Lentil loaf is pretty much a plant based vegan staple menu item. For many of us who came from the standard American diet it replaces the traditional meat loaf. If you are looking for something to be the centerpiece of your plate for a special holiday meal – look no more. This lentil loaf is special enough to serve up for company anytime. It has an amazing date glaze baked on top that adds that little something extra. The texture is pretty amazing – firm not mushy or soft, so it slices and serves up quite nicely.
I experimented and came up with a way to combine the cooking of the lentils and the vegetables in the pressure cooker together and have less dishes to wash as well as an easier cooking procedure. I have added sun dried tomatoes and smoked paprika as well as Italian seasoning to this loaf for a lovely flavor profile that I think you will enjoy as well. Feel free to adjust the seasonings to your personal preference.
We made a video showing you how to make this amazing Lentil Loaf. Enjoy!
My serving suggestion for the Lentil Loaf is to make our Garlic Mashed Potatoes, some Corn on the cob in the pressure cooker and your favorite green vegetable.
For dessert you might enjoy our new recipe for Chocolate Cherry Brownies alamode with banana cherry nice cream.
If you haven’t tried making corn on the cob in a pressure cooker – give it a try. It is so easy! Of course we also like it made in the Breville Smart Oven Air. Another favorite is from our son in law who taught us how to Grill Corn on the Cob like they do in Honduras.
Lentil Loaf with Date Glaze
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker, Food Processor
Ingredients
- 1 cup onion finely chopped
- 1 celery stalk finely chopped
- 1 carrot finely chopped
- 3 – 4 garlic cloves minced
- ½ cup green/brown lentils, rinsed and drained
- ¾ cup water
- 1 ½ cups rolled oats
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons golden flax seed meal – ground
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 ½ teaspoons Italian Seasoning
- ½ teaspoon Table Tasty Salt Substitute – optional
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ cup sun dried tomatoes – no oil if you don't have these use 1 more tablespoon tomato paste instead
Glaze
- 2 tablespoons Tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar – a sweet one
- 1 tablespoon date paste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a loaf pan by lining it with parchment paper or use a silicone loaf pan.
- Press the sauté cycle on your pressure cooker, when it is hot, add 2 tablespoons water, add the onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Sauté for 3-4 minutes or until soft. Add the ¾ cup water and the lentils. Place the lid on the pressure cooker. Press cancel on your pressure cooker. Then reset it to cook for 12 minutes on high pressure with natural pressure release. When the pressure has gone down, carefully remove the lid. Carefully spoon out the lentil mixture, if there is any leftover water that didn't get absorbed drain it off.
- In a food processor bowl fitted with the S blade add the contents from the pressure cooker along with the oats, tomato paste, ground flax seed meal, nutritional yeast, balsamic vinegar, Italian Seasoning, optional Table Tasty, smoked paprika. and sun dried tomatoes if using. Using the pulse function process until oats are incorporated and the mixture is well mixed, you may need to stop and scrape down the sides with a spatula once or twice. Don’t process it into a paste – we want it to have some texture.
- Scrape the mixture out of the work bowl into a prepared pan careful to have it be even across the pan. Smooth out the top.
- Combine the glaze ingredients using a small whisk or a fork, spread it over the top of the loaf. Cover with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 10 minutes before trying to remove.
- Slice into individual servings. May be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or frozen for future meals.
Date Paste
Equipment
- Food Processor
Ingredients
- 8 ounces pitted dates
- boiling water
Instructions
- Place pitted dates in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let soak for 30-60 minutes. Drain and reserve soaking liquid. Place pitted soaked dates and 1/2 cup of the soaking liquid in a food processor bowl or a high powered blender and process until completely smooth. Store in the fridge or freezer. Use as a sweetener in your recipes.The left over reserved soaking liquid can be used to make hot tea or to sweeten smoothies or desserts.Revised recipe 11/06/20
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I already have cooked the lentils how much would I add of pre cooked lentils to this recipe? Thank you,I can’t wait to make this
Hi JoAnn,
I didn’t know the answer to this question as I never have measured them after cooking so I googles how many cups of cooked lentils comes from 1/2 cup dry and the answer is 1 1/4 cups. Hope that helps. I hope you enjoy the loaf and please come back and let me know.
Happy Cooking,
Tami
I’m going to make this for Easter dinner. I an a big loaf fan even when I followed SAD. I made your black beans for the PoNacho’s Just finished Chef AJ’ 21 Uktimate weight loss challenge! You two are awesome!
Hi Stephanie,
Congratulations on doing Chef AJ’s 21 day program. Its a fabulous program and she has so much information to share.
I hope you enjoy the loaf. Be sure to come back and let me know.
Happy Cooking,
Tami
iI have this in the oven now! I added a few things I needed to use up. 1/2 of a japanese sweet potato, 3 small chopped red cooked beets. I layered thin slices of potatoes on top 🙂 Can’t wait till lunchtime.
Enjoy!
Hello Tammy- this recipe looks great! I love that you used the instant pot to put this together. Can you suggest a replacement for the Flax Meal as a binder. I was going to make this tonight and have everything with the exception of the flax meal.
Hi Hallie,
You could use chia seeds soaked in a some water or just skip it as the oats do make this nice and thick and I believe your loaf will still be just fine.
I am so glad you are going to try this recipe! Enjoy.
Stay safe and well,
Tami
This looks great! Quick question. Is it a 1/2 a cup of lentils in total? Or 1/2 a cup green & 1/2 a cup of brown?
Hi Tracy,
Just 1/2 cup total of either green or brown lentils. Watch the video of me making the loaf and I show all the ingredients and talk about them too.
I am delighted that you are going to make this loaf – it is a family favorite.
Happy Cooking,
Tami
Hi Tami! I won your Mexican cooking class last year through Chef AJ’s webinar 🙂 That’s how I found you! Like many people, we are avoiding going to the stores until we have a long list of things needed. So, I only have apple cider vinegar on hand, no balsamic. Can I substitute?
Hi Barbara,
How nice that you were one of the winners of the class! Apple cider vinegar is going to be a lot more tart than balsamic. I would use half as much and in the lentil loaf I would add some date paste and in the glaze I would use more date paste – the flavor isn’t going to be the same so play with the portions and taste it to get the right flavor.
Happy Cooking,
Tami
Hi Tami. I watched your live show yesterday and made the Lentil Loaf today. It’s FABULOUS!!! I will be making this recipe again and again. I also made your delicous Garlic Mashed Potatoes — and, of course, a beautiful salad. Dinner is truly a feast this evening! You are a wonderful cook — and I love that you take the time to go over each ingredient and each step of the recipe. Like you, I’ve been cooking since I was a child. I feel like I’ve found a true soulmate in you.
Thanks for all that you do to encourage eating this sane, healthy way.
Hi Janet,
I am so glad you made the recipes and enjoyed them. That brings me great joy!
Sounds like we have much in common – isn’t that fun?
Wishing you and your family good health.
Happy Cooking,
Tami
This is now one of my favorite recipes. I followed your recipe exactly and the result was truly delicious. Thanks!
Hi Janet,
I am so glad you enjoyed the lentil loaf. It is a favorite for us as well.
Happy Cooking,
Tami
I made this for my son and I this evening. It was wonderful!!! Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication. We have enjoyed so may of your creations. Be well and safe.
Hi B.
I am glad you and your son enjoyed the lentil loaf! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment.
Happy Cooking,
Tami
Absolutely Fantastic!!! One of the BEST recipes I’ve made in a long time! Spectacular!
Hi Brenna,
Thank you so much – you made my day!
Happy Cooking,
Tami
Tami, I’ve made other recipes for lentil loaf that were good, but your recipe is now my go-to lentil loaf. I made it this weekend with your Instant Pot garlic mashed potatoes, and they made a fabulous meal. Thank you! And thanks to you and Tom for your wonderful YouTube videos. I’ve learned so much from you about this way of eating.
The only balsamic I have is Maple balsamic…would that work?
That would be a perfect one to use!
I can’t wait to make this! If you double the recipe, do you just double all the ingredients and keep the same cook time in the pressure cooker (12 min)? Are you able to fit everything in your food processor when you double the recipe or do you have to mix in two batches?
Yes the time would remain the same even if you double the recipe. A double batch will fit in my large capacity food processor so it will depend on how big your food processor is. Of course you can always process half of it at a time – that works too!
Happy Healthy Cooking,
Tami
Served it yesterday for Thanksgiving. Excellent. Even my husband who does not follow a whole food plant-based lifestyle thought it was very good. I don’t have an IP, so I cooked the lentils in the microwave and sautéed the vegetables in a skillet in a little vegetable broth. Thank you, Tami, for the excellent recipe
You are welcome – I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
I do enjoy your videos and recipes. I’m allergic to oats. Do you think I could sub with quinoa or rice? Any other ideas?
Hi Kathy,
I think you could sub some Quinoa flakes or try a combination of cooked brown rice and quinoa flakes. Experiment with half a recipe at a time – that way if you don’t love it there’s less you have to eat or toss out. Let me know what you try and how it worked.
Happy Cooking!
So Good!!
Thank you Tami!! I’m exclusively SOS free and this recipe has made my bi-weekly rotation. I make 2 at a time because it freezes very well. I also double the topping because I like the sweet flavor of dates. This is my first recipe using the saute function on the Instant Pot and it works really well. Please let us know if you discover a gravy recipe.
I am so glad you like it!
Hi Tami – I just made your lentil loaf this evening and I love the texture. I believe you omitted the bay leaf from the printed recipe on this blog, but you use one bay leaf in the Instant Pot in your video. Just wanted to mention that.
Hi Andrea I am so glad you like the texture of the lentil loaf. I actually don’t use a bay leaf in this recipe and I don’t have a video for making it here. So I am wondering if you have it confused with another recipe video perhaps?
Happy Cooking,
Tami
HI Andrea,
No bay leaf in this recipe!
Happy Cooking,
Tami
Hi Tami, In your YOUTUBE video, Lentil Loaf with Date Glaze, you show us the bay leaf in the IP and then comment about it. I thought it was omitted by accident too. Probably doesn’t matter either way. PS Your followers are paying attention LOL !
I was so looking forward to making this, but then realized it’s an instant pot recipe. 🙁
Hi Kathy,
You don’t have to cook the lentils in the pressure cooker – go ahead and cook them on the stove top the way you normally do. Then proceed with the recipe.
Enjoy!
Tami
This was very good. Don’t have a pressure cooker so I just cooked it in a dutch oven. I did add a stalk of kale because I had it in the frig and needed to use it up. I saved a nice size piece to take to Thanksgiving since everyone else will be eating turkey.
I am glad it turned out well for you! Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!
This is so good The only problem f had was remembering where I hid my S-blade. But I did find it. The best thing I did was pre measuring all the ingredients and setting them out in order of use. Happy to finally get to use my silicone pans. I don’t generally use recipes to prepare my Whole Foods for this eating plan. I’ll definitely make this again and share the recipe with my son and his family in HI.. He cooked for me last week when they were visiting here. They are not SOS free. Hopefully their little ones will like this too.
Hi Linda,
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe and hope your family will too!
Could you put in muffin pans and would it be similar to your lentil loaf muffins? Love all your recipes!
Thank you
I haven’t tried it myself but I don’t see why not! Let me know how it works.
Oh My Stars !!!!! Just made your lentil loaf and it was everything and more that I was looking for. I have tried several loafs and they always fell just a bit short of what I was looking for. Well, look no further….it was amazing and next time I will make a double batch. Thank you Tami &I Tom for all you do 🤩
Any substitutions for oats? I have sensitivities to all grains a d pseudo grains. Would potatoes work?
Hi Susan I haven’t tried it with anything but oats. You could try potato flakes in place of oats perhaps. If you use cooked potatoes it will be too moist. You can sub dry ingredients with other dry ingredients to try and keep the ratios correct. I would cut the recipe in half when experimenting.
This lentil loaf is delicious! I have tried several and this is the first that mimics meat loaf. I over processed a bit but it is still wonderful. Thanks for the great recipe. It is a keeper!
Thank you Rosemary – I am so glad you like this recipe!