This easy Mini Meatloaf recipe is made with ground beef or ground turkey and topped with a delicious meatloaf sauce. They cook faster, are easier and healthier than traditional meatloaf.

Looking for more kid-friendly meals? Try Hawaiian Meatballs, American Goulash, or Chicken Pot Pie!

Two easy mini meatloaf with sauce on a plate next to a green salad, ready to be enjoyed.

Why I love this meal:

  • Fast – Making meatloaf in a muffin tin is easier to make and faster to cook than regular meatloaf.
  • Make Ahead – This meatloaf is easily prepped in the morning or even the night before, making dinnertime way less stressful. I also like to make extra and freeze the individual portion sizes for future quick meals.
  • The Sauce – The homemade sauce only has four simple ingredients and couldn’t be easier to whip up. It takes this meal over the top with how delicious and flavorful it is!

How to make Mini Meatloaf:

Combine Meatloaf Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl (using your hands or a large spoon), combine ground beef, breadcrumbs, onion, barbecue sauce, mustard, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper and egg.

Two images showing all of the meatloaf ingredients in a bowl, and then all of it mixed together for Mini Meatloaf.

Press Into Muffin Tin: Divide the meat among the 12 cups in a standard muffin tin, pressing them down to fill the cup. Bake for 15 minutes.

A scoop of meatloaf mixture in each compartment of a muffin pan.

Make the Sauce:  Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Once meatloaf has cooked for 15 minutes, remove them and blot out any grease in the muffin cups. Spoon the sauce over them.

Two images showing brown sugar, ketchup, dijon mustard, and nutmeg in a bowl to make a meatloaf sauce, and then that sauce being spread on top of mini meatloaf.

Return to oven for 10-15 minutes until cooked through.  Serve mini meatloaf muffins with a side of Perfect Mashed Potatoes or this Apple Pecan Salad.

Three mini meatloaf with a fork cutting into one, with a simple green side salad on the plate next to it.

Healthy Meatloaf?

These easy mini meatloaf muffins are only 140 calories made with lean ground beef or about 120 calories made with ground turkey (that’s including the sauce!). I often use ground turkey instead of ground beef because once I add the sauce, my family really can’t tell the difference.

Make Ahead, Freezing, and Storing Instructions:

  • To Make Ahead: Combine meatloaf ingredients and then press into a muffin tin. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to bake, or up to overnight.
  • To Freeze: Grease muffin tin and press meatloaf mixture into each. Cover and “flash freeze” for about an hour.  Carefully remove each partially frozen meatloaf muffin and place them in a freezer safe container.  Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, place the frozen servings back in muffin tin and allow them to thaw completely in the fridge. Then bake as instructed.
  • To Store: Place the cooked muffins in a container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Serve With:

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Recipe

Two mini meatloaf with sauce on a plate with a green salad, ready to be enjoyed!
Prep 10 mins
Cook 25 mins
Total 35 mins
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Ingredients
 
 

Meatloaf sauce:

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • In a large mixing bowl (using your hands, meat chopper, or a large spoon), combine ground beef, breadcrumbs, onion, 1 Tbsp barbecue sauce, mustard, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper and egg.
  • Divide the mixture among the 12 cups in a standard muffin tin, pressing them down to fill the cup. Bake for 15 minutes.
  •  In the meantime, in a small bowl mix together all of the ingredients for the sauce.  
  • Remove the meatloaf from oven and use a paper towel to soak up any grease on the meatloaf.
  • Generously spoon sauce over each mini meat loaf. Return to oven for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the meat is cooked through.
  • Serve with mashed potatoes and any extra sauce.

Notes

Love it? Try our traditional meatloaf!
Store Leftover meatloaf in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
To Make Ahead: Combine meatloaf ingredients and then press into a muffin tin. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to bake, or up to overnight.
To Freeze: Grease muffin tin and press meatloaf mixture into each. Cover and “flash freeze” for about an hour.  Carefully remove each partially frozen meatloaf muffin and place them in a freezer safe container.  Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, place the frozen servings back in muffin tin and allow them to thaw completely in the fridge. Then bake as instructed.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 137kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 13gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 299mgPotassium: 268mgFiber: 1gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 151IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 25mgIron: 2mg

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I originally shared this recipe September 2013. Updated August 2019 and February 2022.

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Lauren Allen

Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos.

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Comments

  1. This turned out very good. Just a couple substitutes. Instead of ketchup I used Bear’s breath (so good!) it has just a touch of spice. And less than half the brown sugar. Turned out great!

  2. 5 stars
    These got rave reviews from my family. My kiddos who doesn’t love meatloaf loved these. I discovered didn’t have BBQ sauce so used A1 sauce and then at the last minute omitted the chili powder because I wasn’t sure if it would be weird with A1 sauce. I did a mix of regular sized muffin tins and mini muffin tins just because they are cute.

  3. 5 stars
    These turned out *fantastic,* this is our new go-to meatloaf recipe. I did not have BBQ sauce, so I used A1 instead. The only thing I’d do next time is do 1 1/2 times, or double, the sauce to heat and add on top of mashed potatoes. These are going into regular rotation in our house, thank you for sharing this recipe!

  4. I don’t have a standard muffin pan as mine or jumbo size I guess but that should be fine right? It will just make fewer of them and I’m sure you could also use those aluminum mini loaf pans as well?
    Also, do you think it would be OK to open the egg? Or keep the egg and omit the breadcrumbs? I have different reasons for both of those questions.
    Anyway, looking forward to trying this For a freezer meal.

    1. Yes, that will work with a larger man (just cook slightly longer). The egg and breadcrumbs just act as binders. You could omit one of the other and be fine, or use a replacement like a “flax-egg” for the egg and gluten-free bread or cracker crumbs.

  5. Made this last night omitting onion. Very delicious and no leftovers. This will be my go to meatloaf especially for the topping.

  6. 5 stars
    This is my go too since I made it last year!! My picky eaters loved them and my hubby loved them too!! Simple and delicious!! Definitely worth it thanks for sharing this recipe with us!!

  7. 5 stars
    Made this tonight exactly as written and it was so delicious! And quick and easy for a weeknight meal. Thank you for this recipe!

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