The Best Crockpot Meatloaf is a great way to enjoy classic comfort food, with less stress, and dinner is ready when you get home!
The most amazing meatloaf recipe, made so easily in your slow cooker! No more waiting over an hour for meatloaf after you get home from work.
Amazingly tender meatloaf, made easily in the crockpot!
Do you have a go-to dinner recipe? My family LOVES my baked mac and cheese, but sometimes I need something that isn’t pasta. That’s when I turn to this classic meatloaf recipe!
This recipe is amazingly flavorful and easy, thanks to using dried stuffing mix in place of breadcrumbs. It may seem odd, but all the great seasonings are already in the stuffing mix, so it’s several steps in one! The glaze on top of the meatloaf is lip-smackingly good; made with ketchup, minced onion, brown sugar and vinegar for a little tang.
WHY COOK MEATLOAF IN THE CROCKPOT?
I love cooking meatloaf in the crockpot for two main reasons. First, a meatloaf cooked in the crockpot is much more harder to “mess up” and be dry or tough. The cooking process of cooking in the crockpot lends to a much more tender and moist dish. Secondly, it’s ready when you get home. Traditional meatloaf takes an hour or more to bake, so if you wait until you get home to bake it, you’ll be having a LATE dinner. This way, dinner is mostly finished!
Plus, I can generally fit more beef into my crockpot than I can in my meatloaf pan.
How to Make Meatloaf in a Crockpot
Making meatloaf in a crockpot is SO easy! Using aluminum foil makes for easy cleanup, but it also helps you remove the crockpot so you can broil it at the end.
- Line crockpot with foil (heavy duty works best)
- Combine meatloaf ingredients, mix well, place in crockpot and shape into a loaf-shape.
- Top with glaze, cover, and cook.
- Lift out foil and broil to brown the top.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO COOK MEATLOAF IN THE CROCKPOT?
It depends on how big of a loaf you’re making, but for this 2lb meatloaf, it’ll take about 6 hours on LOW, or 3 hours on HIGH. If you have an instant read meat thermometer, check for doneness by cooking until meatloaf is at 160 F degrees.
CAN THIS MEATLOAF RECIPE BE MADE IN THE OVEN INSTEAD?
Absolutely! I’ve included oven directions following the recipe at the bottom of this post.
PRO TIPS FOR MAKING THE PERFECT CROCKPOT MEATLOAF:
- Use beef with a good ratio of beef to fat. I like to use 80/20 or 85/15, but no leaner. Beef that is too lean can lead to a drier meatloaf.
- Avoid over-mixing your meat. You only want to mix until the ingredients have just combined. Mixing too much will make the meatloaf tough.
- Use your hands to mix. Some people like to use a wooden spoon, but I find your hands are the best tools for the job. Wear latex/nitrile gloves if you don’t want meatloaf hands.
- Use milk if you can. I love the richness that milk lends to meatloaf. If you can’t use dairy, you could try substituting with a non-dairy milk, or use water/chicken broth/beef broth.
- Add a little bit of onion and the sauce to the meatloaf mixture itself. They both not only add flavor, but add moisture as well.
- Don’t skip the topping! The sauce is sweet and tangy, and really takes the meatloaf from good to great.
GREAT DISHES TO SERVE WITH MEATLOAF:
SHOP THE RECIPE:
- Slow Cooker – my favorite slow cooker.
- Heavy Duty Foil – I love using heavy duty foil so it doesn’t rip when you’re removing your meatloaf.
- Disposable gloves – save yourself some major hand scrubbing!
Recipe previously contributed for Spend With Pennies
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
MEATLOAF
- 2 lbs. ground beef
- 1 large yellow onion, finely minced
- 2 boxes (6 oz each) dried stuffing mix (I like the savory herbs variety)
- 1 1/3 - 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 Tbsp glaze (see below)
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
BROWN SUGAR KETCHUP GLAZE
- 1 1/2 cups ketchup
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp finely minced onion
- 1 Tbsp yellow mustard
- 2 tsp white vinegar
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Tear off a large strip of aluminum foil (heavy duty works well), and press it into the bottom and up two of the sides of a 6 quart or larger slow cooker. Spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray, then set aside.
- Combine all ketchup glaze ingredients in a small mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Add ground beef, minced onion, stuffing mix, milk, eggs, 2 Tbsp glaze, salt and pepper. Use your hands to mix until just combined.
- Shape into an oval-like shape and place into the foil lined crockpot. Top with ½ cup of the glaze, cover, and cook on LOW for 6 hours.
- When finished cooking, carefully lift out the meatloaf, using the foil overhang, and place on a baking sheet. Top with 2/3 cup of the glaze and broil until glaze is sticky and bubbly.
- Serve sliced, with remaining glaze sauce served on the side for drizzling.
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Chef Tips
Video
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
S says
I made this in the oven and followed the recipe exactly. Pros: good flavor, great comfort food for cold fall and winter days, quick and easy to put together. Cons: texture was very soft and mushy. Two boxes of stuffing is at least one box too many. I thought about making it again with less stuffing next time around but husband was so yukked out by the texture that I’ll pass. The search for the perfect meatloaf continues!
Amy says
Can this be made without eggs?
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested this without eggs to hold it together, so I can’t say how well it would work. If you do some experimenting, I’d love to know how it turns out 🙂
Melissa says
I would not recommend, this thing would not cook. Not sure if it is the foil or the recipe but I did the 6 hours on low and broil and it would just not cook. It stay medium rare in the inside and we had to pan fry it
The Chunky Chef says
All slow cookers do cook a bit differently, with some running hotter than others, so it sounds like yours may be less hot than mine? I’ve never had an issue with it not cooking, and neither have my recipe testers.
Heather says
Just curious, what is the fate of the 2 tablespoons of onion that you asked to hold back? I mean, I didn’t, I just put all of the minced onion in the loaf, but why did you tell us to keep back those 2 tablespoons? Decoration? Just curious.
The Chunky Chef says
You’re right, the way it was worded, it wasn’t very clear. Originally the 2 Tbsp was to add to the glaze, but I realized as I was writing the recipe I had originally planned on having you divide the onion, but changed my mind halfway through and thought it would be easier to just have those 2 Tbsp in the glaze… but in my multi-tasking fail I added both! I’ve edited it to be much more clear from this point forward 🙂
Heather says
I made this for my husband, who is not of American descent and never really had meatloaf before. He is hooked! I just added a can of diced green chiles to it and reduced a bit of the sugar in the glaze, otherwise it was as written. It was just as good reheated the next day for lunch at the office, and more than one slice has mysteriously disappeared (I assume he is having late-night meatloaf sandwiches).
Ashley Laktash says
Did you drain the rotel and just dump the whole can in the mix?
Yvette says
This is the best meat loaf I have ever had. My family truly loves this recipe.
Tina says
This is an excellent meatloaf recipe. It was very easy to make .Absolutely love it..Thank you so much for sharing this recipe..👍🏼❤️❤️😊❤️❤️👍🏼
Kathy Knight says
First time making meatloaf in crock pot very good and also very moistef.
Gregg says
Terrible, mostly bread crumbs
Ron Huffman says
I am making this recipe as I type this. I just got it all together and its now waiting for the slow cooker ro to do it’s part. I did two additions t your recipe. I added sliced black olives and after glazing the top i covered each loaves with raw bacon strips then I lightly reglazed.
Sue says
What kind of dry stuffing mix? Stove top and just the bread?
The Chunky Chef says
The whole sleeve of stovetop stuffing mix (so the bread and the seasonings).
Pamela Smith says
I’m very surprised to use the stuffing. I can’t wait to try that. That’s something new.
Tracy says
Made it in the oven, it is absolutely delicious. I never thought my own meatloaf recipe could be beat but this is every bit as good!
Ann says
I only had one stuffing box, but it was still delicious!!
Deanna says
This is the best meatloaf ever. Have made several times now and it comes out perfect.
Ashley says
My family’s favorite meatloaf recipe! We make this probably 4 times every year at least 🙂
Lisa says
OMG…did this recipe today…delicious. my new meatloaf go to…thank you
Melissa Henry says
I just made this today and added my own twist to the meatloaf as I used Italian Bread crumbs, and then added some of the mixture into the meatloaf before adding it on top of the meatloaf itself. Turned out great, thank you for this recipe.
Rabia Bagha-Adams says
This is by far the best meat loaf recipe I have come across. I have to say, I was never a big fan of meat loaf until now. WOW!! Leftovers? What is that? If there is any left, that too is delicious.
LGBT_Fella says
This was so tender and juicy. My picky family raved over this recipe. One member told me before I made it . That they didn’t like meatloaf. After their 3rd helping they said. Ok. I like this meat loaf.
Jess Haygood says
I cut the bread crumbs down to 1 and a 1/2 stuffing boxes because my family prefers a “slightly more sturdy, but moist and tender loaf”… not picky at all huh? This is an excellent recipe. I didn’t have any fresh onions at that moment, (wasn’t gonna pack up my 2 under 2 for an onion) so I soaked some dried minced onion in chicken broth and added that after draining it. Also added a 1/4 cup of just ketchup to the mix beforehand to help with moisture for the onions since they were dried.
Tara Smiley says
Loved it!!! Great flavor!!!
Chantee says
Great recipe