Looking for a meat-free alternative for your star main this holiday season? This Festive Nut Loaf recipe is now a firm favourite in our household, and I often make it instead of Turkey/Chicken for Thanksgiving or a Sunday Roast. I’ve made nut and lentil loafs in the past, and I sometimes find them stodgy. This recipe has a perfect balance of sweet and umami flavour and is deliciously moist! I most recently served it with potatoes, brussel sprouts, stuffing, and carrot and swede mash for Canadian Thanksgiving.
For the meal featured in the photos, I made an early Autumn feast with roast potatoes, parsnips, carrots/peas, and stuffing. One reason why I love this recipe for Festive Nut Loaf so much is that it’s so easy to make! It can also be made ahead of time and then just popped into the oven 45 minutes before meal time. No basting or meat thermometers needed!
As I write this in mid-November, I’m definitely starting to get into the holiday spirit. The past couple of years have been tough on the world, and I think a lot of people are turning to their holiday traditions for comfort a bit earlier than usual; we are all wishing for a happier and healthier Christmas. If you are planning a Thanksgiving or Christmas gathering (or any holiday/fancy dinner) this is a great option to feed guests who are vegetarian, or are simply striving for a more plant-forward diet for the environment, like myself.
For more holiday recipe ideas, see:
Gingerbread Cake with Spiced Lemon Sauce

Festive Nut Loaf
Ingredients
- 1 Medium Onion diced
- 2 Cloves of Garlic minced
- 2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 1 Egg substitute flax egg to make vegan
- 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce substitute Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 Pieces of Toasted Wholemeal Seeded Bread Blended into bread crumbs
- 1 ½ Cups Nut and Fruit Mix options: walnuts, cashews, sultanas, dried cranberries, almonds, pecans
- 1 Tsp. Fresh Sage Diced finely (or dried)
- 1 Tsp. Fresh Rosemary Diced finely (or dried)
- 1 Tsp. Dried Parsley
- 1 Tsp. Dried Thyme
- 1 Cup Vegetable Stock
Instructions
- In a frying pan, heat your olive oil and then cook your onion and garlic until light brown.
- Pre-heat your oven to 180°C and line a loaf tin with parchment paper.
- In a food processor or Nutri Bullet, make your bread crumbs and then put them in a large mixing bowl.
- Next, add your fruit and nut mix to the Nutri Bullet and roughly blitz . You want some small chunks. Add to the mixing bowl.
- Add your herbs, and the fried onion and garlic to the mixing bowl.
- Next, add the soy sauce and egg and mix well.
- Lastly, add your vegetable stock and combine the mixture thoroughly.
- Bake for 35 minutes and then let rest for 10 minutes before inverting on to a serving platter.
If you try my recipe for Festive Nut Roast this holiday season, I’d love your feedback!