![Lentil Loaf-4-2 Lentil Loaf-4-2](/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Lentil-Loaf-4-2.jpg)
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…
![Lentil Loaf-1-3 Lentil Loaf-1-3](/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Lentil-Loaf-1-3.jpg)
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](https://ohsheglows.com/gs_images/2023/08/Glazed_Lentil_Walnut_Apple_Loaf_Revisited_IMG_6770-768x768.jpg)
Glazed Lentil Walnut Apple Loaf, Revisited
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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.
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.