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How do you make a delicious vegan meatloaf that has the perfect meaty texture and amazing plate-licking flavor? You use lentils. But lentils alone will create a mushy meatloaf, and that’s no good. The secret to that meaty texture is mushrooms and walnuts, plus loads of diced and sauteed vegetables. This is the only vegan lentil meatloaf recipe you will ever need!
This vegan lentil meatloaf is one of the best things since sliced bread 😉 When I was a personal chef it was a client favorite, and it even made its way into my cookbook. This is the perfect recipe if you are looking for a vegan entree. It’s great for the holidays––I always make it for Thanksgiving––but also great for a weeknight vegan dinner any time of year.
Of all the vegan meatloafs I’ve tried, this lentil meatloaf is the best. If you know my recipes, you know that I like to use wholesome ingredients, and very rarely use store-bought meat substitutes. For the most authentic meaty texture a vegan ground beef product like Sweet Earth, Beyond Meat, or Gardein would do. However, this lentil meatloaf is so much tastier and more satisfying.
How to make a vegan lentil meatloaf?
Step 1
To make this vegan meatloaf you start by sauteing minced onions, garlic, celery, and mushroom. Minced baby bella mushrooms are both juicy and meaty, and add flavor and a much appreciated succulence to the meatloaf.
Step 2
Add cooked green lentils to the vegetables, along with toasted minced walnuts, a flax “egg”, and breadcrumbs.
Minced walnuts are a must for this lentil meatloaf. If you’ve tried my lentil walnut taco “meat” recipe, then you already know how much flavor, savoriness, and texture walnuts add.
While traditional meatloaf uses an egg to bind the ingredients, a flax “egg” is perfect for my vegan meatloaf recipe. To make a flax egg you simply combine ground flaxseed with water, and let it sit. After about 5 minutes it will have thickened and turned gelatinous, and can replace an egg in most recipes.
Step 3
Once the meatloaf ingredients are combined you transfer it to a loaf pan lined with parchment. I like to make a quick glaze of balsamic vinegar and ketchup, and spread that over the loaf before it goes into the oven. Bake for 30 minutes!
Does this vegan meatloaf freeze well?
This recipe is perfect for meal prep days and freezing long term. It keeps well in the fridge for up to 7 days, and will stay delicious in the freezer for up to 3 months. Feel free to double this recipe and make another loaf for later.
I recommend freezing it after it has been baked. Slice it before freezing to make thawing easier. Lastly, make sure to store it in a freezer safe bag.
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What can I put in meatloaf instead of breadcrumbs?
If you are gluten intolerant, or just out of breadcrumbs, you can replace them with instant oats. If you only have old fashioned oats, give them a whirl in a blender to bread them up before adding. The texture isn’t the same as breadcrumbs, but it will still be delicious. Gluten-free breadcrumbs will also work.
What’s a good substitute for walnuts?
If you are allergic to walnuts, you can replace them with toasted sunflower seeds and/or pumpkin seeds. To achieve a meaty texture with these seeds, I recommend blending them in the food processor before adding to the recipe. The texture should be crumbly, but not a powder.
Have questions about the recipe? Please ask below. I hope you love it as much as I do. If you love lentils, or are looking for more reasons to love them, check out my roundup of amazing vegan lentil recipes!
The Best Vegan Lentil Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried green lentils sorted and rinsed or 2 1/2 cups cooked
- 3 tablespoons ground flaxseed meal
- 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
- 1 cup finely diced yellow onion
- 1 cup finely diced celery
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup shredded carrot
- 10 ounces baby bella mushrooms minced (about 2 cups)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 cup finely chopped toasted walnuts
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus more to taste
- Red chili flakes to taste
- 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 3 tbsp organic ketchup
Instructions
Cook the lentils
- In a medium saucepan, bring 2 1/2 cups water to a boil. Add the lentils, partially cover the pan with a lid, and cook until tender, 30 to 45 minutes, stirring halfway through. Drain and set aside.
Make the loaf
- In a small bowl, stir together the flax seed meal and ½ cup water. Set it aside to thicken for at least 3 minutes.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, and garlic and sauté until the onion begins to soften, about 3 minutes.
- Add the shredded carrot and mushrooms, sautéing until the mushrooms begin to soften and release their liquid, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the thyme and fennel seeds and continue to cook for 5 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Once the mushrooms are soft, add the nutritional yeast, cooked lentils, flax mixture, walnuts, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and chili flakes to the skillet. Stir well to combine all the ingredients.
- Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if desired.
- The mixture should stick together, but if it doesn’t, place about 1 cup of it into a food processor and pulse until it’s a thick mush. Stir that back into the skillet.
- Scoop the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and press firmly into the pan.
- Make a quick glaze by mixing together the balsamic vinegar and ketchup in a bowl, then spread that evenly over the loaf.
- Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes, or until the top of the loaf feels firm to the touch.
- Let it cool for 10 to 20 minutes before slicing.
NATE / March 28, 2023 at 4:02 pm /
I tripled this recipe because it sounds so delicious!! I’m so glad I did, because now I can enjoy it for days to come!!
Madeline Reynolds / March 16, 2023 at 5:08 pm /
Very tasty. Really satisfying. However, get ready for lots of chopping so I believe I’ll make it again for a holiday meal to treat a bunch of non-vegan believers. Next time I’ll also watch the amount of moisture. It seemed a little wet compared to beef meatload when it came out of the oven but it did firm up once it cooled completely.
Jasmine / March 12, 2023 at 7:37 pm /
I made this in a muffin tin so it was portioned out! It fit into 18 full size muffins (3 per serving). Absolutely tasty. Baked it for 25 minutes instead of 30 since it was individual pieces. Thank you for this recipe!
Gina / October 30, 2022 at 6:24 pm /
Suggestions for the breadcrumbs..dried in a can like progresso; panko crumbs in a box; seasoned or or plain; toast a piece of bread in a toaster and put in food processor??? Sorry, no experience with bread crumbs so not sure what works in a lentil loaf.
Jasmine / March 25, 2023 at 8:26 pm /
I used panko and enjoyed it a lot. Anything that is dry and crusty should work. It is there to soak up some of the moisture and flavor!
Kim / January 22, 2022 at 4:14 pm /
I just made this today and it tastes amazing!!! I couldn’t wait for it to cool so it wasn’t firm, but that’s on me. I sautéed zucchini as the side and seasoned it with garlic powder and thyme.
I love you videos!! Your recipes sound so good!
Jenne / January 24, 2022 at 7:35 pm /
Yum!!! Glad you enjoyed it. I made it just yesterday too Thank you!!!!
Joan / December 11, 2021 at 8:01 pm /
Excellent lentil loaf. My meat eaters approached and gave me the okay to repeat this meal again. The loaf was soft, but I was instructed by the meat eaters not to mess with the recipe. Thank you.
Dina Shadwell / November 27, 2021 at 10:46 pm /
I’ve had my eye on this recipe for a while and finally tried it tonight. SO GOOD!! Great texture and flavor. My non-vegan spouse loved it too. Thanks, Jenné!
Dane / November 26, 2021 at 5:52 pm /
Whew chile, I made it! I didn’t realize how lengthy this recipe was. I lent my food processor out, so I was working with a blender. It worked for everything very well, except the mushrooms. I used 1 can of lentils, which is slightly less than the recipe called for, but it seemed to be just fine. I didn’t puree half of the mix because I was TIRED. Lol I didn’t have parchment paper, so I just sprayed the pan with a little avocado oil before packing the mix in the pan. I didn’t bake for the full time because it was looking drier than I thought it should while in the skillet & didn’t want it to dry out. I turned it out the pan like a cake onto a cutting board & it didn’t stick! It sliced up nicely & looked just fine despite me not pureeing half. It was nice & moist too! I was surprised how everything melded together so well. It paired nicely with the nut-free mac & cheese & vegan greens. I’ll make this again, but only for special occasions.
Deanna / November 26, 2021 at 10:22 am /
We tried this recipe last night as part of our Thanksgiving meal, and thoroughly enjoyed it! Like another person commented, the flavor was reminiscent of stuffing (yum!!) especially because the only organic breadcrumbs we could find were “Italian seasoning flavored” – but still came out great! The walnut pieces added much-welcomed texture (don’t process them toooo fine, or you’ll lose that) and we were overall really happy to have a healthy, delicious, protein-rich dish to go along with our mashed potatoes, gravy and green beans. Will definitely make again. Thank you so much for sharing!
Ginger / November 23, 2021 at 6:23 pm /
Just made this and the flavor is amazing. I love it. Mine did fall apart though so any tips on how to fix that would be rad.
I used two thin slices of whole wheat sourdough, toasted. then pulsated to make the bread crumbs.
I also used raw walnuts for health reasons but I would imagine toasted would have made it all taste better.
For the lentils, I used the instant pot. 1 cup lentils to 2 cups water, 15 mins then natural release.
Erin / November 23, 2021 at 12:43 pm /
Mushy
CC / November 20, 2021 at 11:44 am /
Do you have to roast Walnuts?
Adele / November 20, 2021 at 7:32 am /
I love this recipe, I’ve just sent it to my mum to make for Christmas! Vegan by stealth
Bethany / November 15, 2021 at 10:59 am /
I can’t wait to try this! If I make it a day in advance should I bake it then and reheat or just make the loaf and bake when we’re ready?
Michelle / October 11, 2021 at 9:21 pm /
This meatloaf is so good! It tastes like Thanksgiving Day stuffing all packaged into a delicious loaf. It tasted fantastic fresh out of the oven and still great for lunch leftovers during the week.
Mary / October 11, 2021 at 3:39 pm /
Haven’t actually baked it yet but I’m coming here to comment on this before I forget. HOLY MOLY. I’ve been around the block a few times when it comes to lentil loaf. This one tastes like stuffing, which what more could you want??? I’m trying to figure out how early I can serve dinner tonight because I’m so excited to eat it. 4:45 isn’t too early is it? This will be our thanksgiving main for sure! Thank you!!!
Nikita / September 26, 2021 at 12:05 pm /
Will the taste be ruined in you use brown lentils instead of green?
Dawn / November 23, 2021 at 6:36 am /
I have the same question…I just don’t like the taste of green lentils. Have you tried it with brown or any other variety? Thanks!
Amanda Furber / December 1, 2021 at 9:21 am /
I used brown lentils, and it was delicious 🙂
Jeannette Miller / December 30, 2021 at 8:30 pm /
I have made vegan loaves before but this one is the best that I’ve ever fixed it is so good even my daughter who eats meat said that it was awesome I will definitely cook it again.
Giftbasketworldwide / September 15, 2021 at 8:34 am /
It looks absolutely amazing.
Maxine / September 2, 2021 at 3:44 am /
Wow I can see why this has such high ratings! It was delicious, great flavor! I’m regretting not having made a double batch. Thank you for the recipe!
Winter / June 17, 2021 at 12:39 pm /
I followed all instructions and it has been in the oven for almost an hour and is actually more mushy than it was when I put in the one the oven. It stuck together just fine when I pressed it into the pan. Unsure what I did wrong. Oh well, this is one recipe that can’t be a staple.
Marianne / November 7, 2021 at 6:42 pm /
I have run into the same thing. I’ve made this several times and most of the time it’s perfect. But a couple of times it’s been mushy and I have no idea what I’m doing wrong.. I keep making it though! 😉
Kei / June 7, 2021 at 9:52 pm /
Hi……what can be substituted for mushrooms for this recipe? I would like to make it but I am allergic to mushrooms. Thank you.
Jenne / June 8, 2021 at 7:36 pm /
You can skip them. I haven’t tried this, but I imagine cauliflower would be a good replacement too. It will help keep the loaf moist. If you use cauliflower, rice it before adding to sauté with the carrots and other veggies. I think 1 cup of cauliflower will be good.
Jenny / June 7, 2021 at 8:56 pm /
I want to make this so bad but my daughter is very allergic to walnuts and pecans. Do you have any ideas for substitutions? I know walnut “meat” is awesome but it is not an option for us anymore.
Jenne / June 8, 2021 at 7:37 pm /
I’m sorry to hear she’s allergic. Try roughly ground toasted sunflower seeds. I use them to replace nuts in all sorts of recipes.
PAULA / November 23, 2021 at 2:31 pm /
I too am allergic to nuts. Sunflower seeds make a great stand in for many recipes
Kathy Willson / May 9, 2021 at 4:03 pm /
This is delicious! Amazing how the mushrooms and walnuts in conjunction with the lentils make such a satisfying dish. You won’t even miss meat.
Jenne / May 10, 2021 at 6:25 pm /
I totally agree! Thank you so much, Kathy!
Mary / May 8, 2021 at 8:58 pm /
I made the lentil loaf for friends and family on Easter. Everyone loved it. It was so good.
Jenne / May 10, 2021 at 6:25 pm /
Wonderful! I’m so happy to hear that.
Ibolya / April 25, 2021 at 9:01 am /
This is sooo delicious! Thank you for this! We eat this warm or cold. The only thing is that the recipe seems to make a larger portion then picturedbut…really that is a positive