This is the BEST moist meatloaf recipe with a delicious brown sugar glaze that adds the perfect amount of sweetness and pairs perfectly with the savory and juicy taste of this classic comfort food!
Caution: This brown sugar meatloaf recipe will cause a frenzy! You will be positively inundated with praise, requests for seconds and demands to make it again! It is easy to pull together and even easier to eat!
You know I don’t do dry around here. No dry chicken, no dry cakes, no sad, dry scones, and absolutely NO DRY MEATLOAF.
There is nothing worse than having to choke down a dry, bland meatloaf that no amount of ketchup can save. This classic meatloaf recipe doesn’t need saving. It is super moist from the saltines and onions on the inside and the flavor-locking secret sauce on the outside. In my original post I suggest doubling the sauce. Trust me. You want to double the sauce. Or at least 1.5x!
Table of Contents
How to make the Best Meatloaf:
- Choose the meat: In the video I use a blend of ground beef, veal and pork like I do for meatballs. It was EVEN better than just the ground beef that I usually use. This is optional but feel free to use whatever you have on hand!
- Fat for the win: No matter the ground meat you choose make sure there is between 3-7% of fat in the mix. That little bit of fat helps keep the meatloaf moist. Too much fat will just make for a greasy meatloaf. No one wants that.
- Saltines: The crushed saltines add a bit of salt and they absorb the milk and some of the juices from the cooking meat. This holds all the moisture INSIDE the loaf rather than letting it all run out.
- Liquid: Just enough milk to add a bit of moisture, soften the saltines but not take away from the structure.
- Lock it all in: Not only is the sauce delicious but it also locks in all that moisture and keeps the top from drying out. Even if you don’t double the sauce, make sure you have enough to cover the top of the loaf.
How to make the best Meatloaf in an Air Fryer?
To bake moist meatloaf in under 10 minutes, make mini meatloaves and then bake them in the Air Fryer! Make 4-6 mini loaves, top with the sauce then bake in a preheated air fryer on the Air Fry setting at 385°F for 8-10 minutes. My meatloaf was done before my vegetables!
Pro Cleaning Tip: I lined my air fry baking sheet with aluminum foil then gave it a quick spray with nonstick cooking spray for the easiest cleanup ever!
Ingredients Needed
- Brown Sugar: It can be dark or light brown sugar. Whatever you have on hand is what you should use. You can reduce the amount of sugar if you’d like, but keep a little bit for that caramel molasses flavor.
- Ketchup: Use your favorite brand. I like one without a lot of added flavorings, dyes or ingredients. This is the body of the sauce and the key flavor lock!
- Worcestershire Sauce: I may pronounce it wrong every time, but Worcestershire sauce rounds out the flavor of the sauce. It balances the sweetness of both the ketchup and brown sugar. It adds a nice depth and warmth.
- Ground Sirloin: No matter the ground meat you choose make sure there is between 3-10% of fat in the mix. That little bit of fat helps keep the meatloaf moist. Too much fat will just make for a greasy meatloaf. No one wants that.
- Milk: Any milk will do. I have used everything from whole milk to skim milk and most recently I made it with unsweetened almond milk. It was still phenomenal! My husband wasn’t any the wiser.
- Eggs: These whole eggs are the binders. They work with the connective tissues in the meat to hold everything together.
- Kosher Salt: Kosher salt is lass salty than table salt and a teaspoon weighs less than other finer ground varieties. It heightens the flavor and will make the meat more tender.
- Spices: Ground black pepper and ground ginger bring the flavor. You can’t taste either distinctly but you would notice if they weren’t there.
- Onion: Finely diced onion is obviously here for flavor but it also adds to the moisture of the final meatloaf. As it cooks, it releases its inherent moisture and that flavors the meatloaf from the inside out and add to the moisture retained by the saltines.
- Saltines: The crushed saltines add a bit of salt and they absorb the milk and some of the juices from the cooking meat. This holds all the moisture INSIDE the loaf rather than letting it all run out. The more finely crushed, the better the result!
- Chopped Rosemary: A sprinkle of chopped fresh rosemary pairs beautifully with the sauce and the fragrant meatloaf. You could also mix some into the ground beef mixture to bump it up a notch.
Variations on Brown Sugar Meatloaf
- Meat Choice: I have made this same recipe with turkey, chicken, ground beef, and a mix of beef, veal and pork. It is exceptional every time.
- Cracker Magic: You know what is also awesome in this meatloaf? Ritz crackers. I don’t like to play favorites but Ritz crackers are everything. Just substitute for the saltines and make sure you have an extra sleeve for snacking. 😉
- Brown Sugar Meatballs: Why yes, you can make this meat loaf into meatballs. Give ‘em a little sear like in these meatballs then pour that double batch of the brown sugar sauce over the top and simmer until cooked through! Make a sub, top rice or stab them with a toothpick for an easy app. Or reverse that and make Swedish Meatball Meatloaf! Genius
- Mini Meatloaves: Short on time? No problem. Make 4-6 mini meat loaves instead. They bake in under 20 minutes! Life happens but nothing should stand in the way of your meatloaf dinner.
Substitutions for the Best Meatloaf Recipe
- Turkey or Chicken: This recipe is also fabulous with turkey and/or chicken. For the best results choose a ground poultry with 3% fat. This is especially important with a leaner protein.
- Non-Dairy Milk: I have made this with unsweetened almond milk with great success. Any non-dairy milk will do! Just make sure it’s unsweetened and unflavored. No one wants vanilla meatloaf.
Professional Chef Tip
When mixing the meat mixture, I squeeze all the ingredients until well combined and then I continue mixing and kneading in the bowl until a cohesive ball forms. This activates all the connective tissues in the meat. It only takes an extra minute but it will help your meatloaf stay together and hold in all those juices keeping the meat extra moist and tender!
Recipe
The BEST Meatloaf Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup brown sugar (loosely packed)
- ½ cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ pounds ground sirloin (or ground meat of your choice)
- ½ cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper (rounded generously)
- 1 small onion (chopped fine)
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger (rounded generously)
- ¾ cups finely crushed saltine crackers (~12 crackers)
- Chopped fresh rosemary for serving. (Lindsey's secret ingredient. It’s not necessary but it takes the dish to a whole other level!)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Mix together brown sugar, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce in small saucepan. (I double this sauce, so that there is extra for serving. Trust me, you’ll want to too.)
- In a mixing bowl mix all remaining ingredients through crackers.
- Shape into a loaf and place in a 9” x 9” pan. You can make it in a loaf pan but the larger pan allows the fat to drain away from the loaf.
- Spread enough of the ketchup mixture on the top to generously cover the loaf. Allow it to drop down the sides. It will help keep the meat moist and add tremendous flavor.
- Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until juices are clear. I like to use a miniature meat thermometer, because I find judging whether or not the juices are clear incredibly stressful.
- While the meat cooks bring the extra sauce to a boil and then simmer on low. Serve over mashed potatoes (obligatory, no?), drizzle with extra sauce and chopped fresh rosemary to taste. Ah-mazing. Told you so.
Video Instructions
Notes
Nessa says
This recipe looks amazing! Going to have a go at it tonight. We’ve used the same sauce as a substitute bbq sauce on bqq roasted chicken and pork chops. It never disappoints! How long would I cook it if I doubled the meat quantity? I’m going to try it with pork and ground beef to give it more juiciness!
Lindsey says
Hi Nessa, Just bake it until an thermometer reads 165 degrees, which is the recommended internal temperature for ground beef. That is the easiest way to tell!
Marina says
Do you have a link to the original recipe? I’ve made it several time and it was amazing. I remember rosemary in it though. I wanted to make it again but wasn’t sure if anything else was changed in the new version.
Lindsey Farr says
Hi Marina! The only difference between the original and this one is actually the rosemary! Great catch. The original recipe said "fresh, chopped rosemary for serving, to taste" and everything else is the same. I'm so glad you enjoy this recipe, it's one of my favorites!
Lindsey says
Hi Marina, nothing else in the recipe changed just a little note at the bottom that said " Lindsey’s Secret Ingredient: chopped fresh rosemary for serving. It’s not necessary but it takes the dish to a whole other level!" I will put it back in 🙂 Thank you for catching my error when I updated the post! Don't worry, it's still the same delicious meatloaf just semi-nicer pictures
Ashley Jones says
These meatballs are so good. My family loves them…kids included. They’ve become my “go to” turkey meatball recipe. I’ve made them quite a few times and finally decided I should say thank you for a good recipe. Thank you
Nancy J Reece says
Best meatloaf I've ever had. My family loves it!
Lindsey says
Thank you, Nancy!! I am so pleased that you and your family love it as much as mine!