This is the best vegan lentil loaf you will ever eat! This savory vegan meatloaf is healthy, delicious, and packed with protein! Perfect for a hearty meal or a vegan holiday dish. Use this base recipe and add veggies, mushrooms, or swap out the lentils for chickpeas for endless variations.
This is one of our family favorites that has been in our meal rotation for about 20 years now. If my husband is in charge of making dinner, he usually chooses to make this lentil loaf. It's just one of those hearty satisfying meals that you never get sick of.
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❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- It's vegan, gluten-free, and soy-free.
- Lentil loaf is easy to make with a few simple ingredients.
- It's full of plant-based protein.
- Lentil loaf is perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, but easy enough for a random weeknight meal.
- This recipe is versatile - change up the spices or veggies that you add to it and make it different every time.
- It's packed with flavor!
🧾 Ingredients and substitutions
- Lentils - cooked lentils. Any color will work.
- Rice - to bind the loaf together. You can use white or brown rice.
- Onions - for flavor. (You can also add any other finely chopped veggies if you'd like).
- Garlic - for flavor. (optional)
- Salt - for flavor.
- Nutritional Yeast - for an umami flavor. This gives it a more savory slightly cheesy flavor and adds vitamins, but it is optional if you don't have any.
- Poultry Seasoning - or dried sage for flavor.
- Fresh Herbs - like oregano, marjoram, or thyme. (optional)
- Flax Meal - to help bind the loaf and hold it together better. Mix with water to make a flax egg. (If you don't have flax meal, it will work without it, but it will hold together slightly better with it added).
- Ketchup - for flavor and to make the top of the loaf pretty. You can also use barbecue sauce instead.
🔪 Helpful tools
- Food Processor - this will have you mash up the rice and lentils quickly and easily. If you don't have one, you can do this by hand with a large fork or a potato masher, it just takes a little more effort to do it by hand.
🥄 Instructions
- Cook rice according to package directions.
- Make a flax egg by mixing 1 tbsp of flax meal with 2 1/2 tbsp of water and set aside for at least 5 minutes.
- Boil lentils in 2 quarts of water for 18 minutes, then drain.
- While the lentils are cooking, dice 2 onions, and saute them in olive oil over low heat.
- Sprinkle the onions with salt and poultry seasoning and add minced garlic and continue to saute over low heat for 10-12 minutes until translucent.
- Add the cooked rice, cooked lentils, cooked onions (and/or other cooked veggies) nutritional yeast, and flax egg to a food processor and pulse a few times until everything is combined and partially mashed together. (Be sure not to over blend. It should look like the image below).
- Fill an oiled bread loaf pan with the mixture and pack it down tightly.
- Top with ketchup.
- Bake at 350° F for 60 minutes.
- Allow cooling for about 15 minutes before slicing.
🌟 Variations
- Bean Loaf - Swap out the lentils with chickpeas, black beans, or any other beans.
- Veggie Lentil Loaf - add 1 cup of chopped veggies of choice to the onions. Carrots, celery, mushrooms, and zucchini work well.
- Mushroom Loaf - add 1 cup of finely chopped mushrooms to the onions after they have cooked for about 5 minutes.
👩🏻🍳 Pro tips
- Make sure to fully cook the rice and lentils before adding them to the loaf. They need to have enough moisture content to make them stick together.
- Don't over mash the rice and lentil mixture. Bend it enough to combine everything and get it to stick together, but not so much that it's mushy.
- Cook for the full 60 minutes and then allow it to cool and set for about 15 minutes after you take it out of the oven so it will not fall apart when you slice it.
- Add a fresh layer of ketchup on top for a bright red color.
🥡 Storage and reheating
Refrigerator - Store any leftover lentil loaf in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Freezer - To freeze, cook your lentil loaf and allow it to cool completely, then wrap it in an air-tight freezer bag. Try to get out as much air as possible, so that air is not coming in contact with your loaf. You can also keep your loaf in the loaf pan to help give it support and keep it from getting crushed in the freezer.
Reheating - If frozen, allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight. Reheat slices in the microwave or to reheat the whole loaf, cover with foil so it doesn't dry out, and put in the oven at 300° F (150°C) for 20 minutes.
🍽️ Serving suggestions
This lentil loaf is delicious topped with ketchup, barbecue sauce, vegan gravy, or vegan nacho cheese sauce. You can serve it as a main course with mashed potatoes, Balsamic Roasted Veggies, Kale Salad with Cranberries, or Vegan Broccoli Salad on the side!
🌟 More vegan holiday dishes
📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!
A gluten-free vegan "meatloaf" made from cooked lentils and rice. Perfect for a main course and delicious served with gravy or vegan cheese sauce.
- 1 tablespoon flax meal (If you don't have flax meal, it will work without it, but it will hold together slightly better with it added.)
- 2 1/2 tablespoons water to mix with the flax
- 2 cups dry lentils (about 3 cups cooked lentils)
- 2 cups cooked rice
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium onions peeled and diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (divided)
- 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning or sage, Italian seasoning, or other herbs of choice.
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1/4 cup Ketchup or other sauce of choice.
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Cook rice according to package directions.
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Make a flax egg by mixing 1 tbsp of flax meal with 2 1/2 tbsp of water and set aside for at least 5 minutes.
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Boil lentils in 2 quarts of water for 18 minutes, then drain.
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While the lentils are cooking, dice 2 onions, and saute them in olive oil over low heat.
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Sprinkle the onions with 1/2 tsp salt, 2 tsp poultry seasoning, and 2 cloves minced garlic. Continue to saute over low heat for 10-12 minutes until translucent.
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Add 2 cups cooked rice, cooked lentils, cooked onions (and/or other cooked veggies), 2 tbsp nutritional yeast, 1 tsp salt, and flax egg to a food processor and pulse a few times until everything is combined and partially mashed together.
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Fill an oiled bread loaf pan with the mixture and pack it down tightly.
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Top with ketchup or other sauce.
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Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 1 hour.
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Allow cooling for about 15 minutes before slicing.
Tips for making a great lentil loaf:
- Make sure to fully cook the rice and lentils before adding them to the loaf. They need to have enough moisture content to make them stick together.
- Don't over mash the rice and lentil mixture. Blend it enough to combine everything and get it to stick together, but not so much that it's mushy.
- Cook for the full 60 minutes and then allow it to cool and set for about 15 minutes after you take it out of the oven so it will not fall apart when you slice it.
- Add a fresh layer of ketchup on top for a bright red color.
I made this recipe tonight and my family loved it. Texture and flavor is fantastic. I completed the meal with vegan mashed potatoes and a vegetable medley with green and yellow squash with sundried tomatoes. It paired so well. Thank you for sharing your recipes!!
I'm so happy that you and your family liked them, Crystal! 🙂
This recipe is so so good. Plant-based recipes that are tasty need a shout out! Well, I’m telling you ; this recipe has flavor, excellent texture, and the taste of meatloaf. I added my homemade spaghetti sauce topping, instead of ketchup. The loaf did not turn soggy! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
I'm glad that you liked it, Liv! Your spaghetti sauce topping sounds delicious! 🙂
This is literally the first ever vegatarian/vegan meatloaf recipe I have ever made that actually tastes like meatloaf, cuts like meatloaf and serves like meatloaf. Well done!
Thanks! I'm so happy that you liked it! 🙂
how long can i store this in the fridge???
It will keep well for 3-5 days in the fridge.
Can I prepare this ahead of time ( the day before or morning of) store in the fridge
And cook at dinner time?
Yes, definitely. Just keep in the fridge until you are ready to bake it. Enjoy! 🙂
Is it 2 cups lentils cooked or is it 3 cups cooked.
Sorry for the confusion. You need 2 cups of dry lentils. It will be about 3 cups when cooked. Enjoy! 🙂
What type of lentils do you use?
I just use standard green lentils in mine, but you can use yellow or red lentils too. Just don't cook them quite as long since they are smaller.
Hi, I cannot use yeast can I use baking powder instead and how much will work? Thank you, Ria
Nutritional yeast is different than baker's yeast. It is only for flavor, so you can just leave it out altogether. Enjoy!
is it 21/2 tbsp. or tsp water to mix with flax meal . u got both there
I'm so sorry for the typo, it is 2 1/2 TBSP of water. It has been fixed in the recipe now.
Hi Monica,
Looks like we will be trying this and the gravy soon. We love lentils and that looks like a great use for them. I just wanted to add something (not to be mean or anything) but in your recipes you always use the term "kcals" like this:
Calories: 300.96 kcal
I wondered what a kcal was vs a regular calorie and 1 kcal = 1000 calories. Yikes. Then I realized it couldn't be true or a serving of gravy would be over 40,000 calories. 🙂 Keep up the most excellent work and although I don't always have time to comment, we eat many more of your recipes than you may think. Delicious!
Dave