The Best Vegan Meatloaf recipe, packed with plant-based protein, and easy to make. Make one large lentil loaf, or four freezer-friendly mini lentil meatloaf for meal prep. Gluten-free and budget-friendly.
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Turn this best vegan meatloaf recipe into a batch of single serve mini meatloaf and freeze for up to three months. These are perfect for meal prep. Just pop one out when you need a healthy protein side. This way, you do the work once and get to enjoy delicious lentil loaf throughout the week.
This vegan meatloaf recipe was inspired by my Roasted Kabocha Squash with Tofu Meat on this site, and pairs well with these Crispy Roasted Potato Bites for a satisfying meal.
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👩🏼🌾 Ingredients
- Green or brown lentils work well in this meatloaf recipe. You can cook your own, or use canned lentils to save time. Lentils are high in protein and fiber, and packed with iron.
- Vegan Worcestershire sauce is optional but a great pantry condiment to keep on hand. Use it in soups, stews, and chilis to add umami. I use Annie's or The Wizard's brands.
- Flaxseed meal is used to make a flax eggs which acts as a binder for this Best Vegan Meatloaf. It's high in omega 3s and fiber.
- Oat flour is gluten-free and keeps the lentil loaf batter together. Make your own from rolled oats, or use store bought oat flour.
- Balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, and tomato paste make the glaze for the vegan meatloaf.
See recipe card for quantities.
🍅 Substitutions
- Lentils - use green or brown dry or canned lentils
- Balsamic vinegar - for a sweeter glaze, use ketchup instead of balsamic vinegar and omit the tomato paste
- Oat flour - substitute with all-purpose or wholewheat flour instead
- Vegan Worcestershire Sauce - omit as desired
- Fresh thyme - use dried thyme instead or other fresh herbs you have on hand
For more high-protein lentil recipes, visit my Vegan Lentil Recipes page. Try my Best Tofu Bolognese for another plant-based protein-rich main.
📖 Instructions
Step 1. Make the flax egg. Mix the flaxseed meal with water and place in the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Step 2. Cook the lentils in vegetable broth or water until tender. Use an immersion blender or spatula to mash about three quarters of the lentils.
Step 3. Cook the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Add the tomato paste, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, and cayenne and cook for another minute, stirring constantly.
Step 4. Combine the mashed lentils, sautéed vegetables, flax egg, oats, oat flour, and Worcestershire sauce. Use your hands to incorporate the ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Step 5. Make the balsamic glaze. Heat the balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, and tomato paste in a small skillet over medium high heat until sizzling. Stir well. Remove from the heat.
Step 6. Pack the meatloaf mixture into 4 (1-cup) oven-safe containers, or into one standard sized nonstick loaf pan (9x5 inch). Brush with the glaze.
Step 7. Bake for 25 minutes for smaller sizes, and about 35 minutes for a standard lentil loaf, or until heated through.
💡 Expert Tips
- Do not drain the cooked lentils. The liquid will be absorbed into the loaf and when blending. For a quicker cooking time, use canned lentils instead.
- Make smaller single serve vegan meatloaf for a quicker cooking time.
- Storage: Refrigerate any remaining Best Vegan Meatloaf for up to 5 days, or freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Reheat in the oven at 350ºF or in a microwave until warmed through. For frozen lentil meatloaf, thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
- Equipment: Freezer and oven-safe Souper Cubes are perfect for baking and freezing vegan meatloaf in single portion sizes (paid affiliate link).
🙋🏽♀️ Recipe FAQs
The most popular base ingredients in making vegan meatloaf are lentils, beans, chickpeas, quinoa, tofu, brown rice, and tempeh.
Yes! Make these lentil meatloaf ahead of time and refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
Enjoy these lentil loaf with Crispy Roasted Potato Bites, roasted veggies, salads, Buddha bowls, vegan gravy and mashed potatoes, or pasta. Or slice thin for sandwiches.
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Easy Vegan Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry green or brown lentils (or 2 ½ cups canned lentils)
- 2 ½ cups vegetable broth
- 3 tablespoons flaxseed meal
- Drizzle of olive oil (optional)
- 1 small onion small dice
- 1 medium carrot small dice
- 1 large celery rib small dice
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (about 6 sprigs) or about ½ teaspoon dried
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- ¾ cup rolled oats
- ½ cup oat flour (or flour)
- 1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce (Annie's or The Wizard) optional
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the Balsamic Glaze:
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
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Instructions
- Cook lentils: Rinse the lentils and add to a medium saucepan with the vegetable broth. Bring to a boil before reducing the heat. Simmer covered for about 30 minutes, or until just tender. Do not drain.
- Make flax egg: Mix the flaxseed meal with ⅓ cup water in a medium bowl. Place in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Cook aromatics: Heat a drizzle of olive oil or vegetable broth in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Add the tomato paste, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, and cayenne and cook for another minute, stirring constantly.
- Mash lentils: Use an immersion blender to blend about three quarters of the lentils. (Or use the side of a spatula to mash them instead.)
- Combine: In a large bowl, combine the mashed lentils, sautéed vegetables, flax egg, oats, oat flour, and Worcestershire sauce. Use your hands to incorporate the ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Make the balsamic glaze: Heat the balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, and tomato paste in a small skillet over medium high heat. Cook for about 3 minutes, or until sizzling. Stir well. Remove from the heat.
- Pack the meatloaf mixture into 4 (1-cup) oven-safe containers, or into one standard 9x5 inch nonstick loaf pan. Brush with the glaze.
- Bake for 25 minutes for the mini meatloaves, and about 35 minutes for one standard loaf, or until heated through.
Notes
- Do not drain the cooked lentils. The liquid will be absorbed into the loaf and when blending. For a quicker cooking time, use canned lentils instead.
- For a sweeter glaze, omit the tomato paste and use ketchup instead of balsamic vinegar.
- Make smaller single-serve meatloaf for a quicker cooking time.
- Storage: Refrigerate any remaining Best Vegan Meatloaf for up to 5 days, or freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Reheat in the oven at 350ºF or in a microwave until warmed through. For frozen meatloaf, thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
Nutrition
This information is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate. Nutritional values may vary depending on factors such as product types and brands used.
Shawn says
I made this recipe last night and it was awesome!!! The balsamic glaze was very tasty, and the loaf was very scrumptious! Thank you very much for all the recipes that you provide!
I have been pleasantly surprised with how many things can be done with lentils and they are definitely very affordable. I would just say to get organic on the lentils though....if you can.
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
So glad you enjoyed this vegan meatloaf. I appreciate your comment. Thank you.
Janelle says
Had great flavor and I enjoyed it. Mine seemed a little soft and unformed when taking out of the oven (and I cooked it longer than called for). I did used canned lentils and boiled in the vegetable stock so not sure if that was the issue? Perhaps it sets up more when it cools or maybe I’m just used to the texture of traditional meat-based meatloaf? Getting used to more plant based dishes 😊
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Hi. Canned lentils tend to be softer and will change the texture. I typically cook mine until just tender. This will make a difference.
Margaret says
Despite cooking in a hot oven with temperatures in the 90s outside, this recipe looked so good that I couldn't resist making it, and it was worth it. Creamy, rib-sticking delicious! I served it with cashew gravy and steamed green beans. Will repeat for dinner tonight. Thank you!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Love the sound of cashew gravy! Thank you for leaving a comment! Hope it cools down soon.
Alex says
Very yummy and savory! New staple to the cooking rotation!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
So happy to hear you are enjoying this meatloaf. Thank you.
Gigi says
Fantastic! All your recipes are outstanding!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Thank you so much.
nina cardenas says
Someone commented about the amount of the dried thyme and you said you would change it in the recipe.
I have not much experience using thyme and so don't know how to proceed.
I do like your recipes and want to use many of them.
Thank you for your hard work. You are a creative soul.
Nina
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Hi. I personally enjoy the flavor of thyme but I went ahead and changed it to 1/2 teaspoon dried. You should be good to go now! Enjoy
Kerry Anderson says
Delicious. Will make again.
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
So glad you enjoyed it. Thank you.
T says
Thank you! I am responding again and do want to say that your Best Lentil Loaf really is very nice, and that we enjoyed it with baked sweet potatoes on the side. Some is ready in the freezer for another day!
Including the celery, etc. is great. Anytime I am sautéing mirepoix, I am happy!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Thank you for your comment. I appreciate it! I'm so glad it was a hit! Have a great week.
T says
Thank you for your recipe, but our family said “whoa. Too much dried thyme. Maybe a correction to ‘one half (1/2) teaspoon dried thyme’.
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
I went ahead and reduced the thyme. Thanks for your feedback.
Natalie says
Just made this meatloaf! Yum 😋 I needed to replace oats because my husband has an oat intolerance, so I used cornflakes instead of oat rolls and green buckwheat flour instead of oat flour.
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
I love these substitutes. So creative! Thank you for leaving a comment. Have a great week.
Marie says
Very good! I doubled the recipe so we would have it all week. I used 1/4c ketchup and 1/4c bbq sauce on the top because I wanted that nostalgic flavor. I think next time I will reduce the liquid for 2c lentils to maybe 4 or 4.5c. the texture was softer and didn't firm up a much in the oven. Tasty, thank you Nisha.
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
So glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for your comment.
Marsha says
I also have an intolerance to oatmeal. Can you please suggest any other substitutions? Thank you very much!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
You can use a mixture of panko/breadcrumbs, or gluten-free breadcrumbs, and roughly chopped cashews instead.
Janet Harrison says
Trying this for dinner tonight! I notice it doesn't say when to add the oats and oat flour (I put them in with the lentils, veggies etc).
Nisha Melvani says
Yes! That's correct. Just added. Thank you.