Mini Meatloaf Muffins are a fun and fabulous twist on our favorite meatloaf recipe. They are the perfect for a weeknight dinner because they cook quickly and they’re great to pop into your lunch box.
Topped with an amazing sweet n’ zesty glaze, the meatloaf muffin recipe here is a cinch to make and perfect alongside your fave Mashed Potatoes recipe.
Glaze for Meatloaf
I prefer a tomato based topping, a little sweet and a lot zesty. This recipe uses a bit of chili sauce which is not spicy. If you’ve never had it, it’s amazing… similar to a very zesty ketchup. It’s honestly my favorite part of meatloaf!
Favorite Meatloaf Toppings:
- Zesty Topping: 1/3 cup ketchup, 1/3 cup chili sauce, 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- Brown Sugar Topping: 1/3 cup ketchup, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- BBQ Topping: combine equal parts bbq sauce and ketchup
How to Cook Meatloaf in Muffin Tins?
Cooking meatloaf in muffin tins is super simple. Substitute ground beef for ground turkey or chicken, and prepare the same way!
- Glaze: Prepare the glaze by whisking together ketchup, chili sauce and brown sugar and set aside.
- Prep: Dice the veggies and combine all ingredients well, with ½ the glaze mixture, reserving the other half for topping.
- Bake: Divide the mixture among the muffin wells, top with glaze, and bake!
Remove when done and allow to rest for several minutes before serving.
How Long To Cook Mini Meatloaf
Another reason to love muffin tin meatloaf is that it cooks a lot faster than conventional meatloaf. It should take about 22 – 26 minutes in a preheated 425°F oven.
It’s a good idea to use a meat thermometer when cooking ground meat or poultry. Meatloaf muffins are done when the centers register 160°F for ground beef or 165°F for ground poultry.
Can I Freeze Meatloaf Muffins?
This mini meatloaf recipe is practically tailor-made for the freezer, either as a make-ahead meal or for leftovers.
- Freezing Cooked: After cooling, pack your cooked muffin tin meatloaf in freezer bags and remove as few or as many as you need anytime you want a convenient meal or snack.
- Freezing Raw: You can also freeze muffin pan meatloaf raw for cooking later. Place the pan filled with the meatloaf in the freezer to harden. When hardened, transfer into freezer bags or containers.
- Defrosting: For best results, defrost before reheating either in the refrigerator or by putting it in a sealed freezer bag in a cold water bath, changing the water every ½ hour until thawed through. Then, just pop them back into the muffin tins, cover with foil and reheat at 350°F for 20 minutes.
The best part about this easy freezer meals – they’ll keep for up to three months! So make lots and save some for a busy day.
More Delicious Meatloaf Recipes
- The Best Meatloaf Recipe – Classic perfection
- Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf – everything is better with bacon!
- Delicious Turkey Meatloaf – 3 ingredient sauce!
- Savory Meatloaf – made with beef & turkey
- Crockpot Meatloaf – just set it and forget it!
- Mini Chicken Meatloaf – light & healthy
Mini Meatloaf Muffins
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ onion finely diced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef
- ½ green pepper finely diced
- ¾ cup seasoned bread crumbs
- ¼ cup barbecue sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons parsley
- salt & pepper to taste
Glaze
- ⅓ cup ketchup
- ⅓ cup chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Grease a muffin pan and set aside.
- Combine glaze ingredients. Set aside.
- Cook onion over medium heat in 1 tablespoon olive oil for 5 minutes or until tender (this step is optional but produces a milder onion flavor). Cool completely.
- Combine all ingredients plus ¼ cup of the glaze mixture. Mix until well combined.
- Divide mixture over 10 muffin wells. Top each meatloaf with 1 tablespoon glaze mixture.
- Bake 22-26 minutes or until cooked through and beef is 160°F. Rest 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Beef, Dinner, Snack
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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These were delicious! We made them last night with mashed potatoes. I wish I would have made a double batch for an easy freezer meal later on this month.
The only thing I did differently was add a little bit of regular mustard to the glaze mixture, and added mozzarella cheese to half of the pan. (I did use a bit more ground beef than called for so that I could get 12 of the meatloaf muffins instead of 10.)
Definitely will make again!
These were amazing! I made the for the family and everyone loved them.
Delicious!
I found out the other day I will be having surgery. There will be a supply of these minis in my freezer for my recovery period.
I can’t say enough how great these were! Not only was the taste fabulous (I think the chili sauce is what makes the magic), the texture created in the muffin tin levels up these bad boys. Regular meatloaf ca. be too soft on the inside, making me yak, but not these! The usual lovely crispy topping is all over these! Also, my super picky husband couldn’t quit raving and ate nearly half of the pan. A+++
this is a great recipe! I changed the glaze and put chili sauce, ketchup, mustard and brown sugar…it was perfect also a change is that I did not put bbq sauce in the meat mixture but 1 to 2 TBLS of the glaze…the bbq sauce seems overpowering so the glaze was a better touch in my opinion!
These are the most tastiest meatloaf muffins we ever ate.
I added a package of onion soup mix in mine and added chicken and rib bbq sauce . Thank you
So yummy. Very easy to make
Easy and delicious. I made half without the veggies and half with them to accommodate preferences.
Love love this recipe!! HIGHLY recommend it! It’s perfect for a crowd, or just a few…leftovers make GREAT sandwiches. I made 8 individual little loaves (~3” x 4”)and they fit perfectly on the large baking tray to my toaster oven. I don’t usually add green pepper but I did put ~ 1/3 cup this time. I was planning to freeze leftovers but there were none after a couple sandwiches were made. This recipe fed 3 adults.
I had forgotten about mini meatloafs and haven’t had them in years. Will be making tonight! I like to stick a cube of cheese in the middle for a gooey delicious surprise!
I absolutely love this recipe. Easy, fast and delicious. I make batches and freeze some for later. The others I’ll leave in the fridge for next couple of days to eat with anything and everything! How long should I reheat the cooked ones in the microwave without drying them out. What I’ve done is place a little broth on a plate and microwave at 50% for about 2-1/2 minutes. Any recommendations?
We like to reheat these in the oven to prevent drying out but your microwave instructions sound great too, Zariah. Thanks for sharing!
I’m curious how the muffins would be if bacon wrapped. Do you think that the recipe would stay together if I lined the tin with bacon first?
We haven’t tried this recipe wrapped with bacon but I think that sounds delicious. If you attempt it we would love to hear how it turns out.