This Vegan Barbecue Lentil Loaf is oil-free, sturdy, hearty and not mushy. This loaf is bursting with barbecue flavor! The homemade BBQ sauce is baked into the loaf, on top of the loaf and used as a dipping sauce after it is baked. If you love barbecue sauce, then this loaf is for you!
VEGAN BBQ LENTIL LOAF
I am SO excited about this Vegan Barbecue Lentil Loaf recipe! I have worked on it so much…trial after trial, to get it to my liking. Nailing the flavor was fairly easy, but texture wise, it took a few trials. I have tried several lentil loaf recipes online, even the ones that claimed to be the best. The problem I found with a few of them that I tried, was that they were on the bland side with very little flavor, but the main issue was texture.
If you have never heard of a lentil loaf, basically it is a vegetarian version of meatloaf and they are wildly popular in the vegan/vegetarian blogging world.
VEGAN LENTIL LOAF THAT DOESN’T FALL APART
Every single vegan lentil loaf I’ve tried or seen uses oats and they all were just so mushy. I love oats, but in the lentil loaf, it just was not working for me personally with the ones that I tried. Or, they don’t hold together and crumble into a mess. I want a combo of tender, but sturdy. I tried them with oats, with nuts, sunflower seeds, chickpeas, you name it.
So, it hit me….cornbread is very sturdy and chewy and hearty. Duh, I’ll add cornmeal instead of oats or flour. The day before, my mom and I had been talking about her making my Vegan Gluten-free Skillet Cornbread to bring to our Christmas gathering and a light bulb went off to try adding coarse cornmeal!
OMG. It worked brilliantly. The cornmeal not only made the vegan barbecue lentil loaf hold it’s shape so much better, it gave it substantial heartiness and believe it or not, a meaty texture. It gets cooked very well within all the moist lentil-goodness, but gives it much more chew instead of oaty mushiness, haha!
THE PERFECT BBQ SAUCE FOR A LENTIL LOAF
I decided on barbecue sauce as being a star flavor. I absolutely LOVE barbecue sauce. I created my barbecue sauce specifically for this lentil loaf. It has lots of spices and molasses for depth of flavor. I used maple syrup for a natural sweetness instead of refined brown sugar that is typically in traditional barbecue sauces.
Guess what, it is so dang delicious, I nearly ate the whole vegan bbq lentil loaf myself! The flavor of barbecue sauce in the loaf, on top of the loaf and then as a dipping sauce, was a true slice of heaven!
HOW DO YOU MAKE A VEGAN LENTIL LOAF?
First, you will need to gather these 8 total ingredients (+ salt & water):
- Lentils
- Onion
- Garlic
- Cornmeal
- Bbq sauce (homemade recipe created specifically for this loaf)
- Flaxseed
- Chipotle pepper spice
- Corn
Next, prepare the homemade bbq sauce and set aside.
Cook the lentils until tender. While the lentils are cooking, cook the onions and garlic.
Mix the lentils with the cooked veggies, bbq sauce and remaining ingredients until a thick batter forms.
Spread in loaf pan, top with sauce and bake!
This vegan lentil loaf is the perfect meatless meal that is full of flavor. The perfect side dish to serve with it are my Vegan Fluffy Mashed Potatoes. The best mashed potatoes you’ve ever had, guaranteed.
OTHER VEGAN DINNER RECIPES TO TRY:
- Cheesy Mexican Tortilla Bake
- Vegan Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
- Mexican Burrito Bowl
- Teriyaki Sweet Potato Avocado Bowl
- Cajun Cauliflower Bowl
- Easy Vegan Meatballs
- Vegan Chickpea Tomato Ragu
Vegan Barbecue Lentil Loaf
Ingredients
FOR THE LENTILS
- two 15 ounce cans or 2 cups (370g) cooked brown lentils, drained and rinsed and patted dry
- 1/2 heaping cup (80g) finely chopped white onion
- 1 packed tablespoon minced fresh garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 cup water (this is ONLY for cooking the veggies in 1st)
- 1 cup (240g) either my BBQ sauce below or your favorite, separated (SEE NOTES BELOW)
- 1/2 cup (80g) MEDIUM GRIND coarse cornmeal (It MUST be medium grind, not corn flour or regular fine cornmeal, otherwise it WILL BE DRY. I use this Bob's Red Mill. If you cannot find, order it off Amazon.)
- 3 tablespoons (24g) ground flaxseed
- 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili spice (gives a hefty kick of heat, so ONLY use 1/4 tsp if sensitive)
- 1/2 cup (85g) frozen sweet organic corn
5 MINUTE BBQ SAUCE (This sauce is STRONG, so it stands out in the loaf, giving amazing flavor. Makes 1 1/2 cups, plenty for the loaf and for dipping!)
- 1/2 cup (120g) tomato paste, not sauce
- 1/2 cup (120g) water
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon yellow wet mustard
- 2 tablespoons (40g) pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons dark balsamic vinegar (do not sub with another vinegar)
- 2 tablespoons unsulphured regular molasses
- 2 teaspoons liquid smoke
- I use this scale.
NOTE
- Keep in mind, this is a LENTIL LOAF, it's not meat, so don't expect it to taste like traditional meatloaf. However, it is phenomenal and flavorful with an amazing texture as long as you follow the recipe. I used my homemade barbecue sauce recipe for this loaf. It's the only flavor that I can vouch for. The end result has a nice kick of heat and is incredibly flavorful.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and line a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment paper hanging slightly over the sides for easy removal later. Make sure to spray the sides that the paper doesn't touch, so it doesn't stick.
- Add the1/4 cup water to a pan over medium heat. Once simmering, add the onion and 1/4 teaspoon salt and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook another minute. All the water should be gone now before the next step.
- Add only one can of the lentils to a large bowl and mash well into a paste. This will hep to bind the loaf. Add the other can of lentils.
- Add the cooked onion/garlic mixture to the lentils. Add only 3/4 cup (180g) of the barbecue sauce to the lentil mixture. Add the chipotle spice and another good pinch of salt and stir together well.
- Add the cornmeal and flaxseed and stir around for a good minute or so until it becomes really thick and sticky. Lastly, gently stir in the corn.
- Add the batter to the loaf pan and spread out flat on top and evenly to the corners. Let it sit for 10 minutes before baking, so the cornmeal soaks up some liquid. This will help the end product have great texture.
- Spread 4-6 tablespoons of the barbecue sauce all over the top evenly. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until firm and a toothpick basically comes out clean with no lentil batter. I noticed the version with canned lentils was done a few minutes faster. The version where I tested cooking my own lentils first was done at 60 minutes.
- It is crucial to let the loaf sit for at least 20 minutes to firm up. It will firm up a lot while cooling. If you try to cut it hot, it will fall apart. I let mine sit 30 minutes and it was still very warm. Gently lift up the loaf with the parchment paper and very carefully transport it to a serving platter using spatulas. Carefully slice it. Spread extra barbecue sauce on top while still warm right before serving. Add chopped fresh parsley on top for garnish and presentation, if desired.
Notes
"Smoky Mesquite" and both were phenomenal. Choosing a smoky one is key, here. LENTILS: I originally wrote this recipe and posted it 10 years ago and when I wrote the recipe, I included cooking the lentils yourself. However, over the years I have had so many people ask to make it with just canned lentils for time and convenience. I have finally done that and yes, it is so much easier and faster! The recipe now reflects that above. If you still want to follow the directions of cooking the lentils yourself, here are those directions:
- 1 cup (193g) uncooked lentils (DO NOT USE RED)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
I made this AGAIN the second time this week tonight. Great recipe. The longer cooked the better texture in my opinion. I used trader Joe Sriracha BBQ sauce because I like heat and it was perfect. I recommend this recipe to everyone.
So awesome to hear Brianna!! So glad you love this recipe so much and I agree, I like the really firm texture too! I also love spicy! My bbq sauce is quite spicy as well. Thank you so much for the awesome feedback!
Thank you very much for this recipe. I’ve made it twice now using my homemade BBQ sauce and both came out perfectly. It’s difficult to overcook this, as it seems to get better the firmer it gets. So meaty! I added cooked brown rice and peas to my second one and it was marvelous. I will be sure to share this recipe with my fellow vegan friends. Thank you thank you thank you!!!!!
So wonderful to hear Christy! Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback!!
Hi!!!
I’m so excited to make this gorgeous recipe for thanksgiving this year!
Do you know if it freezes well? I wanted to make it the day before thanksgiving:):)
Thank you!!
Ooooh just read a comment that you haven’t tried freezing it. Do you have any tips for prepping it the day before? I guess I’m nervous it will get mushy.
Thank you!
Hi Anne! I honestly would just make it the day before and then keep it stored in the fridge, not the freezer, and then just reheat it in the oven on low. I haven’t tried it personally, but A LOT of my readers bake the loaf and reheat it for lunch the next day, so I would think it would be just fine. Let me know how it turns out!
Will do! Thank you so much!!
I, too, am planning on making this for Thanksgiving (our first ever plant-based Thanksgiving). I made the chickpea burgers with the BBQ sauce to try it and it was really good! However, it seems a little thin for the top of the loaf. Is there anything I can do to thicken it up? I used sauce–maybe puree or paste? Also, we have a balsamic vinegar store here which we love. They have a maple syrup/balsamic vinegar. How do you think that would do in place of the maple syrup?
Hi Linda! So glad to hear you loved the BBQ burgers! I would suggest adding 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to the bbq sauce to thicken it up slightly and think that should work. I haven’t tried it but think it should be fine. I’m not sure about the balsamic vinegar since I have no idea about that product or how it would cook up since I’ve only tried the molasses bbq sauce. If it’s thick and you like the flavor, you can try it, I just don’t know since I’ve never tried one! Let me know what you decide!
This has so much flavor and is delicious! I love it! I think it’s great to have for lunch, dinner, or Thanksgiving. Cruelty-free and healthy is what matters to me, and all of your recipes both of those. Thanks for this one, Brandi! You never disappoint. 🙂
I plan on trying this out for Thanksgiving this year! Any idea if this will cook well if I do all the prep the night before and then leave the baking for the day of?
Hi Kristen! Oh yes, I’ve done that before myself and it works out just fine!
I did wait until the day of to mush the lentils though…fyi.
This was wonderful for Thanksgiving! A huge hit, even with my strictly carnivorous husband. I baked just slightly undone the night before and reheated in the oven the next day. Texture and taste were still great!
So happy to hear that Kristen! So glad the method you did worked well too, thank you so much for the wonderful feedback!
I am eager to try this recipe (barbecue lentil loaf) but am on a low sodium diet. Can you tell me the sodium content on this dish?
I’m not sure! When I did the nutritional stat for this that was 3 years ago and it was before I did sodium. You can always plug the ingredients into caloriecount.com in their nutritional calculator to see or my fitness pal.
I have never commented on a recipe before but I have to say this was wonderful! I made it over the weekend and my husband and I both loved it. We are newly plant based (2 months) so am in the process of trying new things that aren’t too weird. I messed up on the sauce though as all I had was Dijon mustard and it wasn’t the best of taste, so I had to improvise and come up with something else. Thank you!
So, so happy to hear you and your husband both loved it! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave feedback Linda, I really appreciate it! As far as the BBQ sauce, next time you can try my even easier sauce if you like and I would suggest adding some chili powder to it, so the lentil loaf has that depth of flavor. Here it is: https://thevegan8.com/2015/06/06/smoky-barbecue-sweet-potato-chickpea-burgers/
Really tasty and good texture…but, I accidentally dumped the lentils into the bowel w/ everything else before blending any of them, so the loaf was slightly dry. Won’t make that mistake again, needs the puree to soften the cornmeal. Regarding the sauce: the spice kick was perfect but 1 TBSP + 1 tsp garlic was wayyy overboard for us. Six hours later we are all breathing a cloud of garlic. Not a typo?? Next time will only use 1 teaspoon! Thanks for your inventiveness and do love your photos.
Hi Bonnie, oh yes, you definitely need to puree a good part of them for the loaf to hold and be moist! 😉 As far as the garlic, no not a typo, haha! You are the first person to ever mention the strong garlic, but if you don’t like strong garlic, then definitely decrease it to your liking. I know we all have different tastes 🙂
I already have some lentils cooked up. How many cooked lentils would you use in this recipe?
Hi Cin! You’ll need about 2-2/12 cups lentils. Hard to say exactly, but I would purée about a cup of the lentils and add at least a cup or more unmashed to the mixture. If after you’ve mixed everything together it’s too wet, meaning soupy, then add more. It should definitely be moist, but thick too, kind of like a batter. You don’t want it too stuff or it’ll get dry, but not too wet either or it’ll be too mushy. I’m just not 100% sure how much you’ll need since I’ve never used canned, but I know you need at least 2+ cups cooked. Let me know how it turns out!
Does this lentil loaf freeze well ?
I’ve never tried freezing it, so I’m not sure! If you try it, let me know.
Made this tonight! Soooo good. We gave you a shout out on our Facebook page, if you want to see the pictures. Search for “The Everyday Vegan” page. There are a few by that name, but only ours features the meat loaf. 🙂 It is just a page for family and friends…but let me tell you…they oooh’d and ahhhh’d over this! We’ve always used oats in our lentil loaves, but this was a great idea! We used what we had on hand, so store bought bbq sauce and jiffy cornbread mix. The rest we followed! Verrrryyyyyy good. Our favorite meatloaf to date, including the real meat loaves in the past!
So sweet of you, thank you so much for sharing and for the feedback!! I tried looking for your page but couldn’t find one with the loaf on it! Darnit! I’ll look again. So happy to hear this is your favorite loaf to date, thank you so much! Really appreciate it!
Are you sure this is gluten free? Most tomato paste brands I have seen do not list the wheat flour used to thicken it but I always get sick form it. Only takes 1/8 tsp of wheat for me to be sick. I’m going to try this recipe without the barbecue sauce and see what happens. Haven’t found a gluten free barbecue sauce yet.
Hi Esse! I buy an organic tomato puree, the only ingredient is tomatoes and salt. I’ve also seen some at Whole Foods where the only ingredient is tomatoes. I have never heard of wheat being added to tomato sauce! If you leave out the barbecue sauce, it will be dry and lack flavor, so I wouldn’t recommend that. If you make my homemade barbecue sauce and find a tomato sauce that just lists tomatoes, I would think you would be fine. Or another option is to just buy tomatoes and puree them yourself into sauce and then make the barbecue sauce and then you will know for certain there is no wheat. You really need the sauce in the recipe. Thanks so much!
I’ve never tried a lentil loaf, but this was amazing, and my family just loved it. I cooked it the full hour, and let it sit like you suggested. I actually put it into a deeper casserole dish, and it came out very well with serving. I also added the red bell peppers. I had made my own barbecue sauce, and well, hardly had left-overs. Will be making this again. So good. Thanks.
Wonderful Madelaine! I’m so happy to hear you all loved this lentil loaf so much, thank you so much for the awesome feedback!
Made this last night and had it for dinner today. Man, this is delicious! This is definitely going to be in my regular menu rotation.
Wonderful Danielle! I’m so happy to hear that, thank you so very much for making it!!
It is delicious! Thank you very much.
Tried and bookmarked!
http://40.media.tumblr.com/52ff72642f7487ff1638c357aaa24031/tumblr_ntqhom6kmB1txprtdo1_1280.jpg
I am so glad you loved it, thank you so much for the feedback!!
This was one of the most delicious lentil loafs I’ve tried and my first time making it. I used Trader Joes BBQ, left out the corn and hand mashed the lentils. The hand mashing made the difference it was not too moist but not dry and perfectly mushed. The corn meal was too grainy so I will leave it out next time. It only needed to be baked for 30 minutes because I hand mashed the lentils in the heated pot which helped dry up the excess water. I cooked some peas to eat with the loaf and it was the best meal.
Thank you so much Angie! So glad you loved this so much! The cornmeal shouldn’t be grainy at all…since you hand mashed the lentils, that means there was less moisture when adding the other ingredients, so that’s why it sounds like the cornmeal didn’t soak up the moisture. I make this all the time and the cornmeal is undetectable, it just gives more sturdiness to the loaf. If you puree the lentils more next time, you will notice a difference. Sounds like you had a lot less liquid because mine always takes close to an hour, otherwise it would be too wet and mushy. Regardless though, like you said, you loved it so I’m thrilled! Thank you so much for the feedback!
This was very good too. I did switch up the veggies in it. I used orange pepper and peas, and I omitted the corn and cornmeal. I eyeballed the texture as I used coconut flour instead.
So glad to hear you loved this Hannah, thank you!
Can i sub the chipotle spies? We don’t have that’s Spice blender in The Netherlands and i woud love to try the recipe (and i don’t like food that lacks flavor)
You can just use extra chili powder if you want or more black pepper since chipotle is spicy! Sorry I just saw this message!
Brandi, this was my 1st time making a lentil loaf and I have to say that your recipe is awesome. I am new to the vegan neighborhood and you made me very excited about your recipes and I am looking forward in making another dish from this blog
Thank you so much Shed for such wonderful feedback and your kind words! I truly appreciate it and am so glad you loved this recipe!
This is the next recipe I want to try next! 🙂 …..Do you have another suggestion to place the 1/2 cup of corn??? TIA!! 🙂
Hi Kelly! Sure, you can use peas or finely chop some carrots into similar sizes as corn and that will work as well! Let me know how it turns out!
Omg! I had three slices with your yummy enchilada fries and I’m very happy full! I luved regular meatloaf long time ago but I gave up eating, ciw, pork meat and now going vegan to jump start my weight loss. I’m sure happy you made this recipe along with the others. Thank you so much for helping me with my nutrition.
Hi Brandi. I was curious to know if you have tried subbing the molasses with either maple syrup or honey? I don’t have molasses at home and don’t use it much in recipes so I wanted to hear your thoughts about an alternative.
Hi Sasha! Actually, no I haven’t. Since there is already syrup in the recipe, I wouldn’t add more or it will be too sweet. I would just simply leave it out. It will taste a little less like barbecue, but should still be really tasty. You could maybe add a teensy more of maple syrup in place of it, but not equal parts. The molasses does help the texture since it’s so thick and sticky, so maybe scale back on the water as well. I would just tinker with it a bit. Let me know how it turns out! I hope it still tastes alright without the molasses! Thank you Sasha!
Just made this. It came out exactly as you promised! THANKYOU for so many amazing recipes. I haven’t found a dish yet in your collection I don’t absolutely ADORE!
Yay! So happy to hear that Carol! SO glad it was such a hit and thank you so much, I’m thrilled you are loving all of my recipes, that means so much to me!