Easy Vegan Lentil Loaf
This vegan lentil loaf is easy and loaded with a little bit of Latin flavor. Firm, tender and the right moisture. Perfect for Thanksgiving!
I make lentil loaf at least once a year. Most recipes I’ve tried in the past seemed very labor intense, which is why I wanted to make a version that wasn’t like that. Super easy, comes together and more importantly has flavor. The flavor of this loaf has a nice little Latin twist that I think makes a difference and really happy to now share it with you!
Why you’ll love this lentil loaf
- This recipe is both gluten free and vegan! Perfect for those dealing with any allergies.
- It’s high protein thanks to the mixture of lentils, oats and walnuts as the base of the recipe.
- Full of flavor! To make this loaf special, I added a little bit of Latin spices here to bring out some more umami flavors. They make this even better than your typical holiday loafs.
- Easy enough that you can even make or meal prep any other day of the week. No holiday required!
Key lentil loaf ingredients
- Flax Egg: a combo of ground flaxseed and water that gels and acts as a binder for the loaf
- Onion, celery, and carrots: the ultimate veggie combo for body and flavor
- Garlic: adding a bunch of cloves of garlic here to help amp up the savory flavor
- Lentils: the base of our loaf and the main ingredient that will help to create the main texture to the loaf
- Walnuts: adds some healthy fat, a buttery flavor and some nice texture to the loaf
- Oats: another base ingredient that helps to add more flavor and texture to the loaf and will absorb some extra moisture
- Tomato Paste: only need a little to give a nice balance of flavor to the lentils
- Bell Pepper: adds a little more balance in moisture to the loaf so it’s not completely dry
- Latin spices: this includes adobo, sazon and smoked paprika
- Thyme: adds a bit of classic holiday flavor
- Sriracha Ketchup: the glaze to top our loaf that consists of some ketchup and sriracha mixed together
How to make this easy vegan lentil loaf
- Start by preheating your oven and mixing together your water and flaxseed to make a flax egg.
- Sauté your veggies and garlic together to soften,
- To a food processor, add your flax eggs, sautéed veggies, lentils, walnuts, oats and spices.
- Process ingredients together until it sticks together and then spread into a loaf pan lined with parchment paper.
- Combine ketchup and sriracha and spread half of the mixture overtop.
- Bake your loaf for 45 minutes and then allow to cool for 5-10 minutes than remove loaf from pan carefully with parchment paper.
- Spread remaining ketchup mixture on top and serve.
Tips for making an easy vegan lentil loaf
- I really like to prep my lentils for this recipe the day before. I cook up a full cup of dry lentils with 3 cups vegetable broth. Bring lentils to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer and allow lentils to fully cook until tender or liquid is absorbed. Drain lentils if any liquid remains and store in a Tupperware container for later use.
- I use sazon and adobo a lot! It’s pretty much something that I can’t stop using, but they are Latin spice mixes that add a lot of savory flavor. Typically you can find it in the international section of your local grocery store. If you can’t find sazon, you can find it online at Loisa or use equal amounts of extra smoked paprika.
- Make sure your mixture is not super wet. You want to make sure that your mixture will firm up, which is why it’s important to drain off the liquid from your lentils.
- To make removing the loaf from the pan easier, line pan with strips of parchment paper and use to carefully guide the loaf out of the pan.
- To keep this recipe gluten free, make sure to use gluten free oats and gluten free soy sauce or wheat free tamari.
More Thanksgiving Recipes
- Roasted Stuffed Butternut Squash
- Holiday Seitan Roast
- Baked Sweet Potato Empanadas with Mince Tempeh
Easy Vegan Lentil Loaf
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: American
Description
This vegan lentil loaf is easy and loaded with a little bit of Latin flavor. Firm, tender and the right moisture. Perfect for Thanksgiving!
Ingredients
Scale
Lentil Loaf
- 3 tbsp ground flaxseeds
- 6 tbsp water
- 1/2 onion (diced)
- 2 stalks celery (diced)
- 1 medium carrot (diced)
- 6 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 bell pepper
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 cups cooked lentils
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1 1/4 cups rolled oats
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp sazon
- 1/2 tsp adobo
- 3 tbsp lite soy sauce
Sriracha Ketchup
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 1 tbsp sriracha
Instructions
- Set oven to 350F.
- Combine ground flaxseeds and water in a small bowl and set aside to gel.
- In a sauce pan over medium heat, add onion, celery and carrots.
- Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and sauté until vegetables are softened.
- Add in garlic and bell pepper and sauté until garlic is fragrant.
- Stir in tomato paste and cook for about 2 minutes then remove mixture from heat.
- In your food processor, add in lentils, oats, walnuts, sautéed vegetables, and flax mixture.
- Then add in thyme, smoked paprika, sazon, adobo and soy sauce.
- Mix on low until the mixture becomes more uniform and sticks together.
- Once processed, spread mixture out into a parchment lined loaf pan and smooth out.
- Brush 1/2 of the sriracha ketchup mixture on top of the loaf and place pan into the oven and bake for 45 minutes.
- Remove from oven and layer on the remainder of the sriracha ketchup. Allow to cool for a few minutes and carefully lift loaf out of the pan and onto a cutting board.
- Carefully cut slices and serve as desired.
Notes
- To make gluten free please use gluten free rolled oats
- To make nut free, use seeds like pepitas or sunflower seed in place of walnuts
Did You Try This Recipe?
Then let me know what you thought! Share your creations by tagging me on Instagram with the hashtag #plantbasedrdeats
★ Catherine
