Mini Meatloaf Recipe

This Mini Meatloaf recipe is easy to throw together and cooked right in a muffin tin. Each moist and flavorful personal-sized meatloaf is topped with a simple glaze made from tomato and BBQ sauce.

Kids absolutely love these as individually portioned meatloaves, but so do adults. How can you not? The glaze to meatloaf ratio is perfect, they cook quickly, and they come out moist and delicious every single time. Serve with just about any salad, pasta, rice, or veggie and enjoy an easy comfort food classic.

Mini meatloaves in a cupcake tin, topped with tomato sauce.

Mini Meatloaf Recipe

I don’t know the psychology behind it, but there is just something about smaller versions of everyday things that makes them taste better. These mini meatloaves are baked in cupcake tins so that they are easy to portion evenly, and the cleanup is easy peasy.

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Each bite is tender, moist, and flavorful—just like it should be. Each meatloaf is topped with a simple glaze made from tomato sauce and bbq sauce. Keep reading for recipe tips and ideas for simple flavor variations.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

It’s kid-friendly! Even though they may taste exactly the same as full-sized meatloaf, there is something about this mini version that kids (and adults) just love. This recipe is also easy enough to let the kiddos help you out.
Easy to make ahead of time. You can easily prepare these meatloaves ahead of time and freeze them for later. Just toss into the freezer for about 1 hour then remove and transfer to freezer bags.
A quick dinner idea. From start to finish, this recipe only takes about 30 minutes tops. That means you can whip this up at the last minute.

Meatloaf mixture inside a muffin pan read to bake.

Key Ingredients You Will Need

Ground Beef: for both meatloaf and mini meatloaves, I prefer to use 15/85 lean ground beef. You can also use 10/90 but you’ll want to add an extra egg so your meatloaf isn’t dry.
Onions: the sauteed onions and bell peppers add so much flavor to the meatloaves. Either yellow or white onions work great.
Bread Crumbs: the bread crumbs, along with the egg, help to hold the meatloaves together and give them some texture. A great substitute for the Italian breadcrumbs is Panko Breadcrumbs or crackers.
Egg: the egg is crucial for both holding the meatballs together and keeping them nice and moist.
Tomato Sauce: you can use either tomato sauce or ketchup to make the glaze.
BBQ Sauce: this adds a little tangy flavor to the glaze.

How to Make Mini Meatloaves

Cook the onions and peppers. Saute until they are soft, then set aside.
Mix together the meatloaf. In a large bowl, combine the cooked onions and peppers with the ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, cream, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

Mixing up the meat mixture for meatloaf.

Divide the meatloaves. Portion mixture into 12 even balls, then place into a greased muffin tin. In a small bowl, combine the tomato sauce and bbq sauce, then spoon over each mini meatloaf.
Bake. Bake uncovered in a preheated 350 degree F oven for about 15-18 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F.
Serve. Let the meatloaves rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Spooning tomato sauce over. the tops of each meatloaf.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the best thing to bake mini meatloaves in?

Muffin or cupcake pans are a super convenient size and work perfectly for baking these mini meatloaves. This recipe yields about 12 of them, which means you’ll only need to use one pan. They should be very lightly greased before using so that your meatloaves don’t stick.

Can you freeze the meat mixture?

Yes! You can freeze these prior to baking them and store frozen for up to 2 months. To thaw, transfer to the fridge overnight and bake as directed the next day.

Serving Suggestions/Recipe Variations

Substitute ground turkey. To make these a little healthier, you can try substituting ground turkey. In this case, I would add an extra egg to make sure they aren’t dry.
Don’t overmix! Just like with baked goods, you don’t want to overmix the meat mixture. It can turn it dense once baked.
Play around with seasoning. Feel free to try adding some fresh or dried herbs (especially parsley, oregano, thyme, and basil), paprika, and Italian seasoning. If you want to get even more adventurous, try something like cumin, or add a little cayenne for some heat.
Add cheese. These would taste amazing with a little Parmesan cheese, or shredded white cheddar.

Mini meatloaf topped with tomato sauce, sitting on. a white plate.

Storage Instructions

To Make-Ahead: assemble the meatloaf (except for the glaze), and then cover with plastic wrap. Store in the fridge for up to 48 hours before you’re ready to cook it. Once you are ready, spoon the glaze over the top and bake as directed.
Storing leftovers: store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freezer: remove from the baking pan, wrap in aluminum foil, and place it in a freezer bag. Use within 2 months of freezing.
To reheat: reheat in a microwave, or cover and warm in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes.