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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…
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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.
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?