This post contains affiliate links.
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
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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Text me new recipe ideas!
Simple, tasty ideas sent once a week. No spam.
Follow Me
I originally shared this recipe September 2013. Updated August 2019, February 2022 and January 2025.
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.
These were fun to make and eat, but not fun to clean up the muffin tins afterwards (I almost threw them away!!!!) I also did not have the ingredients for the sauce but made my own up and was delish – used a small Spicy Sriracha sauce from Chickfila in it!
Soooo good! The sauce is boss! My brother said it was better than mom’s (but of course we didn’t tell her that 😉 I used regular breadcrumbs that I had on hand and made mini loaves on a sheet pan. I’ll definitely make more sauce next time as everyone wanted more for both the meatloaf and baked potatoes I served it with. I’m a newbie with cooking, and this is definitely one to add to my recipe stash. Simple and delicious! Thanks for sharing it!
Very flavorful! Perfect size for me since I don’t eat much. For the topping I did half ketchup and half BBQ sauce. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
Can regular bread crumbs be used instead of panko? Or any other substitutions for panko?
Yes, that fine! Or you could use crushed crackers (like ritz, club or saltines).
Hubby says this is the best meatloaf he has ever eaten, and he LOVES meatloaf! This is a keeper for sure!
Really easy and delicious. I appreciate how they are portioned, and how they keep well. The sauce on top was soooo good! My husband isn’t a big fan of meatloaf, except for your recipe and now this one! I am always looking for more quick and easy recipes to throw together with a toddler running around. Thank you!!
Made this tonight. My kids scarfed it down with no complaint. I did substitute onion powder (2 tsp) for the onion for a kid who won’t eat something if she thinks she can see an onion. It’s going into my monthly rotation. Super easy for portion! I didn’t use the sauce, and it was still really good, and we didn’t miss it.
Delicious! We loved how tasty and cute they are.
Awesome ide.Even my Italian wife from Calabria Italy loved it.Wish we could edit the serving quantities by editing it like many other sites.
Very good. Did add a little more salt but other then that they were good per the recipe. I liked how easy and how delicious they turned out. Will be using this recipe again.