This Vegan Meatloaf is filled with lentils and other simple whole-foods ingredients. It’s simple to make and so deliciously like classic meatloaf without being mushy at all! I really love this is a meal-prep recipe but it’s fun for special occasions as well.

lentil meatloaf topped with ketchup and parsley. Sliced on a white plate this recipe

I’ve been working on this recipe for a long time and I’m SO excited to finally be sharing it!

The real question right now: am I crazy for planning holiday recipes already!? Because I definitely have this one planned for Thanksgiving and Christmas this year.

lentil meatloaf topped with ketchup and parsley. Sliced on a plate with green beans

While there are a few steps to making this loaf, it’s ultimately SO super easy to throw together. For ease, I really like to use the pre-cooked lentils from trader joes OR cook my lentils the night before just so it’s one less step. From there, it’s a simple matter of sautéing the vegetables a bit and then processing everything in a food processor.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

First, let’s go over the ingredients in this lentil loaf!

side by side photos. Left: ingredients in a stand mixer for vegan meatloaf including suateed veggies, cooked lentils, oats, seasonsings. Right image: all of those ingredients blended together

What we’re working with:

  • Brown or green lentils (but not red!)
  • Quick cooking oats
  • Flour- all purpose or oat flour work well in this recipe
  • Veggies- carrots, celery, onion, mushrooms and garlic
  • Ground flaxseed
  • A few simple seasonings
lentil meatloaf topped with ketchup and parsley. Sliced on a white plate

I kept the topping classic and simple. It consists of ketchup, mustard, and a bit of brown sugar. It gives the vegan meatloaf a super traditional taste that really reminds me of my childhood!

If  desired, you could swap the brown sugar for coconut sugar.

top down shot of vegan meatloaf in a loaf pan lined with parchment paper. on a marble board

Well that’s all I have for today. As usual, if you end up making this recipe,

See how to make the Lentil Loaf here:

Print
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plate with slices of vegan meatloaf on it sprinkled with fresh herbs

Vegan Meatloaf

  • Author: Brita Britnell
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Diet: Vegan
Print Recipe

Description

This Vegan Meatloaf is filled with whole-foods ingredients and is so easy to throw together!

Ingredients

Scale

For the lentil loaf:

  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • ½ of a small white onion, diced
  • 1 carrot, chopped*
  • 1 rib of celery, chopped*
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 4 ounces of cremini mushrooms, chopped
  • 2 cups of cooked green or brown lentils (do not use red as the loaf will end up too mushy)**, divided
  • 2 tablespoons of ground flax seed
  • 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt + 1/2 teaspoon of pepper + more to taste
  • 1 cup of quick cooking oats
  • ¼ cup of all-purpose flour or oat flour
  • 1 tablespoons of soy sauce

For the topping:

  • 1 tablespoons of brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon of mustard
  • ¼ cup of ketchup

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 9×5″ loaf pan with parchment paper.
  2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add in the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, mushrooms, and a pinch of salt and saute for 8 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
  3. To the base of a food processor, add in HALF of the cooked lentils, slightly cooked veggie mixture, flax seed, Italian seasoning, salt + pepper, oats, flour, and soy sauce. Pulse about 10 times until it is combined and just small chunks of carrot remain (see photo for reference).
  4. Add in the remaining lentils and pulse 3-4 more times. Some large chunks of lentils will remain and that’s what we want.
  5. Spread the lentil mixture evenly into your prepared loaf pan.
  6. In a small bowl, combine the topping ingredients: brown sugar, mustard, and ketchup. Spread the topping evenly over the top of the lentil loaf.
  7. Bake the loaf for 35-40 minutes or until it starts to darken around the edges. Let the loaf cool for at least 10 minutes. Use the parchment paper to lift the loaf out of the pan, slices and ENJOY!

Notes

*we’ll be putting the veggies in the food processor once they’re sauteed so the exact size doesn’t matter too much

**1 cup of DRY lentils= ~ 2.5 cups of COOKED lentils. I usually make 1 cup of dried and then measure them out before adding to this recipe

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 50 minutes
  • Category: dinner
  • Method: baking
  • Cuisine: american

Keywords: vegan meatloaf, lentil loaf, healthy meatloaf, vegetarian meatloaf