How to Make Meatloaf
Most dry meatloaf comes from two habits: skipping the panade and baking it in a loaf pan, where it steams in its own fat instead of forming a crust. Fix both and you get a loaf that slices clean and stays juicy through leftovers. The recipe below is the classic — ground beef, a milk-and-breadcrumb panade, and the brown-sugar ketchup glaze that people actually mean when they say meatloaf.
The short answer
Meatloaf bakes at 350°F for about 65 minutes — 40 minutes plain, then 20–25 minutes more after glazing — and is done at 160°F internal. Two things keep it juicy: a panade of 1 cup panko soaked in 1/2 cup milk for 5 minutes, and shaping it free-form on a lined sheet pan rather than pressing it into a loaf pan, where it steams in its own fat instead of forming a crust. Rest it 10 minutes before slicing or the slices fall apart. Two pounds of 80/20 ground beef serves 6.
How to Make Meatloaf, step by step
- Soak breadcrumbs in milk for five minutes — this is what keeps it juicy.
- Mix everything with your hands, but only just until combined.
- Shape it free-form on a lined sheet pan, not in a loaf pan.
- Bake at 350°F for 40 minutes, then brush on the glaze.
- Bake 20–25 minutes more to 160°F, and rest it 10 minutes before slicing.
Classic Glazed Meatloaf
Serves 6 · 1 hr 20 min total · 33g protein / 22g carbs / 28g fat per serving
Ingredients
- 2 lb ground beef (80/20)
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 small onion, grated
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp black pepper
- Glaze: 1/2 cup ketchup, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp cider vinegar
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F and line a sheet pan with foil.
- Stir the panko into the milk and leave it 5 minutes until it looks like paste. This panade is the single biggest factor in a juicy loaf.
- Add the beef, grated onion, garlic, eggs, Worcestershire, salt and pepper. Mix with your hands until it just comes together — every extra squeeze packs it tighter and makes it denser.
- Shape into a free-form loaf about 9x5 inches on the sheet pan. Baking it uncontained lets fat run off and a crust form on all sides.
- Bake 40 minutes.
- Whisk the glaze ingredients and brush half over the loaf. Bake another 20–25 minutes, to 160°F internal, brushing on the rest in the last 10.
- Rest 10 minutes before slicing. Cut too early and the slices fall apart.
Macro note: Swapping to 93/7 beef takes it to roughly 360 cal and 17g fat per serving — add 2 tbsp of milk to the panade to make up for the lost moisture.
Frequently asked questions
Loaf pan or sheet pan?
Sheet pan, for a free-form loaf. A loaf pan traps the rendered fat so the sides steam instead of browning, and you lose the crust entirely. If you only have a loaf pan, drain the fat halfway through.
What internal temperature should meatloaf reach?
160°F in the centre. Pull it there and let it rest — carryover heat carries it a few degrees further. Going to 170°F is the most common cause of a dry loaf.
Why does my meatloaf fall apart when I slice it?
Either it did not rest, or the binder is short. Ten minutes of rest lets the proteins set. If it is still crumbly, the ratio is off — you want roughly one egg and half a cup of breadcrumbs per pound of meat.