When we made the switch to plant-based eating, one of the first recurring recipes in our house was a lentil loaf. But this was way back before we ever heard of an Instant Pot! So now I’ve converted our original lentil loaf recipe to the IP and shaved off about 20 minutes of cooking time!
I hope you enjoy this replacement for the meatloaf you probably grew up eating. It’s a real stick-to-your-ribs comfort food kind of meal!
What you’ll need
- ½ cup brown lentils, uncooked
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 ¾ cups old fashioned oats
- 1 ½ cups boiling water
- ⅓ cup ketchup, plus more for glazing the loaf (or use your own glaze recipe)
- 3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tbsp ground flax meal
- 2 tsp blackstrap molasses
- ¼ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
How you’ll do it
- Combine the lentils, vegetable stock, 1/3 cup water, and bay leaf in Instant Pot.
- Seal pot and set to high pressure for 12 minutes.
- While that’s cooking, start a teapot to boil 2 cups of water and preheat oven to 375°.
- When the Instant Pot is done, allow pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then release remaining steam and remove lid. Remove bay leaf and discard.
- Add oats and 1 1/2 cups of boiling water. Stir until oats soak up all of the water and soften.
- Add all remaining ingredients and stir until well combined.
- Transfer the mixture to a pan lined with parchment paper and shape into a loaf.
- Top with ketchup (or other glaze) as desired.
- Cover pan with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 8 more minutes.
- Remove from oven, let stand for at least 10 minutes, then slice and serve.
Video
Did you make this? Well, what did you think? Leave a comment and let me know how it came out, or if you have a question about the recipe, fire away!
Do you have a favorite recipe you’d like to share on KevCooksPlants? Send it to me at kev@kevcooksplants.com and I’ll take a look (and of course credit you when it’s posted).
I tried this today and it was so good. It is for sure a keeper. I had it with mashed potatoes and steamed green beans. Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks so much! I’m glad you liked it.
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My teenagers are less than thrilled that I have gone WFPB but they love this recipe. I get asked for it pretty regularly. Thanks!! (Oh, and I love it too!)
That’s great, Valerie! I hope you’re finding more that they like as well!
My whole family, and I loved this. We had to double as we have a large family. It was easy and again we loved it.
Thanks Kathy, I’m glad you liked it!
Looks delicious but I don’t have an instapot. How would I make this using my oven?
Hi Nancy! You can still make this without an IP. Just cook the lentils on your stovetop and follow the rest of the instructions here. It may take a little bit longer, but it will come out just as good!
My daughter and I absolutely adore this recipe. We made it for Thanksgiving and all the vegetarians at the table raved. Made it again two months later. Again a month later. Now we’re making it every couple of weeks, and my daughter is trying to figure out how to make it in a dorm kitchen with canned lentils and a toaster oven. If she succeeds, I’ll have to let you know!
WOW! What an awesome review, thanks Sharon! Yes, please let me know how your daughter does, although that description definitely does not make me miss college dorm cooking!! 🙂
Interesting recipe but this isn’t really “instant pot” except for the lentils.
Thanks for visiting and for your comment! Yes, the lentils are cooked in the IP as the first step, and then the remaining ingredients are added to the IP, stirred in, then transferred to a pan to bake the lentil loaf in an oven.
I would love to make this. Can I use green lentils to replzce brown lentils?
I think that should work!
I have just gotten an Instant Pot with an air fryer lid. I was thinking of trying this, leaving it in the instant pot to bake. Thought I would throw the idea out in case any one reading this has any thoughts or experience.
Hi Denice, I’d be very interested to hear how this comes out. I say give it a shot!
I’ve made this Lentil Loaf recipe countless times and it’s the only one I like out of the many I’ve tried. Can’t wait to try some of your other recipes!