This vegan lentil loaf is such a great recipe for the holiday season! It’s festive, easy to make, healthy, and soooo delicious! I served it with vegan gravy, pumpkin and sweet potato mash, and cranberry sauce. Impress your family at your next family dinner with this lentil loaf!
I’ve always loved meat loafs, so I decided to make a vegan version that uses cooked lentils instead of ground meat. It’s really easy to make, it’s high in fiber and protein, and most of all it’s incredibly DELICIOUS!!
I also included the recipes for the vegan gravy, the pumpkin and sweet potato mash, and the cranberry sauce for you at the end of this post.
This Lentil Loaf Is:
- vegan
- festive
- perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas
- easy to make
- packed with protein thanks to the lentils
- super healthy (lentils, walnuts, oats, and flaxseeds provide lots of nutrients)
- very filling (one or two slices are probably more than enough per person)
- great with vegan gravy, mashed potatoes or also on a sandwich
- easy to make ahead
- a real crowd-pleaser (I’ve made it so many times already!)
What You Need For This Vegan Lentil Loaf:
The best thing is that you don’t need any fancy or hard to find ingredients for this vegan meatloaf. You can find all of the ingredients for this lentil loaf in any supermarket.
You need:
- brown lentils
- onions
- garlic
- flaxseeds
- walnuts
- carrots
- rolled oats
- tomato paste
- unsweetened almond or soy milk
- soy sauce
- oregano
- thyme
- rosemary
- parsley
As always, I included a full ingredient list with detailed recipe instructions at the end of this post.
How to Make a Lentil Loaf
STEP 1: First, cook the lentils according to the instructions on the package. Then put about 6 tablespoons of the cooked lentils aside. You’ll need them later on to give the lentil loaf a bit more texture.
STEP 2: Sauté the onion and garlic and add the chopped carrots and cook them for a couple of minutes.
STEP 3: Put all ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until you have a sticky but chunky mixture. It’s very important that you make sure to not overdo it, so you still got some texture. Add the remaining lentils and season with thyme, oregano, salt, pepper, and fresh parsley.
STEP 4: Place the mixture into a loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Make sure to let the parchment paper overlap the loaf pan, so it’s easier to remove the lentil loaf once it’s done.
STEP 5: Bake the vegan meat loaf for 60 minutes at 350°F. I highly recommend making this lentil loaf the night before and storing it in the fridge overnight. This way it will be much firmer and all you have to do on the next day is reheating it in the oven for 20 minutes at 350 °F.
Lentil Loaf – Recipe Notes:
- You can easily make the lentil loaf ahead. I always love preparing at least some parts of the holiday meals ahead. Just put it in the oven to reheat before you’re serving it.
- The lentil loaf is also really delicious with fettuccine and mushroom gravy. Or it can be enjoyed cold with a salad or on a sandwich.
- You want a sticky but still chunky mixture for the lentil loaf. It’s very important that you make sure to not overdo it, so you still got some texture. So don’t blend it for too long!
- Make sure to let this lentil loaf cool down for a bit in the loaf pan before you slice it. This way it can firm up a bit.
- I highly recommend making this lentil loaf the night before and storing it in the fridge overnight. This way it will be much firmer and all you have to do on the next day is reheating it in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 350 °F.
- Properly stored it will keep up to 5 days in the fridge and 8 weeks in the freezer.
- If you want you could also wrap this lentil loaf in puff pastry. Just prepare the loaf the day before and on the next day wrap it in store-bought vegan puff pastry and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake it for 25-30 minutes at 350 °F.
- This vegan lentil loaf is very filling. One or two slices are probably enough per person.
Ways to Serve This Lentil Loaf:
I served this lentil loaf with pumpkin and sweet potato mash, cranberry pear sauce, and vegan gravy. This was such a delicious and festive vegan meal that is perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas!
Of course this vegan Thanksgiving menu is a bit more time-consuming than most of the recipes you can find on my blog, but I can assure you it’s totally worth the work! It’s perfect to show people how amazing vegan food can be!
1. Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Mash
STEP 1: In the meantime, make the pumpkin and sweet potato mash. Cut both into small cubes and cook for about 10-15 minutes or until soft. Mash with a potato masher and add some vegan margarine, salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg.
STEP 2: For the nut-oat topping, chop some walnuts or Brazil nuts into small chunks and roast them in a small pan for about 2 minutes. Then add the oats and some more vegan margarine. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
STEP 3: Pour the mashed sweet potato and pumpkin into a baking dish and sprinkle with the nut-oat topping. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 °F.
2. Cranberry Pear Sauce
For the cranberry pear sauce, cut the pears into medium-sized cubes. Put them into a small sauce pan together with the cranberries.
Add some water and coconut sugar and cook for about 15 minutes until the cranberries are popped and the pears are soft. To give it some more flavor, add some ground ginger. Instead of the coconut sugar you can also use brown sugar if you want.
3. Vegan Gravy
I’ve always loved gravy sauce and at first I was a bit skeptical if vegan gravy could be just as good as regular gravy sauce. But it definitely can!
And it’s so easy to make. All you need is an onion, garlic, carrots, celery, tomato paste, red wine, vegetable broth and some spices.
Vegan Lentil Loaf – FAQs:
Can you freeze this lentil loaf?
Yes, freezing this lentil loaf is no problem. It freezes really well. Just let the loaf cool down completely and then cut it into slices. Place the slices into freezer bags and freeze them for up to 2 months.
Let them thaw at room temperature and reheat them at 275 °F for about 10 minutes or until heated through.
How long does this lentil loaf last?
Properly stored in an airtight container this lentil loaf lasts for about 5 days in the fridge. You might even go up to 7 days, but make sure to check for any weird small.
In the freezer the lentil loaf lasts for up to 2 months.
How to reheat this lentil loaf:
If you’ve got leftover slices of this lentil loaf, just reheat them by putting them in the oven for about 10 minutes at 275 °F until heated through. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
If you’ve got a whole loaf, reheat it for 15-20 minutes at 350 °F. You could also reheat the lentil loaf slices in the microwave.
What to eat with lentil loaf:
This vegan lentil loaf is great with:
- vegan gravy (recipe at the end of this post)
- cranberry sauce (recipe at the end of this post)
- vegan mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower
- mashed sweet potato casserole (recipe at the end of this post)
- vegan green bean casserole
- yams
- roasted butternut squash and Brussels sprouts
- mushroom bourguignon with fettuccine
- creamy corn
- vegan mac and cheese
Other Festive Vegan Recipes You Might Like:
- Vegan Green Bean Casserole
- 22 Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes
- Mushroom Bourguignon
- 28 Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes
- 33 Vegan Christmas Recipes
- 25 Amazing Vegan Christmas Cookies
- German Mulled Wine / Gluhwein
- Vegan Falafel with Cranberry Pear Sauce
I LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU GUYS!
I hope you like this vegan lentil loaf as much as we do around here.
If you give it a try, I’d love to know what you think about them. Just leave me a comment and a star rating below. Your comments really make my day!
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Vegan Thanksgiving Lentil Loaf
Ingredients
For the Vegan Lentil Loaf:
- 1.5 cups brown lentils
- 2 onions, chopped
- 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
- 3/4 cup walnuts
- 1 large carrot, cut into small pieces
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon unsweetened almond or soy milk
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 2 teaspoons thyme
- 2 teaspoons rosemary
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- salt
- black pepper
For the Mashed Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Casserole:
- 1 small Hokkaido squash (about 35 oz), cut into small pieces
- 16 oz sweet potato, cut into small pieces
- 7 oz potatoes, cut into small pieces
- 3 tablespoons vegan margarine
- 1/4 cup rolled oats
- 1/4 cup walnuts or Brazil nuts, chopped
- salt
- pepper
- red pepper flakes
For the Vegan Gravy:
- 1 onion
- 1 carrot, cut into small pieces
- 2 celery stalks, chopped into small pieces
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1/3 cup dry red wine (use a vegan brand)
- 1 1/4 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon paprika powder
- 1/2 teaspoon rosemary
- salt
- black pepper
For the Cranberry Pear Sauce:
- 1 cup cranberries
- 2 tablespoons coconut or brown sugar
- 2 pears, cut into medium-sized chunks
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 can pear halves
Instructions
Lentil Loaf:
- First, cook the lentils according to the instructions on the package. Then put about 6 tablespoons of the cooked lentils aside. You'll need them later on to give the lentil loaf a bit more texture. Sauté the onion and garlic for about 2 minutes. Then add the chopped carrots and cook them for another 3 minutes. Put all ingredients except the spices into a blender or food processor and blend until you have a sticky but chunky mixture. It's very important that you make sure to not overdo it, so you still got some texture.
- Add the remaining lentils and season with thyme, oregano, salt, pepper, and fresh parsley.
- Place the mixture into a loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Make sure to let the parchment paper overlap the loaf pan, so it's easier to remove the lentil loaf once it's done. Bake the vegan meat loaf for 60 minutes at 350°F. Let the lentil loaf cool down for a bit in the loaf pan before serving it. I highly recommend making the lentil loaf the night before and reheating it on the next day (at 350°F for about 20 minutes). This way it will be much firmer.
Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Mash:
- In the meantime, make the pumpkin and sweet potato mash. Cut both into small cubes and cook for about 10-15 minutes or until soft. Mash with a potato masher and add the vegan margarine, salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg.
- For the nut-oat topping, chop the walnuts or Brazil nuts into small chunks and roast them in a small pan for about 2 minutes. Then add the oats and some more vegan margarine. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Pour the mashed sweet potato and pumpkin into a baking dish and sprinkle with the nut-oat topping. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 °F.I highly recommend making this lentil loaf the night before and storing it in the fridge overnight. This way it will be much firmer and all you have to do on the next day is reheating it in the oven for 20 minutes at 350 °F.
Vegan Gravy:
- Sauté the onion and the garlic for about 2-3 minutes. Then add the carrots and the celery and cook for another 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until it becomes slightly brown. Then stir in the flour and deglaze with red wine. Allow to evaporate. Then add the vegetable broth. Season with oregano, paprika powder, rosemary, salt, and pepper.
- Reduce the heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Pour the gravy through a sieve using a ladle. Put it back into the pot, so you can heat it up once the rest is ready to eat.
Cranberry Pear Sauce:
- For the cranberry pear sauce, cut the pears into medium-sized cubes. Put them into a small sauce pan together with the cranberries.
- Add the water and coconut or brown sugar and cook for about 15 minutes until the cranberries are popped and the pears are soft. To give it some more flavor, add some ground ginger. The sauce is supposed to thicken to a jam-like consistency. Serve the cranberry pear sauce in canned pear halves.
Notes
- You can easily make the lentil loaf ahead. I always love preparing at least some parts of the holiday meals ahead. Just put it in the oven to reheat before you're serving it.
- The lentil loaf is also really delicious with fettuccine and mushroom gravy. Or it can be enjoyed cold with a salad or on a sandwich.
- You want a sticky but still chunky mixture for the lentil loaf. It's very important that you make sure to not overdo it, so you still got some texture. So don't blend it for too long!
- Make sure to let this lentil loaf cool down for a bit in the loaf pan before you slice it. This way it can firm up a bit.
- I highly recommend making this lentil loaf the night before and storing it in the fridge overnight. This way it will be much firmer and all you have to do on the next day is reheating it in the oven for 20 minutes at 350 °F.
- Properly stored it will keep up to 5 days in the fridge and 8 weeks in the freezer.
- If you want you could also wrap this lentil loaf in puff pastry. Just prepare the loaf the day before and on the next day wrap it in store-bought vegan puff pastry and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake it for 30 minutes at 350 °F.
We are meat eaters but enjoyed this at my daughter’s house for thanksgiving. I asked for the recipe because it’s delicious.
This was amazingly easy to make & delicious! By two vegan boys loved it, especially wrapped in puff pastry! I made it for thanksgiving and am making it again for Christmas.
I added an extra carrot and two cups of shiitake mushrooms to the recipe. Sauteed with the onion/garlic/carrot before processing. It was a big hit!
Just put in the oven and realized I missed the soy sauce. Hope it turn soon out ok.
The gravy was so yummy. I felt it didn’t need the paprika and oregano.
I made this with what I had on hand an it turned out great. My vegan brother said it was the best lentil loaf he had ever had. I added a single stalk of chopped celery since I only had a few baby carrots. I had oregano, used dried cilantro instead of parsley, and substituted poultry seasoning for the rest of the herbs. I had it but (oops) forgot to add the flax seed. I added an extra TBSP of tomato paste and a splash of additional soy sauce to get the right texture. It was delicious despite my substitutions. Next time, I will actually follow the recipe and expect it to be even better.
Thank you for this great recipe, Sina! I am a nutritional chef and prepared the lentil loaf for our vegetarians at a recent silent meditation retreat. This group had a lot of different dietary preferences, and everyone loved it! I made a cashew gravy to go with it and it was super tasty. Can’t wait to try out more of your recipes. Much love + gratitude :)
Your lentil loaf was a big hit! I made it the day before Thanksgiving and reheated as recommended. We were careful slicing it, but it held together perfectly. I served it with a mushroom gravy. Thanks for posting, I’ll definitely make it again!
THANK YOU so much for this recipe, prepared the loaf yesterday and can’t wait for my peeps to try it!!!
Soooooo delicious! Making this vegan lentil loaf for Thanksgiving!! :-)