Easy Meatloaf Muffins Recipe
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Delicious and easy, these Meatloaf Muffins are my family’s favorite meatloaf recipe, made smaller in individual servings for faster cooking! This Mini Meatloaf recipe is easy to meal prep and freezes beautifully! A quick weeknight meal that’s on the table in less than 30 minutes!
My mother has made her meatloaf recipe for well over 50 years. It is always a favorite! Many years ago, I turned her recipe into this 30-minute, quick, and easy weeknight meatloaf. It has been a favorite ever since.
This loved recipe is one I first published back in 2011. I have updated the step-by-step photos, clarified the instructions even more, and included some favorite recipe variations you may like. I think your family will love this recipe as much as mine does!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Quick and Easy. This easy meatloaf is ready in 30 minutes!
Delicious and Kid Friendly. Juicy, tender, and delicious. Kids and little picky eaters are often excited to eat these “muffins” when they might not as readily eat regular meatloaf!
Meal Prep Friendly. Individual portions that can be frozen, baked or unbaked.
Let me share how you’ll make these tasty meatloaf muffins.
Ingredients
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.
- Ground beef, turkey, or chicken – Use your preferred ground protein in this recipe.
- Egg – See my Recipe Variations below for an egg-free recipe.
- Bread crumbs – Use bread crumbs or cracker crumbs. See my Recipe Variations below for a gluten-free recipe.
- Worcestershire sauce – You can substitute it with coconut aminos if sensitive to soy.
- Stone House Seasoning – My house seasoning blend of garlic, salt, and pepper.
- Glaze topping – I love to use my favorite homemade BBQ sauce, but my mother used ketchup with brown sugar for a quick glaze and used a little inside the meatloaf. I’ve included it in the Recipe Variations below.
Optional Ingredients
- Onion – finely diced and cooked until tender (optional)
- Bell pepper – finely diced and cooked until tender (optional)
How to Make Easy Meatloaf Muffins
Prep. Preheat the oven to 400º F. Brush muffin pan indentions with olive oil. Set aside. Make the glaze.
Make the meatloaf mixture. Combine the ingredients for the meatloaf, along with two tablespoons of the glaze, in a medium mixing bowl. Portion the mixture into the prepared muffin pan.
Bake and glaze. Place the muffin pan in the preheated oven and bake until the meatloaf muffins register 160º F for ground beef and 165º F for ground turkey and ground chicken, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and spread with the glaze. Return to the oven for five more minutes.
Serve. Remove from the oven, remove from the muffin pan, and serve.
Recipe Variations
Egg-Free Meatloaf Muffins – Mix 1 tablespoon chia seeds + 3 tablespoons water and allow to rest for five minutes before using in place of the egg in the meatloaf mixture. You can use whole or ground chia. You can also use your favorite egg replacement for one egg.
Gluten-Free Meatloaf Muffins – Use certified gluten-free bread crumbs for the bread crumbs in the recipe.
Less Sugar Meatloaf Muffins – Use sugar-free ketchup and your favorite brown sugar replacement in the meatloaf mixture and as the topping for the meatloaf.
BBQ Sauce Topped Meatloaf Muffins – Use my homemade BBQ sauce or your favorite store-bought.
What to Serve with Meatloaf Muffins
With this scrumptious meatloaf recipe, we love:
But a great tip for leftovers or a for a casual party is to serve these as tasty Meatloaf Sliders and serve with a side of Sweet Potato Fries or Zucchini Chips! It’s great for tailgating, too.
Storage Tips
To store. Store baked and cooled meatloaf within two hours of cooking in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To freeze baked. Store baked and cooled meatloaf within two hours of cooking in an airtight, freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, reheat, and serve.
To freeze unbaked. Form the meatloaf muffins in the pan without adding the glaze, cover with freezer-safe wrap, and freeze overnight. Remove the individual meatloaf muffins from the muffin pan and store them in an airtight, freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months. To serve, remove one or more from the freezer and place into a muffin pan or on a baking sheet. Bake as directed in the recipe instructions.
Frequently Asked Questions
I love to use BBQ sauce for added flavor as a topping for my meatloaf muffins.
This recipe works great for even smaller extra mini meatloaf muffins! Mix together as directed, then follow my instructions for baking from my easy meatball recipe.
Here’s my Weeknight Meatloaf Muffins Recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Easy Meatloaf Muffins Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef, or ground turkey or ground chicken
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup bread crumbs, or cracker crumbs
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, or coconut aminos
- 1 teaspoon Stone House Seasoning
Meatloaf Glaze
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
Optional Ingredients
- 1/2 medium onion, diced and cooked until tender
- 1/2 medium green pepper, diced and cooked until tender
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 400º F. Brush muffin pan indentions with olive oil. Set aside.
- Make the meatloaf mixture. Combine the ingredients for the meatloaf, along with two tablespoons of the glaze, in a medium mixing bowl. Portion the mixture into the prepared muffin pan.
- Bake and glaze. Place the muffin pan in the preheated oven and bake until the meatloaf muffins register 160º F for ground beef and 165º F for ground turkey and ground chicken, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and spread with the glaze. Return to the oven for five more minutes.
- Serve. Remove from the oven, remove from the muffin pan, and serve.
Notes
Recipe Variations
Egg-Free Meatloaf Muffins – Mix 1 tablespoon chia seeds + 3 tablespoons water and allow to rest for five minutes before using in place of the egg in the meatloaf mixture. You can use whole or ground chia. You can also use your favorite egg replacement for one egg. Gluten-Free Meatloaf Muffins – Use certified gluten-free bread crumbs for the bread crumbs in the recipe. Sugar-Free Meatloaf Muffins – Use sugar-free ketchup in the meatloaf mixture and as the topping for the meatloaf. BBQ Sauce Topped Meatloaf Muffins – Use my homemade BBQ sauce or your favorite store-bought.Storage Tips
To store. Store baked and cooled meatloaf within two hours of cooking in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To freeze baked. Store baked and cooled meatloaf within two hours of cooking in an airtight, freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, reheat, and serve. To freeze unbaked. Form the meatloaf muffins in the muffin pan without adding the glaze, cover with freezer-safe wrap, and freeze overnight. Remove the individual meatloaf muffins from the muffin pan and store them in an airtight, freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months. To serve, remove one or more from the freezer and place into a muffin pan or on a baking sheet. Bake as directed in the recipe instructions.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
meatloaf was the meal i dreaded as a child. but now that i am older, i love it! these will be perfect for little ole me…. do you freeze after you cook it? how do you reheat?
I do freeze them after I cook them. To reheat, just pop in your refrigerator to all to thaw overnight or during the day that you are making them for supper. Then, you can easily reheat them in the microwave.
I love meatloaf and this sounds so good. I really like crushed crackers in my meatloaf, this was what my mom always used & it is the best!!!! Love the idea of mini meatloafs. They will be easy to freeze. Thank Robyn for another great recipe.
Meatloaf is one of my favorites! Have you ever tried it with venison? : )
You always make those old fashioned things that we love but that I never put on my blog…and I wonder why not? Meatloaf is one of those dishes and something my grown children and I still love…even better I think the day after for sandwiches.
My topping is brown sugar, ketchup and dry mustard. Thawing some ground beef now. Thanks!
Fast, simple,and easy… that’s what I love about this!
A muffin tin!!! That is so smart, Robyn!
I am making these for dinner tonight! I have everything in my kitchen 🙂 Love that they are individual!
Sounds wonderful and really much easier than i expected! Could you make this in a larger tin though, and if so what size and how long would it need cooking for? Thank you! 🙂
Your Sunday supper memories sound a lot like mine growing up. Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans, and always a glass or two of sweet iced tea. Comfort food all the way! The muffin tin is a great idea. I will definitely have to try that out!
How did you know I called my husband a few hours ago to ask him if meatloaf muffins were okay for dinner??? Are you stalking me?