Crockpot Meatloaf

This crockpot meatloaf recipe with sweet and tangy glaze makes a delicious family dinner with little effort. The slow cooker’s steamy environment gently cooks the beef and yields tender, juicy slices.

Typically, I cook classic meatloaf recipe in the oven to brown the surface, but you might be surprised that you can also prepare it in the slow cooker too. The prolonged gentle heat and steamy enclosed environment ensure super juicy pieces. I used my classic method for this recipe and adapted it for a 6-quart Crockpot. 

My family and readers rave about the barbecue glaze, so I made sure to include it too. It’s sweet and tangy and creates a nice crust that clings onto each slice. Meatloaf is the perfect meal to feed a family, and if you’re lucky, you may even have leftovers to reheat for lunch the next day.

The key to juicy meat

A panade is a fancy culinary term for a starchy bread and liquid mixture. I combine flaky dried Japanese breadcrumbs called panko with chicken stock and egg. I prefer the larger granules and irregular shapes because they don’t allow the meat to shrink and compact during cooking. You can use traditional fine types of bread crumbs, but the texture will be denser unless you use a homemade version to control the crumb size.

The bread will absorb the liquid in just a few minutes, creating a spongy, mushy paste. When the starches cook in the meatloaf, it will turn into a solid gel, binding moisture and preventing the beef proteins from packing so tightly together—no more dry meat.

Cook the vegetables

Minced onions, celery, and garlic add a wonderful earthy flavor to the dish. The vegetables contain a lot of water, so make sure to cook them first. Typically I like to saute them to enhance the natural sweetness of the alliums.

However, if you don’t feel like turning on the stove, you can use the microwave instead. It cuts the time in half. In just 4 minutes, the vegetables will be soft, and most of the moisture evaporated. Be sure to cool the mixture down first, you don’t want to combine hot ingredients with the raw beef, or it will start to cook it.

Beef selection

I recommend using 85% lean ground beef. It has just the right amount of meat for texture and fat to baste to keep the mixture flavorful and juicy. You can go as low as 80% lean meat, which will be tasty but shrink more in size.

A 90% lean ground beef from the sirloin cut will have a strong beefy taste. Be aware that the texture will have more chew with less fat but hold its shape well. Alternatively, if you don’t eat red meat, you can try my turkey meatloaf recipe.

Season the meat

To add dimension to ground beef, I use a variety of seasonings and umami-packed ingredients. I like fresh or dried thyme, parsley, paprika, salt, and pepper help to boost aroma and savory taste. To bump up the beefy flavor, tomato paste, soy sauce, and Worcester sauce have natural glutamates, a type of amino acid that enhances the flavor of the meat.

Mixing and shaping the loaf

When combining all the ingredients, it’s important not to overmix the meat. When the beef is ground down, sticky soluble proteins are released. The more mixed the beef, the tighter it gets packed together and squeezes out the moisture. You don’t want tough and rubbery slices, just enough to evenly combine and shape.

No need to grab a loaf pan. Add the meatloaf to the slow cooker and form it similarly with a domed shape. I target a 9-inch long and 4-inch wide loaf to create big slices that cook evenly. It should be about 2-inches tall.

Make a glaze

Here’s my quick and easy glaze to make a flavorful barbecue-style sauce. It’s a combination of pure maple syrup, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. That’s it!

If you like a more robust allium flavor, you can add some onion and garlic powder. Just a tip, you can double the recipe if you want a lot of extra sauce to serve on the side. My kids always ask for more.

How to cook meatloaf in a slow cooker

I use a 6-quart oval Crockpot for cooking the meatloaf. To make it easy to remove the meat, make a double-layer foil sling. A 12-by-9-inch rectangle is suitable for holding the meat with edges to lower and then lifting it out of the pot.

Add some of the glaze on the top and sides. This will flavor the meat as it cooks and makes a moisture barrier, so the surface doesn’t dry out. Save the extra glaze to add on top later.

Cook time

I recommend cooking the meatloaf on the low setting to prevent the edges from drying out and give it plenty of time to cook through. It will take 2 ½ to 3 hours. I find around 2 hours 45 minutes to be the sweet spot.

Don’t constantly open the lid! You’ll lose the steam generated to cook the meat, and it will take longer to finish.

Testing for doneness

This is not a juicy burger with a warm center, so we want the meat cooked through to well done. Use an instant-read thermometer. It’s ready when it registers between 155 to 160ºF  (68 to 71ºC).

The meat should be brown throughout, but let it rest for at least 15 minutes for slicing. This duration helps the juices redistribute, meat firm up, and starches to gel so that it’s easier to cut.

Serve this with

• Mashed potatoes
• Sauteed green beans
• Brussels sprouts
• Steamed broccoli

Frequently asked questions