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.
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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.
Bryan says
This is one of my favorite meatloaf recipes. I’ve probably made it 6 times now. If I wanted to halve the recipe what would the cooking times look like?
The Chunky Chef says
I’m so glad you enjoy this recipe as much as we do! I’ve never halved this recipe (our family definitely needs the larger size lol), so I can’t say for certain. I would start with 3-4 hours and use an internal meat thermometer to make sure the meatloaf interior is 165°F or higher 🙂
Patrick says
Excellent recipe reminded me of the meatloaf my grandmother used to make. The only thing that I changed in the recipe, is I used Ritz crackers instead of stuffing mix. Which turned out really well. And I also about two and a half hours into the cook cycle I went ahead and basted the meatloaf with part of the glaze to let it cook in as well. Thanks for a great recipe
Michelle says
I have a love/hate for meatloaf. Love to eat it, but hate to make it as it’s never moist enough or its too greasy. WOW! This is the miracle I was looking for. Had 1 pound of ground beef so I halved everything and it took about 5 hours on low. First, I soaked the stuffing with all ingredients except the beef. For the sauce, I cheated and used my fav BBQ sauce with the minced onion and added some spices! This is now my go-to for meatloaf, thanks!
Angela says
My oven is not working can you finish cooking it in the crockpot after the glaze?
The Chunky Chef says
You can, but it won’t be sticky and caramelized
Phyllis says
This was awful. It was mushy & a true waste of $ with food preices so high. VERY DISAPPOINTING.
The Chunky Chef says
That is disappointing, as I’ve never had that result. I’m sorry you didn’t have a great experience with this recipe. Did you add the foil to the bottom of the slow cooker so the meatloaf wasn’t sitting in it’s own grease as it cooks?
Tiffany says
Are you able to cook this on high for 3 hours or will it not work??
The Chunky Chef says
You can cook it on high for 3 hours 🙂
John R says
Trying this tomorrow. Silly question but won’t there be a lot gease tvat needs to br drained. I’m new to cooking
The Chunky Chef says
Hi John 🙂 Yes, there will be some grease in the slow cooker after the meatloaf cooks, but once you take out the meatloaf to broil it, the grease stays in the slow cooker to be drained and cleaned after dinner.
Vanessa says
This is the best meatloaf I have ever had. The only thing I did different was used planki bread crumbs instead of the stuffing mix and I substituted 1/2 the ketchup with BBQ sauce. But this is the only way I make my meatloaf now! Thank u u r wonderful!
Bobby says
Then you didn’t make this meetloaf you made your own version. Your review wasn’t necessary because it doesn’t mean s**t
The Chunky Chef says
Bobby, there’s no need to be the comment police. Yes, she changed it, as is her prerogative. I find those types of reviews can be helpful to other readers who may be wondering if they can make those changes as well.
Mayhem says
I came to the reviews just to see if I could use Panko bread crumbs because that is what I have in hand. Thank you!
Sandy T. says
This truly is the best crockpot meatloaf. However, instructions say to assemble meatloaf including 2 T of glaze, but glaze isn’t assembled until after meatloaf. Anyway–that’s a small snafu. The meatloaf is
delicious! Thank you!
The Chunky Chef says
So glad you enjoy this recipe! Oh no, thanks for letting me know about the instructions, I’ve edited so they’re in the correct order 🙂
Carol Landry says
This is the best meatloaf I have ever eaten. I have to admit was skeptical. But now I am a believer. I did make two small changes…I added mucho fresh garlic and doubled the sauce to add to the meatloaf. Thank you so much for the wonderful recipe. I will never bake meatloaf again.
Gini says
I’m 72 and have made hundreds of meatloaves. You recipe is the absolute BEST! My neighbor raved about it. On a fixed income I live in a studio apt, but no stove vi use hotplate, crockpot and small toaster oven. This crockpot meatloaf was fabulous. I’m going to try your site. Thanks.
Tracy says
Hi Amanda,
Thank you for the great meatloaf recipe. I saw the temperature was going to be over 90 degrees and thought my plan for meatloaf was busted. So excited to have this tonight. The glaze puts it over the top.
Karen says
My family loves this recipe. I use one pound ground pork and one pound ground Italian sausage instead of the beef.
Kathy Moore says
This reminds me of the meatloaf my grandmother made. The glaze is amazing and the meatloaf is moist. If you like meatloaf and want a good recipe, try it. You won’t be sorry!
Lex Warner says
Absolutely fabulous tasting!
Frances says
Good morning! I do hope I get a reply. I need to know what is dried stuffing mix? Can you recommend a brand or link to what it may look like please. TIA
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Frances, my apologies for the late reply… I was on vacation, and am just now seeing this comment. https://amzn.to/3zADLsW this is the brand I use 🙂
Misty says
Can you use bread crumbs?
The Chunky Chef says
I’m sure you could, but you’d also need some spices, and I’m not sure of the exact amount of breadcrumbs, since this recipe was specifically developed and tested using stuffing mix.
Lynn says
Why use tin foil? Could I substitute it for a crock pot liner? Or will it not cook right?
The Chunky Chef says
The purpose of the foil is to make it easy to remove the meatloaf. I’ve never tested this with a liner, but in theory it should work 🙂
Yolanda says
Husband was hesitant but he loved it and my youngest who protested asked for seconds. I will definitely be makin this again!