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Best Meatloaf Recipe (Tender & Juicy)

The secret for the best meatloaf recipe is the tangy and savory sauce added to the meatloaf as it bakes. The best meatloaf comes together with basic pantry ingredients that you likely already have at home! The results are juicy, tender, and moist – the perfect weeknight dinner.

Sliced juicy meatloaf slathered in sauce on a pan.
The best meatloaf is easy, moist, and incredibly delicious – out of many, this the best meatloaf recipe we’ve made.

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Best Meatloaf Recipe Tender & Juicy

The Best Meatloaf Recipe:
What You’ll Love

  • Our best meatloaf recipe is affordable and oh-so-easy to make.
  • You likely already have the simple pantry ingredients for this classic meatloaf in your kitchen.
  • The extra sauce on top makes this the best meatloaf recipe you’ll ever serve family and friends.
  • This easy meatloaf bakes up in a little less than an hour, for the perfect weeknight meal.
  • This meatloaf recipe can be prepared in advance, making it ideal for meal prep!
  • Classic meatloaf is the ultimate comfort food that pairs perfectly with Garlic Herb Roasted Potatoes or Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes.
two slices of juicy meatloaf on a plate
Made with basic ingredients for the best meatloaf recipe around.

Easy Meatloaf: Basic Pantry Ingredients

One of the best parts about this classic meatloaf recipe is that you can prepare it with basic pantry ingredients that you likely already have on hand. It’s a great way to use up the ground beef in your freezer.

These basic pantry ingredients are all you’ll need for the perfect weeknight dinner:

  1. The base of this easy meatloaf is, you guessed it, ground beef. You’ll need 2 pounds of 85-90% lean ground beef.
  2. The sautéed chopped onion and garlic paired with salt, pepper, and thyme will add a new dimension to the recipe. Toasting the thyme with the onion and garlic highlights its flavor.
  3. To hold it all together, create a binder using eggs and breadcrumbs.
  4. The added Worcestershire sauce and beef broth will give you a moist meatloaf recipe every time! 
  5. Brown sugar, coarse mustard, and ketchup come together to create the tangy special sauce. Add some as your simple meatloaf bakes, but make sure to save a some for serving.
sliced juicy meatloaf ready to serve
The best meatloaf recipe is baked to perfection and topped with a sweet and tangy sauce!

Best Meatloaf Recipe
Commonly Asked Questions

How Do You Make a Juicy Meatloaf?

The key here is to not skip out on the added moisture. In this classic meatloaf recipe, you’ll notice that it requires both Worcestershire sauce and beef broth. That, along with the special sauce will give you the most tender, best meatloaf recipe ever!

Is it Better to Cook Meatloaf Covered or Uncovered?

You don’t have to for this easy meatloaf recipe. The added moisture in the mixture itself as well as the addition of the sauce will give you the mouth-watering classic meatloaf you’re after. If you’re worried about yours drying out and prefer to cover it, make sure to remove the foil for the last 15-minutes of baking.

What Ingredients Keep Meatloaf From Falling Apart?

The secret to keeping meatloaf from falling apart is the binder. In this recipe, the binder is the breadcrumbs and the eggs. The eggs and breadcrumbs provide tenderness to your best meatloaf ever.

More to Eat

  • Teriyaki Meatloaf – tender, juicy, and full of umami flavor. It’s amazing with fluffy rice.
  • BBQ Turkey Meatloaf – uses barbecue sauce instead of ketchup for robust results.
  • Garlic Marinated Ribeye Steaks – melt-in-your-mouth tender and bursting with garlicky goodness in every bite.
  • BBQ Baked Ribs – succulent baked ribs that fall off the bone; you won’t believe you made this in the oven.

Did you make this?

Please give us a rating and comment below. We love hearing from you!

sliced juicy meatloaf on a pan slathered in sauce

The Best Meatloaf Recipe

4.68 from 31 ratings
The secret in this classic juicy meatloaf recipe is in the tangy and savory sauce added to the meatloaf as it bakes as well as for serving. It also comes together with basic pantry ingredients that you likely already have at home! The results are juicy, tender, and moist – the perfect weeknight dinner idea.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 8
Author: Amy Dong

Ingredients  

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350F, with rack on middle position. Place large pan of water on lower rack underneath.
  • In a large heavy saucepan, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add a pinch of kosher salt, pinch of pepper, and the thyme. Saute 30 seconds more, and transfer to large bowl.
  • Add 1 tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, eggs, beef broth, and bread crumbs. Whisk by hand to combine ingredients. Add ground beef and stir with wooden spoon until fully combined.
  • Form beef mixture into a loaf (roughly 2x5x8) in a larger baking dish.
  • In a bowl, combine brown sugar, coarse mustard, and ketchup. Spoon about a quarter of this sauce into a small bowl and brush sauce evenly over the meatloaf.
  • Bake about 50 minutes. Brush another quarter of the sauce onto meatloaf and bake 10 more minutes or until meatloaf is cooked through.
  • Let meatloaf sit at room temp about 10 minutes before cutting into it. Serve with remaining sauce.

Notes

If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and give it a rating ♡

Nutrition (per serving)

Serving: 1g | Calories: 334kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 115mg | Sodium: 429mg | Potassium: 490mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 79IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 4mg
Course: Dinner, Main
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free
Method: Oven

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Recipe Rating




44 comments

    • Kathleen
    • 5 stars

    I gave a 5 stars!
    But wanted to say you are my go to person for recipes. I’ve tried many recipes and ALL excellent. Thank you.

      • Amy Dong

      Aww, you are so sweet, Kathleen – thank you so much 🙂 🙂

    • Jackie
    • 5 stars

    This meatloaf was so moist and tender. The best that I have made. I made it for our Sunday meal today.

    • Bob Williams
    • 5 stars

    Great meatloaf love it

      • Bob Williams

      Best meatloaf my wife ate

    • Thomas E Beebe
    • 5 stars

    Great meatloaf

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