Turkey Meatloaf
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Juicy, flavorful, and topped with a tangy-sweet glaze, this turkey meatloaf recipe is easy enough for a weeknight and comforting enough for Sunday dinner.
The challenge with any turkey meatloaf recipe is keeping it moist and flavorful without relying on lots of added fat. My solution is to start with 93% lean ground turkey, sauté the onions and garlic before adding them to the meat, and mix some of the tangy-sweet glaze right into the loaf. The result is juicy, flavorful meatloaf with a beautifully glazed top.
Also important: I shape the mixture into two free-form loaves rather than baking it in a loaf pan, which has several benefits. It gives you more surface area for the glaze, allows the edges to brown nicely, and lets excess fat cook off rather than collect around the meatloaf. The smaller loaves cook more quickly, too. Serve with mashed sweet potates and a green vegetable for an easy, comforting dinner.
“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, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar & Dijon mustard: Make the tangy-sweet glaze that goes both into the meatloaf and over the top. The portion mixed into the meat adds flavor and moisture, while the rest caramelizes as the meatloaf bakes.
- Onion & garlic: Sautéing the aromatics before adding them to the meatloaf softens their flavor and ensures there are no crunchy bits of onion in the finished loaf. Chop the onion quite finely so it blends into the meat mixture.
- Paprika, thyme & Worcestershire sauce: Add savory depth and seasoning to the mild turkey. Worcestershire is especially helpful here for giving the meatloaf a richer, meatier flavor.
- Eggs & Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs: Bind everything together while helping the meatloaf stay tender. The seasoned breadcrumbs also add another layer of flavor.
- 93% lean ground turkey: The right balance for meatloaf—lean enough to keep things light but with enough fat to stay juicy. I’d avoid 99% lean turkey breast, which is much more prone to drying out.
- Fresh parsley: Optional, but it adds a nice pop of color and freshness when serving.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Turkey Meatloaf
Make the glaze: Stir together the ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, and Dijon. You’ll use some in the meatloaf itself and save the rest for the top.
Cook the aromatics: Sauté the onion until soft, then add the garlic and seasonings and cook briefly until fragrant. Let the mixture cool a bit before adding it to the turkey—you don’t want to mix hot vegetables into the raw meat.
Make the meatloaf mixture: Gently combine the turkey with the cooled onion mixture, breadcrumbs, eggs, Worcestershire, and some of the glaze. Mix just until everything comes together; overmixing can make the meatloaf dense.
Shape, glaze, and bake: Shape the mixture into two free-form loaves and spread the remaining glaze evenly over the top. Bake until cooked through and nicely browned around the edges.
Rest and serve: Let the meatloaves rest briefly before slicing so they stay juicy and hold together nicely. Scrape the fat away from the loaves, transfer to a platter, and slice. Leftovers make excellent meatloaf sandwiches and freeze well, too.
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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 REALLY good! We’ve been reducing our red meat consumption and meatloaf is a good recipe to try the switch to turkey. My husband and I were surprised at how flavorful and juicy this is. The texture is good too – less firm than with beef but still able to stay on the fork. I was tempted to add peppers or sub smoked paprika for regular, but then I decided to make it as is the first time through. I don’t think I need to change a thing. The only thing I did different is to make 4 patties instead of the loaf and baked for 25 minutes. I highly recommend this recipe!
The BEST meatloaf…super moist and flavorful! Another hit, thank you Jenn. Quick question: I’d like to freeze one of the loaves and it is already baked and has the glaze on it. Any suggestions on how to wrap it so the glaze doesn’t stick to the wrap? Thanks!
So glad you like it! Unfortunately, there’s no real way to avoid the glaze sticking to the wrap. I usually just use a clean finger to scrape it off the wrap and reapply it to the top of the meatloaf. You could also make a little more glaze reapply it once the meatloaf is thawed.
Best turkey meatloaf ever. It was moist and tasty. Even after freezing a few pieces and heating up in the microwave, the meatloaf was still tasty and moist.
THIS. IS. FANTASTIC!
This is the first time I made this and the entire family LOVED it. The fact that it’s extremely easy to make is a bonus.
I by no means feel like anything needs to be changed in this recipe, but, just for the sake of “experimenting”, there a couple of things I might try the next time I make this (I’d love your thoughts on these, Jenn): 1) I’m considering increasing the Dijon in the glaze from 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp (or even 1.5 or 2) for a little extra “tang” and 2) I’m considering swapping out 1/2 of the onion with 1/2 of a red pepper, diced and sauteed soft.
In any event, I can not recommend this recipe enough.
Hi Jeffrey, so glad you enjoyed it! And sure, I think both of your tweaks would work nicely. 😊
I plan on making this sometime this week and I have a question.
Is it best to make this into two smaller loaves as stated in the recipe or can it be made as one larger loaf? If so, what should the cooking time be?
Thanks.
Jeffrey
Hi Jeffrey, assuming you make the loaf the same height and width (it will just be longer), the cooking time should be about the same if not just a touch longer. If you’re uncertain if it’s done, I recommend testing it with an instant read thermometer; it will be done at 165°F. Hope you enjoy!
I’ll definitely report back after I make this, which I’m really looking forward to. Thanks, Jenn!
I have loved just about every recipe from Jenn, but not this one. I was hoping to find a healthier alternative to my mother’s beef meatloaf (I make with ground sirloin) but neither my husband nor I enjoyed this. I’m glad I only made half the recipe. We didn’t like the essentially barbecue sauce on it nor the taste or texture of the ground turkey. All in all, this was a failure with us. I only make meatloaf about once a year and it will still be beef.
D E L I C I O U S !!! I have tried many turkey meatloaf recipes but this is the winner. Love this recipe. I make half the recipe because it is only my husband and myself and it comes out great. I make 2/3 recipe of the sauce because we love the sauce and I add 4 oz of mushrooms for a little larger meatloaf. We eat it for three days and love it. 5 star recipe!
Question how many slices is a serving? For the 413 calories. This is the most delicious meatloaf I have ever had!!!! My husband is a beef guy and when he had this he couldn’t stop saying had delicious it was.
Hi Sara, The serving is one large slice. So glad you enjoyed it!
Made this meatloaf exactly as the recipe described and it was excellent. As a matter of fact, my daughter thought it was the best turkey meatloaf I ever made.
The BEST turkey meatloaf. I like to add an extra tsp of Dijon in the glaze