Turkey Meatloaf
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Looking for the best turkey meatloaf recipe? This one’s packed with flavor, perfectly juicy, and topped with a sweet-tangy glaze. It’s kid-friendly, too.
Swapping ground turkey for ground beef is a great way to make meatloaf a little healthier, but ground turkey can be tricky—it’s often dry and bland. The key to a good turkey meatloaf recipe is adding flavor and moisture without adding fat, which would defeat the whole purpose of making it lighter. I season my turkey meatloaf with onions and garlic, and also add some of the sweet and tangy sauce directly to the meatloaf to make it extra flavorful and juicy.
One tip if you’re making this for kids: chop the onions very finely—most kids aren’t fans of finding bits of onions (or anything else!) in their dinner. Serve the meatloaf with mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, baked sweet potatoes or mashed cauliflower for comforting meal.
“My husband gave this a 10, and I loved it too! I loved that I could freeze one for another night’s dinner.”
What You’ll Need For this Turkey Meatloaf Recipe
- Ketchup, dark brown sugar, apple cider vinegar & Dijon mustard – These make up the glaze: ketchup adds that classic tomato flavor, brown sugar brings sweetness, vinegar adds brightness, and Dijon gives it a tangy kick.
- Olive oil, yellow onion & garlic – The aromatic and flavorful base of the meatloaf.
- Paprika, dried thyme & Worcestershire sauce – These seasonings add warmth, smokiness, and umami, enhancing the flavor of the turkey.
- Eggs & Italian seasoned breadcrumbs – Bind the meatloaf together and keep it moist and tender with the right amount of structure.
- Ground turkey (93/7) – Lean but not too lean; 93/7 gives you a moist, flavorful meatloaf.
- Fresh parsley – For a pop of color and fresh finish.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make the glaze. In a medium bowl, whisk together the ketchup, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and mustard until smooth.
Step 2: Cook the aromatics. Next, heat the olive oil in a small pan and add the onions. Cook until they’re softened, then stir in the garlic and cook for another minute or two.
Step 3: Make the flavor base for the meatloaf. In a large bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup of the glaze, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, paprika, thyme, salt, pepper, and eggs until well combined.
Step 4: Add the rest. To mixing bowl, add the onion mixture, bread crumbs, and turkey.
Step 5: Mix it all together. Use your hands to mix everything until well combined.
Step 5: Shape the meatloaves. Form two loaves directly on a foil-lined baking sheet and spread the remaining BBQ glaze over top.
Pro Tip: Skip the loaf pan—free-form meatloaf is easier to clean up, and the excess fat has room to cook off for a healthier meatloaf.
Step 6: Bake. Pop the meatloaves in the oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until cooked through.
Step 7: Slice and serve. Scrape the fat away from the loaves, transfer to a platter, and slice. The cooked meatloaf will keep in the fridge for several days and can be reheated in the microwave. Leftovers make excellent meatloaf sandwiches and freeze well, too.
More Ground Turkey Recipes You May Like
Video Tutorial
Turkey Meatloaf
Ingredients
For the Glaze
- ⅔ cup ketchup
- ⅓ cup (packed) dark brown sugar
- 1½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
For the Meatloaf
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1½ tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 large eggs
- 2 lb 93% ground turkey
- ¾ cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
- A few springs chopped fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Set oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil; grease the foil with olive oil or non-stick cooking spray.
- Make the Glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the ketchup, brown sugar, cider vinegar, and Dijon mustard. Set aside.
- Make the Meatloaf: Heat the olive oil in a small sauté pan over medium heat. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 to 2 minutes more. Do not brown. Set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, combine the salt, pepper, paprika, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, eggs, and ¼ cup of the BBQ glaze. Whisk until well combined. Stir in the onion mixture. Add the ground turkey and breadcrumbs and mix with your hands until evenly combined.
- Transfer the meat mixture into two even piles onto the prepared baking sheet. Shape into two long loaves about 1½ in (4 cm) high x 6 in (15 cm) long x 4 in (10 cm) wide. Spread the remaining BBQ glaze over the loaves, letting it drip down the sides a bit. Bake for about 45 minutes, until the meatloaves are cooked through. Scrape any fat away from the sides of the loaves, then transfer the loaves to a platter. Slice and garnish with parsley if desired.
Notes
Pair with
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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This is the BEST Turkey Meatloaf recipe I’ve tried. Definitely a cookbook keeper! I loved the BBQ glaze. The only thing I would omit is the Thyme. (I’m not a fan). Looking forward to tomorrow’s meatloaf sandwiches! YUM!!
This recipe was a hit! I altered it slightly (used a pre-made bbq sauce for the glaze, and didn’t have Worcestershire sauce, so instead used equal parts soy sauce/tamarind concentrate/distilled white vinegar; also added a dash of chili seasoning). It turned out tender and exploding with flavor! Combined it with a cauliflower mash for a perfect Sunday evening meal.
This was the best meatloaf I have ever eaten. I’ve been making beef meatloaf with beef gravy for years — never again. This turned out so juicy and flavorful, not at all bready, and I loved the homemade BBQ glaze. Everyone in my house devoured it and made me promise to make this meatloaf version from now on. Oh, and the directions and cook time were spot on and well written. Thanks for the great recipe!
I’ve never added a review…to any recipe. This. Was. Amazing.
I made it after a late shift and thought I’d take a couple of bites and go to bed. Nope. I’m ashamed.
🙂 Glad you liked it!
The turkey meatloaf was positively scrumptious! Rave reviews from my dinner guest.
I am a big fan of JS, but this recipe was a bit of a disappointment. Not even the most delicious ingredients could compensate for the blandness of the turkey meat.
All the reviews are amazing, I must clearly have done something wrong! So sorry Jenn, feel free to delete my review! ACF
I agree. I’ve made so many other recipes that turned out great but the turkey didn’t bind and was mushy. I had to throw it out. I have no idea what I did wrong!
Hi Janine, I’m sorry this didn’t work out for you and am happy to help troubleshoot. Did you make any changes to the recipe?
Made this tonight and it was a big hit! So delicious and I used 100% lean ground turkey too. Looking forward to sandwiches tomorrow! This will be my new go to meatloaf recipe! Thank you again Jenn!
What do you recommend for egg substitute. Daughter has an egg allergy.
Hi Jen, Two of the best substitutes I’ve heard about (I haven’t personally tried either of them) are a combination of water, oil, and baking powder and carbonated water. Scroll down to the bottom of this article for more information about both. I would assume many baking recipes would also work with some kind of store-bought egg substitute. Hope that helps!
Thanks Jenn! I will definitely try the carbonated water sometime! Sounds interesting. 🙂
I haven’t tried this yet, but plan on making it tonight. Can I use only ground beef for this recipe? Also how will it turn out if I put in on a cookie rack in the oven so the fat drops on the aluminum foil?
Yes and yes. 🙂 I’d love to hear how it turns out!
I made this last night using ground beef and ground chicken (all I had) and put the loaves directly on the aluminum instead of getting a cookie rack dirty. It was FANTASTIC! It was my first meatloaf and I absolutely couldn’t stop eating it. I did use Gluten Free Udi’s bread crumbs that I made with some italian seasonings
So glad it turned out nicely – thanks for the follow-up! 🙂
Excellent meatloaf!
I followed the recipe exactly except for a couple of additions. During the onion sweating I added just a pinch of salt and some fine ground white pepper. I also didn’t have any Italian style bread crumbs but rather used some homemade sourdough wheat crumbs.
I prepared the 2 small loaves as suggested but in a disposable foil pan and then put them in my kettle smoker. I didn’t add any hardwood for smoking but simply allowed the smokiness from the lump charcoal add its own bit of smokiness. Baked them in the smoker at about 375F. for approximately 50 minutes, internal temperature actually got away from me a little and I pulled them off at 185F. internal temp. I was planning on pulling them at 170 or so and let the carryover continue but at 185F. I removed them and covered with foil to rest.
They were delicious and moist and held up great to slicing. This is definitely a keeper recipe and next time I will add a bit of pecan wood to the fire to intensify the smoke.
Great recipe, thank you Jenn.
PS: My wife has always made the meatloaf in the oven but she agreed that this was delicious and being able to keep the oven off on a hot afternoon just made everything more enjoyable.