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 was amazing! The apple cider vinegar and baking on a cookie sheet set this apart from other meatloaf recipes. Also, you have a good variety of flavorings added, which is sometimes missing in other meatloaf versions.
I did not have Dijon on hand, so I substituted a leftover honey mustard dip with horseradish and bacon. This recipe would also work great with any fun mustard a person might want to try or have left over. Next version will have a leftover gifted truffled mustard seed dip. Fun!
This was the best turkey loaf ever!
The glaze that went on top really topped it off. This recipe is going into my favorites,
My husband who is especially hard to please, really enjoyed it and the left over loaf was also a hit.
Thank you for a wonderful recipe.
Maddie in Arizona
Can you make this the day before, refrigerate, then bake the next day?
I’ve made this recipe numerous times, and everyone loves it. In fact, it’s one of my picky eater son’s favorite meals! I usually use all ketchup instead of making the bbq sauce (I like it a little less sweet).
Glad it’s a hit with your family! Yes, it’s fine to assemble it a day ahead and refrigerate.
Wow. Cut the recipe in half but messed up by using 2 eggs instead of one so I added extra bread crumbs along with some grounded flax seed and honestly this was such a hit with my husband and MIL. She even asked for the recipe! Really excited to be adding this to our monthly menu!
Hot out of the oven. Can’t wait to try this recipe, seems to have perfect notes for delicious enjoyment!
I never had good luck with turkey meatloaf, but one of my 2024 promises to myself is eating better and taking better care of myself not only physically but mentally. I made this recipe this morning to freeze for meals after my knee surgery (today starts the 2 week countdown). OMG ! It is absolutely delicious. I did add additional breadcrumbs because it seemed very wet, but followed the rest of the directions. This recipe is a definite keeper.
Hi Jenn,
I just made this, it’s in the oven, though I did use a loaf pan instead of the baking dish with foil and I only made one, it’s about 2 inches high, should I be cooking it longer?
Yes maybe just a bit. Enjoy!
Would like to know if the meatloaf recipe can be made ahead of time, put in the freezer and then baked?
Sure, Dorothy, that will work.
I made this recipe with part turkey and part ground pork as I only had 1 lb. ground turkey. I also had to improvise for the glaze and I know it didn’t come out right. And, the ground pork had too much liquid to be able to put it on the baking sheet, so I put part of it in a Pyrex baking dish lined with foil sheet and then poured a bit of the glaze on top. Then I filled a smaller Pyrex loaf pan and put that in the oven along with the larger one. The rest is in the freezer in 2 quart size freezer bags. I also used red onions as they were already chopped–but not really small and used minced garlic to save time rather than mince whole. I tasted a bite just now and I am sure it is okay. For the glaze I just had to use what was handy–light brown sugar, BBQ sauce, Salsa, the liquid from the mushrooms, no Thyme so used Basil.
Next time I will see if I can round up the ingredients for the entire recipe. It seems like a good glaze, but I don’t always keep Apple cider vinegar on hand and I had stopped using ketchup to save on sugar. Maybe just not redo the recipe and try something else. I am sure the glaze recipe here is a good one; I just didn’t have everything called for.
Oh my gosh! I don’t really like meatloaf but I had some ground turkey and googled best meatloaf. I settled on this recipe, halved it for just the two of us, changed nothing. OK, well I did few a few drops of Gravy Master as I was scared of the loaf being pale. It was so very tasty, not dry. The glaze was a great component.