This Air Fryer Meatloaf Recipe takes a classic, staple comfort food to new levels of ease!
Comfort food meals often mean piles of messy pots and pans to clean afterwards, but not with this delicious easy-to-make recipe! Instead, you'll get a meatloaf perfectly seasoned and topped with a tangy glaze in under an hour!
Serve Traditional Deviled Eggs with this recipe and you'll feel like it's a big holiday dinner.
WHY YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
- Air fryer meatloaf is a great time saver.
- You'll love the tangy glaze in this easy meatloaf recipe.
- This particular recipe is a family favorite for sure!
- Use this delicious meatloaf to meal prep. Double the recipe and freeze to be cooked later in the month.
HOW TO MAKE MEATLOAF IN AN AIR FRYER
- Lightly coat the air fryer basket with a nonstick spray or vegetable oil.
- To a large bowl, combine: 1 pound ground beef, ½ cup oats, ¼ cup finely diced onion, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon olive oil, ½ teaspoon minced garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, ½ teaspoon thyme, ½ teaspoon chili powder, and ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper.
- Form four equal size small mini meatloaves and carefully place in the air fryer basket.
- Set air fryer at 375 degrees, for 20 minutes and press start.
- While the meatloaf is cooking, prepare the glaze by adding, ½ cup ketchup, ¼ cup brown sugar, and 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce to a small bowl. Whisk until ingredients are incorporated.
- After the meatloaf cooks for 20-25minutes, (until the internal temperature is 165 degrees) open basket and pour sauce over each loaf.
- Bake for an additional 3 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
HOW LONG TO COOK MEATLOAF IN AIR FRYER
An air fryer is much like a convection oven. It cooks by blowing hot air around the food, keeping the temperature consistent throughout the cooking time. Because of the circulation and the small oven size, the food cooks faster.
Remember every air fryer cooks differently. Use a meat thermometer to ensure the meatloaf is cooked through. The meatloaf should be at 160 degrees at about 23-30 minutes.
If you are looking for more air fryer recipes, try my Air Fryer Cheese Sticks and Air Fryer Breakfast Potatoes.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO MAKE HOMEMADE MEATLOAF
- Ground Beef - Remember a little fat adds flavor and also helps to make a moist meatloaf. I recommend using 80/20, which is 80 percent lean and 20 percent fat. That might seem like a lot of fat, but much of that will render out as it cooks.
- Oats - You can use either old-fashioned or quick oats when making meatloaf. They keep the texture light and helps keep the meatloaf from becoming dry. Use gluten free oats if you have a gluten allergy.
- Onion - I recommend cutting the onion very fine so that they loaves will stay intact, but if you have picky eaters at your house, try grating the onion.
- Spices - If you are out of thyme, substitute Italian seasoning.
- Olive Oil - Olive oil helps to brown the loaves.
- Egg
WHAT TO SERVE WITH MEATLOAF
Yes, I do love serving meatloaf with mashed potatoes, but there are so many other options! This meatloaf has a little kick from the cayenne that pairs perfectly with Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Maple Glazed Carrots.
Prefer something green? Roasted Brussels Sprouts are absolutely delicious with this meatloaf recipe.
OVEN DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- To a large bowl, combine: 1 pound ground beef, ½ cup oats, ¼ cup finely diced onion, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon olive oil, ½ teaspoon minced garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, ½ teaspoon thyme, ½ teaspoon chili powder, and ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper.
- Form four equal size small mini meatloaves and carefully place an 8" casserole dish.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- While the meatloaf is cooking, prepare the glaze by adding, ½ cup ketchup, ¼ cup brown sugar, and 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce to a small bowl. Whisk until ingredients are incorporated.
- After the meatloaf cooks for 25 minutes, (until the internal temperature is 160 degrees) remove and pour equal parts of sauce over each loaf.
- Bake for an additional 5 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
