Easy Meatloaf Muffins Recipe (2024)

Meatloaf muffins make a quick and easy weeknight meatloaf recipe. They are on the table in less than 30 minutes, but they also freeze beautifully for easy meal prep.

Looking for delicious side dishes to serve with meatloaf? We love mashed potatoes, green beans or creamed spinach, and roasted carrots or a pan of roasted vegetables.

My mother has made her meatloaf recipe for well over 50 years. It is always a favorite! I turned her recipe into this 30-minute, quick, and easy weeknight meatloaf recipe when I was first married 28 years ago. It has been a favorite ever since.

I first published the recipe in 2011, but I have updated the step-by-step photos, made the instructions even clearer, and included some favorite recipe variations you may also appreciate. I think your family will love this recipe as much as mine does!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Quick and Easy. This easy meatloaf is ready in 30 minutes!

Delicious. Juicy, tender, and delicious.

Meal Prep Friendly. Individual portions that can be frozen, baked or unbaked.

How to Make Easy Meatloaf Muffins Recipe

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 also substitute 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 as well as 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)

Step-by-Step Instructions

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.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here’s my Weeknight Meatloaf Muffins Recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Enjoy!
Robyn xo