If you’re a meat ‘n potatoes lover, you’ve got to try this homestyle Lentil Meatloaf recipe. It’s hearty, satisfying, and secretly packed with nutrients!
Reasons to Love Lentil Meatloaf!
- Completely plant-based – nothing artificial, no “weird” ingredients
- Gluten-free
- Can be made nut-free by swapping sunflower seeds for walnuts
- Hearty + Comforting
- Nostalgic + Cozy
- Packed with protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals
- Great served with your favorite mashed potato recipe and a green veggie!
- EXCELLENT WAY TO GET KIDS TO EAT THIER VEGGIES lol
What is in veggie meatloaf?
Plant-based meatloaf can be made with a mix of root vegetables, legumes, and nuts – or seeds if you prefer! Here’s the ingredients of this recipe:
- Brown Lentils
- Walnuts
- Onions, Carrots, Mushrooms, and Garlic
- Chickpea Flour
- Baking Powder
- Ketchup
- Djion Mustard
- Worcestershire sauce
- Nutritional Yeast
- Dried herbs and Spices
How to make vegan meatloaf
Making a vegan lentil meatloaf is easier than you might think! The full recipe can be found on the recipe card below, but here’s a step-by-step overview to give you an idea!
Step One: Prep
I like to chop up all the veggies before I start cooking, that way it’s all done at once and the cooking process runs smoothly. I usually use a veggie chopper like this one to quickly chop the onions, carrots, mushrooms, and walnuts into the same sized pieces. Crush the cloves of garlic and set aside. Now it’s time to get cooking!
Step Two: Cook
Sauté the onions and carrots on medium heat for minutes. I know it’s tempting to crank up the heat to try and hurry this process along, but that has a tendency to burn the veggies on the outside before giving them a chance to soften on the inside. The goal is not to brown the vegetables but to draw out some of the moisture inside of them so that the meatloaf will have a nice, cohesive texture. So resist the urge to cook on high heat and let these guys mellow on medium for 5-6 minutes.
Next, add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes. Then add the garlic and walnuts and cook for one more minute.
Step 3: Season
Turn the heat off, stir in the lentils, and then add lots of flavor to this meatloaf by adding salt, chili powder, and dried herbs. Next comes some ketchup, mustard, vegan Worcestershire sauce, and nutritional yeast. Sprinkle it into the pan and give it a good mix!
Step 4: Assemble
Transfer 1/3 of the mixture to a food processor and blend until it resembles hummus. Then add that to the pan along with chickpea flour and baking powder. This is the secret to perfect veggie meatloaf! Blending helps to bind the mixture together, like a chicken’s egg would in a traditional meatloaf recipe, and the baking powder gives it lift so the meatloaf won’t be too dense.
Step 5: Bake
Transfer to 9x4in loaf pan and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Then whip up a quick glaze using ketchup and Worcestershire sauce and brush it on top of the meatloaf. Bake for another 15 minutes.
More “Meaty” Vegan Recipes You Might Like:
- The BEST Lentil Meatball Subs
- Beet and Walnut Veggie Burgers
- Vegan Norwegian Meatballs
- Pineapple Teriyaki Burger Bowls
Lentil Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil divided
- 1 15oz can of brown lentils drained and rinsed
- 1¼ cup finely chopped carrots about 2-3 medium carrots
- ½ cup finely diced red onion
- 1 pint button mushrooms
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp kosher salt I use Morton's
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp dried rosemary
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ¼ tsp ground sage
- ½ cup walnuts or sunflower seeds
- 3 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1½ tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup chickpea flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 handful chopped fresh parsley
For the glaze:
- 4 tbsp ketchup
- 4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
Prep
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Finely chop the onions, carrots, mushrooms, and walnuts and set each ingredient aside. I recommend using a food processor to get the veggies nice and small.
- Next, crush the garlic. Rinse and drain one can of lentils, and chop the parsley.
Cook
- Add 2 tbsp of the olive oil to a pan and set to medium heat. Add the onions and carrots and cook for 5 minutes. Then add the mushrooms and cook for 3-5 minutes.
- At this point, the moisture from the mushrooms should have cooked out, so add the garlic and walnuts to the pan and cook that for one more minute. Then add the lentils and turn off the heat.
Season
- Season with salt, chili powder, rosemary, thyme, and sage. Mix well and then add the ketchup, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and nutritional yeast.
- Assemble
- Transfer 1/3 of the mixture to a food processor with 1 tablespoon of water, and the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Blend until it looks like chunky hummus. Then add it back to the pan.
- Sprinkle in the chickpea flour and baking powder and mix well. Finish by stirring in the fresh parsley and transfer the meatloaf mixture to a lightly greased 9x4in loaf pan.
Bake
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, make the glaze by combining the ketchup and Worcestershire sauce. Then remove the meatloaf from the oven, brush half of the glaze on top and return to the oven.
- Bake for 18-20 more minutes.
Finishing Touches
- Brush the remaining glaze on top of the meatloaf and sprinkle with more parsley. Allow the meatloaf to cool for 10 minutes before slicing and enjoy!
Hey! I’m Nicole and I make practical vegan recipes for REAL life. I cook with simple, easy to find ingredients and I’m passionate about creating delicious plant-based meals that everyone will love!
I hope you enjoy my recipes and videos :) Happy Cooking!
Find me on: Instagram
This is pretty good, I like all of the added vegetables and seasonings. I’ve been WFPB, SOS free for nearly five years. I don’t do oil but it came out great, I would give it 8 out of 10.
The recipe is amazing! I don’t usually like brown lentils but decided to give this a try and it the flavor was great!! I used oat flour instead of chickpea and used a bit more than a 1/2 cup. I will definitely be making this for thanksgiving or Christmas 🙂
Author
Thank you Beth! I’m beaming right now. So glad you liked it 😊 And thanks for letting me know about the oat flour measurements. My Grandma used to use oats in meatloaf all the time so I’ll have to try that next time. Thanks again!
We have always made lentil loaf but I’ve never loved one, until this! So good! The only thing we were a little unsure of was the pint measurement for the mushrooms. I assumed it was just the regular container size of mushrooms but couldn’t find anything to confirm that. Either way it still worked out great!
Author
Wow, that’s great to hear! I’m so glad you liked this recipe Jackie 😊 And yes, you’re right. It’s the regular sized container size!
I tried it, and it was really nice, so good I made it again a few days later.
The best that I have tasted.
I’ve recently made the lentil loaf and it was absolutely delicious. I’m usually not a fan of meatloaf made with beans but this was a game changer for me. The taste and texture of the lentil loaf was savory and almost with a meat like texture, just perfect.
You are one of my favorite content creator on Youtube and I’m looking forward to your next video. Your new cookbook is on my wish list on Amazon.