This is the best meatloaf recipe ever! This traditional meatloaf recipe is just like mom used to make, made with ground beef and a sweet and tangy glaze topping.
What Makes A Really Good Meatloaf
I think the trick to good meatloaf is using lean ground beef. The problem with a lot of meatloaf recipes is that they call for ground beef with a high fat content. As the meatloaf cooks, the fat cooks out and makes a greasy mess. Not this recipe!
How To Keep It Moist
You may be thinking, but won’t lean ground beef make the meatloaf dry? Not at all! The milk, egg, ketchup, and diced onion in the meat mixture are all working to keep the meatloaf moist and delicious.
Loaf Pan Versus Baking Sheet
I prefer to use a loaf pan because it keeps all the glaze in place perfectly and the meat is juicier. But, you could line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Shape the meatloaf into a loaf shape. Top with the glaze. And, bake as normal.
How To Make The Best Meatloaf
*Note: This is a summary. The full printable recipe card is at the bottom of this post.
Make the Meatloaf:
- Add 90% lean ground beef to a large bowl.
- Add dried bread crumbs and some diced onion.
- Add milk, an egg, ketchup, and worcestershire sauce.
- Add dried parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Mix it together REALLY well.
- Pour the meat mixture into a loaf pan.
- Spread it into a flat even layer.
Make the Ketchup Glaze
- Add ketchup, brown sugar, and red wine vinegar to a bowl.
- Whisk until combined.
- Pour the glaze over the meatloaf.
- Bake it!
- Let it cool before slicing.
Can This Be Made Ahead Of Time
Absolutely! Just cover the loaf pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate it until you’re ready for it. Then, uncover it and let it come to room temperature as you’re preheating the oven.
Can This Be Frozen
Yes! Prepare the meatloaf, put it in a loaf pan, and top with glaze according to the recipe directions. Cover the pan and freeze.
Place the frozen meatloaf in the refrigerator to thaw about 24 hours before you want to bake it. Then, uncover it and let it come to room temperature as you’re preheating the oven.
I’ve been playing around with this recipe for the past few months, making it many times. And, I didn’t mind the repetition at all because I do believe I ended up with the best classic meatloaf recipe ever. 🙂
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The Best Classic Meatloaf Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 lb. 90% lean ground beef
- 1 cup dried bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 large egg beaten
- 2 tbsp. ketchup
- 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp. dried parsley leaves
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
- For the Topping:
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 2 tbsp. packed light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
- In a large bowl, add the beef, bread crumbs, onion, milk, egg, 2 tablespoons ketchup, worcestershire sauce, parsley, salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Use your hands to mush and mix these ingredients together until well combined.*
- Add the meat mixture to a loaf pan. Pat the meat down into an even layer.
- In a small bowl, add ¼ cup ketchup, the brown sugar, and vinegar. Stir to combine. Pour the sauce on top of the meatloaf and spread it into an even layer.
- Bake uncovered for 55 minutes.
- Let the meatloaf rest for 8-10 minutes before serving (or it may fall apart).**
Notes
Nutrition
Check out all of my great ground beef recipes.
This is an easy to make an delicious
This meatloaf recipe is my base for making classic meatloaf. What I mean by base is the recipe is very easy to follow and complements a lot of added ingredients without being too overwhelming to the palette. I do love to use fresh ingredients whenever possible so a few changes I have made is I use 4 cloves of garlic in place of powder, added two Tbs of tomato paste, one Tbs of brown mustard, half cup of red and green bell peppers, I soak my bread in milk before adding it to the mix(makes for a juicy meatloaf). I also use buttermilk instead of regular. If am feeling really fancy then I’ll also add cooked bacon, ground pork and cheese! My kids call it “mom’s crazy Italian meatloaf”
FWIW I love to cook. As in, make my own scratch pasta and tortillas cook. It’s a stress reliever after work, and this recipe is saved on the home screen of my tablet. I’m making it tonight for who knows how many times. Thank you! It’s amazing.
Truly, the best meatloaf I’ve ever had! Stays together for the best cold meatloaf sandwich the next day. Also, even better fresh and hot from the oven. I make double the topping because it’s tangy and delicious. Not the greasy grisly meatloaf mom used to make. I’ve made this recipe at least 6 times now and it’s awesome! Thank you meatloaf godess!
Loved this! Thanks for the recipe. Truly delicious.
Hi, I’m getting ready to make meatloaf and needed a recipe that calls for breadcrumbs and not bread. I found your recipe, but I wanted to add olives and cheese (olives mixed into the meat, cheese is put into holes I poke with my finger into the loaf after it’s in the pan). Do you think I can add the olives to this recipe without drying it out?? Thanks so much.
Perfect meatloaf! Only changes I made were Panko breadcrumbs (it was what I had on hand) and oat milk since I’m avoiding dairy. Delicious and did not fall apart. Can’t wait to try the leftovers cold in a sandwich later on.
Easy and delicious and moist!
What can I substitute for the milk?
My boyfriend and I made this recipe tonight. He is a big meatloaf lover. We added paprika and extra pepper. It turned out so, so good. He loved it. I cleaned my plate, and I’m not hugely fond of meatloaf. This was great. It cooked perfectly. The glaze was fantastic. We didn’t have red wine vinegar so we substituted balsamic, and it was still the most delicious glaze I’ve ever had on meatloaf.
This is a very moist and tasty meatloaf. I don’t like sweet toppings. Instead I fried some bacon until crispy and put on top of meatloaf about 10 minutes before baking was complete. It was delicious!
LOVED this recipe. Great cold for day after sandwiches as well. Definitely will be on the “at least once monthly” menu. I hate changing cooks’ recipes but I did use some ground pork/beef combo and added a few leftover roasted red peppers. Red wine vinegar really made the sauce extra special.
Excellent recipe for meatloaf, even with subsitution. I use 3 meats, ground chicken, sausage and beef. Instead of bread crumbs, I used oatmeal.
I didn’t have some of the other ingredients, so I subsituted ingredients that were like what was listed, i.e. JD Steak sauce/Worcestershire sauce and apple cider vinegar/red wine vinegar. It came out moist and very tasty. Now when I am making this recipe, I make extra and make meatball. Sooooo, yummy. absolutly love it.
This is the best meatloaf I’ve ever made and that I’ve ever had to eat!
This is absolutely the perfect meatloaf! Everyone in the family loves it, and if, and that’s a big if, we have any left oh, it’s great on sandwiches!
Great meatloaf but felt there is too much breadcrumbs to meat ratio. But flavor-wise it is fantastic.
Can I just double the recipe since I’ve already defrosted 2 lbs of beef? Any alterations or tips when doubling?
I made this meatloaf except I used lean turkey instead of ground beef. (I am trying to eat less red meat.) My husband loved it and so did I. We especially liked the tangy sauce on top. Thank you for making the demonstration video. It was easy to make it.
easy and tasty. I use 1/2 frosted flakes in place of bread crumbs (the sugar increases the taste).
Simple, quick and very tasty. Family of 6 loved it!
This is the BEST. 2nd time making it and I also made extra glaze topping this time.