Crock Pot Meatloaf
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Make the best Crock Pot Meatloaf with this easy recipe! Prep this juicy, tender meatloaf in the morning, toss it in the slow cooker, then come home to a delicious dinner in the evening. The secret to this Crock Pot Meatloaf recipe is my homemade meatloaf seasoning, it’s full of flavor and makes the best tasting meatloaf ever!
Table of contents
Say goodbye to dry, flavorless meatloaf and hello to juicy, tender, slow cooked meatloaf! I think that meatloaves got a bad rep back in the day because they were generally under-seasoned and dry.
Luckily, we know better now and that’s why I came up with an incredibly flavorful homemade meatloaf seasoning recipe, so your meatloaf will never be under-seasoned again!
Now for the part where the meatloaf is dry, here’s the solution. Cook it low and slow in a Crock Pot. The low temperature means it won’t overcook and dry out. Instead, it will stay juicy and tender inside. Also, adding ingredients like eggs and Worcestershire sauce, will keep the inside of the meatloaf moist as it cooks.
With a delicious sweet and savory glaze on top, this is one meatloaf recipe you’ll be coming back to again and again!
Ingredients
- Olive oil – or another neutral-flavored oil, like vegetable, canola or avocado oil.
- Onion – I recommend a yellow onion for it’s nice, neutral flavor.
- Garlic – I always recommend fresh minced cloves for the best flavor.
- Ground beef – I like to use a ground beef that’s 80/20, meaning 80% lean and 20% fat. This will give you the perfect amount of fat to make a tender, juicy meatloaf.
- Ground pork – while you can use all ground beef, I do recommend the combination of pork and beef. The pork adds more fat and a different flavor to the mixture, which makes the meatloaf juicy and tender.
- Breadcrumbs – you can use traditional or panko bread crumbs in this recipe. To make it keto, use pork panko.
- Large eggs
- Meatloaf seasoning – my secret to making the best meatloaf is this seasoning recipe. Click the link to grab the recipe. It’s easy to mix up with spices like salt, black pepper, paprika and parsley, in just 5 minutes.
- Worcestershire sauce – this amazing condiment adds so much flavor to the meatloaf. It’s sweet, salty, tangy and adds a wonderful umami flavor to the meatloaf. If you don’t have any Worcestershire sauce in the kitchen, you can use soy sauce instead.
- Ketchup + brown sugar – combined with more of the meatloaf seasoning and Worcestershire sauce, this delicious sweet and savory combo makes a tasty glaze for the meatloaf. If you prefer, you can also use your favorite brand of bbq sauce.
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Soften the onions and garlic. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on the stove. Add diced onions and cook for 4 minutes, then add minced garlic and cook for an additional minute. This will soften the veggies and give them a wonderful texture in the meatloaf.
- Prepare the meatloaf mixture. Add ground beef and ground pork to a large mixing bowl with meatloaf seasoning, eggs, breadcrumbs and Worcestershire sauce. Add the cooked onions and garlic to the bowl and stir to combine everything.
- Form the meatloaf. Once you combine the meat mixture, form it into the shape of a meatloaf. Line a Crock Pot or slow cooker with a Crock Pot liner, or heavy-duty aluminum foil, and place the meatloaf in the slow cooker.
- Prepare the meatloaf glaze. In a small bowl, combine ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce and meatloaf seasoning.
- Cover the meatloaf in the glaze. Brush the uncooked meatloaf in the slow cooker with half of the prepared glaze. Slow cook the meatloaf on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours.
- Brush with the remaining glaze. After the cooking time, open the slow cooker and brush the remaining half of the glaze on the meatloaf, before removing it from the slow cooker and serving. Always let the meatloaf rest, out of the slow cooker, for at least 15 minutes before slicing it. Otherwise it will crumble apart as it’s sliced.
Recipe notes
- I recommend lining the Crock Pot for easy removal of the meatloaf. If the Crock Pot is lined with aluminum foil, or a liner, you can easily lift and remove the meatloaf from the slow cooker. Drain off any grease into an aluminum can, or other container, and discard it, then rest and slice the meatloaf.
- Do not over mix the meatloaf mixture. Overworking the meat will result in a tough texture. Use your hands, or a spatula, to stir the ingredients together just until they’re combined.
- You can make the meatloaf ahead of time. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days before you cook the meatloaf in a Crock Pot.
- This recipe makes 8 slices of meatloaf. I recommend planning for 2 slices of meatloaf per person, so this recipe will serve 4 people. If you’d like to double the recipe and make two meatloaves, simply click the 2X button in the recipe card below. The ingredient amounts will automatically update and the only thing you’ll need to do is form the meat mixture into two meatloaves and make sure that you can fit both of them in your Crock Pot, or use two separate slow cookers.
Additions and variations
- Add potatoes – if you’d like to cook potatoes with the meatloaf, cut 1-2 pounds of red potatoes in half. Toss them with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 teaspoons of the meatloaf seasoning (or 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder). Place them in the slow cooker around the meatloaf and cook in the same time as the meatloaf.
- Stuff cheese in the meatloaf – place half of the meat mixture, shaped into the bottom half of a meatloaf, on a cutting board. Add 6 ounces of thick sliced cheddar cheese or pepper jack cheese to the middle of the meat mixture, making sure there’s about a 1 inch border around the meatloaf without any cheese. Add the remaining half of the meat mixture on top. Press around the edges to make sure that the cheese is sealed in the middle. Cook in the slow cooker as instructed in this recipe.
- Bacon wrap it – assemble the meatloaf as instructed in this recipe. Brush the uncooked meatloaf with 1/2 cup of the meatloaf glaze. Before placing the meatloaf in the slow cooker, create a bacon weave. Lay 5 slices of thick-cut bacon on a large cutting board, then weave 5 more bacon slices over and under the other bacon, in the opposite direction. Place the bacon weave on top of the prepared meatloaf, brushed with bbq sauce. Wrap the bacon weave over the meatloaf and tuck it underneath the meatloaf. Place the meatloaf in the slow cooker and follow the instructions in this recipe to cook the meatloaf. Before serving the bacon wrapped meatloaf, I recommend removing it from the Crock Pot and placing it on a foil-lined baking sheet under the broiler in the oven on high for 3-4 minutes. This will crisp up the bacon on the outside before serving the meatloaf.
- Use a pepper jelly glaze – this is the most popular glaze for my smoked pork chops, so I decided to try it on my smoked meatloaf recipe. It’s been a huge hit on that meatloaf recipe, so you could also try it on this meatloaf! Instead of using the prepared glaze, simply replace the glaze with 1/2 cup pepper jelly. Spreading half of it on before you cook the meatloaf, and the other half at the end of the cook time, before serving.
- Glaze it with bbq sauce – replace the homemade glaze with a bottle of your favorite bbq sauce, or this homemade Jack Daniel’s BBQ Sauce or White BBQ Sauce.
- Top it with marinara – to make an Italian-style Crock Pot meatloaf, replace the glaze with your favorite marinara sauce. You could also stuff the meatloaf with mozzarella, instead of cheddar cheese.
Dietary options
To make this meatloaf keto, use pork panko instead of traditional panko bread crumbs. Glaze the meatloaf with this sugar-free bbq sauce recipe. This will reduce the carbs in half, to 7 1/2 total carbs and 6 net carbs per slice.
To make this recipe gluten free, use pork panko instead of traditional panko bread crumbs. Always check the label on the Worcestershire sauce to make sure that it’s gluten free. Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce is gluten free.
Storage and reheating
Store Crock Pot meatloaf leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 6 days. Reheat the leftover meatloaf in slices on the stove, in the microwave, or in the oven.
To reheat slices of meatloaf on the stove, heat a large skillet to medium-high heat. Add slices of meatloaf and cook for 3-4 minutes per side, or until heated through.
To reheat slices of meatloaf in the microwave, place them on a microwave-safe plate and microwave for 2 minutes.
To reheat the meatloaf in the oven, wrap part of the meatloaf, or slices of meatloaf, in foil. Place in a preheated 350°F oven for 15 minutes, or until heated through.
You can also use the leftover meatloaf to make this Meatloaf Hash. It’s one of my all-time favorite breakfast recipes, and one that I always make when I have leftover meatloaf.
What to serve with it
Meatloaf and mashed potatoes are a perfect match. But so are meatloaf and mac and cheese! Honestly, there are so many great combinations, I’ll leave you with the tough decision of deciding which delicious side to serve with your Crock Pot meatloaf.
Tools for this recipe
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Crock Pot Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 3 tablespoons meatloaf seasoning, click link for the recipe
- 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
Meatloaf Glaze
- ½ cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons meatloaf seasoning
Instructions
- Line a Crock Pot with heavy-duty aluminum foil, or a Crock Pot liner. This will make it easy to remove the meatloaf after it’s cooked, and will make clean-up so easy.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet on the stove over medium high heat.
- Add the onions, saute for 4-5 minutes, add the garlic and saute for an additional minute. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Add the ground pork, ground beef, eggs, breadcrumbs, 3 tablespoons meatloaf seasoning and 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce to a large bowl.
- Add the cooked onion and garlic, then use your hands to combine everything, but do not over mix it, or the meatloaf will become tough.
- Form the mixture into a loaf shape.
- Place the meatloaf in the lined Crock Pot, or slow cooker.
- In a small bowl, make the meatloaf glaze by combining the ketchup, brown sugar, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce and 2 teaspoons meatloaf seasoning.
- Brush the meatloaf in the Crock Pot with half of the meatloaf glaze.
- Cook for 6-8 hours on low, or 3-4 hours on high.
- Before serving, brush the meatloaf with the remaining meatloaf glaze.
- Grab the sides of the foil and lift the meatloaf out of the Crock Pot. Drain off any grease into an aluminum can, or other container, and discard it.
- Rest the meatloaf for at least 15 minutes after you remove it from the slow cooker. Otherwise it will crumble apart as you slice it.
- Cut into 8 slices and serve.
Notes
- You can make the meatloaf ahead of time. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days before you cook the meatloaf in a Crock Pot.
- If you’d like to cook potatoes with the meatloaf, cut 1-2 pounds of red potatoes in half. Toss them with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 teaspoons of the meatloaf seasoning (or 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder). Place them in the slow cooker around the meatloaf and cook in the same time as the meatloaf.
- To make this meatloaf keto, use pork panko instead of traditional panko bread crumbs. Glaze the meatloaf with this sugar-free bbq sauce recipe. This will reduce the carbs in half, to 7 1/2 total carbs and 6 net carbs per slice.
- To make this recipe gluten free, use pork panko instead of traditional panko bread crumbs. Always check the label on the Worcestershire sauce to make sure that it’s gluten free. Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce is gluten free.
- Store meatloaf leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 6 days. Reheat the leftover meatloaf in slices on the stove, in the microwave, or in the oven.
Nutrition Facts
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