Lentil Loaf
on Jul 15, 2025, Updated Nov 17, 2025
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This hearty lentil loaf is perfect for holidays, meal prep, or feeding plant-based eaters.
It’s easy to make with simple ingredients. Ground flax and oats help bind everything together, while the flavour comes from a savoury mix of onion, celery, carrot, mushrooms, walnuts, and dried herbs. It’s finished with a classic ketchup glaze, just like a traditional meatloaf.
Featured 5-Star Review
This turned out really good. Next time I might try a bit less cayenne though. We received lots of compliments at Thanksgiving dinner tonight. Thank you for the recipe. Happy Thanksgiving!
TJ
My Chickpea Meatloaf has long been one of the most popular recipes on the blog and I also have a delicious Nut Roast. A lentil loaf has been on my list for a while, so I’m excited to share this one.
The flavours improve the next day so it’s a good option for making in advance. It’s quite tasty for a snack cold from the ridge, a good source of protein and fibre and reheats well for meals throughout the week.
We usually serve it with a simple veggies like steamed green beans or broccoli but you could also pair it with Mashed Cauliflower, Vegan Mashed Potatoes or Sautéed Green Beans with Garlic and Onions.
Ingredient Notes
Below is a quick overview of what you’ll need to make the recipe and any substitutions you can make. Use the recipe card with the full list of ingredients and measurements at the bottom of the post when you’re ready to make the recipe.
- Walnuts: Pecans are the best substitute for walnuts. You can use sunflower seeds if you need the recipe to to be gluten-free.
- Oats: For a gluten-free lentil loaf, gluten-free certified oats are the best option. You can use prepared oat flour or make your own oat flour in a blender or food processor. Since you’re blending the oats into oat flour, you can use large flake oats, rolled oats, quick oats or minute oats.
- Soy Sauce: Be sure to use gluten-free tamari (or coconut aminos) instead of soy sauce, if needed.
- Flaxseeds: For best results, use fresh ground flax to make your flax egg. Older flax loses its ability to absorb moisture, which means it won’t bind as well.
- Ketchup Glaze: The recipe includes a glaze made from ketchup, tomato paste, maple syrup and balsamic vinegar. For a simpler option, you can use BBQ sauce.
Recipe Tips
- Be sure to season the vegetables with salt and pepper, then season the mixture again to taste once you combine everything, before adding it to the loaf pan.
- Take care to dice the celery and onion, smaller pieces help the loaf hold together better.
- Don’t skip the cooling step. Letting the loaf cool is key to helping it firm up and slice cleanly.
- Prefer extra glaze? Feel free to double that part of the recipe.
- You can cook the lentils ahead of time which is helpful to ensure they’re not too wet when you add them to the recipe.
How to Store Lentil Loaf
- Store the cooked loaf in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave until warmed through.
- To freeze, let the cooked loaf cool completely, then wrap it in foil, place it in a freezer bag, and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
- You can also assemble the loaf ahead of time and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to bake.
If you try this Lentil Loaf recipe or any other recipe on Running on Real Food, don’t forget to leave a comment and a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comment section below. It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe, and I love to hear from you. And don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @runningonrealfood so I can see your creation! Thanks for trying my recipes! – Deryn
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Lentil Loaf
Ingredients
For the Lentil Loaf
- 1 cup dry green or brown lentils
- 3 tbsp ground flaxseeds, 20g
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced, about 1/2 cup
- 2 ribs celery, diced, about 1/2 cup
- 1 carrot, grated, about 1/2 cup
- 3 cups mushrooms, chopped, approx. 8-9 white or brown mushrooms
- Salt and pepper
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup rolled oats, 108g
- 1/2 cup walnuts, 55g
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp ketchup
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp dried rosemary
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, optional
- 2 tbsp soy or tamari
For the Glaze:
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Cook Lentils: Fill a medium pot with salted water. Add lentils. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Once simmering, reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 18-20 min, until lentils are tender. Drain lentils well, shaking off excess liquid.
- Make Flax Egg: Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine ground flax seeds and ⅓ cup water. Stir to combine. Set aside to thicken, about 10 mins.
- When lentils are close to being done, preheat oven to 375F.
- Saute Vegetables: In a large pan, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add onion, celery, carrots and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 6-8 min, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add garlic, tomato paste, ketchup, thyme, oregano, rosemary, basil and cayenne (if using). Cook for another 1-2 min, stirring often, until fragrant and toasted. Off heat, stir in soy sauce or tamari.
- Combine Filling: To a food processor, add oats. Pulse oats until ground into a flour. Add walnuts. Pulse a few times, until they are the size of small peas, but still have texture. Add flax mixture, cooked lentils. Pulse again. You still want to see some lentils, but it’s key to break some of the lentils down. Add lentil mixture to pan with veggies, stir until well combined. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Add Mixture to Pan: Lightly grease and line a loaf pan with parchment paper (you can skip the lining but it makes removing the loaf much easier). Press mixture evenly and firmly into the pan, smoothing the top.
- Prepare Glaze: In a small bowl, combine ketchup, tomato paste, maple syrup and balsamic vinegar. Spread in an even layer over the loaf.
- Bake Loaf: Cover loaf with foil. Bake for 30 min. Uncover and bake for another 10 min.
- Slice and Serve: Let cool in pan for at least 20 minutes before removing. Slice into 8 portions and serve.
This was my first time trying this recipe. The chickpea loaf is the one I’ve made most frequently. What I really liked about this one were the lentils which are much more helpful at managing my insulin resistance than the chickpeas. Next time I would be less cautious about the spices like the garlic; I underestimated this time so it lacked a little flavor. It’s also not as easy to make as the chickpea loaf. This definitely felt special and I would make again. I also bought mirapoix to cut down on some of the work.
More involved than the sorts of one-pot recipes I typically follow, so I felt a bit chaotic as I was following the instructions without understanding how it would all come together. But the result was a really satisfying, hearty loaf that’s perfect for leftovers.
Also I nearly forgot the rosemary, but it a key ingredient in the savoury flava frame of this ‘loaf.
Thank you! I’m glad it worked out in the end. A few steps for this one for sure. I need to add the step-by-step photos so you have a clearer idea of how the recipe comes together. Thanks for trying it!
This turned out really good. Next time I might try a bit less cayenne though. We received lots of compliments at Thanksgiving dinner tonight. Thank you for the recipe. Happy Thanksgiving!
Thank you very much for trying it and the review!