The Best Brown Sugar Glazed Meatloaf Recipe (2024)

Main Dishes | Recipes

ByLynda SelfPublishedUpdated on

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Brown Sugar Glazed Meatloaf Recipe: Comfort food at its best! This Brown Sugar Glazed Meatloaf Recipe is made using ground beef and is topped with a sweet glaze made with brown sugar and ketchup. It’s not difficult to make, and many of the ingredients you will need are kitchen staples that we tend to keep in our pantry and refrigerator.

The Best Brown Sugar Glazed Meatloaf Recipe (1)

If you grew up in the United States, chances are great that you have had meatloaf. At least once. For many of us, it is quintessential American comfort food, ranking high up there along with Buttermilk Biscuits and Pecan Pie.

Let’s take a look at how to make this tasty meatloaf.

Ingredients

This meatloaf recipe has a sweet, brown sugar glaze on top and a little bit of glaze on the bottom.

Glaze Ingredients

  • ¾ cup ketchup
  • ¾ cup packed brown sugar

Meatloaf Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 ⅓ pounds ground beef (grass-fed is best)
  • 1 ⅓ cups bread crumbs
  • 1 small yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 eggs
  • ¼ cup milk
The Best Brown Sugar Glazed Meatloaf Recipe (2)

How To Make Brown Sugar Glazed Meatloaf

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly spray a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Before making the meatloaf itself, make the glaze by combining ketchup, brown sugar, and a little salt. Let it sit for a moment so that the sugar can dissolve a bit in the ketchup.

Next, spoon about small layer of glaze (about ⅓ cup of the ketchup mixture) on the bottom of your loaf pan. (I use a 9×5-inch loaf pan.) Set the rest of the glaze aside and get started on making the loaf.

Chop the onion into chunks and prepare the bell pepper by removing the top, bottom, and insides. Place them in your food processor and pulsate until they are diced.

Then add the meat, bread crumbs, egg, milk, and ⅓ cup of the glaze. Process it all in your food processor until the mixture is thoroughly blended.

Next, place the ground beef mixture into the loaf pan and pat the top smooth. Spoon the remaining brown sugar glaze on top. Bake meatloaf in the middle of the oven rack for an hour in the preheated oven.

It’s important to cook ground beef to an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit. If the meatloaf is under 160 degrees, continue to bake it until it reaches that temperature to be safe.

I suggest that if it has baked for an hour and still has not reached 160 degrees, check every 10-15 minutes. (If you still cannot seem to reach the minimum safe temperature, you might want to invest in an oven thermometer.)

The Best Brown Sugar Glazed Meatloaf Recipe (3)

How do you store leftover meatloaf?

Any leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. For long-term storage, wrap meatloaf in plastic wrap, place it in a zip-top freezer bag, and remove all excess air. Store in the freezer for up to six months.

To thaw, remove meatloaf from the freezer and allow it to thaw in the refrigerator overnight. To reheat, remove the meatloaf from the plastic bag and wrap and place it in a microwave-safe container. Cover and cook on HIGH in 2 minutes increments until warm.

What do you serve with meatloaf?

Serve with some mashed potatoes and agreen veggieand dinner is done! Alternatively, you can cut it into slices and make meatloaf sandwiches. Yum!

The Best Brown Sugar Glazed Meatloaf Recipe (4)

Meatloaf Facts & Trivia

  • Meatloaf has European origins. It was mentioned in the Roman cookery collection Apicus as early as the 5th century.
  • Europeans and Americans are not the only ones who enjoy meatloaf. Other countries ranging from Chile to Vietnam have their own versions of the meaty dish.
  • America’s version of meatloaf takes its origin from scrapple, a Pennsylvania Dutch dish made from pork parts.
  • Meatloaf gained much appreciation during the Great Depression, thanks to its adaptability. People were able to make use of less expensive fillers to stretch ground beef and create a satisfying dish.

Here are two more meatloaf recipes to add to your recipe box:

  • Home-style Meatloaf in the Instant Pot – This recipe for the iconic comfort food is for all you Instant Pot fans.
  • Boarding House Meatloaf – This Southern Living recipe will transport your tastebuds to the famous boarding house located in Lynchburg, Tennessee.
  • Mini Meatloaf Muffins – All the great flavor of classic meatloaf in cute little muffin shapes.

The Best Brown Sugar Glazed Meatloaf Recipe (5)

Brown Sugar Glazed Meatloaf

Brown Sugar Glazed Meatloaf– this recipe will soon become your family’s favorite recipe for meatloaf. It’s delicious!

4.49 from 76 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Dishes

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 389kcal

Author: Lynda – Southern Kissed

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup ketchup
  • ¾ cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 ⅓ pounds grass-fed ground beef
  • 1 ⅓ cups bread crumbs
  • 1 small yellow onion chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper chopped
  • 2 eggs
  • ¼ cup milk

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.

  • Combine ketchup, brown sugar, and salt in a small mixing bowl and allow to sit for a couple of minutes to allow sugar to dissolve.

  • Spoon one-third cup of sauce into bottom of a loaf pan. Set aside.

  • Place ground beef, bread crumbs, onion, bell pepper, eggs, milk, and one-third cup of glaze into food processor and process until mixture is thoroughly blended.

  • Place meat mixture into loaf pan and smooth down the top.

  • Spread remaining glaze on top of loaf and bake for 1 hour or until internal temperature is 155 to 160 degrees.

  • Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 389kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 112mg | Sodium: 899mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 31g

Tried this Recipe? Share it Today!Mention @SouthernKissedBlog or tag #southernkissed!

Before you go, don’t miss out on these Southern Kissed favorite recipes:

  • Quick and Easy Chicken and Dumplings
  • Zucchini Tots
  • Ooey Gooey Butter cake

Be sure to come back and tell us how your meatloaf turned out!

The Best Brown Sugar Glazed Meatloaf Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is brown sugar glaze made of? ›

Ingredients
  1. 6 tablespoons unsalted butter.
  2. ½ cup packed light-brown sugar.
  3. 2 tablespoons heavy cream.
  4. 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract.
  5. ½ teaspoon salt.
May 16, 2017

Why milk instead of water in meatloaf? ›

Is it better to add milk or water in meatloaf? Without question, it is better to use milk in meatloaf. The added fat adds richness and moist texture to the meatloaf, and the added milk proteins encourage additional browning reactions (which means more flavor).

What ingredient keeps meatloaf from falling apart? ›

To help your meatloaf stay together add things such as eggs, bread, crushed croutons, oatmeal, crackers, and breadcrumbs, these are all key ingredients that help meat stick together. I hope that this helps to answer your question. What are the secrets to a firm, sliceable meatloaf that slices and won't fall apart?

Is it better to bake meatloaf on a sheet pan or loaf pan? ›

Not only does sheet pan meatloaf bake up faster than its traditional loaf-shaped cousin, it also has more surface area, meaning every bite is laden with that deliciously caramelized topping.

What happens if you put too much egg in meatloaf? ›

For an average meat loaf, use 1/2 to 3/4 cup fresh, soft bread crumbs to every pound of meat. When using fine, dry crumbs, use half as much. Other Ingredients: Eggs bind the mixture, add flavor and increase browning, but too much egg will make a meat loaf tough and rubbery.

What are the three basic ingredients in a glaze What does each ingredient do? ›

Every glaze is made of the following 3 materials:
  • Silica – Creates glass. Examples: quartz, flint, pure silica.
  • Alumina – Stiffens the glaze so it doesn't slide off the clay. ...
  • Flux – Causes the glaze to melt at a low enough temperature to be used in ceramics.

What are the three basic ingredients in glaze? ›

A BASE GLAZE is a mixture of these three basic groups: SILICA, FLUX AND ALUMINA.

What are the 4 main ingredients in glaze? ›

Glaze: there are more than 3 basic components in glaze, these are: silica, alumina, flux, colourants and modifiers. The common ingredients in glaze colours are, “ copper oxide", “copper carbonate", “cobalt oxide" and “ iron oxide.”

What is the basic meatloaf formula? ›

The Basic Meatloaf Formula

All recipes for meatloaf start with the same basic formula: 2 pounds of ground meat and a “panade” made of bread or crackers soaked in milk. Along with a few eggs, this panade helps to hold the ground meat together and adds some essential moisture to the mix.

Do you drain the juice from meatloaf? ›

When the meatloaf is done, remove the loaf pan from the oven and let the meatloaf rest for 10-15 minutes. Drain the extra fat and liquid off of the meatloaf and discard. Slice the meatloaf and serve.

What can I add to meatloaf so it's not dry? ›

Use Extra Egg: Eggs act as binders and provide moisture. Add one or two eggs per pound of meat for a moist texture. Make Use of Milk: Soak breadcrumbs in milk before adding them to your mixture. This will keep your meatloaf moist during baking.

Why won't my meatloaf stay together? ›

When this happens, it's because you didn't use enough. Next time, try adding in an extra egg and/or some more breadcrumbs. Alternatively, rice, barley, corn flakes, crackers, and dried soup mix can also stand in as binding ingredients as well. Including larger quantities of these items should help solve the problem.

Should I spray a loaf pan for meatloaf? ›

Lightly grease a standard size loaf pan with cooking spray. Add all of the meatloaf ingredients to a large bowl and gently mix everything to combine (without over-working the meat). Add the meat mixture to a loaf pan and gently pat into an even layer. Bake for about 30 minutes.

What makes meatloaf crumble? ›

A-Meatloaves most often crumble when they contain too many bread crumbs or too few eggs or when they have not cooled partially in the fat-filled loaf pan in which they were baked. We suggest adding no more than 1/3 cup of crumbs for each pound of meat and adding 1 egg for each pound of meat plus an extra egg.

What keeps a meatloaf moist? ›

Use Extra Egg: Eggs act as binders and provide moisture. Add one or two eggs per pound of meat for a moist texture. Make Use of Milk: Soak breadcrumbs in milk before adding them to your mixture. This will keep your meatloaf moist during baking.

What can you put under meatloaf to soak up grease? ›

A neat trick to soak up the grease under your meatloaf is to line the bottom of the pan with bread slices. The bread soaks up the grease as the loaf bakes. When the meatloaf is done, you can either throw out the bread or bake it to make some truly indulgent toast.

Why does my meatloaf taste bland? ›

Not seasoning the meat enough.

Follow this tip: Before mixing the meat, season it with salt and pepper. Also, consider adding some of your favorite dried herbs or spices.

References

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