Your family will love this exceptionally tender Brown Sugar Meatloaf. It is loaded with the rich flavors of Worcestershire and French onion and painted with a sweet brown sugar glaze. Taste why readers are calling this the best meatloaf recipe ever!
Is there any dinner entrée name that sounds more appealing than "Meatloaf"? Think about it... Loaf of meat. Mmm, tantalizing... I guess it is a perfectly descriptive name. Truth in advertising, if you will. However, growing up I never really had meatloaf. What I was served would be more aptly named "meatbrick". It was a largely flavorless, overly dense, hunk of meat, that sent me running from the idea of meatloaf for years.
My wife, however, loves meatloaf and routinely asks me to make it. I developed this Brown Sugar Meatloaf for her, and guess what? I love it too! Who knew meatloaf could taste good! Well, I guess everyone but me knew that. So, I guess I may be the last one to the party, but at least I have a great meatloaf recipe to show for it!
I have since gone on and even created a BBQ Meatloaf and a Cheeseburger Meatloaf recipe. They taste insane, you'll want to check them both out!
How to Make Brown Sugar Meatloaf
There is a secret ingredient in my meatloaf. I add one onion soup mix packet. I got the idea from my father in law, who uses it in his burgers. It really adds a great depth of flavor to the meatloaf, without being overpowering at all. That alone is worth trying this Brown Sugar Meatloaf recipe.
The best meatloaf is tender, not a dense brick. Adding breadcrumbs and milk helps keep the meatloaf tender while adding moisture, and the egg will bind it all together. One cup of breadcrumbs and one cup of milk in this recipe makes the meatloaf exceptionally tender. If you like a firmer meatloaf you can cut back on these amounts slightly.
At what temperature should I bake Meatloaf?
The best temperature for baking meatloaf is 350 degrees. It is a low enough temperature to allow the interior of the meatloaf to heat up before the exterior dries out.
How long to bake meatloaf
When baking meatloaf in a bread loaf pan it takes approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes to reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees. However, it is important to note cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of your meatloaf, using a digital oven thermometer will ensure you remove the Brown Sugar Meatloaf as soon as it is done baking. No one wants to eat overcooked dry meatloaf!
What hamburger should I use?
The best hamburger to use in meatloaf is the traditional 80/20 blend of meat/fat. This is the same blend the best burgers are made from. If you go with a lean hamburger blend, like 90/10, your meatloaf will not have enough moisture and will lack juiciness and flavor. Conversely, too much fat would lead to a big greasy mess. 80/20 beef is the sweet spot where there is enough fat to be juicy but not so much that the meatloaf turns greasy.
Meatloaf Glaze
The meatloaf glaze is what separates a good meatloaf from a great meatloaf. In a pinch you can certainly use plain ol' ketchup for your glaze, however, adding brown sugar and cider vinegar adds an enticingly sweet and sour component that your family won't be able to get enough of.
The brown sugar glaze is exceedingly simple to make, just mix together ½ cup of ketchup, ¼ cup of brown sugar, and a quarter cup of cider vinegar and paint it on the meatloaf before it goes in the oven.
What to serve with it?
Mashed potatoes! There is no greater side dish, or more classic pairing, than meatloaf with fluffy mashed potatoes! This is a great pairing not only because they taste great together, but also because the mashed potatoes can be prepared on the stove top while the meatloaf bakes. You could even make some buttermilk cornbread to serve with the meatloaf. Cornbread can be made in advance and warmed prior to serving, or you can bake them with the meatloaf, even though the oven temperature may not be perfect.
Try any of these vegetables on the side:
Brown Sugar Meatloaf
Ingredients
Meatloaf
- 1 ½ lbs ground beef
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 oz packet onion soup mix
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon table salt (or to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup milk
Sauce
- ½ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Gently crumble ground beef in a large bowl, breaking up into small pieces. Add remaining meatloaf ingredients to the bowl and gently combine, being careful not to overwork the meat.
- Mix all sauce ingredients together and spread half of the sauce along the bottom and sides of a loaf pan.
- Add meatloaf to a loaf pan and press firmly into a loaf shape.
- Liberally paint remaining sauce over the loaf.
- Place meatloaf in the oven and bake for 1 hour 10 minutes, or until the internal temperature reads 165 degrees.
- Let rest for five minutes and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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MIANNA
I'm making this tonight, I only have panko, can I substitute that for the bread crumbs? Will it still work?
Fox Valley Foodie
That will work fine.
Nicole Ferri
I found this to be a very good recipe. The only thing I changed was the topping. I deleted the vinegar and added 1/4 cup mustard with the ketchup and brown sugar. Just mix together and put on top of meatloaf . Bake as recommended and enjoy.
Stephanie
Made this for dinner tonight and oh wow so yummy! I'm not a meatloaf lover but this recipe is not tough and dense at all. The sauce was the perfect touch! I went ahead and did 2 lbs of meat and we do not have any left overs. I also made your mashed potatoes with the meatloaf and those were the bomb! Thanks so much
Jess
Why the hell would you put that much ACV in the sauce?! Or any at all?? The meatloaf itself tastes amazing but DO NOT add ACV to the sauce...I had to scrape it off and make a new sauce of my own.
Kayla
The ACV was so bad. It smelled the kitchen up, my husband didn’t even want to try it because he could smell the vinegar so potent.
Lynda
I made this tonight with mashed potatoes & steamed green beans, it was pretty amazing. I'll definitely be making this again.
Stefanie
This is one of my family's favorite meal. We are 3 generations in one home, so we have picky old ladies and picky kids to contend with. There are very few meals that I can make that EVERYONE eats it. This is one of them. Even my proud mother in law, who thinks her cooking is God's gift to us (it's not, she fears spices outside of pepper and the Hamburger mix from McCormick so its very bland) gets excited when I mention making this meatloaf. She even abandoned her own recipe for it! So thank you for this. It's so wonderful to see my family all sit down together and eat one meal that they love. That doesn't even happen on holidays! The only change I make is to use the Beefy Onion soup mix. I've got this in the oven right now and everyone is racing home for dinner!
Michelle Whitaker
Forgot to say. Even though it cooked faster in the Dutch oven. It didn't take away from the tendency or the juicy flavor. They both turned out amazing. Give it a try yourself. See what you think. I also added alit'l garlic and 1/2 tbsp of Hickory flavor. But other than that I did the recipe exactly. Great dinner night. Thx again.
Michelle Whitaker
Great recipe!! I done this in the oven. And in a Dutch oven on the hot coals of a fire. The Dutch oven of course, cooked 1st faster. But both were delicious. I cantvsay either way which was better. Cuz they both rocked. I wasn't a meatloaf person til this recipe. Thanks for sharing.
unfavored wheat
Can a green onion flavored packet be used instead of onion soup flavored packet?
Fox Valley Foodie
It will change the taste, so it would be a great substitution, but it may still work.
Faith Schildt
I tried to print the brown sugar meat loaf but wasn't successful. I tried a number of times. Can your recipes be printed and is this website free of charge?
Fox Valley Foodie
I am sorry to hear that. Did you click the "Print Recipe" button at the top of the page? The Print Recipe button is also found in the recipe card. All recipes are free to print.
Michael DeSimone
I have always been a fan of meatloaf, as long as it was good meatloaf. I have a recipe that I've been using for years. I took a look at your recipe and thought that I would give it a try. It was, far and away, the best meatloaf I've ever had. I stuck to the recipe with one exception. Instead of 1½ pounds of ground beef, I used 1 pound of ground beef and ½ pound of ground pork. Regardless, everyone loved it. This will be my new recipe from now on. Thank you for this fantastic meatloaf.
Roger Marion
This was priceless. What a wonderful dish. I too had the meatloaf brick in my past but I liked it. Now love enters the equation. I have subscribed and will try some of your other creations. You Sir are batting at a perfect score.
Kay Rose
This is the only meatloaf my family will eat. I add a little bbq sauce to the sauce and it taste wonderful.
Linda Broughman
My go to Meatloaf recipe!! It is the BEST meatloaf I have ever had...a little sweet & sour sauce makes it perfect!!! It is a 10+. 😋😋❤️