Make the Best Meatloaf of Your Life in an Air Fryer

It'll be well-browned and juicy in less than 20 minutes.

Meatloaf is one of those retro foods that deserves a comeback. It's definitely fallen out of fashion, but it doesn’t have to be the questionable wad of semi-steamed gray meat of your childhood. In fact, it can be a well-browned, juicy, and rather speedy meal if you cook it in your air fryer. 

Air frying a meatloaf is simply a better experience than baking it in an oven. Using the oven is actually insultingly bad in comparison! I, like most folks who cook, want good food, and faster. “Good” is the key word here, otherwise I would just microwave everything (and then I’d be out of a job). The air fryer’s convection heating makes it a hero for quick cooking and excellent browning, and it knocks more than half the average cooking time off of an oven meatloaf (which can take nearly an hour). For that reason alone, it’s worth it.

How to make an air fryer meatloaf

Although I include a recipe below, it doesn’t really matter what meatloaf recipe you use. The only thing you have to keep in mind is the size of your air fryer. If you normally use two pounds of ground meat and shape the meatloaf to be 12 inches long, you'll have a problem if your air fryer basket measures only 10 inches long diagonally. You’ll have to make the loaf taller instead of longer, or cook two smaller loaves instead. 

To make my meatloaf, I grated half an onion into a large mixing bowl and added salt and dry seasonings along with some panko crumbs. I mixed all of that up and let it rest for a few minutes to let the dry ingredients rehydrate in the onion water. Afterward, I mixed in a pound of ground beef and an egg until thoroughly combined.  

Depending on how fast your air fryer heats up, you can preheat it; mine only takes a minute, so I don’t usually bother. I believe that some folks actually put their meatloaves into a loaf pan to bake. I understand why a person might do that in the oven, where sitting in the arid environment for an hour would dry it out. However, I recommend resisting the temptation here: The extra material will take longer to heat, plus it traps moisture and prevents browning. An air-fryer meatloaf will have a thin but pleasant crust on the outside with a juicy interior. A pan would only muddle things up. 

Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

So pat the meatloaf into your finest loafy shape and drop it right into the basket. If it loses shape from the fall you can just smoosh it back together a bit once it’s stable. Set the air fryer to “roast” on 375°F  for 15 minutes, flipping after 10 minutes to brown the bottom. Check the temperature with a meat thermometer; it should read 155°F in the center. If your meatloaf recipe uses more meat, then it may take a few extra minutes of cooking. Once done, let it rest for about 10 minutes, and carry over cooking will bring the internal temperature to 160°F. 

I don’t coat my meatloaf with a ketchup sauce, but if you enjoy the sticky red dressing, go ahead and brush it on during the last five minutes of cooking, after you’ve flipped the loaf. Serve your meatloaf sliced, with a side salad and summer corn. Covered in the fridge, your leftovers will keep for up to five days. 

Air Fryer Meatloaf Recipe

Ingredients:

• ½ yellow onion

• 3 tablespoons bread crumbs

• ¾ teaspoon salt

• ⅛ teaspoon MSG

• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

• ½ teaspoon fish sauce

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• ½ teaspoon dried parsley

• ½ teaspoon cayenne powder (or chili flakes)

• 1 pound raw ground beef

• 1 egg

1. Grate the onion into a large bowl using a box grater or a microplane. Stir in the next eight ingredients and let it sit for five minutes. Mix in the ground beef and egg until thoroughly combined.

2. Set the air fryer to the “roast” setting at 375°F. Shape the meat into a loaf and gently drop it into the air fryer basket. Cook for 10 minutes and flip the meatloaf over. Cook for an additional five minutes. The internal temperature should be 155°F. If it hasn’t reached that yet then continue cooking it for another three minutes and take the temperature again. Let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing.