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!
Just made this. Always looking for a good vegan “meatloaf” recipe. It was wonderful and the glaze was amazing. Only issue I had was that it took twice as long to cook. But no worries, I will plan ahead next time. Also made the lentil/walnut burgers today (since I was cooking up lentils anyways) and they are great! I have been making my own veggie burgers for quite some time now. I must say, yours held up better than any I have done so far. Can’t wait to try the veggie and chickpea burgers next. Thanks for taking the time to post so many wonderful recipes. Can’t wait to try more!
I made this again but REALLY simplified it and it came out as the best version! I just dumped everything raw into a bowl (kept the oats whole, just chopped raw bread for breadcrumbs, used raw walnuts, chopped celery and onion raw but left out carrot), upped the spices a tad, and covered with a thin layer of Annie’s smoky BBQ sauce. So much easier and surprisingly more delicious! I recommend the easy way!
OMG. I tried this recipe because I’m trying to force “Meatless Monday” into our weekly routine. It was DELICIOUS. My husband, who doesn’t consider supper ‘supper’ without a big slab of red meat said he would eat it again- he had seconds! Wow!
Thanks so so much for your blog- every recipe I’ve tried has been amazing. You’re all over my Pinterest board!
Really yummy, thanks! I’m using ot as a base for Swedish notmeatballs too.
My daughter and I are changing our lifestyle diets to veganism. I have recently discovered your websit and I alstoutly live it. Amazing mouth watering photos and tempting content. Meatloaf use to be one of my daughters favorite meals. I’m so excited to see you have made a vegan version of it! I’m so excited to have found your website. We can’t wait to try many of your recipes!
How long’s it usually take you, start to finish, on this one? It looks like even though you can multitask it, I feel like it would still take a really long time (at least 3 hours, for me anyway!) to get it all done. But it looks so good that I really want to make it anyway! :)
Loved your recipe! It was a great addition to my Easter meal. Even non- vegetarians enjoyed it :) thanks for posting it!
I made this for my whole family for Easter. It was super good!! I served it with mashed sweet potatoes and braised collard greens. I doubled the recipe so making the loaf was rather labor intensive but in the end it was well worth it and we have a ton of leftovers!! The only issue I had with the dish is that the loaf came out mushy. I am not sure if I did something wrong but I doubt it affected the taste.
Hi! This recipe looks great, and I’m excited to try it. (I was googling for a good vegan lentil loaf recipe.) Thanks for posting! Quick question….in the ingredients section you say to use dry lentils. In the directions section, you say to cook GREEN lentils. I just wanted to clarify…do I need to specifically use green lentils? I was just planning to use the standard lentils I have in my cupboard (they look kind of brownish), but now I’m worried that the recipe won’t turn out quite right if I don’t use green lentils. Please let me know. Thank you!!
Hands down my favorite blog! You have so many great recipes!! Going to try this one tonight and see how it turns out. Eating vegan has made me so much more creative with my cooking. Thanks for being an inspiration! :)
My stepmom made this ages ago, and I had to come back and look this recipe up again! This was the ONLY loaf (or what could be turned into a burger) homemade recipe I’ve found yet that I’ve ever liked, and the only store bought one I could find that equals this for yumminess is the Q’uorn chicken burgers. Thanks for the Vegan swing on a meatloaf. (Fall is coming and it turns out for the first time ever I actually miss meatloaf ;P) Glad to hear about the taco filling idea too! I’ll try using this broken up in taco’s, and I might even try a “meatloaf” sandwich for the first time in my Life! Thanks for all the wonderful ideas!
Im so happy to hear this Elle! Thanks for your feedback.
Used this recipe as a filling for cabbage rolls today! Wrapped it in a sour cabbage leaf, used Passata with a touch of maple syrup for the sauce, and out it in the slow cooker. YUM!
Love your blog. It’s funny, to me, how we differ as vegans/vegetarians. I grew up by a chicken farm and cleaned chickens as a youth, plus saw many, many disgusting eggs. Enough said there. I have always despised all seafood – I think it’s 75% the texture. I don’t eat pork because I’m Jewish. The foods i truly miss are meatloaf and beef stew. That’s about it., but I really REALLY miss meatloaf. Thanks for this! It’s in the oven right this second. I’m having a glass of wine while I wait! :-)
Hi Angela,
This looks great but I’m slightly scared of the idea of having apples and raisins in a meatloaf like entree. Does this make the loaf sweet? Or is it still savory? I know I should trust your judgment but I’m slightly cautious…
I didn’t think it was sweet, definitely a savoury dish. I think the apple and raisins lifted the heaviness of all the lentils.
Thank you for this recipe! I’m stoked to make this for my work’s christmas party – we’re lucky enough to have a few vegetarians, and I’m happy to provide a ‘main dish’ for us non-meat eaters.
This is perfect :)
Making this for Thanksgiving this year!
Thank you so much for this recipe! It lifted right out of the pan with no problems. I have never had a lentil loaf hold together so well. It tasted wonderful and the glaze was beyond amazing. I was worried that the processed lentils would make it mushy and my boyfriend was skeptical about the raisins, but we both loved it. The only change I made was to use pumpkin butter instead of apple butter, because that’s what we have on hand.
Thank you for this recipe, this was our (first) vegan xmas dinner, it was perfect. I forgot about buying apple butter, don’t know if we have it in the UK, so I used an onion marmalade for the glaze instead, beautiful!
We will be having it every xmas and I know it has room for adaptations too :)
So happy to hear that you all enjoyed the loaf! Merry Christmas :)
Would this loaf still work if I opted out of the Walnuts? what can i substitute instead? No nuts as i have a nut allergy :(
I have this in the oven right now, can’t wait to see how it turns out!!!