Tender, juicy gluten free meatloaf with a simple sweet glaze, made into single serving portions or a whole loaf.
This recipe for gluten free meatloaf is made with just the right seasoning mix for a savory homestyle meal that everyone will love.
What makes this gluten free meatloaf special
If you think of meatloaf as a lot of work, remember that you only need to combine some basic ingredients in a single bowl: beef, spices for depth of flavor, a binder like quick oats, grated cheese for texture and flavor, milk for moisture, and eggs as a binder. They come together very quickly, and then you only need to shape, and bake.
Most meatloaf recipes call for either breadcrumbs as a binder, like we use in our gluten free meatballs, or quick-cooking oats. I prefer to use the oats here because they maintain some subtle texture in the milk, but bread crumbs work well, too.
You can make this adaptable recipe with all dried herbs or mostly fresh, but my favorite way to make it is with dried onion, garlic, cumin, and plenty of fresh parsley.
You can make this same recipe as miniature meatloaves instead of one large meatloaf. That way, they cook faster and look a little more special on top of a mound of mashed potatoes.
Of course, you don’t need the glaze but it really adds a lot of flavor, color, and keeps the meat moist and tender. Warm, flavorful, and fragrant, meatloaf is the ultimate comfort food. Make it for your family tonight!
Recipe ingredients
- Milk: Adds moisture, flavor, and softens the oats
- Eggs: Act as a binder to hold the meatloaf mixture together as it bakes, and add some rise
- Worcestershire sauce: Adds that “umami” depth of flavor
- Oats: Help bind the mixture together, retain moisture, and provide structure to the meatloaf
- Parsley: Adds an earthy flavor, some color and brightness
- Salt: Brightens and balances the other flavors
- Cumin: Adds a smoky taste and aroma
- Mustard powder: Adds a tangy flavor and a little spiciness
- Onion flakes and garlic powder: Add richness, savory flavor, and the minced dried onions add some subtle sweetness with a less pungent aroma than if you used onion powder.
- Cheddar cheese: Adds cheesy flavor, richness, and some sharp depth to the mixture.
- Ground beef: I like to use 90% lean ground beef so that the meatloaf leaks less fat during baking. There are enough other ingredients that add flavor and moisture that the meatloaf is never dry. You can also use a combination of beef, pork and/or veal.
- Ketchup: Provides flavor, moisture, sweetness and a touch of acidity as the meatloaf bakes.
- Dijon mustard: Adds a smoky sharpness to the glaze, and thickens it a bit to help keep it in place.
- Brown sugar: Adds depth of flavor, more sweetness, and helps the meatloaf develop a nice outer crust.
How to make gluten free meatloaf
Assemble the meatloaf ingredients
- Place the milk, Worcestershire sauce and eggs in a large bowl and whisk to combine well.
- Add the herbs, spices, and quick oats, and mix again to combine fully.
- Mix in the grated cheese.
- Break up the ground beef on top of the wet mixture, and knead it in gently with clean hands.
Shape & glaze the meatloaf, then bake
- Using wet hands, shape the meatloaf on a prepared baking sheet into a loaf about 10-inches long by 5-inches wide. Smooth the top with wet hands or a wet spatula.
- Whisk together the glaze ingredients (ketchup, brown sugar, and Dijon mustard) until smooth.
- Cover the top and sides well with about 2/3 of the glaze using a spoon or pastry brush.
- Bake at 350°F for one hour.
- If the internal temperature is not yet 160°F, lower the oven temperature to 325°F and continue to bake until done.
- Let the meatloaf rest for about 20 minutes before slicing and serving with the rest of the glaze.
Recipe tips
Use an instant read thermometer
It can be hard to tell when recipes made with ground beef mixtures like meatloaf or meatballs are cooked all the way through just by looking at or touching them. Ground beef is safe to eat when it’s cooked to 160°F, so it’s best to insert an instant read thermometer into the center of the meatloaf when you think it’s done.
Handle the meat gently
The beef is the last ingredient we add to the meatloaf mixture so that we don’t overwork it. Combine all of the other ingredients well first, then break up the raw ground beef by handling it lightly with your fingers and placing it on top. Then, combine everything together as gently as possible, since overworked meat can become tough during baking.
Don’t skip the glaze
The ketchup and mustard glaze adds flavor and helps lock in moisture during baking. If you don’t care for ketchup, try using a smooth tomato sauce instead. Add some mustard powder to it, and add at least some of the brown sugar to help with browning.
Consider mini meatloaves
You don’t have to change any of the ingredients to make individual meatloaves instead of one large, sliced loaf. Just divide the mixture into 10 equal portions and shape gently into loaves. Bake for about 40 minutes.
Ingredient substitution suggestions
Beef
I’m not planning to show you how to make gluten free meatloaf—without meat. I’m not saying it can’t be done, but that is a much bigger job.
I just want to point out that you can use a mixture of ground meats in this recipe, rather than just lean ground beef. A “meatloaf” mixture of ground pork, beef, and veal also works great here, but there is a lot more fat in the mixture than when you use 90% lean ground beef. There will be more rendered fat around the loaf that you need to wipe away after baking.
Dairy free
There is dairy in this recipe in the milk, and in the grated cheddar cheese. The milk is easy to replace with any unsweetened nondairy almond milk. I don’t recommend oat milk, since it has more flavor and is less smooth than almond milk or dairy milk.
To replace the dairy cheese, I have made this recipe using Daiya brand dairy free cheddar-style shreds in place of the cheddar cheese and it tasted great. You can also replace the cheese with more quick oats and add 2 more tablespoons of milk.
Egg free
I haven’t tried making this recipe without eggs. If you’re avoiding eggs, I’d recommend experimenting with a “chia egg” (1 tablespoon ground white chia seeds mixed with 1 tablespoon lukewarm water, mixed and allowed to gel) replacement for each of the two eggs. I prefer chia to flax seeds since they have a much more neutral flavor.
Meatloaf without oats
For the equivalent of quick-cooking oats, I simply pulse certified gluten free old-fashioned rolled oats in a food processor 2 to 3 times. Any further processing will give you oat flour.
To substitute the oats entirely, I have also made this recipe with ground gluten free corn flake cereal, plain gluten free crackers, or coarsely ground gluten free breadcrumbs.
If you decide to use a corn flake cereal, be sure to use a very simple corn flake cereal like the kind that has only two ingredients—corn and salt. Sweetened cereals like Chex really change the flavor balance of the meatloaf mixture.
Worcestershire sauce
In the U.S., Lea & Perrins brand Worcestershire sauce is gluten free. Be careful what brand you use, as some contain barley malt in place of molasses.
It really adds nice depth of flavor to the recipe, but you can leave it out entirely, or replace it with some gluten free fish sauce or a mixture of molasses and anchovy paste, even.
Tomato ketchup
Again in the U.S., Heinz tomato ketchup is gluten free, but it does have quite a bit of added sugar. Organicville ketchup has no added sugar, which is fine especially since we’re adding brown sugar to it for the glaze.
Dijon mustard
In place of Dijon mustard, you can add 1 1/2 teaspoons ground mustard powder, or half yellow mustard and half mayonnaise.
Storage and reheating instructions
Whether you’ve made individual meatloaves or a single loaf sliced by cross-section, you can keep baked and cooled meatloaf fresh in the refrigerator. Allow the leftovers to cool completely, then wrap each piece or slice tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
To freeze
For longer storage, place the individually wrapped pieces in a freezer-safe zip-top bag, with all the air squeezed out and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost frozen meatloaf in the refrigerator overnight.
To refresh
To refresh refrigerated meatloaf, sprinkle lightly with lukewarm water and place in the microwave oven at about 40% power for about 90 seconds or in the toaster oven at about 325°F for about 5 minutes. Serve with more glaze.
FAQs
Yes! You can use coarse panko-style gluten free bread crumbs, crushed gluten free crackers, or crushed gf corn flake cereal in an equal amount to the quick oats, by weight.
Yes, if you use dark meat ground turkey, the recipe should turn out well. It might be better to use half ground turkey, half ground beef, for a rich-tasting meatloaf that tastes just as you’d expect it to taste.
Yes! In place of the dried minced onion and garlic powder, saute 1 small yellow onion, peeled and diced, in 2 tablespoons olive oil for 5 minutes, then add 2 to 3 cloves of minced garlic. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is translucent and the garlic is fragrant (about another 2 minutes). Let the mixture cool. Reduce the milk by about 1 tablespoon, and add to the meatloaf mixture after the milk and eggs.
Yes! You can leave out the mustard powder and/or ground cumin. You can add dried or fresh oregano leaves, 1 tablespoon Dijon or yellow mustard, 1 teaspoon anchovy paste, and/or 1 tablespoon tomato paste.
Yes! You can use your favorite marinara sauce in place of ketchup and Dijon mustard. I would recommend still adding the brown sugar to help bind the sauce together and help the meatloaf brown, but you can also leave that out. If your tomato sauce has any texture, I’d recommend blending it until smooth first. Try adding some tomato sauce at the start, and then another layer about halfway through baking.
Gluten Free Meatloaf Recipe
Tender, juicy gluten free meatloaf with a simple sweet glaze, made into single serving portions or a whole loaf.
Yield: 10 servings
Prevent your screen from going dark
Ingredients
For the meatloaf mixture
- 2 (100 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs
- ¾ cup (6 fluid ounces) milk
- 1 ½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup (110 g) quick-cooking oats
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley or 2 tablespoons dried parsley
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon mustard powder
- 2 teaspoons dried onion flakes
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 4 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 pounds ground beef (about 90% lean)
For the glaze
- ⅔ cup (180 g) gluten free tomato ketchup
- ¼ cup (55 g) packed light brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
Instructions
Make the meatloaf mixture.
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In a large bowl, place the eggs, milk, and Worcestershire sauce, and whisk to combine well.
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Add the oats, parsley, salt, cumin, mustard powder, onion flakes, and garlic powder, and mix to combine well.
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Add the grated cheddar, and mix to combine.
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Place the two pounds of ground beef on top, breaking it up lightly with your hands. Using clean hands or a large spoon, mix the ground beef into the wet mixture.
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Do not overwork the beef, or the meatloaf will be tough.
Shape the mixture.
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To make miniature loaves, divide the mixture into 10 equal pieces. With clean, moistened hands, shape each piece gently into an oval and place about 2 inches apart from one another on the prepared baking sheet.
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To make a whole loaf, place the same mixture on the prepared baking sheet and use clean, moistened hands to shape into a large flat loaf about 10-inches long x 5-inches wide.
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For the mini loaves, use a medium spoon to place 1 to 2 tablespoons of the glaze on top of each mini loaf. Spread evenly on top.
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For the large loaf, using a large spoon, place about 2/3 of the glaze mixture on top of the shaped loaf. Using the spoon or a pastry brush, spread the glaze evenly over the top and sides of the loaf.
Bake.
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Place the baking sheet in the center of the preheated oven and bake until the meatloaf or mini meatloaves are browned on the outside and cooked to an internal temperature of at least 160°F on an instant read thermometer.
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For the mini meatloaves, it will take about 40 minutes for the meatloaves to reach that internal temperature.
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For the larger loaf, it will take at least 1 hour to bake fully all the way to the center. After 1 hour, reduce the oven temperature to 325°F and continue to bake until an instant read thermometer reaches 160°F when inserted into the center. The outside should be a dark reddish brown.
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Remove from the oven, use a paper towel to wipe away any fat that has leaked out of the loaf during baking.
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Allow the mini meatloaves to rest at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving. For the full loaf, allow it to rest for 15 to 20 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
Originally published on the blog in 2015. In 2018, recipe mostly unchanged, video and most photos new.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice or mini loaf | Calories: 360kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 111mg | Sodium: 508mg | Potassium: 399mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 504IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 158mg | Iron: 4mg
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Hi, I’m Nicole. I create gluten free recipes that really work and taste as good as you remember. No more making separate meals when someone is GF, or buying packaged foods that aren’t good enough to justify the price. At Gluten Free on a Shoestring, “good, for gluten free” just isn’t good enough! Come visit my bio!
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