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.
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Glazed Lentil Walnut Apple Loaf, Revisited
Yield
1 loaf
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Adapted from 2011 recipe, which was adapted from Terry Walters.
Ingredients
For the loaf
- 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
For the 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
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. 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.
- Toast walnuts at 325°F for about 8-10 minutes. Set aside. Increase oven temp to 350°F.
- Whisk ground flax with water in a small bowl and set aside.
- 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.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix all ingredients together. Adjust seasonings to taste.
- 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.
- Bake at 350°F 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.
Tip:
Note: Use Gluten-free oat flour and breadcrumbs if necessary. If you need a nut-free version you might want to try using toasted sunflower seeds.
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.
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.