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The Perfect Meat Loaf Recipe

Light, juicy, perfectly seasoned savory meatloaf with a subtly sweet glaze on top. The best meat loaf ever! Easily gluten / dairy free
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 13 minutes
Servings: 10 slices
Calories: 307kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs ground beef
  • 1 large egg, plus one extra white
  • 1/4 cup milk any kind will work!
  • 1 cup gluten free bread crumbs see note
  • 2 tbsp coconut aminos
  • 2 tbsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp Italian herb seasoning
  • 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper

For the Glaze

  • 3/4 cup tomato sauce pizza sauce works great too!
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper to make the meatloaf easy to lift up and out for slicing once cooked.
    (I do a parchment "sling" which is a strip of paper that goes one way across the widest portion of the bottom of the pan and hangs over the edge to lift up on easily)
  • In a large bowl, combine the egg, milk, bread crumbs, coconut aminos, and seasonings. Let it sit for a couple of minutes.
  • Add the ground beef to the bread crumb mixture, and use your hands to fully combined. Try to be gentle and quick, using hands instead of a spoon, so you don't over mix the meat and make it too tough.
  • Add the meat loaf mixture to the lined loaf pan. Pat down into an even layer.
  • In a small bowl, stir together the glaze ingredients. Pour on top of the meat loaf and spread evenly over the top.
  • Transfer the loaf pan to the oven and bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. I start checking it around the 1 hour mark, and use a meat thermometer - looking for an internal temp of 160ºF in the thickest portion.
  • Let the meat loaf rest for 10-15 minutes before lifting out of the pan and slicing into 10 portions and serving.

Notes

For the bread crumbs, I love using my homemade sourdough bread crumbs for a low gluten option.  I blend up my sourdough croutons (recipe HERE) and keep those in the fridge for any bread crumb needs!
For strict gluten free, you can use the above method with gluten free bread.  Or grab some GF bread crumbs at the store!