This easy recipe, Best Air Fryer Meatloaf makes two small free-form loaves and topped with a tangy sauce. The secret ingredient makes this meatloaf made in the air fryer so moist! And it makes two 1 lb mini meatloaves!
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I've been making this flavorful, moist meatloaf recipe for 25 years in the OVEN. Now, my favorite way to make it is in my air fryer.
If you don't have an air fryer, no worries. I give you oven directions, too!
This recipe for air fryer meatloaf is easily halved if your cooking for just two people.
I often make this easy meatloaf with half ground chuck and half venison, ground beef, or even ground pork. Pairing super lean meat like ground sirloin with ground chuck or ground beef helps to add flavor and ensure a moist meatloaf. (Scroll down for secret ingredient to make it moist!)
One of the reasons I love this simple recipe is getting to use whatever ground meat I have in the freezer. I've even made air fryer turkey meatloaf with ground turkey!
It makes two small meatloaves
Another reason to love these saucy little meatloaves is that it makes TWO loaves! One for dinner the first night and one for leftover meatloaf sandwiches for lunch the next day.
Or, if my adult kids are home for a visit, there's more "end pieces" to go around because they are always the favorite slices.
Secret ingredient makes meatloaf moist
The secret ingredient that makes this meatloaf moist is quick-cooking oats.
Not cooked oatmeal.
Not old fashioned rolled oats.
It may sound crazy, but it works! The oats magically disappear (almost) as the meatloaf bakes.
It also makes the meatloaf gluten-free if your Worcestershire sauce is gluten free. (Or use liquid aminos.)
Watch me make it on tv segment!
Click on the image to watch the WBRC video clip.
Ingredients you will need to make air fryer meatloaf
Meatloaf
- Large egg
- 2 pounds ground meat: ground beef, ground chuck, ground sirloin, venison OR a combination of any two. (I don't recommend venison and ground sirloin together because both are super lean meats)
- Quick-cooking oats
- Salt or garlic salt
- Ground pepper
Tangy Sauce
- Ketchup
- Light brown sugar
- Apple cider vinegar
- Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce
Pro Tip
Tip: If not using gloves to shape the meatloaves, to clean your hands, start with wiping your hands off with a paper towel, then move to the sink and use dish soap instead of hand soap.
How to make the meatloaves
Scroll down to the bottom of this post for the detailed, printable recipe. Pictures below will help guide you as you read the recipe.
Preheat air fryer at 375° for 3 minutes.
- Lightly beat the egg in a bowl first.
- With your hands, gently mix in the egg, oats, salt and pepper with the ground meat and shape into two oval loaves.
Pro Tips
Overworking the meat will make it tough. Under mixing may leave patches of oats or egg not evenly incorporated.
- Cook in the air fryer according to printable recipe below. I cooked these 1 lb meatloaves in my Ninja 4 Qt air fryer.
- Prepare Tangy Sauce mixture. Spread on the cooked meatloaves and cook an additional 1 to 2 minutes or until meatloaves reach 160F degrees in the middle.
- Let stand at least 5 minutes before serving.
One of the best things about making meatloaf is making sandwiches the next day with leftover meatloaf! That's why I love that this air fryer meatloaf recipe makes two loaves!
How long to cook a 2 lb meatloaf in air fryer?
Instead of dividing the mixture into two 1 lb loaves, you can cook a 2 lb meatloaf in an air fryer. Make sure your air fryer basket or rack is big enough. The Ninja Foodi 5.5 Qt and Instant brand Vortex 6 Qt air fryers are both good sizes for a large meatloaf. I recommend Air Fry setting at 375F degrees for 25 minutes or until the center reads 160F degrees on an instant read thermometer.
Can I make Air Fryer Meatloaf in the oven?
Yes. You can bake these mini meatloaves in a conventional oven.
- Shape the same meat mixture into one free-form loaf or keep them shaped in two smaller loaves.
- Place the free-form loaf/loaves on a cooling rack in a rimmed baking sheet. (I like to line the pan with foil for easy cleanup.)
- Bake the one larger loaf uncovered in the middle rack of the oven for 40 minutes on 375F. Spread the Tangy Sauce over the loaf and bake an additional 5 minutes or until center of loaf shows no pink.
- Bake the two smaller loaves in the middle rack of the oven for 30 minutes on 375F. Spread the Tangy Sauce over the 2 loaves and bake an additional 5 minutes or until the center of loaves show no pink.
What can I use instead of quick oats?
- Crushed saltine crackers
- Crushed Ritz crackers
- Fine dry breadcrumbs
- Make soft breadcrumbs from sliced bread in the food processor or blender, then toast them in air fryer or oven to dry them out.
If you are using all lean meat (the higher the fat content, the more moist it will be) such as venison or ground sirloin, add 3 tablespoons of milk to the egg before adding the meat. If you are substituting breadcrumbs or crackers for the oats, add the milk to this and let it soak 5 minutes. This will help add moisture to your meatloaf when using very lean meat.
Eggs are added to meatloaf as a binder to help keep it from falling apart. Eggs are also added to meatloaf to add moisture along with oats, breadcrumbs or crushed crackers.
What can I substitute for the Tangy Sauce?
- Barbecue sauce is an excellent substitution for the homemade Tangy Sauce
- Although straight ketchup is an option, it will have less flavor. Spicy bottled ketchup can be used.
- Teriyaki sauce that is as thick as ketchup might be a flavorful option.
What to serve with meatloaf?
I think the most iconic sides to serve with meatloaf are mashed potatoes and English peas. At least, that's what I grew up eating with it and I've served them to my own family this way.
Other sides to serve with Best Air Fryer Meatloaf with Tangy Sauce:
- Oven-Fried Okra
- Perfect-Every-Time Fried Green Tomatoes
- Southern Fried Yellow Squash
- Fresh Green Beans with Bacon
- Instant Pot Fresh Green Beans with Bacon
How can I make meatloaf gluten-free?
Easy! It's already gluten-free except the Worcestershire sauce if you use quick-cooking oats. Liquid aminos can easily be substituted for Worcestershire sauce to make it totally gluten-free.
Reheat meatloaf in air fryer
You can reheat leftover meatloaf in an air fryer. Preheat air fryer 3 minutes. Place whole or slices of meatloaf on the rack coated with non-aerosol cooking spray. I recommend slicing the meatloaf first. AIR FRY slices 2 to 3 minutes, laying flat in a greased air fryer. Cook on AIR FRY for 6 minutes if the meatloaf is whole. Check to see if it is heated in the middle.
Best Air Fryer Meatloaf with Tangy Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 2 pounds ground chuck or a combination of ground beef and venison or ground sirloin
- ½ cup quick-cooking oats
- ¾ teaspoon salt or garlic salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Tangy Sauce
- ¾ cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, or red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce or liquid aminos Liquid aminos are gluten-free
Instructions
- To save washing another bowl, start by beating the egg in a large bowl with a fork.
- Breakup the ground meat in the bowl. There's no getting around using your hands here. I usually use a pair of nylon/rubber gloves simply for easily clean up.
- Preheat air fryer 3 minutes at 375 degrees.
- With your hands, gently combine the egg, oats, salt and pepper with the ground meat.
- Shape the mixture into 2 free-form loaves, roughly 3 x 5.5 inches. The size will depend on what will fit into your air fryer. (For conventional oven method, see size in recipe notes) Carefully place the loaves side by side in the preheated, greased air fryer basket or tray.
- Air fry at 375 degrees for about 17 minutes or until meatloaves are ALMOST done in the middle-firm when pressed in the middle or temperature on an instant read thermometer reads 155°. It's a good idea to check at 15 minutes to make sure they aren't getting too brown. All air fryers are not alike.
Prepare Tangy Sauce
- Stir or whisk together ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce.
- When meat loaves are 155F°, evenly spread the Tangy Sauce over both meat loaves. Cook an additional 1 to 2 minutes on Air Fry to set the sauce and until the instant read reaches 160F°.
- Remove the meatloaves with silicone coated tongs or spatula. Let the meat loaf stand on a cutting board or plate 5 minutes before slicing.
- Leftover meatloaf makes yummy sandwiches the next day.
Notes
- Tip: If not using gloves, to clean your hands, start with wiping your hands off
- Tip:Overworking the meat will make it tough. Under mixing may leave patches of oats or egg not evenly incorporated.
- Shape the same meat mixture into one free-form loaf or keep them shaped in two smaller loaves.
- Place the free-form loaf/loaves on a cooling rack in a rimmed baking sheet. (I like to line the pan with foil for easy cleanup.)
- Bake the one larger loaf uncovered in the middle rack of the oven for 40 minutes on 375F. Spread the Tangy Sauce over the loaf and bake an additional 5 minutes or until center of loaf shows no pink.
- Bake the two smaller loaves in the middle rack of the oven for 30 minutes on 375F. Spread the Tangy Sauce over the 2 loaves and bake an additional 5 minutes or until the center of loaves show no pink.
Linda Dunn
I'm interested in air fryer recipes. Had one several years and never use it.
Jocie
What temp do you use for air fryer? And do I need to pre-heat??
New to air fryer and not sure of proper temps/times yet.
Thanks!
gritsandgouda
Congratulations on your new air fryer! The temp will depend on what you are cooking. French fries will be the highest temperature (390-400F) and where my Air Fryer Candied Bacon is cooked at 350F. I preheat the air fryer for 2 to 3 minutes for almost everything. It absolutely helps crisp the outside edges of food just like you would preheat a conventional oven. If you think of it as a baby convection oven (which it is) it will help you understand how an air fryer works. Forced hot air circulates around the food with a high powered fan. I hope this helps! Search AIR FYER on my blog for other air fryer recipes you might want to try!
Sue whitaker
Thanks for the meat loaf recipe... just bought the air fryer and need all the help I can get.
gritsandgouda
It is so easy to make it and I love how the grease falls below the rack to make it less fattening than baked in a pan. Let me know how it turns out for you!
Billie
I thank you for this recipe, I am new to air fryer cooking and always on the look out for new recipes. This will be a keeper. And I also am from a small Alabama town.
gritsandgouda
So glad you liked the meatloaf recipe! It has been a family favorite for years at my house. It's nice to hear from another Alabamian!
Judy Smith
If I half this recipe to make 2 half-pound loaves, what would you suggest as a cook temperature & time for the 2 loaves air fryer?
gritsandgouda
The cook temp stays the same and I would just check on them at maybe 15 minutes to see if they have reached 155F or just loses the pink in the center before adding the sauce. Let me know how it turns out to make them smaller!
Anecia
I didn’t realize you could cook meatloaf in an air fryer!!! Now, I must say get one!! Thank you!!
gritsandgouda
They are little convection ovens so they are perfect for meatloaf! I love mine and use it every day! Hope you are doing well!
Kathleen
You've come to the right place! This air fryer meatloaf is a good recipe to start with. If you like sweets, try my Air Fryer Apple Pie Bombs or Air Fryer "Fried" Oreos! You can search for all my air fryer recipes on my website in the SEARCH bar and enter AIR FRYER and they will all come up! Follow me on Facebook at Grits and Gouda. I will have a free air fryer class on Facebook soon.