The best Mini Meatloaf recipe is delicious and easy to make, cooked in a muffin tin. We top it with a simple homemade sauce that is irresistible.
Mini Meatloaf is a kid favorite meal that we ALL crave.
Mini Meatloaf is a kid favorite meal that we ALL crave.As much as I love our traditional meatloaf recipe, I make this mini meatloaf in a muffin pan much more often because the meatloaf cooks so quickly, and I love the individual portion sizes.
This is a go-to for me on busy weeknights because the meatloaf and sauce can be made in advance, so they're ready to go in the oven at dinnertime. Plus, meatloaf muffins are freezer-friendly, so it's worth making a double batch to have a quick freezer meal ready for another day.
How to make Mini Meatloaf:
Combine: With clean hands, a large spoon, or meat chopper, mix ground beef (or ground turkey), breadcrumbs, BBQ sauce, mustard, onion, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and egg until combined.
Bake: Press meat mixture into a standard 12 cup muffin tin, pressing down to fill the cup. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 15 minutes. While baking, mix all sauce ingredients.
Add Sauce: Spoon sauce over each meatloaf muffin then bake again for 10-15 minutes, or until cooked through (160°F on meat thermometer). Serve with extra sauce, cauliflower salad, roasted vegetables, or mashed potatoes.
Make Ahead, Storing, and Freezing Instructions:
- Store leftover meatloaf muffins in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- To Make Ahead: Combine meatloaf mixture and press into muffin tin. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to overnight.
- To Freeze: Combine meatloaf mixture and press into greased muffin tin. Cover with plastic wrap and “flash freeze” in the freezer for about an hour. Carefully remove each partially frozen mini meatloaf and transfer to a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, place frozen meatloaf muffins in the muffin tin and thaw in the frdige overnight. Bake as instructed.
Recipe Variations:
- Turkey Mini Meatloaf: With lean ground beef, each mini meatloaf muffin is only 140 calories. If you use ground turkey, it's only 120 calories (both include the sauce).
- Gluten-free Adaptation: Use gluten-free panko breadcrumbs, and gluten-free BBQ sauce.
Serve With:
- Brussels Sprout Salad
- Mashed Potatoes
- Twice Baked Potatoes
- Roasted Vegetables
- French Green Beans
- Wild Rice Pilaf
- Potatoes Au Gratin
- Homemade Dinner Rolls
- Whole Roasted Cauliflower
- Wedge Salad
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Recipe
Mini Meatloaf Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef ,or ground turkey (680 grams)
- 2/3 cup panko bread crumbs , or regular breadcrumbs (100 grams)
- 1/2 cup onion chopped, (70 grams)
- 1 Tablespoon barbecue sauce
- 1 Tablespoon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 egg , lightly beaten
Meatloaf sauce:
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar (73 grams)
- 1/2 cup ketchup (120 grams)
- 2 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Mix Meatloaf Sauce ingredients: brown sugar, ketchup, dijon mustard and nutmeg.
- Meatloaf Mixture: 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.
- Press into muffin tin, divide the mixture evenly among the 12 cups, pressing meat down to fill the cup.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and use a paper towel to soak up any grease on the meatloaf. Generously spoon meatloaf 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
Nutrition
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I originally shared this recipe September 2013. Updated August 2019, February 2022 and January 2025.
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Love this. I decided to give meatloaf another shot because I haven’t hated it since I was a child. Wow!! I loved it, my husband loved it and my 4 & 7 year old picky eaters couldn’t get enough!! Thanks!!
I’ve made mini meatloaf many times but all of my family agreed this was the BEST EVER! So delicious and so easy!
These were delicious! Love all of your recipes – thank you for always being my “go-to” when coming up with what to make for dinner!
Thank you so much Kate! That means a lot.
This recipe is definitely a keeper for our family. Super easy to make and delicious! Thank you!!
What About using OverSized Muffin Tins(6ea)? Would Cooking Times increase and by how much? Thank You.
My husband was in the mood for meatloaf so we decided to try this recipe and we are so glad we did. First let me say that I did not grow up eating meatloaf so I definitely have my reservations regarding any meatloaf. These meatloaves came out perfectly and they we’re all quickly gobbled up. This is a wonderful recipe and convenient for making sure everyone gets fair portions. This recipe is a definite keeper!
I’m so happy you and your family enjoyed it Liz! Thanks for coming back to comment!
Very delicious!!
Thanks for such a quick & easy recipe that I used in a pinch and that my entire family really enjoyed! I didn’t have any panko or bread crumbs so I just crushed up some Ritz crackers really fine and omitted the salt. I also spooned more of the jarred bbq sauce I used in the recipe (Head Country original) on top of the loaves since it’s a family favorite. I served it with peas and mashed sweet potatoes and the meal was a hit! I will definitely be making it again and again.
Yum! These were so good and easy. All 7 of us liked it a lot. What a clever way to make meatloaf! I may try adding fresh parsley next time. But it is delicious without! I didn’t add any extra salt. Was perfect! Thank you!!
We had these last night. Very good! I had something similar in the past that were large patties on a baking sheet. I was a little hesitant to do these in my muffin tin, but they cooked so well (very evenly). I chose not to make the sauce as directed, because I felt like it was a lot of sugar (just personal preference). Instead, I just eyeballed some Worcestershire sauce and ketchup, but next time I think I’ll give the sauce in the recipe a try.
Made these today. They were amazing! I especially liked the sauce on top, so much better than plain ketchup.
Hi there! So excited to try this delicious recipe! Just a couple questions. In the instructions, you mention garlic powder. But I don’t see garlic powder in the ingredients list. You also mention egg whites in the directions, but in the ingredients, it just says eggs. Which is it? Thanks in advance!
Thanks Molly–I’ve fixed it. I used to add two egg whites but now I just add 1 egg. Enjoy!
I made these last week and they were amazing!! Can’t stop thinking about them! Thank you!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you!