not disappoint! :-D I’ve been wanting to try this since you posted the updated version, and I finally took the plunge tonight. SO worth the time and I will SO be making this again soon – a double batch to freeze I think! Family approved as well. Thanks for making my day!!!
PS I used “apple balsamic” instead of regular balsamic for the glaze. Oh.My.Goodness. Delish!!! :)
Angela,
Wow! I just finished cleaning up after dinner and I am so impressed with this recipe. I’m 15 years old and the only vegan in a house (and family) full of meat loving italians so I have to cook for myself. Even though I’m new to cooking (I’ve only been a vegan for about 2 weeks and a vegetarian for a month), this recipe was easy to follow and it came together beautifully. Thanks for giving me my first (delicious!) experience with lentils. I’m so glad I have so much leftover I can’t wait to eat this again tomorrow!
-Angelica
Thank you SO much for this recipe! I made for dinner the other night and my BF and I LOVED IT! I baked it in muffin pans and love how easy it is to reheat that way. I freezed about half the recipe so now we’ve got a few quick and easy (and delicious) snacks/meals waiting for us. My vegetarian sister-in-law is due with her first baby in February and I’m already planning to make her and my brother a big batch of these to keep in the freezer for those first sleepless weeks :) Thanks again!
Ciao Angela!
Many compliments for your blog and amazing work, both with the recipes and the great pictures…good luck for your book!
I have a question regarding this loaf. Do you think it could be crumbled up ( once it cooled down or the day after) and used as a base for “ghostly” mashed potatoes with additional glaze on the side ? (http://www.pinterest.com/pin/29343835042304881/)
Grazie for your advice :)
Elisa
Hi Elisa,
Those potato ghosts are hilarious!!!
Yes I do think your idea would work great. good luck!
I tried the lentil meatloaf tonight and I have made several of your dessert recipes. You’re like a vegan Ina Garten. With all the unhealthy southern cooking shows on Food Network, they would be wise to hire a healthy alternative like you.
What’s the best sub for walnuts. Can’t wait to try
I’m so excited to try this recipe out this Thanksgiving. I was dreading the long search to find something for the day and just stumbled on this. It’s perfect. It looks delicious, healthy and easy to make.
Hey Erica, This is great news – thanks for letting me know!
Meat loaf is such a comfort food for me, and this was still an amazing vegetarian loaf. I devoured it in a week, giving it to my healthy friends. My husband and kids wouldn’t touch it. I added broccoli and I definitely would not leave the glaze out.. It was delicious.
I made this tonight. It was quite good, but I think next time I would season mine more. However, I HATE the smell/taste of the ground flax mixed with water. Even once cooked, I could still detect it. I guess I have a negative mental association from when I would eat ground flax cereal. Would there be any thing else I could use in its place next time?
Hey Cassie, You could probably use ground chia seed :)
Hi Angela,
I need your advice…I’ll be cooking this the night before, and then traveling a couple of hours, what do you think?..should I freeze (how do I reheat?)…should I just keep cool (frig)?..what do you think/
I love your recipes…have enjoyed many with my family since going Vegan in May of this year!
Sincerely,
Jake D.
Hey Jake, I would probably opt to chill it in a cooler for the drive, rather than freezing it. Hope this helps!
I’m so excited to try this! And FYI, I don’t know if this is intentional, but I tried to share this link with my mom on facebook but it said “The privacy settings for this attachment prevent you from posting it to this Timeline.” I wanted to spread the word!
Oops … I think it was a glitch on my end. Love your recipes!
This was an amazingly delicious recipe! My husband devoured it. It was really pretty easy to make as well.
You say to wait until the loaf is cool before slicing. Does this mean you serve it cold or is it better served warm? Recipe looks delicious. Thanks!
Want to make this for my small group. How many servings does it make?
Hey Kathy, It should make 8-10 slices. Hope this helps1
Made it! Loved it! Ate three pieces of it standing in the kitchen.
Recipe looks great! I have a quick question: Do you have a guess at how many servings one large loaf would yield? I am making this for a potluck and am wondering if I should double the recipe.
Hey Shena, It makes about 8-10 slices. Hope this helps!
I am thinking of making this for Thanksgiving to make a vegan gluten-free main protein (subbing GF breadcrumbs). Would this be good with gravy? Would it be better to leave off the glaze? I can’t quite imagine the flavor – I may do a trial run both ways with gravy to see.
Hey Sara, I haven’t tried it with gravy yet (with or without the glaze) as I find the glaze gives it enough “oomph” on its own. Let me know what you think! Enjoy
Hi!
Do you think you could make these as meatballs? Individual bite size for appetizers? Thanks!!
Hey Rachel, I would try this recipe instead: http://ohsheglows.com/2013/11/13/lentil-mushroom-walnut-balls-with-cranberry-pear-sauce/
its a new fav!
I’ve made this for a work potluck which I’m having today and I’m going to need to reheat it at the office. How long should I cook it for. It’s been sitting outat my desk for a few hours so it’s not cold. Would 20 mins be good? Don’t want to dry it out.
I am making this for my family at Thanksgiving. I’ve made it twice so far to practice and it’s great! My question is about the logistics around cooking so many things on Thanksgiving and I am trying to figure out which things can be done ahead of time. You wrote that you will wait for it to cool and then cut it…But it should be served warm. So, can I make this the day before Thanksgiving? How would I best re-heat it? Can I cut it and then put it back in the oven to warm up? Seems totally wrong to microwave it when I’m serving it to others (although I’ve had microwaved slices for my past several meals! still yummy!) Many thanks! I am making lots of things off your website for Thanksgiving – and I’ve been testing them for weeks and they are all working out great!
hey Melanie,
Yes I do think you could make this the day before. I would let it cool completely, then slice it up. then you can probably reheat the slices on a baking sheet in the oven before serving?
Looking forward to trying this recipe in the next couple of days, but my husband *hates* raisins; do I have to use them for this to turn out? I’ve really been enjoying other recipes of yours I’ve tried :-)
Hi Michelle, Feel free to leave them out if desired :)
I really enjoyed this when we made it last week. So tasty! Mine fell apart though, any tips onto keeping it together a bit more? I think I am going to make it for Thanksgiving.
I’ll be making this next week, but would like a more savory than sweet version. Has anyone ever tried substituting the glaze for vegan gravy? Thanks!
I like my glaze savory as well. You could make a bbq glaze to top this off. I’ll be trying it tomorrow, but I’m adding apple butter to the glaze as well.
Hi Angela! I sunbird over your blog in the summertime and I’ve been waiting to use your holiday menu until now, mainly this lentil loaf. I am a refined sugar/corn syrup free baker, do you have any suggestions for alternatives to ketchup in the glaze? I’ve yet to find a brand sweetened without cane sugar or corn syrup. Thanks!
Adelaide:)
I absolutely adore this recipe. The basalmic glaze is good, a little on the sweet side for me. I’ll be making this tomorrw, but instead, I’ll be trying out an apple butter BBQ glaze. Thanks for such a wonderful recipe!
Great recipe! I definitely want to try this…but what would you suggest I substitute the bread crumbs for? I’m thinking maybe just increasing the nuts?
I was wondering if it would be possible to get a nutritional analysis of this recipe? And all of your future recipes for that matter? For some of us that are trying to keep it on the lighter side perhaps? :) thank you for sharing this. It looks so yummy.
SUCESS! This turned out amazingly delicious! Going on the table for Christmas dinner. Thanks so much for the recipie!
Great recipe. Made this for Christmas dinner! Even the non vegans like it.
I did not like this recipe AT ALL and neither will you. Had to add a lot of other stuff to it to make it taste good enough to serve to my bf and then threw the rest away.
Thank you for this lovely recipe! I made it for a holiday dinner, and my non-vegan parents have asked me to make it again at a future party/celebration!
Yum!!!
Looking forward to making this, but I have an oat allergy in my family – what kind of flour do you think is the best sub? What do you think of brown rice flour?
Hey Janet, I haven’t tried this with others flour yet, so I can’t say for sure. I would expect other flours would work though! Let me know if you try something out.
This was great! A very good mix of flavors, thank you for the recipe! Last night I wanted it again, but it was already late, so I tried it casserole style – no bread/oats/flax and I added a bit of sage and fresh cranberries, served over barley….delish! So again, thank you for the idea and great mix of flavors! I love reading your creations.
Thanks for the tips! Your site has been my saviour. On December 30, my vegetarian husband and carnivore son, both decided to go vegan. As the cook in the family, I wasn’t sure how to approach this. Just did your vegan lasagne – two thumbs up from my son! (Proudly vegan week 3)
OMG this was SO GOOD. Thank you!
Ay, ¡qué bueno!
Made this yesterday, and it’s super delish! Thanks so much for the recipe– I have wanted to try a lentil loaf for a while, but never thought I’d be into it, not having grown up eating meatloaf… and then I saw your pictures :). So, so good.
I took the advice of another poster and used mustard instead of apple butter in the glaze, and added a half tbsp of Bragg’s Liquid Aminos. Ehermagerd.
You’ve inspired me with your talk of leftovers. I think later on I’m going to put small slices in wraps of boiled cabbage, with a drizzle of the glaze on top…
Thanks for a superb blog!
I have been using and recommending your site for a long time. To be honest, I’m not a die-hard vegetarian or vegan, but we do eat FAR less meat and animal products than most people. (And when we do eat meat…always local and organic) I enjoy experimenting, and I have surprised many friends and families with yummy vegan meals. This loaf is in the oven as I speak. Thanks for doing what you do…your site is amazing!
I made this today, and it turned out incredibly well! I used crushed up crackers instead of bread crumbs, as that was all I had lying around, and kept the rest the same. It tastes great; I can’t wait to freeze some slices for later. Thanks for the recipe, Angela!
I read “Eat and Run” by Scott Jurek last month, and decided that I would challenge myself to try and eat and train like Jurek this month (albeit with few less miles than he does and a little less stringent on the diet), and this is the first vegan recipe I’ve made that is actually delicious. SO SO GOOD! Thank you for sharing it!
I love your Lentil Walnut Apple Loaf. I make it in small loaf pans and freeze them. 2 servings from each loaf. I’m just about out of my last double recipe freezer supply and was looking through my vegan cookbooks for the recipe and of course I couldn’t find it. If it isn’t HH then it’s OSG. I’m hooked on flavor and variety of veggies in this yummy loaf. Your cookbook has been preorder.
Super yummy!
I made it without raisins and celery, and used onion and garlic powder because I didn’t have fresh – and it came out great! Next time I will follow the instructions – I bet it’s even better with fresh garlic and onion.
Makes a mean leftover sandwich!
I am new to your site and recipes and I reluctantly gave this a shot and I am glad I did. My daughter was really worried about dinner and she ended up liking it. Woo hoo!
Can I try replacing unsweetened apple sauce for the grated apple?, anyone try this ? Thanks :)
Hi Tanya, I think applesauce might make the mixture too wet, but I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure.
My husband grew up in a vegetarian household and was raised on “loafs” and the like. This got his approval and mine! It’s way healthier than the kind we’re used to making, so I love it! My favorite part was the glaze and the carrots.
Hi. Have made this a few times. Last time, just processed everything & didn’t pre-cook the vegies before baking it. It seemed a bit quicker to prepare, although required more baking. Also, have used a can of lentils instead of boiling them – also a time-saver. However, your method makes the best loaf. :-)
I LOVE this loaf! I made it for Christmas dinner this year, but I also made it this week for family dinner and leftovers for lunch. The texture and flavors are amazing. It’s definitely very time consuming, but it’s so good it’s worth it!
Easter email suggested this from page 167 of the OSG cookbook. Didn’t get to make it for Easter, but just put it in the oven now. The mixture was very dry and wouldn’t hold together. I check the website and realized the cookbook didn’t mention any water and the apple was optional . So before placing in the loaf pan, I added about 1 1/2 cups to mixture in pan (didn’t know to remove from stove) . Pressed into loaf pan and it seemed to hold together. Can’t wait to try it!
It was so delicious. The 1 1/2 cups water did the trick, but next time I’ll use the web site recipe and be sure to use the apple. I’m addicted to this, two big slices. YUM!
Hi Angela!
Just wondering if this can be made the night before (not cooked) and then popped into the oven after work the next day? Or would you recommend cooking and then re-heating?
Thanks!
Julie
Hi Julie, I can’t see why that wouldn’t be ok. I haven’t tried it myself but it should be fine?
I just made this for dinner tonight and my whole family loved it!! The kids (I have 4) asked me to save it for their lunches tomorrow! That never happens! Thank you for the delicious recipe!!
Hello Angela, this looks great another recipe to help my husband on this lifestyle change, he loves traditional meat filled meatloaf therefore I really want to try this and make it right. My question is: can the flax be replaced with something else? Maybe ground chia seeds? Idk. Asking because I have a negative ovarian reaction to flax seeds.
Ok. This is the BEST. Thank you so much! Love your site.
I made this yesterday for a pot luck lunch recipe exchange where everyone had to bring a healthy dish. It was a hit! I was hopping for leftovers but there were none. This is worth the extra effort and will be a regular dish in our house. Love your blog and thank you for this delicious recipe!
This would be about my fifth time in making this, we never tire of it, must try it with the sunflower seed suggestion, sounds yum, so love this way of life and these recipes!
This is one of the best veggie loaves I have ever made. I just pulled some leftovers out of the freezer. Served it hot last night and the rest cold on toast with cole slaw for lunch. Very zippy flavor. Really great recipe. Thanks.
Hello, I would like to try this recipe but have no measuring cups. Is it possible to have the weight measurements as opposed to the volume ones?
Thank you!
Hi Virgina, you might be a reader outside North America like me :) Honeslty overall I’d say it’s worth buying a standard 500mL / 2cup glass measuring jug like Pyrex sells all over the world. Since the opposite side is metric you can use it with liquid metric recipes. At a later point it’s worth ensuring your measuring spoons have metric and imperial measurements on them, such as 15mL / 1 Tablespoon. For the price of one measuring cup a floodgate of recipes on the internet will then be open to you. If your budget doesn’t allow, in a recipe like this proportion is the key–you could try the original measuring cup, i.e. a small teacup, and guesstimate what is it 1/2 full, 1/3 full, etc. to make recipes. Good luck.
I have been following OSG for a while now, and this alluring recipe has always been in the back of my mind. I was not quite sure about a lentil LOAF, but I kept thinking, one day I will make this… That day has come. And this loaf blew my mind! I could not stop eating it – I can see how you could easily take down a whole loaf in a day! I’m going to try to resist polishing it off, at least so I can have leftovers tomorrow ;)
I followed the directions completely but did not necessarily like the flavor of this loaf. It was too sweet for a stand in for meat loaf. I called it sweet loaf. The glaze was really yummy but also a hint too sweet. I don’t know what went wrong with mine. :(
I made this recipe from your book, omitting the applesauce and grated apple because I didn’t have either. I also used a real egg instead of flax. It was amazing, so filling and delicious! Served alongside with your cauliflower mashed potatoes with garlic powder instead of raw garlic, pureed with immersion blender and they were delicious as well! Love the book and thanks for all your recipes from a non-vegan, non-vegetarian!!
I made this! i brought it to a ‘meatloaf’ party and pawned it off as meat. i had non veggies coming up to me and complimenting it. ‘I thought it was meat at first but someone told me it was vegan half way through eating it’! the glaze is great and slathering that on is key. i would suggest more veggie bouillons in the lentils and more raisins. this seems like it would be a great holiday dish. It’s like a supped up stuffing with delicious glaze.
I made the loaf yesterday (delicious). I am just wondering why in the cookbook ,which I have, you don’t have the 1/2 c of water with the flax seed (or step 3) as you do in the new version
Hi Sharon,
After testing the loaf multiple times for the cookbook, I determined the extra water wasn’t necessary. Hope this helps!
I have this loaf baking away in the oven as we speak and it smells so so good! It tasted wonderful before I put it in so I can only imagine how it will be after baking. I’m so excited to try it and hopefully the bf likes it too. (He’s such a trooper when it comes to my food experimentation!) We have just started the transition over to a more plant based diet and your website has been such a big help! Thanks for the recipe. I’m sure it will become a household favorite.
I’m trying this tonight! I love love love your cookbook. 5 of my weekly recipes come out of your book and my non-vegan husband loves them. This version appears to be slightly different than your book version. (Water isn’t listed with the flaxseed in the ingredients or in the directions and using the food processor for the lentils is in the book). I read your tips about overcooking the lentils instead but if I do follow the book and use my processor, will it still stick together? And should I be adding water even though it isn’t listed in your book? Sorry for all the questions!
So sorry! I just saw the previous commenter post about the water. My mistake. Thanks!
Ahh c’était si bon !!
Merci et Bonne Appétit à vous tous !!
Brigitte Gaudreault
Sherbrooke Québec
Hi Angela-
You are an incredibly inspiring woman. Overcoming an eating disorder, I have taken it upon myself to buy your book and try falling in love with food again. Who knew healthy could be this delicious? It has been an amazing journey so far .. your recipes have make it fun and easy! This meatless meat loaf just made it that much easier to love food! Thank you Angela, and all the best in future recipe creations!!! (
Curious to hear why you don’t use edameme beans more often for a source of protein?)
Laura
Thank you Laura! Im so happy you are enjoying it :)
I love edamame but always forget to buy it!
I made this for my family this evening and it was a hit! Both my bf and I are vegan and my sons are not. It was kid approved! It’s tough to feed my picky eaters. I substituted pecans for the walnuts because I had them in the house already. Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
Made this recipe for the second time and oh my this is soooo good! Even better on the second day! Only thing I did different this time is spiking up the glaze by adding a bit of sriracha and liquid smoke and it was delicious!! Even my husband told me many times how good the sauce was! I think next time i’ll try making them in muffin thins. Hopefully they won’t be to dry.
What kind of apples do you like to use? Have you tried different varieties?
This is the best food I have ever eaten in my whole life. Not kidding.
This looks beautiful! I’m such a fan of all your recipes.
I’m going to try to make this here in Sweden for a sort of “thanksgiving.”.
Do you think a bell pepper or something could work nicely in place of the celery?
Oh no. I just assembled the cookbook version of this recipe for thanksgiving tomorrow and realized that the step about mixing the flax with water is completely left out of the cookbook ingredients and directons. Is my loaf ruined? It has flax, but the flax wasn’t mixed with any water.
Hi, when I cook the lentals they were still hard after 45 min. I set the temp on very low. Does your pot size matter or should I add more water
thank you for this recipe! This has been my thanksgiving entree two years in a row, it is perfect.
Recipe turned out great! The only problem I had was the tyme flavor in the loaf. What other spices could I use to ballance it out? Didnt have chili flakes.
We made this for our small vegan family for Thanksgiving yesterday and it was DELICIOUS. The texture of the lentils and walnuts, the sweetness of the raisin and the all around heartiness of this loaf made it both a great Thanksgiving main dish but also a great winter meal. My daughter, who is 17 months, LOVED it as well, as she loves her fruits and veggies and absolutely loved the raisins in this too. GREAT Thanksgiving/holiday/winter meal. We will be making this MANY more times. Thank you for sharing the recipe, I’ll post a review on my site soon!
I made this for a vegetarian friend who was coming for Thanksgiving. I have to tell you, I thought it was absolutely delicious (she too). And this is from someone who normally eats meat but secretly wishes she didn’t. I normally don’t like regular meatloaf and this recipe just blew me away. Thank you so much for inspiring me to try more vegan meals.
Personally this was too sweet for me! Made for dinner last night.
Hi Angela,
Love your blog! I love this recipe and made it a few times last Christmas. However, I recently discovered one of my friend’s can’t eat walnuts! I’m wondering, do you think pecans would work as a substitute!?
Thank you so much!
Cassie
Cassie,
I’ve made this dish many times, both with pecans and walnuts. I prefer the pecans because it is a great fall flavor, and I LOVE pecans.
Julie
I love the idea of this loaf. Think I will make it for my vegetarian son this Christmas and maybe try it as a meatball substitute for subs and pasta.
Thank you so much for posting this recipe. It is one of my all time favorites and I make it every Christmas. I substitute dried cranberries for raisons and top with home made cranberry sauce. I cover it until the last 15 minutes so the sauce does not burn. My family is not vegan/vegetarian but they love this dinner. I also make your mushroom walnut balls.
Made this for Christmas eve. We added half package of Yeves Vegetarian ground mock meat. Served with Vegan Vegetarian gravy. It is a instant hit!!
Love your site and pictures.
Yum. I finally made this for our Christmas dinner after having it saved for a long time. It is great! Do you think it would hold up well to make as balls or veggies burger patties?
I am allergic to walnuts and my oldest son is allergic to most tree nuts. I am going to try using a seed instead. Not sure whether to use sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds. I will try to get back to you and let you know how it turns out.
Just made this recipe, and though it tastes good, it never firmed up, even though I baked it longer than recommended, and even raised the temp for a good portion of the cooking time.
I followed the recipe as directed, but the resulting mixture was far too wet to ever come together as a loaf. I more or less scooped it out of the pan, and am a little sad I won’t be able to do “meatloaf” sandwiches without them being more like sloppy joes.
I made this tonight. I subbed out the oat flour and bread crumbs for chickpea flour.
I missed adding the extra water with the flax and I shorted the onions.
It turned out a little dense but it is delicious. I glazed with my homemade apricot ketchup which had lots of spices.
Yum!
I’ve used this recipe as stuffing for delicata squash and green peppers (pre-cooked before stuffing), as the base for shepherd’s pie, and sliced cold for sandwiches. It’s fabulously tasty.
This recipe looks awesome, thank you for posting. I have a question about the glaze – my husband and I don’t like ketchup so we don’t have it on hand in the fridge and I don’t really want to buy it for one-time use. Can you suggest a substitute? Or is the loaf still good without the sauce? Thanks in advance!
Hi Kristine, I personally think the glaze makes this loaf! That being said, you could always try serving it with a vegan gravy too.
Just wondering how long the loaf will last after being cooked in the fridge..love from a fellow Vancouverite :)
Hi Shelby, It should last for 4-6 days give or take a couple. Hope this helps!
This loaf rocks! It is the best lentil loaf ever! I made it first for family and we enjoyed the flavors; they only suggested that I chop the raisins. I then made it for a dinner party, baking it in muffin pans, cooled and stored in container two days prior. I placed the individual loaves (muffins) on a cookie sheet, glazed and reheated in the oven. They were enjoyed by all!
This turned out amazing. Its so so so good, just like you described. I can’t thank you enough for your amazing recipes that always turn out. I’m serving it to company tonight and can’t wait to see their reactions when they hear its vegan :-)
I finally made this and it is as good as it looks! Awesome. Next time I’m making with the cauliflower mashed potatoes! Thanks
I am obsessed with your cookbook. But I have to say that I have one complaint and it is this recipe in the book. In your cookbook it says 1 cup UNcooked lentils. Which basically made almost 3 cups of lentils. Here I see you say one cup of cooked. I made it with the 1 cup of uncooked lentils (after being cooked) and it made way more than the pan would allow. Then I realized you probably meant 1 cup cooked. Its in the oven now and hope it comes out ok with so much more lentils and less veggies (as about 1/3 of the recipe I chucked). Hope they fix this before any more reprints on the book. But also made your no bake protein bars today and they are fab!
Did not come out good (low on flavor) following the cookbook. I guess following this recipe might be better.
This was the first time making a ‘loaf’ and it was a huge hit at our house! Served with mashed cauliflower and green peas, it was the perfect winter comfort food. Thank you!
This came out horrible for me. I used the recipe in your cookbook. I am noticing that the above must be an improvement.
It’s the spice flavors that has ruined this dish. Oregano does not belong in there, and I see you eliminated that here. I used a teaspoon of dried thyme, and I see you cut back here to 3/4 tsp. I think that may even be too much. It took over the entire taste, and the spices taste raw in the cooked loaf. Plus,, the spices were difficult to distribute with the rest of the ingredients. Next time, I will add 1/2 tsp of thyme to the onion/garlic mixture so it has a chance to cook a bit, and blend with the rest of the ingredients better.
The texture came out fantastic, but the flavor is not good.
So with all that work ( it is time consuming) I am trying to come up with a rescue mission. What do you think about thickly slicing the loaf and simmering it in a tomato sauce? My concern is that the glaze may not taste good like that.
I LOVE this recipe – thank you so much for sharing. I serve this with mashed cauliflower and fresh green beans – I think it’s better than meatloaf – :). I started making this the end of 2013 and it’s still one of my favorites.
I love this loaf – I omit the raisins though :) I make it usually once a week, and we love to slice and fry the leftovers to tuck into a toasted sandwich the next day.. heavenly!
A word for the wise – taste your food as you prepare it… then you can adjust flavours to your liking before the dish is complete.
I am allergic to oats. Any ideas as to what would be a good sub for the oat flour? I’d love to try this recipe and after a few flops with substitutions I’m afraid to just start subbing out with random flours.
Just made this loaf on Sunday. It is so delicious and a convenient entrée for weekly meal prep. I cut it into six hearty slices, placed them in lunch containers alongside steamed veggies and voila lunch for several days! Btw, the Balsamic Apple Glaze gave.me.life. Thank you, Angela.
I am making this for Easter. I just finished making the two loaves, put the glaze on them and put them in the fridge to bake tomorrow when I realized I forgot to add the sunflower seeds. Should I take them out and try to add the sunflower seeds? HELP!!!
I just made this loaf for Easter dinner – didn’t have walnuts so I used pecans and almonds; subbed more oat flour for the breadcrumbs, and completely forgot the flax egg…Whoops! I was crunched for time and microwaved it for 15 min, then broiled in the oven for about 10 min – it came out incredible! Moist and so full of flavor – I am definitely adding this to the list for holiday recipes!! Thanks so much Angela!
I made this over the weekend (followed the directions from the Oh She Glows cookbook) and swapped 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds in place of the walnuts as suggested. Worked perfectly! I toasted the sunflower seeds at 275 for about 15 minutes. 2 days later, the loaf is still a perfect consistency and has kept well refrigerated.
I cooked it last week and it was delicious! (This is said by a non-vegetarian with an even less non-vegetarian husband.) I used what we call “blonde lentils”, which are supposed to be green, but the load did fall apart. So next time I’ll use proper green lentils. Great recipe!
Loving Oh She Glows!
Couple of adjustment bureau questions re glazed lentil walnut apple loaf …
Lentils are currently off limits for us, naturopath’s orders.
Would you replace the lentils with kidney beans or chick peas?
Also to GF the loaf what would you replace the breadcrumbs with?
Thanks :)
Such an easy recipe, my grandmother and I made these and turned them into patties, they were delicious. Now she makes them all the time and has them with her lunch almost everyday!! Thanks :)
Wow! What a great idea. Did you fry or bake the patty and how long?
This sounds amazing but I am deathly allergic to walnuts. What other nut or product do you think I can substitute and still have it come out well?
Silly Question- the recipe says to wait till cool to slice… do you serve it cold??? I
No. I would wait around 10 minutes…if that. It does need to stand but once it does…yum.
I did a little too much on the flour. However, the next day it was even better. It maybe like lasagna that the flavors meld.
I am curious to know if anyone had any sucess with using mini silicon loaf pans-
I hate silicon loaf pans. Ugh. You are eating Vegan, why use silicon?
Silicon I found is too wimpy and does not hold up to heat. I have silicon utensils and they are useless. I do have some collapsible strainers and they are OK.
Can this be made the day before and just baked the next day? I’ve made it many times and love it, but am planning thanksgiving now and it would be much easier to make ahead if possible. Thanks!
I made this last night – followed recipe exactly, except cut the walnuts in half. It was excellent!! Took a lot of effort to pull it together, but yummy result. Will make again. I also made the crispy smashed potatoes with garlic avocado aioli – VERY tasty. Would love it if you would post nutritional information for recipes.
I used split peas instead of lentils, by mistake, but I LOVED it. I tried the lentil version and I have to say that I prefer using split peas. I don’t know if you have used this alternative, but it is delicious…and I am not a full vegan.
Angela,
I love your recipes and have enjoyed so many of them!
I wanted to write and say I tried this recipe last night and to be honest, I didn’t find it very flavorful. The only thing with any pizazz would be the sauce, which was definitely good. Do you have any suggestions about how to make this a bit more tasty?
Keep up the awesome work! I can’t wait to see your posts in my email inbox.
Just made the lentil loaf into burgers baked in oven. Delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe, it is one of my all time favorites!
This was very, very good! I substituted arrow root and coconut flour for the oat and bread crumbs. Not the same ratio, but I eyeballed it. Thank you
Hey there. This is awesome EXCEPT I found it too “doughy”. I would cut it back the flour and reserve the lentil water to add. I might try a quarter to an eighth of a cup.
I wish we can sort by date. I have a question: I had some mixture left over and need to freeze. If I cook it and then freeze, how do I reheat?
The loaf does need to stand after baking. It is AWESOME the next day. I reheated via microwave as my oven was in use but would prefer reheating via oven. Thanks.
I’ve had this recipe saved for at least a year now. I finally made this last night for a friend who is a former vegan. He absolutely loved about it! I thought it was very good as well (I omitted the raisins). I think that by doing the sauce with the apple butter, it gave the loaf it’s own flair compared to traditional meatloaf. This is going to be one of my go-to comfort meals for when the cold weather hits.
Just made this for the first time last night from the amazing Oh She Glows book. The flavor was fantastic but it was kind of dry. Any thoughts?
Can you used canned lentils? I don’t have a lot of time :)
I have made this recipe a million times and love it! My question is, do you think its ok to put it all together the night before and then bake it the next day?
Made this recipe from your cookbook and it came out extremely dry. When I checked the blog recipe against the book, I realize the book does not have the 1/2 c. water with the flax. I’m guessing that’s a mistake, so in the future I will follow the directions from the blog. Otherwise, the flavor was good.
Found this recipe lov it. Looks really simple. I am new to vegan veggie recipes and food as I have a new girl that does no eat meat so I am looking forward to experimenting for her.
Thank you
R
Hi Angela,
First, I’ve made so many of your recipes and I’ve loved them all! Your site is my first go-to any time I need a recipe.
Second, can this loaf recipe be made into balls like your lentil walnut mushroom balls? I’m just thinking it’d make serving easier.
Thanks!
If I freeze this loaf, do I thaw it before reheating? Do I put it back in the same loaf pan to do so? What temperature and for about how long do I reheat? Is it possible to reheat in the microwave? Thanks for your help!
Hey Angela!
Huge fan of your blog (for years!) and cookbook!When friends and I make each other vegan dishes, and ask each other for the recipe, we have an ongoing joke when responding (because it’s almost always one of yours): “it’s one of Angela’s, of course!”
I’m going to make this for thanksgiving this year. Any tips on what I can substitute the celery with? My dinner guest can’t eat it.
Thank you times a million! Please conquer the world and change everyone!!!!
You mention that the loaf slices best when it’s been in the fridge to set. If I am planning to serve for Thanksgiving, should I prepare the night before, put in fridge and then re-heat on Thursday?
Thanks,
Claudia
Excited to make this for Thanksgiving this year, but I can’t eat tomatoes in any form. Do you have recommendations for the glaze to substitute?
Thanks!!
Can this be made the day before and just baked the next day? I’ve made it many times and love it, but am planning thanksgiving now and it would be much easier to make ahead if possible. Thanks!!!
Hi! I’m trying to make this for thanksgiving and used your book recipe. I see in the book you don’t add water but in this recipe you do. I just put the loaves together without water. Do you suggest I take them out and add water?
I am a personal chef and caterer, and while not a vegan, I cook and eat vegan dishes regularly. I absolutely love your recipes and make them frequently. The walnut lentil loaf is one of my all time favorites. This week I made it twice, on Monday for a client who’s daughter is a vegetarian and wanted a non-turkey option, and yesterday at a holiday lunch for 80 people. I also had the traditional meat options but just about every single person took a slice (I made 6 loaves!) and then came back to me and said how much they loved it and wanted the recipe. Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving!
I need to figure out how to marry this recipe. It’s that good.
Hello!
Love your site! I’ve been vegan for a while and hosted a couple of family functions, next up, Christmas for 20+ people. I was wondering if this recipe would also fare well with gravy?
Thanks! :)
Made this recipe for Thanksgiving and was a big hit! The leftovers were even better. We sliced and pan fried them for a crunchier texture. Paired well with Quinoa pilaf :-) Yummy! Thanks for the recipe.
hi Angela,
I have made this several times over the last two years. It’s one of my most favorite dishes.
I want to serve this for Christmas. I have A frozen loaf in the freezer now, but I always struggle on rehearing it in a manner that doesn’t dry it out?
Please help!?
Thank you,
Julie
hey :) looove the look of this. but i’m not terribly keen on walnuts. i like nuts, just not of the wal variety! what nut would you recommend as a replacement? thanks!
This is one of my all time favourite recipes! I am also not keen on walnuts, and by not keen, I mean they make my mouth feel like it’s growing fur. Every time I’ve made this, I’ve used either cashews or almonds which work very well.
I made this last night and it is delicious – so today I am making it again – enough to freeze. This is the best ever meatloaf recipe – I am just delighted to have found it. I used baking cups for half the recipe and they popped out of those cups so easily. The brand is “If you Care” and they are unbleached and environmentally friendly – and they are like parchment paper – but not parchment. Anyway – the little muffins got gobbled up today – and just wanted you to know how much I appreciate all the care that you put into making this recipe.
What is the nutritional information for this recipe (without the apple)?
This is such a wonderful recipe. My husband is a meat and potatoes kind of guy and is always a bit weary of the vegan dinners I prepare but he loved loved loved this. As did I! I even made another loaf the next day to freeze.
Another success using the book! We loved it. The only thing I did differently is I made the lentils and walnuts the day before and put all the dry ingredients together in a bowl. When I got home all I had to do was the veggies. The lentils sitting in the fridge overnight made the texture perfect so no need to process. Lovely, lovely supper!
I made the lentile loaf and like everyone says…its so yummy. I was wondering what the calorie count is.
Hi Esmeralda, I’m glad you liked the recipe! I haven’t calculated the calorie count for it, but you can use Nutrition Data or Calorie Count.com websites for free nutritional analyses. Hope this helps!
I love this lentil loaf recipe so much that I give out a copy of it to every client that I am working with. I am an RN working with Chronic Disease Management and the Stroke Clinic in my community. Every day I am helping folks sift through all sorts of health advice, rules and negotiating the positive changes necessary for improving their health. I can not think of a better way than introduce people to changing food choices than with this recipe. I encourage trying it as a personal challenge to try something new, knowing that this will produce a pleasurable and healthy loaf. I also share with folks that this same recipe makes great burger patties and “meatballs”. My husband who loves meat and is a fisherman by trade now asks for this as well and figures he could win bets with non-believers that this is a vegetarian loaf. It freezes beautifully so I always triple the batch for quick meals and lunches. Thank you so much for your hard work and planting the healthy seed of change in so many! Sincerely, Cheryl D
Can I put it together the day before and cook on Easter Sunday?
Hi Anna, I know a few people have had success making the loaf the day before, then cooking day-of. So I think it should turn out if you want to try it! Good luck, and Happy Easter!
I’m looking forward to making this for Easter dinner tomorrow. Can part of this recipe be successfully made ahead so it’s less work tomorrow?
Hi Stacye, so sorry I didn’t get back to you in time! Did you end up making anything ahead? I’d love to hear how it went. I hope the recipe was a hit, either way!
Hi Angela-
Thanks so much for your fantastic recipes! This loaf was a hit on Easter! Even my omni parents enjoyed it (along with the ham they brought)2. My dad especially loved the glaze. :)
Yes, I successfully prepared this as a make-ahead dish without issue. I prepared the entire dish on Saturday including putting everything in the parchment lined meatloaf pan. After it cooled I covered it with saran wrap and placed in the fridge. On Sunday I removed the loaf pan from the fridge and let it “warm up” on the counter before baking. I prepared the glaze, placed it on the loaf and baked it per the directions.
It came out great and I’m still enjoying my leftovers! I would definitely make this again on a special occasion (as a make ahead dish!).
Yay, I’m happy to hear it worked out well!! Thanks so much for sharing that great info, too–I know other readers will really appreciate it. :)
Hi Angela! I just wanted to thank you for this recipe…I made it for Easter for myself and my boyfriend (both carnivores who also love a good veggie meal!) after eyeing it for some time, and I just have to say how absolutely delicious it was! It definitely exceeded all expectations. I took a commenter’s advice about adding some mustard in place of apple butter to the sauce, left out the raisins…and accidentally used a cup of grated apple because I can’t write directions down properly haha and it was perfect. I used a potato masher to get the lentils a bit mushier, and blitzed the toasted walnuts quickly so they weren’t so big (but that’s personal preference) and it held together very well.
I also completely forgot to buy a loaf pan, so I split the mix in half and shaped it into a loaf and brushed sauce over the whole thing and baked for 40 minutes. Wasn’t dry at all, and the second loaf I put in the fridge uncooked and made it the next day to use for the week as leftovers…that one was even moister! So for anyone who may be cheap and forgetful like me, you can still make this without a loaf pan! Just keep checking it to make sure it’s not drying out (I noticed it would start to crack a bit and I took that as a sign of being done).
This makes for the greatest burritos I’ve ever made when crumbled up with taco seasoning and sauteed. I could live off of that forever! So thank you thank you again Angela for always being a culinary inspiration! I can’t wait for your second book!
Thanks for sharing, Alison! I’m so happy to hear the recipe was a hit.
I tried this today – it is DELICIOUS!
Thanks for sharing!
Is OK to let the walnuts soak. If so how long?
Is the flax definitely necessary? I’m not sure I can even get it where I live and if I can it will be very expensive and I can’t think of anything else I would use it for. Anything else (more common ingredient) I could use instead?
Hi Cecilia, the flax is used to create an “egg” that works as a binder in this recipe, but I suspect you could use ground chia seed in place of the flax. I haven’t tried it myself, but I can’t see why it wouldn’t work. (I believe some readers have tried it and had success, though!) Good luck, and I’d love to hear how it goes if you try it!
This is my all time favorite loaf. I have made it for Christmas and ThanksGiving for two years and everyone loves it. It is half past Christmas today (June 26) and I am making a feast for the special occasion. Thanks!
Would this work with almond flour instead of oat flour? I have a friend with an oat sensitivity. Thanks. This is one of our favourites!
Made this as I’m practicing for my first vegan thanksgiving, and it was great! I think this is a protein-packed main that can replace the big birds! Thank you!
Glad it was a hit, Sarah! We love this as a plant-based Thanksgiving option.
Hi Angela! I’m planning on making this for my big family dinner to celebrate my sons first birthday. I have made it several times in the past and love it! Can I make the “dough” the night before? I am hoping to combine everything the night before and bake it just before dinner as to not have a dry loaf. If I leave it in the fridge over night, pre-bake, will it turn out? Or will the veggies be soggy and separate? I’m planning on tripling the recipe, so I wanted to check with you first. Thanks so much!
Hey Sara, You can certainly prepare the loaf the day before—simply combine the ingredients, place it in the fridge overnight all wrapped up in the pan, then cook it fresh, as normal, day-of. I’d suggest allowing the loaf to come to room temp before popping it in the oven. I hope this helps!! And happy birthday to your little guy! :)
I made this tonight. I was skeptical. It was crazy delicious and so filling. And I love that I had every last ingredient in my cabinet–so easy (I made the oat flour in my vitamix). I used GF breadcrumbs and you totally couldn’t tell it was GF. This one is a keeper. Thank you!!!
I’m glad it was a hit, Sarah!! :)
I used french lentils to make this last night and it is so delicious! Added herbs de provence and ended up grating in the rest of the apple i used. It made for one very happy gf when she got home, so thank you from both of our stomachs! Your recipes are always amazing.
Lucky girl, to have this waiting for her when she got home! ;) I’m so glad to hear the dish was a hit.
Just wondering do you drain the lentils? or mash them with the leftover liquid?
I am making this for Thanksgiving along with a turkey for non vegan family. In the interest of time can this loaf be frozen? If so, at what temp would I reheat?
Hi Angela, Yes, it freezes quite well! I would suggest slightly undercooking the first time (maybe by 10 minutes or so), just so it doesn’t dry out the second time around in the oven. For reheating, anything around 300-350 should do the trick. Or, I very often let slices of the loaf thaw at room temperature then throw them on a skillet to heat them up. You could also prepare the loaf, put it in the pan – but don’t cook it – and just keep it in the fridge overnight; allow it to come to room temp then cook as normal. I hope these suggestions help! I’d suggest reading through some of the comments on this post, too, as there might be some helpful tips in there from other readers. Good luck!:)
We are gf – do you think I could use rolled oats in place of the bread crumbs? (This looks delicious by the way!)
Hi there,
You mentioned this goes well with your stunning cauliflower and carrot mash… can you share that recipe with us please?
I found this recipe from a gluten free, vegan, sugar free search. I was wondering about the breadcrumbs. I’m going to try it for Thanksgiving and was searching for breadcrumbs, but couldn’t find them. The only other option I thought of was buying gluten free bread and toasting it in the oven. Do you have any other ideas?
Hi – I just made this using gluten free rolled oats instead of the bread crumbs. I just processed them for a few seconds to get the consistency of bread crumbs. Seemed to work just fine.
This is by far my favorite replacement for the Tofurkey at Thanksgiving. I would make more if you are feeding a family of veg-friendly folks but usually my friends/family avoid anything that isn’t the turkey/ham (they have no idea what they are missing!!) So delicious!!
This was very good. Lots of different textures and flavors going on that made a taste-bud bonanza. It is very dense. It required a bit of work and time, but was worth it. I had to bake it for 60 minutes because it showed no sign of browning at 50. I managed to make nice slices after cooling 10 minutes. This recipe is a keeper.
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the final results!
I’m looking forward to making this for our Christmas dinner this year! Quick question on loaf pan sizes – in your trial 3 you mention that you made two medium sized loaves using 9 X 5 loaf tins, or that we could use one big loaf tin. What size is a “big loaf tin”? I have a 9 X 5 but it sounds like that’s not it. Also, would this recipe be enough to feed 8 people as a main dish? Or should I double it? Thank you!
Well in case any others had the same question, it turns out one recipe would have been perfect for 8 people. However because I wasn’t sure I ended up doubling which is fine too – I just froze one loaf (by doubling the recipe i ended up with three good sized loaves). I went to Sur La Table and asked what a standard loaf size pan was. I bought two 8 1/2 X 4 1/2 X 2 3/4 loaf pans. One recipe would have filled both those pans between 1/2 and 3/4 full, which was a good size. (I didn’t want to completely fill one loaf pan because it would have seemed a bit crowded and wouldn’t have baked as well, plus I wanted room for the sauce on top.) Because I doubled the recipe I filled up those two loaf pans (about 3/4 full) plus also half filled a much larger third loaf pan which i had lying around. I was basically awash in lentil loaf but that’s ok because it was so good! I assembled (but did not bake) the loaf the day before, then stored in the ‘fridge with saran wrap pressed against the loaf to keep it from drying out. The next day i put on the topping right before baking, and that worked out fine. I think the topping could also have been made a day ahead and stored separately in an airtight container in the ‘fridge – i just didn’t bother since it was only 4 ingredients. It came out very delicious! I’ll definitely be making this again.
I love this website and have your cookbooks which I use nearly every day. I’ve made this loaf a number of times and love it. I’d like to try it wrapped in pastry like a sort of Wellington. Do you think this would be ok? Should I cook it first then add pastry and heat again? It’s for Christmas dinner so ideally I’d like to make it ahead of time.
Do we think I can make the loaf at around 11 am and leave it in the fridge and stick it in the oven at around 9pm? So I don’t have to freeze it and make it fresh for dinner at night?
Thanks!
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I must have done something wrong. This would have been great except it had a gritty dry texture from what I believe to possibly be the oat flour yet at the same time was mushy from the other ingredients. Odd. I would really like to get the gritty situation resolved because it has amazing potential. I just don’t know where I went wrong. Seems like maybe there should have been liquid added to the dry ingredients before mixing everything else in. The flax binder wasn’t enough to fully wet the dry ingredients. Any suggestions?
Hey Naomi, I’m so sorry your loaf turned out gritty! That is odd, for sure. I don’t recall another reader reporting this outcome. What kind of breadcrumbs did you use? Maybe you were detecting those? Was your oat flour or ground flax really coarse in texture, perhaps? I hope if you try it out again, it goes better next time!
HI!
I would like to use your Lentil Walnut Apple Loaf photo (with the recipe title) as one of four photos to represent on Change.org the Canadian petition e-1205 asking the government to offer a mandatory vegan option in all federal and provincial public establishments such as schools, hospital, prisons, ect
I find it is a great representation of a complete original attractive vegan meal.
https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-1205
Please let me know quickly!
(if you agree, you could forward the photo at my email: [email protected] )
With love,
Fée
Hi Fée, Would you mind shooting an email to press[at]ohsheglows[dot]com? Thank you!
Question: I ran out of prep time, and had to put the loaves into the oven without the glaze. I let them cool, and the loaves are now in the freezer. I do want the glaze on them when I serve the loaves. But how? For example, after I thaw them, do you think I could glaze them, and then broil them for a couple minutes to get the glaze cooked? Or should I just reheat the loaves at 350 with the glaze for 20-30 minutes?
Hi Estie, Thanks for your great question! Personally, I think I’d add the glaze after thawing the loaves, and then cook the loaves in the oven until heated throughout. I hope this helps!
Thank you so much for the reply!
I should add that I adore your cookbook! I’m grateful for this recipe with its slightly reduced workload from the original. Thank you!
prep time is very consuming – but the end result is SO worth it! thanks so much for this recipe. love it!!
Really good!!! Onitted celery because I don’t like it. Still great! Will make again.
I love your original Lentil Loaf Recipe. It is a staple here and an addition to our Thanksgiving day food lineup. Thank you will try your updated version too!!! Love your cookbook. I have given it to several friends as gifts!
Thank you so much for the lentil loaf and cookbook love Tara! I’m so happy to hear that you love the recipes enough to gift them. The ultimate compliment…thank you! :)
How long does a full loaf take to defrost?
Hey Pati, Hmm that’s a good question. I’m not entirely sure. If it’s thawing in the fridge it may take a full 24 hours in there depending on the temp.
This looks amazing! If I make this a few days ahead for Thanksgiving, what is the best way to reheat day of? im just concerned with drying it out.
Hi Kate, You can make it 1-2 days before (but don’t bake it), and wrap up the unbaked loaf in the pan and refrigerate. Then bake it the day of.
I’m also testing baking it half and half right now…so I baked it for 30 mins yesterday, cooled for an hour then wrapped and chilled in the fridge, and tonight I will bake it 20-30 minutes more. I wouldn’t recommend bakign it fully a few days before and then reheating as it’ll definitely dry overtime.
Do you still bake at 350F for 40-50 minutes if you prepare the loaf ahead of time and store in the fridge overnight?
Hi Liz, Good question! Since the loaf will be cold from the fridge I would be more inclined to let it come to room temperature before baking if you want the bake times to be similar.
Ahh I would love to try this! my boyfriend is a huge “meat and potatoes” fan so he’s been missing meatloaf since I transitioned! haha.
The boyfriend can’t stand raisins…. and unfortunately isn’t fond of dried cranberries either… would you suggest I just omit the raisins or is there something else you would recommend as a substitute?
You can just leave them out if you’d like! :)
I just made this tonight (Tuesday). I am traveling for thanksgiving…do you suggest I bake it tonight and reheat in the day of? Or wait and refrigerate until the day of and bake that morning. I’m a little concerned about oven space but want to do what’s best to maintain freshness and taste. Thanks! Great recipe I make this every year on T day!!!
Hey Jennifer, I have tried both and I would recommend refrigerating the unbaked loaf and then cooking it before serving (allowing enough time for it to set while cooling) have a wonderful thanksgiving!
Do you think some miyoko vegan mozzarella might work in this? Like a stuffed meatloaf, though I might need to process the lentil mixture more maybe?
This vegan mozz is pretty mild tasting, but I’m not sure if it will complement everything else going on here. I bought all the ingredients today so we can make this, your Caesar salad (which we love), and one of your pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving!
Hey Autumn, Oh wow that’s a fun idea…I’m sorry I have no idea! Please let me know if you try anything.
have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
We made the Lentil Walnut Apple Loaf yesterday. We searched for a Vegan recipe because two out of 7 of our guests for dinner were 100% Vegan. We followed the tip to cook the lentils until mushy, and did add some extra water x2 to let them keep cooking and did start out with 3 cups vegetable broth. Everyone loved it, especially our Vegan guests. Thank you very much for sharing this recipe for us to use!!!
Hey Margie, I’m so glad the lentil loaf was a hit. Thanks for trying it out!
Do you have any idea what the quantities would be in grams for this recipe? I am so stupid when it comes to estimating cups!
Hey Lucy, I’m actually in the process of converting my recipes…and your comment just made me realize that I haven’t done this loaf yet! So it’s next on my list. :) I’m not exactly sure when I’ll be able to do it but I will try to the next time I make it!
Thank you! I’m still going to try and make it for Christmas!
Hi Angela! Thanks for this amazing recipe. I love it so much I will make it for my christmas dinner. I hope that you don’t mind that I added it to my latest blog “Vegan Christmas recipes”. You can see it here: https://omdetox.com/21-vegan-christmas-recipes/
Happy holidays!
I’m so happy you love it Dominique!
I love how this recipe can also be used to make vegan burger patties or vegan meatballs. I made a vegan spaghetti and meatballs, with spaghetti squash instead of pasta and this recipe instead of meatballs.
Hey Zoe, Oh good idea!! I’m so happy you tried this. How did you cook the lentil balls?
So many comments and questions!! The recipe didn’t say to drain the lentils after cooking but logic told me to do so. Also, I think the finished loaf would have a nicer texture if the walnuts were not finely chopped – next time! I used chickpea crumbs as my breadcrumbs and I think it dulled down the overall flavor so I’d try a different breadcrumb alternative or just bump up the seasoning. I think prunes instead of raisins would be a nice try for next time as well. This took quite some time but it provided so many meals for us! I made it in two standard loaf pans, yielding two shallow loaves – perfect for leftovers. I also added 1 tbsp dijon to that super delish sauce. I used the whole quantity on the two loaves, half on each, so I made an extra batch for dipping – and it was also a nice sauce for the roasted potatoes that I served with it.
I made this tonight and used red lentils, as that is what I had in the cupboard, left out the 1/2 cup water and added the ground flax right to the mix and also used 1 cup of whole oat mixed up in the food processor for a bit and left out the bread crumbs and it turned out so delicious! Next time I will try the green lentils. But I am beyond pleased with the loaf, it’s not only delicious, but held together beautifully AND is pleasing to the eye! It is my favorite vegan recipe to date!
This recipe looks amazing.
Can I prep the loaves and refrigerate for baking the next day?
Hey Roz, Yes it should work fine…you may need to cook it for longer in the oven if the loaf is going into the oven cold though. Or you can bring it to room temp first and then bake as directed. Hope this helps!
This took surprisingly less time to make than I thought it would. Next time, I’m going to try putting half the mixture into the pan, a layer of the glaze and then smooth the rest of the mixture overtop (and top with more glaze of course). The glaze is freakin’ magical. I used maple apple butter I found at the grocery store.
Hi! Do you have any suggestions on a replacement for the walnuts for someone who is allergic? Thanks!
Hey Emily, I think you could probably try subbing toasted sunflower seeds for the walnuts to keep a good crunch in the loaf. You probably won’t need quite as much, though…maybe 1/2 to 3/4 cup? I’d love to hear how it goes if you try it!
I made this and it is AMAZING ! A friend visiting on Sunday for football had a slice and he’s a huge meat eater and he loved it ! :)
Made this for dinner tonight. I cut the recipe in half and it made enough for 2-3 servings. This is a really good loaf – will make again, for sure. I used 2 of my small loaf pans (approx. 4×7″). Also made the cauliflower mashed potatoes – good, but nothing special. We have no problem getting our fresh vegetables so not sure I will make again. I have used quite a few of your recipes and everything has turned out beautifully, Bon Appetite!
Hey Valerie, I’m glad you enjoyed the loaf! Thanks for trying the recipes :)
If I was to times this recipe by 5 (feeding a lot of people) could I just put it into a very large baking tray? Wondering if it would still work out. Thank you! I love all of your recipes :) following your stuff has taught me how to cook and being in the kitchen has brought so much joy into my life! I recommend you to everyone I meet trying to eat vegan.
Aww thank you so much Stephanie! I’m so grateful for your support and for spreading the word to others. :)
I feel like if this recipe was multiplied it would have a difficult time cooking and setting. It already takes an hour for just the single loaf and it still takes quite a long time for it to set. My guess is that if you tried to make a bigger loaf in a pan it just wouldn’t cook through.
Hi!
Curious what you might suggest to make this gluten free?
Oats ok but instead of bread crumbs? Quinoa or?
Hi Kami, the only thing I’ve tried for GF so far is using GF bread crumbs and it worked well! :)
Hi!! Im going to try this recipe this Thanksgiving…wondering if I froze it a little bit a head of time, how would I properly thaw and reheat this guy?? Thanks!!
Angela,
What do you recommend for baking times for the various sizes:
4 Mini Loaf Pans:
One Large Loaf Pans
Two 5×7 Loaf Pans:
Thanks
Mary
Hi Mary, It’s been a while since I’ve made the mini loaf pans so I can’t say for sure, but I do recall they took a lot less baking time than the standard loaf pan. I would guess about 30 to 35 minutes versus almost an hour for the big loaf, but it’s just an estimate. I’d love to hear how it goes if you try anything!
Before my wife and I chose a vegan lifestyle, my meatloaf was legendary. Your recipe has now become our favorite. Thank you for a fabulous recipe.
Thank you Pat, I’m so happy to hear you both love it so much!
This loaf is AMAZING! Rocked this for Thanksgiving and all my guests raved…even the meat eaters. Personally I like it even better the next day…nom nom nom! It’s mildly labor intensive but worth every minute of prep :) Top notch! Thank you for this delish recipe!
So happy to hear this Christie! Thanks for your feedback :)
Hello Angela – did you convert your recipe from cups into gramm already? Thanks for your reply and many greetings from Hamburg, Germany.
PS: I love your book, thanks for sooo many wonderful dishes!
Hey Britta, Im sorry I don’t have the gram measures yet, but I will try to do this soon! Thank you for your kind words too :) Hugs from Canada!
Would regular brown lentils work in this recipe? Green lentils are harder to find. Maybe you mean standard brown lentils?
I just got your book for a Christmas present. I’ve heard such “glowing” reviews!!
Hi Karen, Yes you can absolutely use brown lentils. You are right they probably are more common. I’m so happy you received my book as a Christmas present…I hope you enjoy cooking from it!
Would like to try lentil walnut loaf, 2 questions can i use tinned lentils? If so I estimate Id need 3 cups? Also my husband is allergic to walnuts, what about toasted pecan? Thank you!!
Hi Kim, Oh I’m sorry for my late reply! I got behind with questions :) I would recommend following this recipe which uses canned lentils: https://ohsheglows.com/2011/01/01/ultimate-vegan-lentil-walnut-loaf/ And toasted pecans would be delicious I think!
Just to be certain I’m clear: I read the 1 cup of walnuts in this recipe as measured before chopping. Or should it be 1 cup of finely chopped, toasted walnuts (measuring the amount after they’re chopped)?
You got it – before chopping! Thanks Catherine :)
Do you have the nutritional info for this recipe?
Thanks :)
Made this over the weekend. Delicious night of, as well as chopped up on a salad the following days. I think this would be delightful with smashed potatoes. I miss these original entrées on the site!
Hi there,
Just wondering if I can use some of your Christmas themed recipes in The Australian Vegan Magazine. Could you please contact me [email protected] Thanks.
I made this for my vegan daughter and she just loved it! She has made dozens of lentil loaf recipes and said this was the best ever. Congrats!
A few minor adjustments that we liked:
* Used a small amount (1/4 to 1/2 tsp) of Aleppo pepper instead of the red pepper flakes. Much more depth to the pepper taste.
Doubled the amazing sauce (you can sell this and make a million or two)
* Cut back on the maple syrup and used 1 TBSP of balsamic glaze in place 1 TBSP of the vinegar.
* Added a 1/2 C Blueberries (double batch) to the sauce and mashed them at the end.
A huge hit for our family. Thanks very much for sharing this recipe.
Why are there no star-ratings for this recipe?
Hey there!
Sorry about that, that recipe has not been loaded into our system. Please check out this lentil loaf for reviews:
https://ohsheglows.com/2011/01/01/ultimate-vegan-lentil-walnut-loaf/
I hope this helps!
I don’t have any apple, can this be made without it?
Hi Stacy, I’m sorry I don’t think I have tried swapping it before. You may be able to try a firm pear but Im not sure :)
This is my go to for special dinners. Being the main cook in a house with both vegetarians and meat eaters I need to think about both. So Christmas, thanksgiving etc when we cook turkey I also always have this lentil loaf. I make a batch or double, cook it in muffin tins (never on paper) and often send some home with the vegetarians here. Sometimes served with miso or mushroom gravy but often just cranberry sauce. The leftovers go in the freezer for any other nights when meat is the main dish. Such a great recipe!