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.
Hello, I would give this recipe five *s but your first instruction is misleading: “In a large bowl mix together **1 tablespoon of the ketchup, the Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and egg.” As I read it, I thought I am not that fond of Italian seasoning so why would I put 1 tablespoon into the recipe? I reviewed the recipe and in fact it is not 1 tablespoon. IMHO You should remove the initial “1 tablespoon of the ketchup.” If one is a new cook or not paying attention, I can almost see a cook placing a tablespoon of all the dry ingredients. Otherwise, the meatloaf is cooking now and smells wonderful. Thank you!
Thank you for your feedback, Beverly. Sorry for the confusion. The amount for the ketchup is specified there because the other tablespoon called for gets used later in the recipe. I’ll see if I can make that more clear. Enjoy!
Made it into 3 smaller loaves put in my tiny air fryer at an angle,hoping they cook faster but alas after 15 minutes and putting the ketchup and then for another 5 minutes wanted to see if that was enough as they were smelling over done now I am giving them the 5 minute resting period,to hope they remove without falling apart on me. They came out very nice thanks for the temp setting and the times!
You’re welcome, Rose and Clifford! Hope you enjoyed.
G’day from a chilly and wintery Perth, West Australia! Looking for a comfort food dish to go with the weather, so made this last night and what a yummy and oh so easy dish to put together! Added some peas and finely chopped carrots and served with mash potato. Cheers and can’t wait to try other recipes on your website!
Dean
Thank for your kind words, Dean! I’m so happy that you loved it. Enjoying exploring our other delicious recipes!
Thank you it was DELICIOUS!!! I made 3 – 1 lb meatloafs and they were very tasty. I added 2 cloves of fresh chopped garlic and about 1/4 pkg of onion soup mix to each. They did not come to 160 so I made some more ketchup and mustard mix and rebasted and cooked for about 5-7 more minutes and they were still moist.
Thank you for sharing your adjustments, Andrea! So glad you enjoyed.
Hello. Do we preheat the air fryer before placing the meatloaf in the basket? Is the setting left on air fry or do I change it to bake/cook?
thank you.
My air fryer heats up so quickly, I don’t find it necessary to preheat for most things. If yours takes longer, you may want to let it heat up for a couple minutes. And the air fryer setting is what you want, Carol. Enjoy!
Does the airfryer basket go on the bottom or middle baking position.
Help – ready to put in the toaster/airfryer oven.P
My air fryer is the kind with a basket, not a toaster oven with an air fryer setting, so I think that would depend on your model and how close those positions are to the heating elements. I’d love to hear what you ended up deciding and how it worked out for you, Pat.
This was delicious, so easy to make and non time consuming. It fits well with Slimming World and will be a keeper. Thank you.
You’re welcome, Marty! So glad you enjoyed.
Absolutely delicious the only thing I changed was oats instead of breadcrumbs.
Glad to hear it, Lorna! Thanks for letting us know about your substitution.
Wow, This turned out better than expected. Thank You
You’re welcome, Joe! Glad you enjoyed.
I made this today and it was very good. Nice how fast it cooks. One thing I will change next time I make it is not put the ketchup on at the 1/2 way point. In my air frier it turned black, did not affect the flavor. I added more when served and it was very enjoyable. I like the crust that develops at the higher temp.
Thank you so much for the feedback, Colleen! Glad you enjoyed.
My husband and i have many meat loves over the years but we have never made one in an airfryer before. The results from this recipe were excellent. Thank you for the recipe Christine.
You’re welcome, Iris. I’m so happy you both liked it!
This is my second time making this meatloaf in the airfryer. I love it! Didn’t have an onion so I finely chopped a little red pepper in the mix.
So simple and easy, however, super delicious.
That sounds great, Kelly. Thanks for coming back to comment!
I’ve been looking for the perfect meatloaf recipe, I’ve found it! Great flavor through and through, perfect crisp, fast cooking time, easy and simple. New fav thanks!🌹
Simone, Your comment has made my day! I love this recipe too. It’s truly my go-to for meatloaf. I’m so happy you liked it too. Thank you for coming back to let me know 🙂
I tried this using 2 lb. of hamburger and it turned out so delicious. My friends were asking for the recipe.
Thank you so much, William! I’m glad everyone loved it.
I was wondering, do you set the air fryer on bake or air fry? Some cooking recipes out there, I get confused on which setting, thank you.
That’s okay, Amy, some of the air fryers now have a lot of settings! Unless otherwise noted, our air fryer recipes will be for the air fry setting.
Yummy meatloaf recipe! Husband loved it!
Thank you, Sandy! I’m thrilled to hear that. 🙂
EXCELLENT!!! It’s the best meatloaf I’ve ever made. Mixing the meat in last is a really good idea.
I’m so glad to hear that, Pamela! If you have a moment, I’d love for you to add a 5 star rating to your comment, it helps other readers find this recipe too. Thanks!
Great tasting meat loaf. Easy recipe to follow.
The results…delicious!
The mustard kicked the flavour up over the top!
Thank you, Mike! I’m so happy you enjoyed.
Great tasting, as I dislike onion itself. I substituted granulated onion, 1 1/2 tsps. Great taste, will make this again.
Thanks for sharing your substitution, Jim! Glad you enjoyed.
Made this recipe for a hard working harvest crew. Was kinda rushed, so decided to double the batch. The top was a bit dark, but the favour won the crowd!
I’ll make this recipe again!
I’m so happy to hear that, Wendi! Since you loved it, I’d really appreciate you adding a 5 star rating if you have time, it helps others find this recipe too. Thanks!
Great recipe!