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Air Fryer Meatloaf is tender and juicy, with a sweet and savory glaze. It’s a classic recipe that cooks in half the time.
Looking for a classic comfort food dinner that’s ready in about half an hour? This Air Fryer Meatloaf fits the bill! Add some Garlic Cheese Biscuits and Oven Roasted Broccoli for a simple meal that’s on the table in less than 40 minutes.
Why We Love it
- Air Fryer Meatloaf cooks in half the time of classic meatloaf.
- Comes out tender and moist on the inside, with a caramelize glaze and outer crust.
- Cooking in the air fryer frees up your oven for side dishes!
Ingredients for Air Fryer Meatloaf
- Ground beef – a leaner 85/15 is my choice, but you can use a leaner ground beef, or combine it with pork or ground turkey.
- Italian breadcrumbs
- Onion – Finely diced or even grated.
- Italian seasoning
- Egg – lightly whisked.
- Milk
- Worcestershire sauce
- For the glaze – ketchup, brown sugar, and Worcestershire
How to Cook Meatloaf in the Air Fryer
Preheat the air fryer. Preheating is a must for this recipe so the meatloaf will cook evenly.
Combine the meatloaf ingredients. Mix together ground beef, breadcrumbs, onion, Italian seasoning, egg, Worcestershire, and milk, just until incorporated.
Form the loaf. Line a loaf pan with aluminum foil and press the ground beef mixture in to form a loaf. Lift the foil from the loaf pan and fold the foil up around the meatloaf to form a “boat” and place into the air fryer basket.
Air Fry. Cook the meatloaf for about 10 minutes, then cover the loaf with more foil and continue cooking for 5 more minutes. Spread on the glaze and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160-165 degrees F.
Expert Tips and FAQs
- Careful not to overmix. I recommend using your hands instead of a spoon.
- Always preheat your air fryer. Air fryers can vary by model, so preheating is a must.
- Customize: add ½ cup of grated Parmesan cheese to the ground beef mixture, or feel free to use plain or panko breadcrumbs instead of seasoned or add any kind of beef seasoning you like.
- Watch the internal temp. Keep an instant read meat thermometer on hand and check the meatloaf early to ensure it doesn’t overcook.
- Let it rest. Give it at least 10 minutes to rest before slicing into 1-inch pieces.
- Storage: Place leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days I the fridge. Reheat in the microwave.
- Freezing: Wrap the loaf tightly in foil and place in a freezer bag. Freeze for 4-6 months. Thaw before reheating.
Yes, you can freeze meatloaf raw. Make and form the loaf, then wrap it tightly with foil. Place in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 6 months. To cook, thaw completely in the fridge overnight, then cook as directed.
Favorite Air Fryer Recipes to Try
- Air Fryer Shrimp
- Crispy Air Fryer Bacon
- Air Fryer French Toast Sticks
- Air Fryer Salmon
- Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
- Air Fryer Steak
Air Fryer Meatloaf
Ingredients
Meatloaf
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ cup italian seasoned bread crumbs
- ½ cup onion finely diced
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning blend
- 1 egg room temperature and lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Glaze
- ½ cup ketchup
- 3 Tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the airfryer to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, seasoned bread crumbs, onion and Italian seasoning until well combined.
- Add the egg, Worcestershire sauce and milk and mix until fully incorporated.
- Line a loaf pan with aluminum foil and press the ground beef mixture in to make a loaf.
- Remove the foil from the loaf pan and fold the foil up around the meatloaf to form a “boat”.
- Cook the meatloaf in the airfryer for ten minutes.
- Cover the loaf with more aluminum foil and cook for an additional five minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix the glaze by whisking together the ketchup, light brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce.
- Spread over the meatloaf and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Let rest 5-10 minutes before slicing.
Notes
- Always preheat your air fryer. Air fryers can vary by model, so preheating is a must.
- Let it rest. Give it at least 10 minutes to rest before slicing into 1-inch pieces.
- Storage: Place leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days I the fridge. Reheat in the microwave.
- Freezing: Wrap the loaf tightly in foil and place in a freezer bag. Freeze for 4-6 months. Thaw before reheating.
My husband loves this recipe. I’m not big on Italian seasoning so I sub parsley but both ways are amazing. I’ve also added chopped green peppers on occasion for a twist.
Awesome feedback Drew! Thanks for stopping by.
Excellent recipe, I had it with carrots and potatos mixed with butter and parsley! I will be making this again!
Nice! Thanks for stopping by Sandy.
I have not used my air fryer very much. I decided to do the meatloaf recipe from your page. You say set it to 350degrees. I don’t know if my fryer switches to Fahrenheit, so that is the first thing I had to look up : Fahrenheit to Celsius.
Secondly, my fryer has a lot of buttons that say “bake”, “roast”, “broil”, etc. you don’t mention which kind of setting to put the meatloaf on. This would be very beneficial for those of us who are new to air frying. I tried bake first which starts a 160C and increased to 176C. Then I tried roast setting for the second step and left it at 200C.
All in all, I love the result!
Glad it worked out for you! Sounds like you might have a combination air fryer/convection oven. Does it have an air fry setting? Because that’s what you would use.
Love this but I noticed mine took a lot more to cook in the fryer. The outside cooked quick but the inside was still very pink. I’m assuming it’s my model of air fryer.
It could be your specific unit, or that the loaf was larger than mine. As long as you’ve covered it with foil you could continue cooking it. A meat thermometer will help you know if it’s done or not.