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.
I just made this recipe with a side of crunchy potatoes aka hash browns. The meatloaf is hands down delicious! I can’t get enough of the sauce either! Thank you for sharing.
Made these about a week ago (sorry for the delay) and they were terrific. The sauce was a little sweet for our taste, but I can sure adjust that! We ate two meals and a lunch from them! Can’t wait to try this again!
Made these 4 or 5 times now. everybody loves them, including my mother-in-law who comes for over for dinner just to eat these. Maybe I should make them less…
I experimented with turkey gravy, but not as good as the barbecue sauce in the recipe.
I did stuff the meatloaves with a third of a cheese stick and/or a babybel, for molten cheese when you cut into them. It’s really yummy. Kids love them.
It was delicious! I made it without mustard because I didn’t have any, and used Italian breadcrumbs instead of panko. Turned out great!
Made these for dinner and they were a hit! Everyone loved them including the kids 🙂
I also precooked onions with garlic and added 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese to ingredients.
Thanks!
Did you use fresh garlic when you sautéed it with the onions or the garlic powder called for in the recipe?
I made these for the first time last week & they were amazing. My boys are very picky eaters & they both cleared their plates.
I make these and love the technique since I’m a single person. I always use cooked white rice instead of bread crumbs. This is a trick I picked up in the Pontiac Press in the 70s where a page had recipes for picnicking at Meadowbrook Theater.
I also sauté the onion and garlic to precook them a bit.
Hi! I’m not a very good cook but I haven’t given up yet on finding a recipe for meatloaf that I can make and enjoy. I’ve been trying to find one that’s not only easy j to make, but tastes good so I don’t have to waste it. I found this one on Pinterest. I only have a mini loaf pan, so I just used that. I have to say, I could actually really enjoy this one!! There is only one change I will have to make with the next batch is to just don’t add any chili powder. I’m a big wimp when it comes to spice.
I also enjoyed the glaze. Thanks for the tip to remove the fat the has come up to the top. The glaze stayed where I told it to 😁 and it came out perfect. It wasn’t too sweet and no one ingredient overwhelmed another. Thank you so much for a recipe that I look forward to making again and again!
Love it! The sauce on top is delicious. Glad I did it and not just ketchup. Way better!
I have made these several times and everybody loves them. Won’t make meatloaf any other way now. Thank you!