Do I ever have a delicious vegan meal for you to kick off 2011!
I must admit, this lentil loaf gave me a few grey hairs over the past couple days.
I made 4 trials of this lentil loaf.
I tried the Lentil Apple Walnut Loaf from Clean Food cookbook and also the old-fashioned Lentil Loaf from The Vegan Table Cookbook, in addition to a couple others. I was on a mission to find my perfect lentil loaf!
This one below is from The Vegan Table:
I had problems with binding, so I decided to process (in food processor) 75% of the cooked lentils to help it stick together. I also ground up some oats to make oat flour and added some flax in addition to some other modifications. Good things happened!
Note: This recipe below has been updated and improved! Feb. 2016
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Ultimate Lentil Walnut Loaf
Yield
8 slices
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
This lentil walnut loaf is so delicious, you'll find it hard to resist. Raved about by readers, husbands, children, and recipes testers alike, many claim it’s better than traditional meatloaf. The beauty of creating a lentil loaf (as opposed to a meatloaf) is that you can taste the mixture as you go without having to worry about the raw meat. This results in a perfectly seasoned loaf and, trust me, the batter tastes so good! Lentil loaves can be temperamental, so it’s best to follow the directions exactly as written as I’ve tested this multiple ways. Even minor changes to this recipe can result in a loaf that doesn’t stick together as well. I love to serve this loaf with my stunning Cauliflower Carrot Mash, applesauce, and/or steamed broccoli or greens. This lentil loaf is inspired by Terry Walters' Clean Food Lentil Loaf recipe.
Ingredients
For the Lentil-Walnut Loaf:
- 2 (14-ounce/398 mL) cans of lentils, drained and rinsed*
- 1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons (10 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cups finely chopped sweet onion
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup finely chopped celery
- 1 cup grated carrot
- 1/3 cup peeled and grated sweet apple
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries (chopped) or raisins
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Fine sea salt, to taste (I use about 1 teaspoon)
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 tablespoons ground flax
- 1/2 cup oat flour
- 1/2 cup spelt bread crumbs (or bread crumbs of choice)
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
For the Balsamic-Apple Glaze:
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) ketchup
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) unsweetened applesauce or apple butter
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) pure maple syrup
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan, and then line it with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit the length of the pan.
- If using canned lentils, rinse and drain them in a colander. If using lentils cooked from scratch, follow the directions in the note below. After draining, add them into a very large bowl and mash the lentils with a potato masher. The goal is to create a lentil paste while still leaving about 1/3 of the lentils intact.
- Spread the chopped walnuts onto the baking sheet. Toast the nuts for 8 to 12 minutes until fragrant and lightly golden. Set aside to cool.
- Increase the oven heat to 350°F (180°C).
- Add the oil into a large skillet, and increase the heat to medium. Stir in the onion and garlic and season with a pinch or two of salt. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until the onion softens.
- Stir in the celery and carrot, and continue cooking for another few minutes.
- Finally, stir in the grated apple, dried cranberries (or raisins), thyme, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Cook for a couple minutes longer.
- Into the bowl with the mashed lentils, stir in the walnuts, ground flax, oat flour, and bread crumbs until combined.
- Stir in all of the veggie mixture until combined. Add the red pepper flakes, if using. Taste and add more salt (I usually add another 1/2 teaspoon). If the mixture seems dry, add a tablespoon or two of water and mix again.
- Press all of the lentil loaf mixture into the prepared loaf pan. Pack it down as firmly as you can as this will help it hold together after cooling.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the ketchup, applesauce, vinegar, and maple syrup until combined. Using a pastry brush (or simply a spoon), spread all of the glaze over top of the lentil loaf.
- Bake the lentil loaf, uncovered, at 350°F (180°C) for 50 to 60 minutes until the edges start to darken and the loaf is semi-firm to the touch. Place the loaf pan directly onto a cooling rack for 15 minutes. Then, slide a knife around the ends to loosen, and carefully lift out the loaf (using the parchment paper as "handles") and place it directly onto the cooling rack for another 30 minutes.
- After cooling, carefully slice the loaf into slabs. Serve immediately. The loaf will continue to firm up as it cools. Some crumbling is normal if sliced while warm.
Tip:
- * If you'd like to make lentils from scratch, swap the two cans of lentils for 1 cup of uncooked lentils. Add the lentils into a pot and cover with water. Bring to a low boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium-high, and then simmer the lentils uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes until tender. Drain well.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
When the lentils are finished cooking (and cooling), take 75% of the lentils and process them in a food processor until almost smooth.
While the lentils are cooking, prepare the rest of the recipe.
Sautee your garlic and onion.
Add in the grated carrot and optional celery or green onion.
Mix well and cook over low heat for several minutes.
Add in the grated apple, raisins, and chopped walnuts (do not chop the walnuts as small as shown below- it was from an earlier trial).
Cook for a couple minutes.
Add in kosher salt, Thyme, and black pepper.
In a large mixing bowl, mix the flax, lentils (processed and non-processed), breadcrumbs, veggie mixture, oat flour (I processed 1/2 cup regular oats), and ground flax. Stir well.
It will look like this:
Press firmly into a loaf pan lined with parchment paper.
When I pressed it into the pan, I immediately knew that this loaf would hold together thanks to the ground oats, flax seed, and processed lentils.
It was much different than the previous trials…(note how crumbly it looks even in the pan before baking)
Now spread on the glaze:
Perfecto!
Now bake for 45 minutes at 350F, uncovered.
Cool for 10 minutes.
Makes about 8 thick, mouth-watering slices. I knew that this loaf was a crowd pleaser when Eric got really excited over it! He said he would take this over meatloaf any day.
We enjoyed our lentil loaf with sautéed spinach greens and applesauce! Quick, easy, and delicious.
I did a HUGE happy dance when this lentil loaf turned out. Eric and I both agreed that it is the best vegan loaf we’ve ever tried. I hope you enjoy it too! It makes a wonderful New Year’s meal if you aren’t feeling the Black Eyed Peas.
It is delicious, chewy, crunchy, and topped with the most addicting sweet glaze.
As for the crumbly leftovers from the previous 3 trials?
Eric suggested they would make a great vegan taco filling! I think that is a great idea. I’m going to freeze a bunch of it too.
Have a great start to 2011!
Can you prepare this ahead of time, and either bake it at the time you’re going to serve it, or bake it, put it in the fridge, and reheat it?
Hey Ruth, I think you can do both, actually. I would probably bake it ahead of time and then pop it in the fridge until chilled. Then I would slice it up after chilling. This way, you could try reheating the slices on a lined baking sheet and you wouldn’t have to wait until it set/cooled before slicing and serving. Does that make sense? :)
Aloha from Kauai,
Thank you so much for this perfect lentil loaf recipe! (sorry about the grey hairs…..) I am a caterer and I often need to make vegan and vegetarian food. I follow the recipe exactly (which is hard for me usually but very necessary for this recipe for it to be perfect!) except sometimes I use different toppings. I have frozen it in slices and it thaws beautifully! Today I am making 4x the recipe for a large group! I really appreciate your time and testing of this great loaf!!
Sandy
Hi, I know this is an old post but I’ll be making this for Thanksgiving and I just needed clarification on something.
With the cooked lentils, do I mash 75% of them or process 75% of them in a food processor?
I just don’t want to screw it up, cuz I only have time for one attempt! Thanks for any help anyone may have! :)
Hey Joanna, I tend to use a potato masher to save having to clean my food processor, but I think both would work just fine as long as you don’t over process them into a full, creamy paste. Does that help at all?
Happy Thanksgiving!
Love this recipe, flavors are amazing! I did a double batch, but man, it seemed to take me a long time to prep! I even used canned lentils and a frozen mix of diced onions, carrots, and celery, and used my food processor to mix everything. We are loving it though. I blended mine more than your pics show and we are loving the consistency and flavors so much. I’m gonna try it again without doing a double batch and try a little cup of applesauce instead of peeling and chopping apples to see if that speeds it up a bit. Either way, I’m sticking to your recipe as a base because it was wonderful! Thanks!
Oh also, I didn’t have enough walnuts so I did a blend of walnuts, pecans, and roasted pumpkin seeds. Was delicious!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much Tessa! Thanks for sharing all your tweaks. I always love seeing how others adapt it.
Hi! Love this recipe! I’ve made it a few times and it’s been a hit. I was wondering if you think it would still turn out the same if you omitted the walnuts? Or used mushrooms instead? Thanks!
Hey Becca! I don’t think I’ve tried this without walnuts before, but I was actually just thinking about this the other day (and what I would swap in its place). I think the walnuts may absorb a bit of moisture so you might be able to leave them out and just reduce the liquid a tiny bit. I’m not sure about swapping with mushrooms…they are high in water and I’d worry that the loaf would be too wet…but you could always cook them down before using (to get most of the water out), I suppose! Let me know if you try anything out. :)
Hi Angela, I am going to make this for Thanksgiving this year and am really excited about it! I was just wondering if you had any thoughts about making it a bit more moist? I haven’t made it yet but I noticed a lot of the reviews comment on it’s dryness. The flavors sound awesome so I definitely want to make it, just wondering if you’ve experimented doing anything different to make it a bit more moist? Your suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Hey Megan, Oh I’m happy you’re going to try it out! I updated the recipe as of Feb 2016 (which you’ll see in this post), so I wonder if the comments about dryness came before the update? Either way, I think if dryness was a problem the loaf could be baked a bit less time (sometimes ovens run hot). Please let me know how it goes if you try it out…maybe a test run is in store before the big event?
Made the recipe exactly as written, and it turned out great! I used a fine-toothed knife to cut the cooled loaf, which kept any crumbling to a minimum. Leftovers were yummy, but I liked it better just-made. This was a major time commitment — a full 2 hours of prep work + clean- (would naturally be less for someone using a food processor) — so I’d primarily reserve this for special occasions, rather than everyday cooking. Will probably make a double-batch next time. Family and friends — carnivores, vegetarians and vegans alike — loved it.
Hey Laura, I’m so happy that you all loved it! I agree with you on it being for special occasions. I’m actually hoping to make a speedy version of this recipe at some point..it’s on my list! Wish me luck ;)
Do you think using coconut flour in place of the oat flour would work?
Hey Bethanie, I find coconut flour behaves quite a bit differently than oat flour does. It absorbs a lot of moisture, and the flavour is pretty pronounced. So I’m really not sure how it would impact the outcome of this loaf…I’m so sorry I can’t offer any advice. If you try anything out please let me know how it goes.
I’m confused about that flax egg. The second part with the pictures mentions it but the recipe above does not. How much of the ground flax do I use for the flax egg and how much do I leave dry?
Hi Danielle, I apologize for the photo confusion. Those were taken from the original trial several years back. I recommend following the updated recipe’s instructions and not pay attention to what’s happening in the photos exactly. :)
This was so good!! I made it the day before Thanksgiving and reheated it, and it reheated well, didn’t dry out or anything. All the textures were really nice. I loved not eating a weird frozen store-bought thing made of random crap. Thanks!
hehe high fives for not eating the weird freezer crap!! It’s amazing how much better homemade tends to be. Happy Thanksgiving Heather!
Hello – this looks delicious! I am hoping to make it for Christmas for the vegetarians in the family. I was wondering if you have any suggestions for something I could use instead of breadcrumbs? One of us is gluten free! Thanks so much!
Hey Mo, I would suggest using gluten-free breadcrumbs if you can. I don’t know of another substitute for them unfortunately. Have a wonderful Christmas!
Hey! Does that mean two 14 oz cans or 14 ounces of lentils?
Hey Ilona, Oh thanks for clarifying! It means two 14 oz cans. :) I will try to make this a bit more clear in the recipe!
This is absolutely delicious!! I substituted fennel stalks from the garden instead of celery. My meat eating husband loves it too, both for dinner last night and cold with a salad for lunch today! I am not into ketchup, so I served with tomato and eggplant relish I bought at the farmers market last weekend. Thank you for the grey hairs it took you to perfect the recipe!!
Hey Karen, Oh I’m so happy you both enjoyed it! I also LOVE it cold over salad…such an easy use of leftovers. Happy New Year!
I’ve made this recipe from the cookbook four or five times now and love it more each time. I have also found little efficiencies and personal preferences each time that I would like to share:
-red lentils cook softer and I didn’t need to pulse them, saving a step and a LOT of dishes.
-I cooked the lentils in veggie broth to add flavor and didn’t drain them but let most of the excess liquid simmer out.
-I added the walnuts, flour, flax, bread crumbs salt, pepper and spices directly to the pot the lentils cooked in and mixed them up right there.
-I cheat and use white flour and regular bread crumbs bc spelt crumbs and oat flour aren’t ingredients I use regularly
-I put the onions and garlic in one prep bowl
-I put the carrot, celery and apple in another (I omitted raisins)
-I doubled the glaze recipe and used half to top it before baking and the rest to drizzle over the plate when eating (it is seriously so good!)
-I add a couple tablespoons of water if the mix is looking too crumbly. I had one turn out too dry and it tasted good but I had to spoon it out of the pan.
-I split the mixture between two loaf pans bc mine are smallish. I always freeze the second one but it ends up coming out a couple days later because it’s so freaking good!
With these tweaks I’ve been able to cut the prep time to about an hour. Next time I’m going to try and double the recipe and have three little loaves frozen for whenever. Thanks, Angela!
Hey Ashley, Wow thank you so much for all this wonderful feedback! I love the idea of splitting it into two small loaf pans.
Is this something I could freeze once cooked?
Hey Sam, You should be able to freeze it once cooked and cooled. I would suggest thawing it in the fridge overnight before reheating it. Hope this helps!
I’m so late finding this awesome loaf – and glad you kept trying! Making it this weekend!
I’ve just been in a yoga camp with the most amazing food ever! Lunch today was this loaf and it was soooo good I just had to ask about the recipe. I am definately going to be making this myself. Thank you
Aww I’m so happy to hear that the yoga camp made this loaf. Thanks for sharing Carrie!
I was wondering if this recipe would hold together to make burgers.
I’m on a mission. Lol
Lookso great. Thanks
I’d love to hear how it goes Kathleen!
Been a long time, but boy am I glad I found this recipe (and your website in general)! So we’re not a vegan family, but digestive problems put some serious restrictions on what foods I can tolerate so I’ve always been on a quest to find dinners we can all enjoy as a family without me having to eat a separate meal.
I was already cooking lentils when I realized I was missing a couple things, and panicked a little because you are very clear about not making changes. So although I did make adjustments, it was still fabulous. The kids and husband went back for seconds and more the next day … yea, next time I’m making multiple loaves at once.
So here’s my tweaks in case it helps anyone:
grated sweet potato instead of apple
flour/crumb mix–about 1/3 cup oat flour, 1/3 cup GF breadcrumbs, 1/3 cup almond flour
I knew that between the potato and almond flour I was going to need to add extra moisture, and I did have applesauce so I used about 3 tbsp. in the final mixing until it felt and sounded like a traditional meatloaf raw mix. I also did use raisins instead of cranberries.
I roasted the leftover sweet potato and a few more as a side item, as well as sauteed onions and spinach.
I do recommend taking the time to look at the pictures before making the loaf–I misread the part about the parchment paper and only lined the pan’s bottom–no handles for me. It really wasn’t a huge deal as it held together well enough after about 10 minutes cooling for me to get out complete slices with the help of a butter knife and gently-held tongs.
Thank you again for developing this recipe!
Hey Suzanne, Oh I’m so glad it turned out so well even with the tweaks! That’s great. Thank you so much for sharing with us :)
Hi there! It’s in the oven as I write. Can I ask for a tiny tweak of the Recipe? In the main list it says 3tbsp of ground flax seed, but when I read down the description with photos later, it says “flax egg”, which is mixed with water, usually. If this is what you mean, can you put that in the list of ingredients? I expect it will turn out well either way : ) Thanks for the lovely recipe.
Hi there, I apologize for the flax egg confusion. Those photos and descriptions were taken/written from the original trial several years back in 2011. I recommend following the actual recipe’s instructions and not pay attention to any mention of flaxegg elsewhere in the post. I will try to remove it now