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    Home » Recipes » Main Dishes and Small Dishes

    Modified: Mar 25, 2025 · Published: Sep 9, 2019 by Willow Moon · This post may contain affiliate links. · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

    Lentil Loaf

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    This vegan Lentil Loaf is moist and flavorful. It will be the star attraction at any holiday party. Made with lentils, quinoa, and vegetables.

    Lentil Loaf on a plate.

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    This healthy Lentil Loaf is pure comfort food. It has a great texture and it is loaded with flavor.

    It's a great recipe for the holidays when you want a hearty vegan dish to be the star of the show. (I know how it is filling up on sides because that is all that is available.)

    Serve it with my Sangria recipe, Cranberry Kombucha recipe, Cranberry Apple Jam recipe, Roasted Sweet Potato and Apple Salad, and Mashed Cauliflower.

    Some other lentil recipes to try are my Vegan Lentil Skillet Lasagna recipe, Vegan Lentil Burgers, or BBQ Lentil Sandwich.

    Jump to:
    • ❤️ Why You'll Love It
    • 🧾 Ingredients
    • 🔪 Instructions
    • 🍽 Serving
    • 💭 Tips
    • Other Lentil Recipes
    • 🎥  Video
    • 📋 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    ❤️ Why You'll Love It

    • It is a hearty, healthy meal.
    • It makes a great main dish for the holidays.
    • It's packed with protein.

    🧾 Ingredients

    Lentil loaf ingredients on a cutting board with labels.
    Lentil loaf ingredients on a cutting board with labels.
    • Quinoa: Has a mild nutty flavor. Binds it all together.
    • Vegetable broth: I like low sodium vegetable broth so that I can control the amount of sodium.
    • Veggies: I used onion, celery and carrots for a flavor base.
    • Olive oil: For flavor and cooking the vegetables in.
    • Garlic: Add a pungent flavor.
    • Thyme: Adds an earthy minty flavor. It reminds me of Thanksgiving. You can use your favorite herbs.
    • Ground flaxseed: Binds it all together.
    • Lentils: I used canned brown lentils.
    • Ketchup: Adds a sweet vinegar flavor.
    • Salt and pepper: Enhances the other flavors and adds flavor. I like to use sea salt.
    • Tamari: Adds an umami flavor. I used low sodium gluten-free tamari so that I can control the sodium.

    To see the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

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    🔪 Instructions

    Collage photo of quinoa being made, then onions in a pan. Lastly, red pepper, celery, and spices added.

    Step 1: Toast quinoa in a pan to add a nutty flavor. Add vegetable broth and bring to a boil.

    Step 2: Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until liquid is absorbed about 15 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes to get fluffy.

    Step 3: Cook onions until translucent.

    Step 4: Add garlic, then chopped celery, carrots, and thyme. Cook until crisp tender.

    Collage photo of lentil loaf being made, with ingredients in a bowl, then being mashed. Ketchup, salt, and pepper is added, then it's mixed.

    Step 5: Add onion, carrot, and celery mixture, quinoa, lentils, and ground flax into a large mixing bowl.

    Step 6: Mash with a pastry blender or potato masher.

    Step 7: Add ketchup, salt, and pepper.

    Step 8: Mix well.

    Collage photo of lentil loaf being assembled in a baking dish.

    Step 9: In a small bowl mix ketchup and tamari.

    Step 10: Spread olive oil into a baking dish or loaf pan. Spread lentil mixture into the dish.

    Step 11: Spread the ketchup mixture on top of the lentil loaf. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

    Step 12: Then, bake uncovered for 8 more minutes.

    🍽 Serving

    • Super Creamy Vegan Mac and Cheese
    • Vegan Mushroom Stuffing
    • Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Apples with Tahini Dressing
    • Vegan Mashed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic
    • Vegan Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Gravy
    • Roasted Beet and Butternut Squash Salad with Maple Tahini Dressing

    💭 Tips

    • If you buy quinoa in the bulk section, make sure to rinse and drain it. It contains saponin, which gives it a soapy or bitter taste if not rinsed. If you buy packaged quinoa, make sure that it says it was rinsed before packaging.
    • Toast your quinoa for a nutty flavor before adding vegetable broth and cooking it.
    • You may be tempted to cook the quinoa in water, but the low-sodium vegetable broth makes a huge difference in the recipe because it adds so much flavor.
    • The brand of vegetable broth can make a difference too. I used Trader Joe's, but there are other great ones out there as well.
    • Make sure you add salt to the quinoa.
    • You could cook your own lentils if you prefer. I like having at least one shortcut to make my life easier.
    • Cover the lentil loaf with foil and bake it. That way the loaf and the glaze stay nice and moist. Then, cook it uncovered so that the glaze cooks onto the loaf.
    • I used a glass baking dish for this recipe. If you use a metal one it won't take as long to bake.
    • You can grind your own flaxseed in a coffee grinder or Nutribullet with the milling blade.
    Vegan Loaf close up.

    Other Lentil Recipes

    • Lentil and Mushroom Shepherd's Pie with Mashed Cauliflower on a plate with fork.
      Lentil and Mushroom Shepherd's Pie with Mashed Cauliflower
    • BBQ Lentil Sandwich with Sriracha Coleslaw on a plate.
      BBQ Lentil Sandwich with Sriracha Coleslaw
    • Vegan Lentil Skillet Lasagna in a large skillet.
      Vegan Lentil Skillet Lasagna
    • Lentil Burgers
      Vegan Lentil Burgers

    🎥  Video

    This vegan meatloaf is perfect for a main dish at a holiday party. The whole family will love it!

    If you tried this Lentil Loaf Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and let me know how you like it in the 💬 comments below. I love hearing from you!

    📋 Recipe

    Lentil Loaf
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    5 from 4 votes

    Lentil Loaf

    This vegan Lentil Loaf is moist and flavorful. It will be the star attraction at any holiday party. Made with lentils, quinoa, and vegetables.
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American
    Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
    Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 1 hour hour 3 minutes minutes
    Total Time 1 hour hour 13 minutes minutes
    Servings 8 slices
    Calories 284kcal
    Author Willow Moon
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    • ½ cup quinoa
    • 1 cup low sodium vegetable broth
    • Salt
    • 1 cup chopped onions
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil + more for greasing dish
    • 1 clove garlic minced
    • 2 stalks celery chopped (½ cup)
    • 1 carrot chopped (¼ cup)
    • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
    • 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
    • 15 ounce can of lentils drained and rinsed
    • ¼ cup ketchup
    • Salt and pepper

    Glaze

    • ¼ cup ketchup
    • 2 teaspoons low sodium gluten free tamari

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 375°F.
    • Rinse and drain quinoa. It contains saponins, which give it a soapy or bitter taste if not rinsed. If you buy packaged quinoa, make sure that it says it was rinsed before packaging.
    • Pour quinoa into a pan, and toast for a couple of minutes, if desired.
    • Add vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add salt. Simmer 15 minutes, until liquid is absorbed. Let sit about 5 minutes to get fluffy. Set aside.
    • Add olive oil and chopped onions to a hot pan. Cook onions until translucent over medium heat, about 3-4 minutes.
    • Add minced garlic. Cook 30 seconds longer.
    • Add chopped celery, carrot and dried thyme. Cook until crisp tender, about 5 minutes.
    • In a mixing bowl, add onion, celery, and carrot mixture, cooked quinoa, ground flaxseed, and lentils. Mix and mash with a pastry blender or potato masher.
    • Add ketchup, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
    • Oil a 9 x 5 x 2 ½" loaf pan or line it with parchment paper. Pour mixture into pan and press down.
    • Glaze: Mix ketchup and tamari. Spread on top of lentil loaf.
    • Cover lentil loaf with foil. Bake at 375°F for 30 minutes* covered, then take foil off and bake for 8 minutes longer. Let sit 15 minutes so that it can firm up.

    Notes

    * I used a glass baking dish. If you use a metal one, you won't need to bake it as long. I would recommend checking the loaf after 20 minutes.
    This recipe will last up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge.

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    Nutrition

    Calories: 284kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 356mg | Potassium: 709mg | Fiber: 18g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1479IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 5mg
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    *Note: Nutrition information should be considered an estimate only. Different nutrition calculators give you different results.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 4 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Alex says

      November 14, 2023 at 2:38 am

      Hello 👋 there,

      Thank you for sharing this recipe. I was wondering if I could use milled chia instead of flax? Thank you for any help and your time. Alex

      Reply
      • Willow Moon says

        November 14, 2023 at 10:28 am

        Hi Alex, yes you could use ground chia seeds in place of the ground flax.

        Reply
    2. Nita teller says

      September 10, 2019 at 8:21 am

      I sure am going to make this loaf. It sounds so good. Thank you5 stars

      Reply
    3. Sammy says

      September 09, 2019 at 10:21 am

      I love lentils - This looks great! I'll have to give it a go!

      Sammy

      Reply

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