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 (divided)
- 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, all but 2 Tbsp of the 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.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
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.
Myra Hanson says
I was always told crock pot needs moisture- crock put meatloaf has no liquid Crock pot could break.
Amanda says
I’ve found that to be a myth, especially since meats give off liquid as they cook…
Sadie says
We love this recipe. It is so good. We used stove top savory herb.
Christina says
Delicious!
Nancy says
I have made this twice now and it is the only meatloaf recipe I will ever use again! It’s so tender and moist- nothing like the meatloaf you remember as a kid!!
jennifer cunningham-sidell says
I know whats for dinner tonight! thanks for the beautiful recipe and reviews! It’s a rainy summer day and I don’t want to overheat the kitchen! I think this would be a nice intro into what is to come (fall, winter…dreary)! But a true family fave!
Amanda says
So, I admittedly didn’t follow this recipe, I just looked up how long to cook it (but I definitely will try the stuffing mix idea next time!) I have a great little hack, if you end up with a lot of grease. Instead of completely lining the crockpot, I make a sort of cradle by folding foil into long strips and crisscrossing them in the crockpot, with overhang. When it’s done, lift it out by the foil “handles” and it’ll drain.
jennifer cunningham-sidell says
you are in my brain! thanks for the tip!
Tammy says
What kind of spice you sprinkled on top of the glaze is it parsley?
Norma says
This is the first time I’ve used your site. I won’t use it again. When I tried to print out the recipe, I ended up using a stack of paper that is about 1/4 inch high. I’m so disappointed.
Amanda says
Hi Norma, I apologize that is definitely NOT supposed to happen. Can you give me any specifics to pass along to my tech support team, like what device you were on, what browser you were using etc.?
Brittney says
Mine printed out just fine, used 1 page. This will be dinner tonight and im so excited to try it!
Jen says
Norma, copy and paste the recipe in a Word document and print it from there
Heather High says
Made it exactly like the recipe called for and it was delicious! We will never eat meatloaf any other way. Thank you!
Debbie says
Made tonight. Was good. I made exactly as the recipe. There was too much stuffing for my taste and hubby really missed the green pepper. I may make again with only 1 box of stuffing, decrease the liquid amount because of less stuffing and add green pepper. Good for first time trying the recipe.
prettylady#meme04 says
I love this recipe for crockpot meatloaf. It is so easy and really delicious. My husband wants his meatloaf cold for sandwiches. The loaf holds up well and slices beautifully after a night ot two in the refrigerator. Since it is just the two of us, I will freeze half of the meatloaf, wrapping it in slices so hubby can make a meatloaf sandwich easily in the future.
Gertrude says
Awesome
Mike C says
The best meatloaf recipe I have ever tasted. Being able to prepare it with a slow cooker is a great bonus. Thank You!
Ron Austin says
EasySchmeezy!
Owen says
Excellent recipe!! Never would have thought about using stuffing mix. Thank you.
Amber says
My family and I love this! Thank you 😊
Lora L Cotton says
My husband suffers several gastro health issues, but the biggest, restricts him from eating beef. I’ve learned that ground chicken can be substituted for most any recipe that calls for ground beef, but I’ve been reluctant to go “whole hog” trying a ground chicken meatloaf in the crockpot. Have you ever made ground chicken meatloaf in the crockpot?? Even with the milk (something I don’t usually add to my oven-baked chicken loaf) I’d be concerned with not only dryness but overcooking. Any advise would be appreciated.
Amanda says
Unfortunately, I’ve never tested this recipe using ground chicken, or made any chicken meatloaf in the crockpot.
Patty says
I’ve made this is ground turkey once and 1/2 turkey 1/2 chicken once. Turned out great both times!
Tammy says
I have crones disease and I have to watch what I eat to my Gaston said. Use ground turkey or chicken is fine. For the milk look for lactaid. Kroger and Meijer carry it, and it’s lactose intolerant,I use it. Look it up
Amanda says
I used to use ground turkey to make meatloaf all the time (much cheaper than beef.) Soak your crumbs in milk first, and add a little more liquid (just a few tablespoons of milk, broth, or Worcestershire sauce and ketchup combo works). It always came out fine with the same cooking time and method, but just like any meatloaf, it’s a good idea to use a meat thermometer to check that you’ve reached 165.
K says
Try adding unsalted melted butter to your meatloaf mix, that may help with the dryness and can create fattiness that ground beef has.
Cortney Rains says
Can I use my own recipe?
Amanda says
I’ve only cooked this recipe in the crockpot, so I can’t guarantee it’ll work out the same, or have the same cook time… but it *should* work out.
Joyce Caudill says
I’m going to give your recipe a try
Liz Knight says
Fabulous. Ended up making 2 loaves in crockpot.
Lacey says
Can you cook in High to shorten the cook time??
The Chunky Chef says
I’m sure it could be done, but I haven’t tested it to say for certain.