Our incredible meatloaf muffins are the answer to your dinnertime dilemma! This recipe is packed with tips to ensure your mini-meatloaves are moist and delicious every single time. Plus, we’ve got a secret weapon: a zesty brown sugar glaze that adds a burst of flavor you won’t find in other recipes. Skip the mess, not the flavor!
Thousands of readers have loved this recipe over the last ten years. Reasons—it’s foolproof, delicious, and EASY. We’ve included step-by-step photos to guide you through the process, ensuring tender and flavorful mini-meatloaves every time.
These easy meatloaf muffins are baked in just 30 minutes, perfect for busy weeknights when you don’t even have time to think! And the individual meatloaves freeze beautifully for meal prep. Forget dry, boring meatloaf—make weeknights delicious!
My two young boys LOVE this and ask for seconds! Very easy to have leftovers to send to grandparents! So easy and very yummy. It’s now one of our staples!
kristen
Simple and easy meatloaf in muffin tins
As a Southern cook for more than 40 years, I’ve made these meatloaf muffins many, many times. My husband and grandkids request this recipe frequently because they love how the sides of the muffins get a little browner and crispier.
You’ll love how the mini-meatloaves are perfect for individual portions or calorie-conscious diets since you can easily control the serving size. They also freeze beautifully in freezer-safe containers or bags, making them a great option for meal prep.
The best part is that this recipe is based on my Classic Meatloaf Recipe. Just like that recipe, this one uses no fancy ingredients and has a terrific flavor that’s reminiscent of your favorite diner.
Muffin tin meatloaf ingredients
- Ground chuck or turkey
- Onion
- Green pepper
- Eggs
- Plain breadcrumbs
- Worcestershire sauce
- Ketchup
- Salt and pepper
Sauce
- Ketchup
- Brown Sugar
- Yellow Mustard
Meatloaf Muffin recipe variations
- You can easily play around with this recipe and come up with variations that suit your family. Lots of folks like using ground turkey or ground chicken in place of beef. That will work fine in this recipe, although I find that baked recipes with ground turkey have a tendency to be dry. If I were going to substitute, I would probably add some additional liquid to the recipe with an extra egg yolk or about a quarter cup of milk.
- Another meat substitute would be ground pork with some sausage mixed in.
- For the plain bread crumbs, you could substitute crushed saltine crackers.
- You could also use tomato sauce in lieu of the ketchup in the brown sugar glaze.
- For a veggie boost, sneak some chopped mushrooms or grated carrots into the meat mixture.
How to make meatloaf muffins
Step 1. Mix up the meatloaf as you normally would: meat, onion, pepper, egg, bread crumbs, ketchup all in a large bowl.
**Cook’s Tip: Don’t mix too much, or the meatloaf will be tough, but mix well enough to blend everything.
Step 2. Scoop mixture into muffin pans. My muffin pans are non-stick, but I still spray the pan and then slightly overfill each muffin cup.
**Cook’s Tip: I use an ice cream scoop and put a heaping scoop in each muffin cup.
The meatloaf mixture will shrink down just a bit so you don’t want to underfill. I can usually get 18-24 meatloaf muffins out of one recipe batch.
Step 3. Bake!
Step 4. Remove and brush with sauce using a silicone pastry brush. Then bake a few more minutes before taking the meatloaf muffins out of the oven.
Serving meatloaf muffins
If you’re making this recipe for a busy weeknight dinner, then you’re going to want equally easy sides to serve with it. My favorite side dishes would include green beans, Southern butter beans, and of course, you can never go wrong with creamy mashed potatoes. My Quick Weeknight Mashed Potatoes would be perfect.
You’ll have all the makings for a perfect comfort food dinner the whole family will love, with half the time and none of the fuss!
How to store leftover muffin tin meatloaf
Store your leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
How to freeze muffin pan meatloaf
- Place the muffins on a baking sheet overnight in the freezer.
- The next day, put the frozen muffins in a bag and store in the freezer. This method keeps most of the sauce on the meatloaf. You’ll lose a little bit to the bag but not much.
- And it’s easy to make a little more sauce when you thaw out your meatloaf muffins anyway!
Meatloaf muffins recipe FAQs
What is the secret to moist meatloaf?
To make sure your meatloaf muffins are moist and tasty, you’ll want to be sure that you’re not using only lean ground beef. The ground chuck has more fat, which will result in a more tender meatloaf. Some people will also soak the breadcrumbs in milk, like we do for our meatballs recipes.
What ingredient keeps meatloaf from falling apart?
The eggs and bread crumbs serve as binders in this recipe and will keep the muffin tin meatloaves from falling apart.
Should you bake meatloaf covered or uncovered?
Bake your meatloaf muffins uncovered.
Why do you put eggs in meatloaf?
The eggs serve as a binder and help to keep the meat from falling apart.
Why do you put baking powder in meatloaf?
Some people like to use a baking powder slurry mixed into the ground beef to give it extra moistness. We have not found that to be needed for this recipe.
Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly spray two 12-cup muffin pans with cooking oil.
Mix meats and other ingredients (except for the sauce ingredients) gently in a large bowl. You can saute the onions and green pepper in a little olive oil first if you want them to be completely tender. Place meatloaf mixture in muffin cups, mounding slightly above each cup. This recipe should fill about 18 muffin cups.
Place meatloaf in oven and bake for 25 minutes. While meatloaf is cooking, mix the sauce ingredients. After 25 minutes, remove muffin pans from oven and spread sauce on the top of each meatloaf muffin.
Bake for another 10 minutes and then remove from oven and let rest for fifteen minutes.
- Don’t mix too much or the meatloaf will be tough, but do mix well enough to blend everything.
- Use an ice-cream scoop and put a heaping scoop in each muffin cup.
- Place the meatloaf muffins on a baking sheet overnight in the freezer.
- The next day, put the frozen muffins in a bag and store in the freezer. This method keeps most of the sauce on the meatloaf. You’ll lose a little bit to the bag but not much.
- And it’s easy to make a little more sauce when you thaw out your meatloaf muffins anyway!
Serving: 9servings, Calories: 315kcal, Carbohydrates: 22g, Protein: 22g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 103mg, Sodium: 702mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 11g
Update Notes: This post was originally published October 6, 2014, and on March 13, 2024, was updated with one or more of the following: step-by-step photos, video, updated recipe, new tips.
Source link
French