This easy meatloaf burger recipe has all the comfort of classic meatloaf in tender, juicy patties. Serve them as hamburgers or skip the bun for a simple dinner.
Oven-bake for easy, consistent results or cook on the stovetop for a browned crust. Either way, dinner is ready in about 30 minutes.
Jump To (scroll for more)
- â Â TL;DR â Recipe Summary
- đ Ingredients
- đ¨âđł Quick Overview: Meatloaf Burgers
- đ¤ Tips and Variations
- đĽ How to Cook Meatloaf Burgers on the Stove
- âď¸ How to Adjust the Recipe for Two or a Family
- âď¸ How to Store Leftover Meatloaf Burgers
- đ Other meatloaf and burger recipes
- â FAQs
- đThe Recipe Card
Featured Comment by Theresa:
âââââ
"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!"
â Â TL;DR â Recipe Summary
- What: Tender, juicy meatloaf burgers cooked in the oven or on the stovetop.
- Why:Â Easy 30-minute comfort food for a hamburger or simple dinner.
- How: Mix, shape into patties, then oven-bake or skillet-fry to 160°F.
Jump to the Recipe Card or continue reading for details and options.
đ Ingredients
- Ground meat â Lean ground beef, turkey, or chicken.
- Breadcrumbs â Panko or regular breadcrumbs.
- Milk â Combines with the breadcrumbs to keep the patties tender.
- Eggs â Bind the mixture together.
- Onion â Finely diced so the patties hold together.
- Ketchup â Mixed into the meat and optional as a topping.
- Seasoning salt â Lawryâs or your favorite blend.
- Black pepper â To taste.
đ¨âđł Quick Overview: Meatloaf Burgers
1. Mix the ingredients: Combine the ground meat with the remaining ingredients until well mixed.
2. Form the patties:Â Shape into â -pound portions, press a small dimple in the center of each, and top with ketchup if oven-baking.
â Pro Tip: Dimpling the centers helps prevent puffing and promotes even cooking.
3. Cook: Oven-bake at 375°F for 20â25 minutes, or skillet-fry over medium heat for about 5 minutes per side. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 160°F.
â Pro Tip: The safe final internal temperature is 160°F for beef or pork and 165°F for poultry, per USDA guidelines.
4. Serve: Use the patties for hamburgers or plate as mini meatloaf dinners with your favorite sides.
For complete step-by-step instructions, scroll down to the printable recipe card or keep reading for tips, flavor options, and serving ideas.
đ¤ Tips and Variations
- Use lean ground meat:Â Ground beef, turkey, or chicken all work. The milk and breadcrumbs help keep the patties moist.
- Dice the onion finely:Â Large pieces can make the patties fall apart.
- Change the topping:Â Use ketchup, BBQ sauce, or add a little brown sugar or Worcestershire sauce to the ketchup.
- Add Parmesan:Â Mix in a few tablespoons of finely grated Parmesan for extra flavor.
- Choose your cooking method:Â I prefer oven-baking for easy, even cooking. Skillet-frying gives better browning.
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đĽ How to Cook Meatloaf Burgers on the Stove
For a browned crust, cook the meatloaf burgers in a skillet over medium heat. They usually take about 10â15 minutes, depending on thickness.
Heat about 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add the patties and cook for about 5 minutes, until browned.
Flip and continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 160°F for beef or pork and 165°F for poultry.
âď¸ How to Adjust the Recipe for Two or a Family
The full recipe makes six â -pound patties. Adjust the servings in the recipe card to make more or fewer.
- If scaling gives you part of an egg, round up to the next whole egg.
- Cooking time and final temperature do not change with batch size.
â Pro Tip:Â Make two for dinner and store cooked extras for later.
âď¸ How to Store Leftover Meatloaf Burgers
Store cooked patties in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer.
Reheat in the microwave, oven, or skillet.
đ Other meatloaf and burger recipes
Don't miss these other meatloaf and burger recipes, like Burgers on the Grill, Juicy Lucy Burgers, and Ground Chicken Burgers.
Salisbury Steak with Onion Gravy
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.
â FAQs
Eggs are the main binderâuse one egg per pound of meat. Too much liquid, large onion pieces, or loosely formed patties can also make them fall apart. Mix well enough that the patties hold their shape.
A hamburger is primarily ground beef shaped into a patty. Meatloaf burgers add breadcrumbs, egg, milk, onion, and seasoningsâlike classic meatloaf shaped into burger patties.
Shape and refrigerate the raw patties for up to 24 hours before cooking. Because they contain raw eggs, I recommend cooking the patties before freezing.
Yes. Preheat, clean, and oil the grill well. Grill the patties for about 5 minutes per side, handling them gently since meatloaf burgers are more delicate than hamburgers. Cook to 160°F for beef or pork and 165°F for poultry.
đThe Recipe Card
Meatloaf Burgers (Oven or Stovetop Recipe)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds lean 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
- For Oven: Preheat the oven to 350° convection or 375° conventional.
- Dice 1 medium or ½ large onion.
- In a large bowl, mix 2 pounds of lean ground meat, 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 â pound each, and form them into six 4-inch patties. Dimple the center of the burgers about Âź inch to prevent puffing during cooking.
- .Cook in the oven or on the stovetop:Oven:Â Place patties on a large rimmed baking tray and top with ketchup. Use a nonstick tray or line with parchment paper.Stovetop:Â Heat about 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the patties and cook for about 5 minutes until browned. Flip and continue cooking until done.
- Check the temperature: Cook to an internal temperature of 160°F for beef or pork and 165°F for poultry. Oven-baking takes about 20â25 minutes; stovetop cooking usually takes about 10â15 minutes.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
Easy to scale up or downâadjust the ingredient amounts as needed. Use lean ground beef, turkey, or chicken. The milk and breadcrumbs help keep the patties moist. The patties are about â pound each but can be made smaller. Store cooked leftovers refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months. ÂYour 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.
Lacey says
This was good but for my family and I, we like flavor!!! I 100% recommend french onion soup mix for any kind of burger or meatloaf!!! It just adds so much great flavor to the meat! My kids absolutely love my meatloaf and burgers. FYI..my kids are the most picky eaters ever!! I just wanted to tell you how I make my meatloaf burgers' and meatloaf & burgers.
Rob says
Hi I'm not a good cook by any means but had a dream a few days ago about hamburgers and today thought about meatloaf hamburgers. Searched the web and found your recipe which looked simple and delicious. Well, 8 of them are now baking in the oven and the kitchen smells like grandmas. I am pacing back and forth, my mouth watering. There is NO WAY that these are going to taste bad! Thanks for the great recipe. I am a new fan. PS.. Having green beans and mashed potatoes with some brown gravy with them. How could I go wrong with that combo?!!
Theresa says
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!
Katy says
Have these baking in the oven right now with a few tweaks. I do a mix of ground beef and pork and two enveloped of onion soup mix for seaoning. We also like a green pepper chopped up in ours.
Jenny says
Hi,
Back again...Loved this recipe.
I am curious what is the ketchup that you like? You mentioned to use a good ketchup.
My tweaks on my first time making the recipe. I used 2 lbs. all ground turkey, it made a lot. My patties were big so I cooked an extra 5 mins, then I turned the broiler on and browned the tops. The ketchup is really good this way and crisped up the turkey a little. Still very moist, looking forward to eating leftovers tonight!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Jenny,
First, the ketchup. I like Hunt's or Heinz. I buy the original versions for the full original taste.
About ovens and browning. Each oven cooks and browns a bit differently. I have two. One preheats much faster so I tend to use it but the other browns much nicer. So if I'm doing blog pictures, I use the second one. Never be afraid to use a touch of broiler is needed. It is much better than overcooking and drying out something.
The 1/3 pound burgers are in that ok for single-serving meal but still an ok burger. If you know you are serving one way or the other, feel free to adjust the size. Just watch the internal temperature.
Dan
Jenny says
Loved it! I have a pic can't figure out how to attach itâšď¸ Anyway
si nice not having to wait for meatloaf to cook.
Made 6 turkey meatloaf burgers, have 3 1/2 for tomorrow! (my husband went back for 1/2 a burger more. I made a Santa Fe salad, no bread. So good! Thanks
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Jenny,
Glad it worked well for you.
There is no provision in the software to upload photos in comments. I can do it in a reply if I jump through a lot of hoops each time. I have done it a couple of times with information I thought was very important to answer the question.
Thanks for the note and rating.
Dan
Anne says
Thanks for a great recipe. I used half 80% beef/half turkey and the fat level was perfect. Everyone loved it! I may never go back to traditional meatloaf!
DrDan says
Hi Anne,
Welcome to the blog.
I love recipes that I can remember the whole thing like this one.
I like the turkey idea, maybe next time for me. We finished the leftovers yesterday so a few weeks.
Dan
Nancy says
Made these on vacation for family, everyone loved them. Going to make them again this week at home!
DrDan says
Hi Nancy,
Welcome to the blog.
I do love this recipe. It makes the burger something special and not much work.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
jake Matz says
We just made them and everyone agrees they are divine THANK YOU !!!
I don't know if I ever want to make regular burgers again LOL
DrDan says
Hi Jake and welcome to the blog.
I haven't done a meatloaf or these all summer but fall is almost here and I can see them now.
Thanks for the note and glad it worked well for you.
Dan
Leslie says
Made these again with your chicken wings and blue cheese dip 5 star favorite party food recipes. Thank you
Jane says
WHat percentage fat worked best for you?
DrDan says
Usually ground chuck which is 19% fat around here. You want "ground beef" not hamburger which can have random other fat added. And 15-20 % works great. Since the milk and bread add moisture, you could use a lower fat product.
Dan
Ursa says
I used to use this recipe until I discovered that using oatmeal instead of bread crumbs makes it healthier and just as delicious (probably better)
Julie19 says
Great recipe idea! Wondered if Ground Turkey and egg whites would get the same delicious results because sodium content is an issue in our house??
DrDan says
I have done it that way and the results are close to the same but I admit to being a bit more of a beef person.
DrDan
Mark says
I make meatloaf all the time. I'll be trying this one.
Leslie says
Made these tonight without the egg, used Sriracha ketchup (that's all I had), added some finely chopped celery and carrot, & topped with some grated white cheddar a few minutes before done. Best burger/meatloaf recipe ever, they melted in my mouth, deserves a 10 star rating!
DrDan says
My bad... It has been a bad couple of days.
There is one egg in my recipe. And I have fixed the post. Now if it is that good without the egg just leave it out.
But thanks for the review, modifications and rating.
Dan
Leslie says
I love that you show pictures of your ingredients, however showed an egg but did not list it in recipe, do you use an egg?
TeeVee says
Fantastic idea and recipe!! The mention of "meatloaf" in my home begins a chorus of groans but this "meatloaf burger" recipe had my family singing for seconds! I love to make meatloaf and personally enjoy it because it's tasty, easy to prepare and rather foolproof -- doesn't dry out like chicken or pork often do, and is cheaper than steak! I planned to grill the same old-same old burgers for dinner but it started to rain and I didn't feel like grilling under an umbrella. Found this recipe and was glad I did! I followed the instructions as printed, except used ground sirloin and whole milk. Yum! Thanks again DrDan!
DrDan says
Thanks for the note and rating.
I just had some leftovers tonight. Reheated in the oven, uncovered for 20 minutes at 350 convection. Just as good as the first day. They are so moist and I thought they would tolerate the oven and I was right. I always prefer oven reheating things vs. microwave.
DrDan