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 excellent!! Will be my meatloaf go-to!!
I love this recipe! Everytime I make it for guest or family, and they all love it. I like to double the sauce recipe since it’s sooo good so I can use the leftover sauce to dip chicken strips in. Highly recommend 🙂
Another OUAC keeper! This meatloaf has amazing flavor and is so moist, which is sometimes lacking with ground turkey. I also like the technique of baking the loafs free-form, which allows the fat to spill out.
I don’t usually keep dark brown sugar in the house. Could I use light brown sugar or would that not be as good? Thank you.
Sure, Steve, that’s perfectly fine. Enjoy!
Hi! I’m so excited to try this recipe. I was wondering, if I only have one pound of ground turkey could I just halve all the other ingredients? Thank you so much!
Sure – enjoy!
Loved this! I really liked cooking the loaves free form (saves one less dirty dish!) I added mushrooms and celery to the loaf as well because I had some I needed to use up and it was amazing! Definitely will make this again.
This is a wonderful meatloaf.
We make it often (I have only ever used pork, as one family member has a turkey non-preference).
Our nana (German and big fan of BBQ flavour and meatloaf) was full of praise for the taste and ultra-soft texture of your recipe, and kept some to serve to Indian friends to try. One, who we had thought was a vegetarian, even asked for the recipe so she could make it for her grandchildren!
Thanks so much for another winner, Jenn!
I made this last night, loved it! I slightly expanded it to 3 pounds. I gave some to my neighbors and they loved it too.
I have this in the oven and it smells amazing! I added a bit of smoked paprika to the BBQ sauce and also substituted some of the regular paprika with smoked paprika in the meat mixture. I didn’t have Italian breadcrumbs but I did have Panko, so I improvised and added some Italian seasoning to make Italian Panko crumbs – fingers crossed it turns out!
Update: This was a huge hit with my family! Thank you, Jenn!
I’ve made this twice now and my family loves it! Such a great way to dress up ground turkey. So flavorful!
Hi Jenn- I can’t wait to make this tonight. I’m surprising my husband for his 40th birthday. He LOVES meatloaf. I have a few questions:
1) What can I add to the remaining sauce to give it some heat/spice?
2) I will be making a half portion because I only have 1 lb of ground turkey. I have a very small amount of leftover brown rice and quinoa (maybe 1/3 cup)… could I add that to the mix?
Hi Anjali, You can add a few pinches of cayenne pepper to create some heat in the glaze. I think it should be fine to use rice/quinoa mixture but I’d cut back on the bread crumbs. Hope that helps!
Omg, I didn’t even realize that I already submitted a comment (palm in face). Thank you!
LOL – no worries!! 🙂