This is the best gluten-free meatloaf recipe. It's full of flavour and is never dry or boring. It's made without breadcrumbs and you will love how easy it is to make with simple ingredients like ground beef, ketchup, carrots and bbq sauce. This kid-friendly recipe is also perfect for meal prep.
Easy ground meat recipes like my gluten-free burgers, duck burgers, healthy stuffed peppers and oven baked cranberry turkey meatballs are some of my favourite easy meals, which is why I can't wait for you to try the gluten-free meatloaf recipe I am sharing with you today!
Table of Contents
Why you will love this recipe:
- The taste! This healthy ground beef meatloaf is full of flavour and turns out nice and moist, never dry or boring.
- It's easy to make and uses pantry staples that I bet you already have in your home. It's also made in one bowl so the clean up is so simple.
- This gluten-free meatloaf is made without breadcrumbs and instead uses almond flour as a binder.
- Besides being gluten-free, this healthy meatloaf is also dairy-free, grain free, paleo, and Whole30 compliant, just like my no bean chili recipe.
If you love gluten-free meatloaf recipes you will also love my blueberry sweetened meatloaf and ground chicken meatloaf.
Ingredients and substitutions:
For the full ingredient list and exact measurements refer to the recipe card later in this post.
Jump to the Recipe Card.
- Lean ground beef - the base of this meatloaf recipe. I like to use grass fed and grass finished lean ground beef but you can use any type of ground beef that you like.
- Shredded carrots - to help keep this meatloaf nice and moist and give it even more flavour and texture.
- Coconut aminos - to add just a bit more flavour and moisture to this gluten-free meatloaf. Instead of coconut aminos you can use a gluten free soy sauce.
- Onion - fresh chopped onion helps add even more flavour to this easy meatloaf. You can use a white onion, yellow onion or sweet onion.
- BBQ sauce - you can either use store bought bbq sauce or make your own healthy bbq sauce.
- Ketchup - to help give this meatloaf so much flavour! You can use store bought or homemade ketchup.
- Almond flour - this works so well as a binder and is a great gluten-free substitute to breadcrumbs.
- Eggs - eggs are used to help bind the meatloaf and make it even more moist. I have not tried any egg substitutes such as chia egg or flax egg for this recipe and am not sure if they would work out so don't recommend trying to make that swap.
Recipe variations and add ins:
- To make this meatloaf paleo: use almond flour, paleo compliant bbq sauce, ketchup, and coconut aminos.
- To make Whole30 compliant: use almond flour, Whole30 compliant bbq sauce, ketchup and coconut aminos.
- Instead of ground beef you could make this meatloaf with ground turkey, ground pork or ground chicken instead. Just note that if you use a different meat the cooking time may vary.
- Instead of almond flour you could use crushed gluten-free crackers, gluten-free breadcrumbs, gluten-free oats or a gluten-free flour blend to bind this gluten-free meatloaf.
- You can either top this meatloaf with more bbq sauce or leave it plain.
- To make without ketchup: use barbecue sauce instead of ketchup.
- To give this gluten-free meatloaf a different flavour you could add other spices or dried herbs such as garlic powder, onion powder, or Italian seasoning.
How to make gluten-free meatloaf:
Step 1
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and add all the meatloaf ingredients to a large mixing bowl and stir well until combined.
Step 2
Line a bread pan with parchment paper and transfer the meatloaf mixture to the pan. Spread the meat mixture into an even, flat layer. Cook the loaf for 50 minutes and let it cool for 5-10 minutes.
Step 3
This is optional, but before serving you can spread barbecue sauce or ketchup over the top of the loaf to give it even more flavour. Then cut the loaf into pieces and enjoy!
Top tips:
- To make this meatloaf ahead of time: Follow the instructions as written, up to the point where you would put the meatloaf in the oven. Instead, cover the uncooked meatloaf tightly with plastic wrap, and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to cook it. If it’s wrapped tightly, it can sit in the fridge for a few days before you cook it.
- You can freeze this gluten-free meatloaf to cook later: simply freeze the wrapped, uncooked meatloaf and take it out of the freezer when you're ready to cook it. Let it thaw in the fridge and then cook as usual.
- The easiest way to spread the bbq sauce or ketchup on the top of this meatloaf is to use a pastry brush.
- To store: store any leftover gluten-free meatloaf in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
How to serve:
This gluten-free meatloaf can be served in so many ways. I love pairing it with green beans and sliced almonds or apple and kale slaw. Other great side dishes to pair with meatloaf are almond flour biscuits, paleo cornbread muffins, gluten free cornbread, mashed potatoes, crispy potato wedges or stewed potatoes. You can also use this meatloaf to make a meatloaf sandwich!
Gluten-free meatloaf FAQ:
You can make meatloaf moist by adding carrots and onions as well as sauces such as bbq sauce, ketchup, soy sauce or Worcester sauce. This gluten free meatloaf recipe uses carrots, onions, coconut aminos, bbq sauce and ketchup to make it moist and tender.
Breadcrumbs are used to bind the meatloaf and keep it from falling apart. Instead of breadcrumbs this recipe uses almond flour but you can also use crushed crackers, pork rinds or Panko instead.
I do not recommend omitting the eggs from this meatloaf recipe. The eggs help add moisture and help bind the meatloaf so it doesn’t fall apart.
Yes, this gluten-free meatloaf freezes really well for up to 3 months. Just don't add any bbq sauce or ketchup to the top of the meatloaf before you freeze it. I recommend freezing it in a freezer bag.
Other gluten-free recipes you'll love:
Recipe
The Best Gluten-Free Meatloaf
Equipment
- Large bowl
- Loaf pan
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 1/3 cup finely chopped onion
- 1/4 cup bbq sauce (plus more for topping the meatloaf if you wish)
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/3 cups almond flour
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F.
- Add all the ingredients to a large bowl and stir well until combined.
- Grease a bread pan (or line it with parchment paper) and transfer the ground beef mixture to the pan. Spread it into an even, flat layer. Cook the loaf for 50 minutes. Let it cool for 5-10 minutes, then cut it into pieces and enjoy.
- Optional: top with bbq sauce before serving.
Notes
- Instead of almond flour you could use crushed gluten free crackers, gluten free breadcrumbs, gluten free oats or a gluten free flour blend instead.
- You can either top this meatloaf in more bbq sauce or leave it plain.
- Nutritional values are an estimate and will vary depending on the exact ingredients used.
Nutrition
Kristie
Yummy!