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.

closeup of meatloaf in a slow cooker

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.  Use Hungry Jack potato pancake mixes. 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!

meatloaf over mashed potatoes on a plate
meatloaf over mashed potatoes on a plate

Slow Cooker Meatloaf

4.58 from 14 votes
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

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Ingredients
 

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
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Calories 283
Keyword crockpot, easy dinner recipe, slow cooker meal

About Julie Clark

I'm Julie Clark, CEO and recipe developer of Tastes of Lizzy T. With my B.A. in Education and over 30 years of cooking and baking, I want to teach YOU the best of our family recipes.

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Rachel
6 years ago

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

Cheryl Newton
2 years ago

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!

Janet
9 years ago

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.

Terese | Topline Foods
9 years ago

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!

Shelia Murray
4 years ago

Can you use an instant pot? If so how many minuets?

Netta Braun
6 years ago

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.

joyce clough
6 years ago

all i could find was a 6oz box of potato pancake mix how much do i use

Angela
9 years ago

My grocery store doesn’t carry the potato pancake mix, is there something I can substitute?

Betty Muncy
9 years ago

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.

Linda Holder
9 years ago

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.

Lizzy T
9 years ago

Maybe he’ll like this recipe, Maria! 🙂

Lizzy T
9 years ago

You are so welcome!

Lizzy T
9 years ago

It is so easy, Matt. Enjoy!

Janet
9 years ago

oh, I also added sausage ( sage sausage) with fresh onions to my meatloaf.

Nancy A.
9 years ago

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.