Cranberry Glazed Lentil Loaf — a plant-based British recipe by BOSH!
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Cranberry Glazed Lentil Loaf

This is the one we make every Christmas and honestly, we'd happily eat it in July too. The cranberry glaze on top goes all sticky and glossy in the oven and it makes the whole thing look seriously impressive on the table. Inside you've got this hearty, savoury lentil loaf packed with root veg, herbs and loads of flavour. It's the kind of centrepiece that makes everyone at the table forget they're eating plants. Trust us, make this one.

Cook: 80 min
Serves 8

Before You Start

  • Preheat oven to 200°C
  • Loaf tin lined with baking parchment
  • Box grater
  • Frying pan
  • Mixing bowl
  • Small saucepan

Ingredients

  • 1 onion
  • 2 stalks of celery
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 60g plant-based butter
  • 2 carrots
  • 2 parsnips
  • 20g fresh parsley
  • 3 stalks of rosemary
  • 2 400g tins of lentils
  • 50g walnuts
  • 50g porridge oats
  • 2 tbsp Nooch
  • Salt & pepper
  • 150g fresh or frozen cranberries
  • 2 tbsp light brown sugar

Method

1

For the meatloaf

  • Peel and finely chop the onion and finely dice the celery stalks. Peel and crush the garlic. Melt 30g of the butter in a frying pan set over medium heat. Once foaming, add the onion, celery, garlic and a pinch of salt and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a mixing bowl
  • Grate the carrots and parsnips using the thick side of a box grater. Melt the remaining butter over medium heat. Once foaming, add the root veg and garlic to the pan and stir. Cook for another 3-4 minutes to soften then add to the mixing bowl
  • Roughly chop the parsley and pick the rosemary needles from the stalk and roughly chop. Add to the mixing bowl
  • Drain and rinse the lentils and add to the mixing bowl
  • Roughly chop the walnuts and add to the bowl
  • Finally stir through the oats and the nooch
  • Taste and season to perfection
2

For the cranberry glaze

  • Add the cranberries, sugar and 1 tbsp water to a small saucepan and cook over a high heat until the cranberries are starting to burst, about 4 minutes. Allow to cool
3

Prepare the loaf tin and bake

  • Line a loaf tin with baking parchment paper
  • Spoon the cranberries into the tin, followed by the lentil mix and pat down so that it is compact. Bake in a hot oven for about 45 minutes
4

Remove from the oven and serve

  • Remove from the oven and allow to stand for about 15 minutes before tipping it out of the tin and removing the baking parchment
  • Serve immediately with plant based gravy if you like!

Tips & Variations

  • Make it gluten-free: swap any breadcrumbs for gluten-free ones and double-check your soy sauce or Worcester-style sauce is certified GF. Works just as well.
  • Get ahead of yourself: you can make the whole loaf the day before, keep it in the tin in the fridge and then just glaze and bake it when you need it. Genuinely a lifesaver on Christmas Day.
  • Don't skip the resting time: we know it's tempting to slice straight away but give it 10 minutes out of the oven and it'll hold together so much better on the plate.

Why This Works

The trick is cooking down the onion, celery and garlic properly at the start, that's where so much of the depth comes from. The grated carrots and parsnips keep everything moist so you don't end up with a dry, crumbly slice, which is the classic lentil loaf pitfall. And that cranberry glaze on top isn't just for show, it brings a sweet, sharp contrast that ties the whole thing together.