This Air Fryer Meatloaf recipe is quick to cook and ends up with such a tasty crust. Perfect for an easy weeknight meal!
Air Fryer Meatloaf manages to cook meatloaf quickly AND develop a crust. It’s perfect for cooking a small meatloaf for four and only takes about half an hour. If you’d like to try a recipe without ground beef, try our Chicken Meatloaf recipe or Turkey Meatloaf for delicious variations.
Video: Making Air Fryer Meatloaf
Tips For Air Fryer Meatloaf:
- Make it smaller! Most of our meatloaf recipes are made with two pounds of ground beef, but that’s way too much meatloaf for the air fryer; there simply isn’t room! Also, a large meatloaf gets too darkened on the outside in the time it takes to cook all the way through in the air fryer.
So make your meatloaf using 1 pound of ground beef like our One Pound Meatloaf recipe. However, note that if your air fryer is large enough, you can do two 1 pound meatloafs side by side. Just make sure that there is space between the two loaves and around each of them so that the air can circulate properly. - Line the basket with foil, if you want to. We’ve read online that air fryer meatloaf requires you to line the basket with foil. There are two reasons given for this. One, you don’t want all the juices to drop down into the bottom of the air fryer. Two, you don’t want the meatloaf to stick to the air fryer basket. So for ease of removing the meatloaf and ease of cleanup, they say to line with foil. However, we found that not lining it with foil allowed the fat to drip down away from the loaf, which was truly a good thing. Second, using a silicon spatula and lifter to get under the loaf released any minor sticking.
- Don’t try to cook it too fast. There’s something tempting about cooking things in an air fryer at high heat, but be warned, the meatloaf will burn! We found that bumping the heat up after the initial cooking still led to a burnt meatloaf, so keep it at 370 degrees Fahrenheit for the duration. Note that even having it at 370°F will lead to the glaze darkening a bit. But, all of our taste-testers found this to be quite delicious so don’t worry at all if your loaf is a bit crisp.
- Rest the loaf. After the meatloaf has finished cooked, let it rest on the counter in the uncovered air fryer basket for at least 5 minutes but ideally 10. This allows the juices in the loaf to redistribute and for the loaf to therefore firm up. After the resting time, transfer the meatloaf to a cutting board and you’ll find that the rest time has made it much easier to slice.
- Use a thermometer. The best way to know that a meatloaf is cooked through while not being overcooked is to use an instant read thermometer like this one to test for doneness. You want your meatloaf to reach 160°F right in the middle for it to be safe.
- Mix everything but the meat first. You’ve probably heard people say before that you shouldn’t overmix ground meat because it will get tough. But if you’re not mixing it thoroughly, how do you know that all of the ingredients are properly dispersed? This technique is the best for that! Mix together all of the wet ingredients and the seasonings first. Then add in any breadcrumbs and give that a quick toss. Finally, add your ground meat. Mix until the wetness seems fairly evenly dispersed, knowing that that means that everything in that mixture is evenly dispersed.
And while the meatloaf is resting? Throw your side in the air fryer for a complete meal. We recommend broccoli. 😉
Podcast Episode On Air Frying Meatloaf
Listen to our editor-in-chief, Christine Pittman, briefly talk about how to make this recipe, with some great tips along the way, by clicking the play button below:
Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.
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Air Fryer Meatloaf Recipe
Air Fryer Meatloaf gives you a small meatloaf for four with amazing flavor and a great crust.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Entrée
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. ketchup, divided
- 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 1 Tbsp. yellow mustard
Instructions
- In a large bowl mix together 1 tablespoon of the ketchup along with the Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and egg.
- Mix in the onion and then the breadcrumbs. Once well combined, add in the ground beef.
- Use your hands to evenly combine the meat with the egg mixture, being careful not to overmix since overmixing will make it tough.
- Form meat into a 2 inches high 4×6 inch, loaf. Turn the air fryer to 370F and place the loaf into the air fryer.
- Cook for 15 minutes at 370F.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine the remaining 1 tablespoon of ketchup and the mustard.
- Remove meatloaf from oven and spread with mustard mixture.
- Return meatloaf to air fryer and continue to bake at 370°F until an instant read thermometer inserted into the loaf reads 160F, about 8-10 more minutes.
- Once meatloaf has reached 160F, remove air fryer basket from air fryer and let the loaf rest in the basket for 5-10 minutes.
- Transfer the meatloaf to a cutting board and slice it into 3/4″ to 1″ slices.
Love this recipe? I’d appreciate it if you could scroll down and add a *5 star rating* to help others know they’ll love it as well!
Photos are by Emily Dingmann, recipe and article by Christine Pittman.
This post originally appeared in February 2019 and was revised and republished in June 2023. This post contains Amazon affiliate links.
I’ve made this meatloaf 3 times now in my Crownful Airfryer. I’m an 82 yr old man who is new to airfryer cooking. I love meatloaf and this was easy to make. I did saute the onions first and didn’t care for the mustard in the sauce so I used Heinz 57 with the ketchup. Tasted more like my mother used to make.
In any event, it was perfect for me. Good dinner and leftover for meatloaf sandwich the next day.
High, I’m so happy you like this recipe. Thank you for letting me know. I’ve never tried it with Heinz 57, but I will next time!
I am new to using an air fryer. Made this meatloaf tonight. Turned out just great. I loved the crispy ends and top. The dark look didn’t bother us a bit. I used 1 1/2 lbs of beef so I adjusted the amount of ingredients and made 2 loaves. We’re looking forward to sandwiches and leftovers for dinner.
That’s wonderful to hear, PT! You’ll have so much fun cooking with the air fryer, I use mine all the time. Plenty of recipes here for you to explore!
Meat loaf is one if my husband’s favorite dinners.
Cold meat loaf sandwiches the next day, even better.
Thanks for the recipe.
Beverly, I *love* cold meatloaf sandwiches! They’re seriously the best part of meat loaf! Thanks for the comment and 5 stars!
Loved it! A big hit with the family.
Yay! Glad everyone enjoyed.
I will never make meatloaf another way again! This was so much quicker than in the oven and tastes even better. I read the comments and was worried about it burning on top. It did get dark and crisp on top, but it didn’t taste burnt at all and gave it a texture that I really like, so did my kids. Thank you!
You’re very welcome, Cheryl! Thank you for commenting and rating.
I tried this meatloaf today, with turkey. It was flavorful but dry. I may have to try again with beef. What brand is your
AIRFRYER?
Thanks
I use a Secura Air Fryer XL, Judie.
I have a Breville Smart oven pro air fryer, it comes with a roasting pan and rack. What are your thoughts about using it in air fryer position in place of foil or parchment paper?
Brenda, I’m actually not sure. I don’t use foil or parchment in my air fryer, as noted in the above article. I just put the meatloaf straight into the air fryer basket. I find that the fat from the meat drips down through the holes in the basket, which is perfect. My only real concern with using your rack is if the spaces between the metal are small enough. If they are too big, the meatloaf will droop down into those gaps and will be hard to get out once cooked. If the spaces are small enough, if should be fine. If the rack isn’t non-stick, I would oil it lightly before putting the meatloaf on it also. Then put the roasting pan below the rack to catch the drippings.
can i serve the meatloaf with gravy
Sure, if that’s how you like it, Bobby! Just keep in mind you may want to adjust or skip the ketchup/mustard glaze so that it’s not competing with the flavors of your gravy.
I tried the recipe in 2 mini loaf pans, and they turned out great. I will try brushing bbq sauce over them next time I make them.
Great, Heather! Thanks for sharing with us.
I gave it 3 stars because the taste of the meatloaf with the ingredients is great. Unfortunately, the top of the meatloaf burns. I tried the recipe twice, adding foil on top of the meatloaf about 10 minutes after putting it into the air fryer, but the top still burned. What setting am I supposed to set the air fryer to? Should I set it on bake? Will this keep it from burning on top?
Ellen, when I make this recipe, and I actually make it quite often, the top does blacken a bit. But it doesn’t taste burnt but instead tastes great. If you don’t like that dark appearance, you could try adding the glaze earlier and then adding more of it several times. Essentially, each subsequent layer will start to get a bit dark but then when you add more, the dark part will be protected and the new top will start getting darker. Let me know what you think!
Why was my meatloaf crispy on top. Delicious but a little to crispy
Andie, thanks for the feedback. The sauce added at the end usually stops it from crisping up too much. You could try putting some foil over top once you notice the loaf getting browned. That will stop it from crisping as much for the rest of the time that it’s in there.
Made this for my husband tonight and he loved it. I added some red and green bell peppers.
That’s wonderful, Tray!
Hi Christine,
I want to thank you for your helpful hints on cooking meatloaf in Mt resent present of a ninja air fryer. I’m a truck driver and have always found it hard to get good meals on the road.
I didn’t use your recipe but bought a pre-made ready to cook meatloaf from my local grocery store. It’s a recipe I helped develop while I worked at that store. Your cooking time and temp was perfect. I’ll be watching for other great meals I can cook myself.
Thanks for sharing.
Victor
You’re welcome, Victor! We’ve got plenty of air fryer recipes for you to try out. 🙂
My oven is on the fritz so I googled and found your meatloaf recipe to use in my air fryer. It turned out delicious and my husband loved it! Other perks was the short cooking time and a much cooler kitchen. Thank you so much!!
That’s wonderful, Teresa! You’re very welcome.
My husband said this was great. I’ll be making this again!
Wonderful! Thanks, Leigh!
Great recipe and instructions, thank you so much!!! My cooking is meh at best but this came out so good that my son said it was great (not a word I often hear with my cooking:) – he even wanted it twice in one week, so I did it again but this time I used two mini pound cake type tins to make mini meat loaves:)! I’m sure there’s an actual term for those tins but like I said, I haven’t spent a lotta time cooking:/! They’re almost too cute to eat! Most importantly, they most and delicious inside and a little crispy on top the way we like it:)! Thanks again!!!
That’s wonderful to hear, CB! The mini meat loaves sound great. 🙂
Ty so much
Very good recipe
I did substitute the bread crumbs with crushed pork rinds since we are doing keto
It was amazing
And because my air fryer is the tiny one I did a half pound of meat it was perfect for my husband and I!
Thanks so much for sharing that substitution with us, Kay!
I decided to look up & see if I could air fry my meatloaf. When I found out I could my husband says it sounds like a good idea. This air fryer has to be the best investment I’ve ever bought. I absolutely love it
Thanks, Judy! So many great uses!
I just made this and it came out so good. I did have to cook it about 10 minutes longer to get a reading of 165° on my meat thermometer. Maybe mine was too thick? I love meatloaf, but it isn’t my husband’s favorite thing, so now I can easily make a little one just for me -a meatloaf sandwich is my idea of heaven! Thanks for a great, easy recipe. I’ve never used foil in my air fryer, and I learned not to put it in for the preheat. It wads up in a ball and goes up inside. So, next time I’ll wait until I’m ready to put the meatloaf in to put the foil in the basket.
Thanks so much, Patricia! I appreciate the feedback!
I’m thinking of doing this, bit replacing the ketchup and mustard with barbecue sauce. I will let you know how it turns out!
Enjoy, Amanda!