Vegan Lentil Meatloaf Muffins

Hearty and comforting, Lentil Meatloaf Muffins are perfect for both holidays and weeknight dinners. Made in a muffin pan, they cook faster than most vegan meatloaf recipes and are perfectly sized. Topped with a balsamic ketchup glaze, this plant-based main dish is easy to make in well under an hour.

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Special diet: gluten-free option, nut-free, oil-free, soy-free, vegan

3 meatloaf muffins on a plate with dinner plate in the background.

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While they are enjoyable any time of year, these easy mini meatless meatloaves were originally created as a vegan holiday recipe when I was deciding what to make for our Thanksgiving entree.

They are delicious with traditional comfort food dishes like mashed potatoes with olive oil, mushroom gravy, and roasted Brussels sprouts and carrots.

In addition, they freeze well, making them a meal prep favorite any time of the year.

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Why you'll love this recipe
Ingredients
Equipment
Instructions
Amy's tip
Serving suggestions
Storing and freezing
Recipe FAQs
More vegan lentil recipes
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💬 Comments

Why you'll love this recipe

It's a meatless entree that vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores will all enjoy.
It's easy to make and perfect for meal prep.
The leftovers taste amazing, plus they are freezer friendly.

Ingredients

Egg substitute

Since our vegan meatloaf doesn't contain eggs, we need to use something else as a binder to hold the muffins together. While there are commercial egg replacers on the market, I prefer to make my own using ground flaxseeds (flax meal) to form a "flax egg". It works great as a vegan egg substitute in baked goods, too.

Simply mix ground flaxseeds and water in a small bowl and let stand for 5 minutes. For one egg, the ratio is 1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds to 4 tablespoons water.

Lentils

For convenience, I recommend using pre-cooked lentils that come canned or in a vacuum-packed bag. Or you can cook dried brown or green lentils before preparing this recipe.

You will need 3 cups of lentils. 1 cup of dried lentils yields approximately 2½ cups cooked.

Whatever you do, do not use yellow or red lentils for this recipe! Save those quick cooking "split" lentils for when you're making Indian dhal, vegan lentil chili, or red lentil potato kale soup.

I recommend cooking 2 cups of dried lentils at a time, and then freezing any leftover cooked lentils for up to 3 months. Then you can defrost them in the refrigerator and use them as needed.

To cook 2 cups of dried lentils on the stove, bring 5 cups of water to a boil. Add the rinsed lentils and allow them to simmer 20-35 minutes until tender, stirring occasionally.
To cook them in an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker, rinse 2 cups lentils and combine them with 4½ cups of water. Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally.

For the complete list of ingredients with measurements plus recipe instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

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Equipment

I recommend using a non-stick silicone muffin pan. But it you have a metal muffin tin, you can use a little oil or cooking spray to prevent sticking.

Instructions

Collage of 4 numbered images showing how to prepare this recipe.

Mix the ground flaxseeds and water in a small bowl and set aside.
Saute the onion, garlic, celery, and carrots.
Transfer the cooked vegetables to a large mixing bowl. Add the lentils, Italian seasoning, ketchup, Dijon mustard, panko breadcrumbs, flaxseed mixture, and salt and pepper. Fold together until well combined.
Fill the muffin pan cups with the lentil mixture and pat each one down tightly. Brush the glaze over the tops, then bake.

Mini meatloaves of parchment paper after they have been removed from the pan.

Amy's tip

Allow the meatloaves to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before removing them from the pan to prevent them from falling apart.

Serving suggestions

Lentil muffins on a dinner plate with mashed potatoes, mushroom gravy, and Brussels sprouts with platter of meatloaf muffins in the background. — Lentil Meatloaf Muffins served with Instant Pot mashed potatoes, vegan mushroom gravy, and roasted Brussels sprouts.

You can't go wrong with serving your vegan meatloaf muffins with other comfort food favorites.

They are delicious served with nut-free vegan mac and cheese, Mediterranean stuffing, and fresh green beans and mushrooms.

Or for a lighter meal, enjoy them with stir-fried sugar snap peas, crispy sweet potatoes, and a green salad with vegan thousand island.

Storing and freezing

You can prep the meatloaf mixture a day in advance and refrigerate in the muffin pan until ready to bake. In addition, the cooked lentil meatloaf muffins can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Reheat in the microwave oven or enjoy cold.

Recipe FAQs

Which lentils are best for this recipe?

Any variety of brown or green lentils will work in this recipe. Red and yellow lentils should be avoided since they are too soft and do not hold their shape when cooked.

Do lentils need to be soaked?

Dried lentils do not need to be soaked before cooking.

What is a good substitute for ketchup?

For this recipe, jarred marinara sauce or canned tomato paste are good substitutes for the ketchup.