This easy meatloaf recipe is the best I’ve ever made! It is incredibly flavorful and tender in the middle, and the homemade meatloaf glaze is out of this world.
I cannot wait until you try this amazing meatloaf recipe. Our family loves it, and everyone we’ve shared the recipe with said that it is the best they’ve made. With such high praise, we knew we needed to share this classic meatloaf with you and we can’t wait for you to try it!
Our readers love this recipe so much! They’ve said this recipe is “ a keeper,” “fantastic,” “a real favorite,” and that “it truly is the best.” We serve thick slices of this easy homemade meatloaf with mashed potatoes and a big salad. Leftovers are also fantastic, and they make the best meatloaf sandwiches. This recipe calls for ground beef, if you have ground turkey, I highly recommend using this easy turkey meatloaf recipe.
Key Ingredients
- Ground beef: Use ground beef with at least 15% fat for the juiciest meatloaf. Look for 85/15 or 80/20 on the package when you’re at the store.
- Veggies: I cook mushrooms, onion, shallot, bell pepper, and garlic in butter before adding them to my meatloaf mixture. They add so much flavor (especially the mushrooms, which I also use for turkey meatloaf).
- Saltine crackers: I use saltine crackers instead of breadcrumbs. They are light and crispy, so they don’t weigh down our meatloaf.
- Milk: Helps to keep our meatloaf juicy and tenderizes the meat.
- Egg and egg yolk: Keeps the meatloaf tender and prevents it from drying out or falling apart.
- Mustard: I use whole-grain or Dijon mustard. It adds so much flavor.
- Ketchup: I like store-bought natural or homemade ketchup, which I use in the meatloaf mixture to make the sauce spread on top.
- Worcestershire: Seasons our meatloaf and makes it taste more savory.
- Maple syrup: Helps sweeten our meatloaf glaze. Thanks to the maple syrup, this is the tastiest glaze I’ve had with meatloaf.
How to Make the Best Meatloaf
To make meatloaf, you’ll start by cooking the veggies in some butter until soft and sweet. I give the mushrooms a head start and then stir in the onion and shallot. Then, when soft, I add the red bell pepper and garlic. The veggies take about 10 minutes, but cooking them this way guarantees the best texture for your meatloaf.
Once your veggies are cooked and cooled, mix the meatloaf ingredients in a big bowl. You might have been told by someone else not to overmix meatloaf, but I’m going against the grain on this one and telling you to really get in there and mix! You want the mixture to look well blended, which improves flavor AND texture (it’s why our baked meatloaf won’t crumble apart).
I bake my meatloaf on a baking sheet, not in a loaf pan. You can absolutely bake this meatloaf in a loaf pan if you’d like. I prefer the baking sheet for two reasons. First, a baking sheet means the easiest cleanup, which is enough for me, but the second reason I love using a baking sheet is that our delicious meatloaf glaze becomes more caramelized and sticky than when cooked in a loaf pan.
After forming my meatloaf mixture into a loaf on a lined baking sheet, I generously spread on my glaze. Speaking of the glaze, you will stir ketchup, maple syrup, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce together to make it. It’s super simple and tastes so good once it’s baked.
I bake my meatloaf in a 375°F oven until the internal temperature reaches 160°F, which takes 45 to 55 minutes. Then, before slicing, I leave the meatloaf on the counter to rest for at least 10 minutes, which allows the juices to redistribute and the middle to firm up a bit. For more classic dishes like this one, try my traditional Shepherd’s pie!
My Favorite Meatloaf Sides
I love serving this meatloaf with classic sides like mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, and mac and cheese. Roasted veggies are amazing, too. I especially love roasted potatoes, roasted carrots, and this roasted asparagus.
For quick vegetable sides, try sautéed green beans, this garlic butter zucchini, and our easy sautéed veggies. Or try a simple salad dressed with one of our favorite homemade dressings. Try homemade ranch, quick honey mustard dressing, or this easy Italian dressing.
Best Meatloaf We've Ever Made
- PREP
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- TOTAL
We love this easy meatloaf recipe! It’s juicy, tender, and has the most delicious sweet and sticky meatloaf glaze.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
1 pound (450g) ground beef, 80% to 85% lean
2 tablespoons (28g) butter
2 cups finely chopped cremini mushrooms, 8 ounces
1 cup finely chopped onion, 1/2 medium onion
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced, 1 tablespoon
1/4 teaspoon Cajun seasoning, optional
1/2 cup finely crushed saltine crackers, 12 to 15 crackers
1/4 cup (60ml) milk
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon mustard, whole-grain or Dijon
1 teaspoon ketchup
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce or Pickapeppa sauce
Meatloaf Glaze1/2 cup (125g) ketchup, try homemade ketchup
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon mustard, whole-grain or Dijon
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce or Pickapeppa sauce
Directions
1Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, cover with a lid or tent with foil, and cook for 5 minutes.
2Uncover the pan and add the onion, shallot, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 10 minutes.
3Add the red bell pepper, garlic, and Cajun seasoning and cook until the bell pepper is soft, about 5 minutes more. Cool for 10 minutes.
4In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, cooled mushroom mixture, saltine crackers, milk, egg, egg yolk, mustard, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce. Mix well until the mixture looks well blended.
5Form the meatloaf into a 9-inch by 5-inch loaf on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper.
6Make the meatloaf glaze by stirring ketchup, maple syrup, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce.
7Spread the glaze over the meatloaf. Refrigerate while the oven preheats (5 to 10 minutes in the fridge helps firm up the meatloaf before baking).
8Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
9Bake the meatloaf for 45 to 55 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F.
10Let rest on the counter for 10 minutes before slicing (I use a serrated bread knife for clean slices).
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Ground beef: Choose beef with at least 15% fat for the best flavor and juiciness. Look for labels like 85/15 or 80/20 (these represent the lean meat-to-fat ratio).
- Prep shortcut: Save time by using a food processor to quickly chop the mushrooms, onion, and shallot.
- Saltine crackers: Saltine crackers in your meatloaf add both seasoning and a lighter texture. If substituting with breadcrumbs, add a pinch or two of extra salt to the mixture for flavor.
- Leftover meatloaf: Lasts in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight and reheat in the microwave or a 350°F oven.
- Make ahead: Refrigerate the formed, unbaked meatloaf (without the glaze) for up to 24 hours. You can also make the glaze, store it separately in an airtight container, and refrigerate it. When ready to bake, remove the meatloaf from the fridge and let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes before spreading on the glaze. Then, bake as instructed in the recipe.
- Freezing unbaked meatloaf: To freeze the uncooked meatloaf, form the meatloaf on a foil-lined baking sheet without adding the glaze. Freeze for 2 hours, wrap in foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, add the glaze, and bake as directed.
- Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
I made this recipe tonight, and it was amazing! The only changes I made are as follows: -I used garlic aioli mustard from Trader Joes -I put in 2 tablespoons of organic BBQ sauce from Costco -I made my own sourdough breadcrumbs instead of the crackers -I strained excess liquid from the peppers out of the sauteed vegetable mixture (adding it to a bone broth for a different recipe). -I added a teaspoon each of salt and pepper. -Otherwise, I stuck pretty closely to the way it is written! The only change I will make next time is adding about twice the amount of bread crumbs so the meatloaf will hold together a little better and not fall apart quite as easily. However, I love how tender it turned out. My family absolutely LOVED this!! I served it with garlic rosemary roasted baby potatoes and cinnamon/ brown sugar sweet potatoes. It will become a regular rotation meal here.
This meatloaf recipe is the most delicious.I’ve ever made even better than Emerald.Lagasi’s famous meatloaf recipe. I doubled the recipe. And I noticed even if you don’t double with all the mushrooms and the milk. And other stuff The meat mixture is loose..So what I did was when I doubled the recipe. I doubled the salting crackers. And it did help but it’s still loose.But tender as anything.
I’m 80 years young & still cook every day, but quit making meatloaf many years ago. Never could find or make a delicious one until YOURS ! This is the best par none. So happy tried, now in the rotation. Husband never a fan….but loved this formula, thank you tons !!!
I think the Cajun seasoning should be doubled. I also think the recipe should specify the amount of salt. Saying, “a little bit of salt” is not helpful. I was afraid to oversalt, so I added less than a half teaspoon. That wasn’t enough. The meatloaf was Bland. Salt is an important ingredient and shouldn’t be too casually referenced.
Hi there, feel free to increase the seasoning. We do include the amount of salt in our recipe directions.
The best meatloaf I’ve ever made too! Definitely doubling the recipe next time. Looking forward to leftovers tomorrow!
I followed the recipe to a tee and it was fabulous. Super moist, perfectly seasoned and texture. This is a keeper. I froze part of it and it thaws and reheated very nicely. Try it. You will be super happy.
The title says it all…It truly IS the BEST meatloaf I’v ever had. Although I wouldn’t want my mom to know I wrote that! 😉 Make it! You won’t be disappointed AND you might need to make a whole pan for each member of your family…it’s THAT GOOD!
So good! The only change was using white mushrooms bc that’s what my grocery store had. I will make this again and probably double the recipe and freeze half! I’m already looking forward to my meatloaf sandwich tomorrow afternoon!
Very good meatloaf. Cooked to temp sooner than 40 minutes, so keep an eye on it. Glaze was excellent. Definitely on the list of repeats.
I made this with 2 lbs hamburger and it was delicious!! I did add a squeeze of ginger to it..I WILL make this again
Made this last week & everyone (all adults) agreed it was fantastic! The only thing I did differently was to use a ketchup sauce, called Kona Ketchup, that I bought in Hawaii, from Rebel Kitchen in Kona, instead of regular ketchup. Here are the ingredients in this ketchup, which I will use from now on: tomato paste, Italian seasoning, sugar, vinegar, mustard, water, garlic powder, salt, onion powder & curry powder. I might just order another 3 pack cuz it’s that good. I’m making more meatloaf now!
Really was the best meatloaf.. doubled it so I could have cold meatloaf sandwiches the next day.. followed the recipe exactly.. made the Cajun seasoning.. did not double the mushrooms..only had one box.. definitely make this meatloaf