Slow Cooker Meatloaf
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This Slow Cooker Meatloaf is made easily in your crockpot and has just 4 ingredients and comes together in 10 minutes. It’s the best!
I know…I can just hear you saying it now. Meatloaf? Really? Yes, meatloaf. Really. I know that meatloaf has a bad rap. It’s been the center of many jokes that I’ve heard regarding food. Because of this, I always hesitate to serve meatloaf to the family, even though every time I do serve it, they love it. And finding a meal that everyone loves is not exactly easy.
So, I’m here today to share our Slow Cooker Meatloaf. It’s a simple recipe. Just 4 ingredients and made in the slow cooker. You can’t get much more simple than that.
We like the main flavor in our meatloaf to be, well…beef. (With the exception of this Mexican Meatloaf that the kids devour!)
4 Ingredient Meatloaf
Here’s the ingredients you’ll use for a meatloaf that your family will love.
- Beef. Choose a good, lean beef. We used 90% lean ground sirloin. Since it is baking in the slow cooker, there is nowhere for the fat to be drained, so choosing a lean meat will help your meatloaf not to drown in fat while it is cooking all day. We still had some fat to drain off when it was all said and done, but not too much.
- 1 envelope potato pancake mix. We like to use Hungry Jack potato pancake mixes. If you aren’t sure what this is, you can see a picture here. We find them in the aisle that has the breading for fish, chicken, etc. Why add this to the meatloaf? Because it will absorb some of the liquid and fat while cooking. We like to use potato pancake mix because that is what we use to thicken our Grandma’s Meatballs, but you could also use oatmeal or bread crumbs (about 1 or 1 ½ cups).
- 1 envelope dry onion soup mix. As I said before, our family likes classic meatloaf with a great tastes. To season the meatloaf, we simply add an envelope of dry onion soup mix. This gives great flavor without needing a bunch of spices.
- 3 eggs. Eggs are a binder in meatloaf and help everything stick together.
How to Make Slow Cooker Meatloaf
- In a large bowl, mix the meat with the potato pancake mix, onion soup mix and eggs. Mix well.
- Fold a long piece of foil in half and place it in a slow cooker so the sides hang out. This is an optional step, but will help you remove the meatloaf from the slow cooker if you’d like.
- Shape the meatloaf mixture into a loaf and put the loaf into the slow cooker. Brush the top of the loaf with your favorite bbq sauce.
How do you cook meatloaf in a slow cooker? You can cook it on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 6-8 hours. It really depends on how you’ve shaped your loaf and the size slow cooker you have.
How do you know when meatloaf is done? It should no longer be pink inside, but also, if you have a internal probe thermometer, the center of the meatloaf should read 160º Fahrenheit.
*We LOVE our Thermoworks ThermaPen to quickly test burger temperatures. This probe thermometer is AMAZING. Get it here.**
Top your meatloaf with barbecue sauce, ketchup or your favorite sauce. The kids and I go for ketchup in our house. Matt goes for the barbecue sauce!
Slow Cooker Meatloaf
This Slow Cooker Classic Meatloaf is made easily in your crockpot and has just 4 ingredients!
Servings 16
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 4 pounds ground sirloin (90% lean)
- 1 envelope potato pancake mix
- 1 envelope dry onion soup mix
- 3 large eggs
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the meat with the potato pancake mix, onion soup mix and eggs. Mix well.
- Fold a long piece of foil in half and place it in a slow cooker so the sides hang out. This is an optional step, but will help you remove the meatloaf from the slow cooker if you'd like.
- Shape the meatloaf mixture into a loaf and put the loaf into the slow cooker. Brush the top of the loaf with your favorite bbq sauce.
- Allow it to cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-5 hours.
- Serve immediately with potatoes.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator. This freezes well too.
Video
Notes
*You can use a higher fat beef, but you’ll end up with more fat in the bottom of the slow cooker.
The calories shown are based on the loaf being cut into 16 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of meatloaf. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**
Nutrition
Calories: 283kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 112mg | Sodium: 294mg | Potassium: 424mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 52IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 3mg
I love meatloaf, but this is a lot of beef. Can I halve it? I have been searching for a good meat loaf, I make it and it falls apart.
Love this idea! 4 lbs is a lot of beef but I can see how you would need that in most slow cookers to keep the meat from being like a “pancake”. Our house could eat this up too with leftovers for snacks and lunch!
Thank you for sharing your meatloaf recipe. I am going to give it a try. I have a great recipe that I use rice crispies instead of the potato mix. Everything else is the same. The sauce is ketchup, brown sugar and soy sauce mixed together. It makes your meatloaf taste amazing. Thanks again for sharing.
oh, I also added sausage ( sage sausage) with fresh onions to my meatloaf.
It is so easy, Matt. Enjoy!
You are so welcome!
Maybe he’ll like this recipe, Maria! 🙂
I like your recipe and I am going to make your recipe the next time I make a meat loaf . Thanks for sharing with us and have a nice week.
Can you freeze this for later and if so, would you thaw it before cooking? I’ve seen other recipes that said to line the pot with foil strips and then spray with a non-stick spray so it can be removed from the pot.
My grocery store doesn’t carry the potato pancake mix, is there something I can substitute?
What could you use instead of the dry onion soup mix? My picky man won’t eat it, he WILL find the tiny little onions haha
all i could find was a 6oz box of potato pancake mix how much do i use
I have a box of cereal ( toasted Oates). I am going to try this instead of bread crumbs. Will let u know how it turns out. Also using 1lb. Of vension 1lb. Hamburger.
Can you use an instant pot? If so how many minuets?
Can you ever have too many meatloaf recipes? No, absolutely not. And the serving suggestion photo (with the recipe) of slices on a pile of mashed potatoes? Genius. Thanks!