Meatloaf Muffins
Jul 15, 2026
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These mini meatloaf muffins are so simple to prepare and make a fun, easy dinner. Delicious meatloaf made in a muffin tin and topped with my mom’s homemade sauce.
One of my family’s favorite dinners are these meatloaf muffins. The kids love how they get their own individual portion and that they can even eat them with their hands.
I have been making this recipe for many years and have experimented using different ingredients. The one ingredient we go back and forth on using is Panko bread crumbs or oatmeal. Ultimately, we prefer the Panko crumbs but oatmeal is also great.
This recipe is perfect for a simple weeknight meal, you can even make a double recipe and use it for meal prep.
If you would like more meatloaf recipes be sure to check out this one pound meatloaf, BBQ meatloaf, and Lipton Onion Soup meatloaf.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Fun, individual portions. Perfectly portioned meatloaves that are great for both kids and adults.
- Easy ground beef dinner recipe. Made with simple ingredients you might already have on hand.
- Simple weeknight meal. Just a little bit of prep needed. Can also be made the night before and reheated.
- Can be baked quicker than a classic meatloaf. Since these are baked in smaller portions, they bake up faster than a traditional meatloaf.
Ingredients
Make these meatloaf muffins with a few pantry staple ingredients.
- Ground beef – I like using lean ground beef or ground turkey for this recipe.
- Panko bread crumbs – Panko bread crumbs work wonderful for this meatloaf. You can substitute with regular bread crumbs or even oatmeal.
- Egg – A large egg helps to bind the ingredients together.
- Onion flakes– This adds delicious, mild onion flavor.
- Worcestershire sauce – Adds a delicious, savory flavor to the mini meatloafs.
- Seasonings – Garlic powder, salt, ground black pepper
- Sauce – Ketchup, light brown sugar, ground mustard
How to make meatloaf muffins
Scroll to the bottom for the full muffin pan meatloaf recipe.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9 cup muffin pan with non stick cooking spray.
- Mix together the ground beef, egg, panko breadcrumbs, minced onion, salt, and ground black pepper.
- Divide the mixture into 9 portions and fill each muffin cup.
- Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees F.
- While the mini meatloaves are baking, make the sauce by stirring together the ketchup, brown sugar, and ground mustard.
- Spread the sauce on top of each meatloaf. Bake another 10-15 minutes or until cooked through.
Heather’s recipe tips
- Use lean beef. I recommend using lean ground beef to prevent the meatloaf from being too greasy.
- Don’t over mix the meatloaf mixture. Over mixing can make the meatloaf muffins tough.
- Make sure to spray the muffin tin with non stick cooking spray.
- Check the internal temperature to make sure it reaches 165 degrees F.
- Let the mini meatloafs rest in the muffin tin for about 5 minutes before removing them.
- If you have a 12 cup muffin tin you can use 1 1/2 pounds ground beef.
Variations
You can customize this recipe with a few variations. Here are some suggestions:
- Protein – You can substitute the ground beef with ground chicken, ground turkey, or ground bison.
- Cheese – Add a little shredded cheese to the
- Sauce – Substitute the sauce with your favorite BBQ sauce.
- Vegetables – Sneak in some extra veggies by adding in finely diced bell peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, carrots, or celery.
Storage instructions
Store: Let the mini meatloaves cool and then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Freeze: Place the meatloafs on a baking sheet in the freezer for about an hour. Place them in a freezer safe container or bag and freeze for up to 2 months.
Thaw: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat in the oven at 350 degrees or in the microwave.
What to serve with meatloaf muffins
These are great on their own but I like serving them with things like:
- Sour cream mashed potatoes
- Baked Velveeta mac and cheese
- Buttered noodles
- Stove Top stuffing in the oven
- Tennessee onions
- Mississippi mud potatoes
- Oven roasted small potatoes
Common questions
Check that the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F.
Yes, you can form this into a large meatloaf and cook in a loaf pan. The cooking time will be longer.
More ground beef recipes
- Ground Beef Enchiladas
- Three Bean Chili
- Cheesy Mac With Ground Beef
- Ground Beef Alfredo
- Ground Beef Taco Dip
Meatloaf Muffins
Ingredients
- 1.25 lb lean ground beef
- ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon onion flakes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Sauce
- ½ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground mustard
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- Place the ground beef, egg, Panko breadcrumbs, Worcestershire sauce, minced onion, salt, and ground black pepper. Mix until combined.
- Divide the mixture and place in 9 muffin tin cups.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Carefully remove from the oven and pat the tops of the meatloaves with a paper towel to remove extra grease.
- While the mini meatloafs are baking, make the sauce by stirring together the ketchup, brown sugar, and ground mustard.
- Spoon the sauce over the meatloafs. Bake for another 10-15 minutes or until they are cooked through.
- Serve warm.
Notes
- Use lean beef. I recommend using lean ground beef to prevent the meatloaf from being too greasy.
- Don’t over mix the meatloaf mixture. Over mixing can make the meatloaf muffins tough.
- Make sure to spray the muffin tin with non stick cooking spray.
- Check the internal temperature to make sure it reaches 165 degrees F.
- Let the mini meatloafs rest in the muffin tin for about 5 minutes before removing them.
- If you have a 12 cup muffin tin you can use 1 1/2 pounds ground beef.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
