Meatloaf burgers are a quicker and easier way to enjoy all the comfort of classic meatloaf. Serve them on a bun for a juicy meatloaf sandwich or plate them as individual servings with your favorite sides. They bake up beautifully in the oven, but the grill or skillet works, too.
Jump To (scroll for more)
- 🧡 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- 🐄Ingredients
- 👨🍳Quick Overview: How to Cook Meatloaf Burgers
- ✅ Tips and Variations
- Other meatloaf and burger recipes
- 🔥 Alternate Cooking Methods: Stovetop or Grill
- ↕️ How to Adjust the Recipe for Two or a Family
- 🍴How to Serve Meatloaf Burger Patties
- ❄️ How to Store Leftover Meatloaf Burgers
- ❓FAQs
- 📖The Recipe Card with Step-by-Step Instructions
Featured Comment by Theresa:
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"I made these about four nights ago and am already doing it again tonight. I love them and everyone else likes them too. Thank you!"
🧡 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Great for one or two: Individual patties are easy to portion and ideal for leftovers or freezing.
- Made for meatloaf sandwiches: Juicy, tender, and just the right size for a bun.
- Also great plated: Serve with mashed potatoes and a veggie for classic comfort food.
- Faster than a full meatloaf: No loaf pan or long bake time—ready in about 30 minutes.
- Simple, economical ingredients: Uses fewer ingredients than most meatloaf recipes—basic things you likely already have on hand.
- Bake it your way: Oven-preferred for best texture, but the grill or skillet works too.
🐄Ingredients
- Ground meat – Beef, turkey, or chicken. Leaner is preferred.
- Breadcrumbs – Panko or regular.
- Milk – Adds moisture.
- Eggs – For binding.
- Onion – Finely diced.
- Ketchup – Mixed in and for topping.
- Seasoning salt – Like Lawry’s or your favorite blend.
- Black pepper.
👨🍳Quick Overview: How to Cook Meatloaf Burgers
1. Prepare the meatloaf mixture
Preheat the oven to 350° convection or 375° conventional. Dice the onion.
2. Mixing the meatloaf
In a large bowl, mix ground meat, Panko breadcrumbs, milk, ketchup, seasoning salt, black pepper, eggs, and diced onion. Divide into equal portions of about ⅓ pound each.
3. Form into patties
On a baking tray, shape into 4-inch patties. Press a ¼-inch dimple in the center of each to prevent puffing. Top each patty with ketchup.
4. Bake
Bake until the internal temperature reaches 160°—about 20 to 25 minutes.
✅Pro Tip: According to the USDA, the safe final internal temperature is 160°F unless you're using ground poultry, which should be cooked to 165°F.
5. Serving
Enjoy on a bun as a meatloaf sandwich or plate as a mini meatloaf dinner.
For complete step-by-step instructions, scroll down to the printable recipe card or keep reading for tips, flavor options, and serving ideas.
✅ Tips and Variations
- Use lean ground beef, turkey, or chicken: A simple panade (milk + breadcrumbs) keeps them moist without needing extra fat. Less fat also means less greasy drainage, which can affect texture.
- Dice the onion small: Large chunks can cause the patties to fall apart or cook unevenly.
- Top with ketchup—or make it your own: The ketchup adds classic meatloaf flavor and helps keep the patties juicy in the oven. For a twist, mix it with a little brown sugar or Worcestershire sauce, or swap in BBQ sauce.
- Baking is best: These patties are tender, and the oven gives consistent results without the risk of falling apart when flipping. It also lets the topping cook into the surface for better flavor.
Other meatloaf and burger recipes
Don't miss these other meatloaf and burger recipes, like Small Meatloaf for Two, Paula Deen Inspired Basic Meatloaf, Burgers on the Grill, Juicy Lucy Burgers, and Ground Chicken Burgers.
Old Fashioned Salisbury Steak Recipe
This old-fashioned Salisbury steak recipe with onion gravy is a classic homemade comfort food. It's easy to make from scratch in 40 minutes using ground beef and common pantry ingredients. With tender beef patties and rich brown gravy with onions or mushrooms, just like grandma used to make.
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🔥 Alternate Cooking Methods: Stovetop or Grill
✅Pro Tip: Both the skillet and the grill should be fully preheated before starting to cook.
To fry on the stovetop:
Use a large non-stick or cast-iron skillet. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat until hot. Add the patties and cook for about 5 minutes until the bottom is nicely browned. Flip, add ketchup to the top, and continue cooking for about 5 more minutes until the internal temperature reaches 160°F for beef or 165°F for poultry.
✅Pro Tip: Covering the pan with a lid reduces splatter and helps the patties cook more evenly.
To grill:
Preheat the grill to high. Clean and oil the grates. Grill the patties for about 5 minutes, flip, and add ketchup to the top. Grill for another 5 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 160°F for beef or 165°F for poultry.
✅Pro Tip: These patties are tender, so using a grill mat or grill-safe pan helps prevent sticking and breakage.
↕️ How to Adjust the Recipe for Two or a Family
This recipe is easy to scale. The full version makes six ⅓-pound patties, but you can adjust it up or down using the recipe card.
- Use the ingredient list to adjust servings—the instructions do not change automatically.
- If the adjusted recipe calls for part of an egg, round up. For example, 1½ eggs becomes 2 whole eggs.
- Cooking time and final temperature stay the same, no matter the batch size.
🍴How to Serve Meatloaf Burger Patties
For meatloaf sandwiches:
Serve on a burger bun with cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, mustard, or pickles. Add a simple side like Homemade French Fries or Microwave Corn on the Cob.
As mini meatloaves:
Plate with a hot vegetable like Green Beans with Almonds, Roasted Asparagus, or Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower. Add a side of potatoes, such as Oven Roasted Red Potatoes or Parmesan Baked Potatoes.
❄️ How to Store Leftover Meatloaf Burgers
Store cooked meatloaf patties in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
To reheat, use the microwave, air fryer, oven, or skillet—whatever works best for you.
❓FAQs
Make sure the grates are cleaned and oiled before cooking. A light spray of PAM or another cooking spray on both sides of the patties can also help prevent sticking.
Eggs act as the binder, and more is better than not enough—use one egg per pound or part of a pound.
Other factors, like too much liquid, not mixing enough, or loosely packed patties, can also cause issues. While traditional meatloaf shouldn’t be overmixed, here, a little extra mixing helps the patties hold their shape.
Meatloaf burgers use a mixture of ground meat, breadcrumbs, egg, seasoning, and other add-ins, just like classic meatloaf, but shaped into patties. Hamburgers are plain ground beef, seasoned, shaped, and cooked without binders or fillers.
Yes. You can shape the patties and refrigerate them for up to 24 hours before baking. To freeze, place the raw patties on a parchment-lined baking sheet, freeze until solid, then transfer to an airtight freezer-safe container or bag.
According to the USDA, they can be frozen safely for up to 6 months, but for best quality, use them within 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before cooking as directed.
📖The Recipe Card with Step-by-Step Instructions
Meatloaf Burgers (Oven, Grill, or Skillet)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds lower fat ground meat - beef, turkey, or chicken
- 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup ketchup - plus some for topping
- 1 tablespoon seasoning salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 eggs
- 1 onion - medium or ½ large diced
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° convection or 375° conventional.
- Dice 1 medium or ½ large onion.
- In a large bowl, mix 2 pounds of lower-fat ground beef, 1 cup bread crumbs, ½ cup milk, ½ cup ketchup, 1 tablespoon seasoning salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, two eggs, and the diced onion.
- Divide the mixture into 6 portions, about ⅓ pound each, and form them into 4-inch burgers. Dimple the center of the burgers about ¼ inch to prevent puffing during cooking.
- Place patties on a large rimmed baking tray. Use a non-stick tray or line with parchment paper.
- Top each patty with ketchup.
- Bake until an internal temperature of 160°F— about 20 to 25 minutes.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- Easy to scale up or down—adjust the ingredient list, not the instructions.
- Use lean ground beef, turkey, or chicken. The panade (milk + breadcrumbs) keeps it moist without excess fat.
- These patties are about ⅓ pound each, but you can make them smaller.
- Good-quality ketchup matters for flavor.
- Doubles as a mini meatloaf dinner or a meatloaf sandwich.
- Stovetop and grill instructions are in the post, along with other options.
- Good refrigerated for 4 days and frozen for 3 months.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You can adjust the number of servings above; however, only the amount in the ingredient list is adjusted, not the instructions.
Nutrition Estimate (may vary)
Editor's Note: Originally Published August 9, 2015. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Judy Uhl says
Hi Dr. Dan, could I freeze these hamburger patties raw? Flash freeze first then put in a freezer bag? Thanks, Judy
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Judy,
I'm going with you can make it ahead of time, but according to the FDA, uncooked dishes with a raw egg may only be refrigerated for up to 24 hours before cooking or frozen for 3 months. This is their casserole rule, but I think it applies here. I would freeze the patties in a tray, and once frozen, move them to a freezer bag separated with waxed or parchment paper.
Hope that helps. Have a good week.
Dan
Heather Wylder says
Wondering if I can use A1 instead of ketchup. Looks yummy but the ketchup makes me cringe.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Heather,
Welcome to the blog.
Sure, but I wouldn't use an equal volume. You would probably only want a teaspoon or so of A1 in the meat, so make the volume up by increasing the milk or adding some tomato sauce. Use anything you like for the topping, maybe just some brown sugar with melted butter.
I hope that helps.
Dan
OldCook says
Just made these tonight and already had one. Really good! I got 7 burgers out of 2 lbs (1/3 lb burgers each). Nice and juicy and tasty. When I make a regular meatloaf I use pretty much the same recipe except I add chopped green olives. Don't know why that's good but it is. lol. Will add the chopped olives next time maybe, but first time out I always follow a recipe exactly since recipes are basically little science experiments and changing one thing can ruin it. When I add the chopped olives, I will leave out as much ketchup due to moisture content. Thanks Dr. Dan.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Welcome to the blog.
I think of recipes like organic chemistry lab but with no explosions. There is a long story there but we will skip it.
Your olives should be fine.
Thanks for the note and rating.
Dan
Wendy Geoghan says
A new favorite!
My husband was skeptical while I was making these, but after one bite he was sold!
I don’t think I’ll make meatloaf the old way ever again.
I cut the recipe in half and got four patties. I used 85% ground beef.
I added some brown sugar and some Worcestershire sauce to the topping.
Baked in the oven on cookie sheet with parchment paper.
They were very good.
Thanks for the recipe.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Wendy,
Welcome to the blog and thanks for the note. I do love this recipe since I love meatloaf and always over eat if I have big servings.
Dan
Carla says
It's a keeper. Dope. (slang for excellent, just in case you don't know) :)
Ca says
Hello, thank you for the excellent recipe. I halved the recipe and still had 4 good sized burgers. Baked in oven. They take half the time of a meatloaf. The flavor is just fine. Adding onion soup mix really would change the recipe and not be yours plus add a lot more salt (that we I don’t need). The only thing I did differently was to add some small diced sharp cheddar cheese. Delicious dinner with baked potatoes, home grown green beans, and Farmers Market sautéed apples. Thanks, again.