My keto meatloaf recipe is the perfect low-carb dinner that the whole family will love. Baked to perfection, it comes out juicy, tender, and absolutely delicious!
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Nothing says celebration like a good, home-cooked, low-carb meatloaf. Whether it’s Christmas or a Sunday meal with the family, this is the recipe to make to impress everyone.
This low-carb meatloaf recipe will even be a hit with those who aren't afraid of carbs.
I tested this recipe over and over until it was perfect.
I tried keto breadcrumbs, flaxseed, parmesan and grated nuts, almond flour, coconut flour, and even ground pork rinds.
What you have here is the one that won the contest! In my opinion, it's the BEST keto meatloaf ever!
Is Meatloaf Keto-Friendly?
First of all, can you eat meatloaf on your keto diet?
My low-carb meatloaf is actually very low in carbohydrates, with only 2.5g of net carbs per slice. This makes it the perfect addition to your meal plan.
I promise if you're a meat-lover, this low-carb meatloaf will become one of your go-to dinners.
It's quick and easy to prepare, and it has such hearty comfort food.
Ingredients You'll Need
You don't need any complex ingredients to make this hearty keto meatloaf. Most of these ingredients you'll already have at home.
For the exact ingredient amounts, check out the recipe card below.
- Ground beef - You don't need to use extra lean ground beef for this recipe. I recommend using standard or lean ground beef, or the meatloaf can come out too dry.
- Eggs - Use large eggs in this recipe to help bind everything together.
- Flaxseed - I tested a number of binders for this recipe, including almond flour and coconut flour. In the end, I found that flaxseed works very well.
- Herbs and spices - Paprika, salt, black pepper, and parsley are the staples for this meatloaf. Make sure they are fresh!
- Cheese - I used finely grated Parmesan cheese for this meatloaf.
- Sauce - Meatloaf is nothing without a delicious sauce. I used tomato paste and balsamic vinegar with a pinch of salt and paprika. It is a sweet and tangy sauce that goes perfectly with meatloaf.
How To Avoid Dry Meatloaf
To make sure your keto meatloaf doesn't come out dry, make sure to follow these tips:
Avoid lean ground beef. As I mentioned earlier, lean ground beef is going to make your meatloaf super dry. Aim to use an 80/20 ground beef blend and no lower than 85/15.
Let the mixture sit. Once you've combined all the ingredients, let them sit together for 5 to 10 minutes. You want to let the flaxseed absorb all the excess liquid.
Rest your low-carb meatloaf. Just like other meats, resting your keto meatloaf is very important. Rest it for around 15 minutes to allow the juices to absorb and settle.
How To Make Keto Meatloaf
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius) and line a baking pan with a baking sheet.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together your ground beef, parmesan cheese, eggs, onion, garlic, flaxseed, salt, paprika, and parsley.
- Let the mixture sit for 5 to 10 minutes. This is an important step because it will allow the flaxseed to soak up all the extra liquids. While the meatloaf mixture is resting, you can make the topping sauce.
- In a bowl, mix together the tomato paste and balsamic vinegar and season with a pinch of salt and paprika.
- After it has finished resting, transfer the mixture onto your baking pan and shape it into a loaf.
- Brush over the sauce generously making sure to completely cover the top of the meatloaf.
- Bake in the preheated oven uncovered for around 60 minutes until cooked through (cook time may vary).
- Let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes before you slice the meatloaf.
Cooking Tips
Best Baking Temperature: After much experimenting, I decided to bake the perfect tender and juicy meatloaf at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius) for 60 minutes. Each oven varies so much in temperature, so this may be different for you. You can also use a food thermometer until the internal temperature is 160 degrees Fahrenheit (75 degrees Celsius).
Avoid Loaf Pans: Don't use a loaf pan to make meatloaf. It's best to bake it on a baking sheet in a large baking pan. This allows the outside to crisp up.
Juicy and Tender Meatloaf: The most crucial step for a light, juicy, and tender meatloaf is the mixing of the ingredients. For the perfect fluffy texture, make sure to handle everything gently. Combine the ingredients until everything is well incorporated. Be very gentle when shaping your meatloaf and this should stop it from coming out too dense.
Seasoning: You can easily modify this low-carb meatloaf recipe to your own tastes. Experiment with chili powder, thyme, onion powder, and cumin.
Recipe Variations
There are so many variations you can use with my recipe. Try some of these!
Other meats - you can substitute the ground beef with ground turkey or ground chicken. Make sure you avoid lean turkey and chicken. Ground chicken with chicken thighs is a great option.
Bacon wrapped - jazz up your meatloaf by wrapping it with bacon strips before popping it in the oven. The bacon strips become super crispy while keeping in all the moisture so the meatloaf stays juicy and tender!
Cheese stuffed - transfer half the meatloaf mixture onto the baking pan and then stuff the center with mozzarella cheese. Add the other half of the mixture on top and bake.
Storage Instructions
Another great thing about this keto meatloaf is that the leftovers are still delicious the following day, even cold!
In the fridge: It will stay in the fridge for up to 1 week when refrigerated in an airtight container. A great way to enjoy a slice is to fry it in a pan with a little olive oil.
In the freezer: Place meatloaf slices in individual freezer-proof bags or airtight containers. They'll keep for up to 6 months.
To reheat: Pop the meatloaf in the microwave at 30-second intervals until heated all the way through. You can also reheat it in the oven for around 5 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
Meatloaf is such a versatile main dish that goes well with almost any side dish.
I recommend serving it with my keto bread rolls and loaded cauliflower mash. Why not make it a family feast? Complete the dinner with my no-bake pumpkin cheesecake for dessert!
Other Sides
📖 Recipe
Keto Meatloaf Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound Ground Beef
- ½ cup Parmesan Cheese grated
- 2 Eggs beaten
- 1 Red Onion minced
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 4 tablespoon Flaxseed
- 3 tablespoon Parsley chopped
- 2 tablespoon Tomato Paste
- 2 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a baking pan with baking paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the minced beef with the parmesan cheese, eggs, onion, garlic, flaxseed, salt, paprika and parsley.
- Let the mixture rest for 5-10 minutes so that the flaxseed can soak up all the extra liquids.
- Transfer on the pan and shape into a loaf.
- Mix the tomato paste with the balsamic vinegar and season with a pinch of salt and paprika. Brush the top of the meatloaf with the mixture.
- Bake in the oven, uncovered for 60 minutes until cooked through.
- Let it rest for around 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Did You Make My Recipe?
Leave a rating to help other readers or tag me @keto.diet.yum on Instagram (I’d love to see!)
Nutrition Facts
Nutritional information for the recipe is calculated based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe we provide. Erythritol and other sugar-free sweetener carbs are not included in the carb counts. Net carbohydrates are the total carbohydrates minus dietary fiber.
Notes
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Haven't made this one yet, just saw it today for the 1st time, but will be making this one asap! Thanks for this!
We tried your meatloaf recipe last night. It wasn't over-the-top amazing, but it was pretty good. We both felt it was pretty dry. I wondered if that was due to my using ground flax seeds instead of whole. Would that have absorbed too much liquid possibly? Also, when you say to use 3 cups of ground beef, I unconsciously read 3 lbs instead of cups, as that is the unit of measure I usually see.used for meats. When I realized it was cups I didn't measure exactly but used 1 1/2 lbs.as it seemed to be close, but maybe I used too little. Except for my possible changes, we enjoyed it and would make it again. We have leftovers for lunch today! Yay!
Hi Janet! Sorry for the confusing ingredient measurements, I've updated the recipe now. I think you ended up using a little bit too much ground beef, which is probably why it ended up dry. I'm glad it still came out OK, and you enjoyed it!
How much is 3 cups of ground beef in lbs.? Where's a good place to get flaxseed, can I substitute almond flour or pork rinds?
Hi Matt! It works out around 1 pound of ground beef, and I've updated the recipe to make it clearer. You should be able to get flaxseed at most stores, but you can substitute it for almond flour or coconut flour if you can't find any.
What is the weight of the "3 cups of ground beef"? Thank you.
Hi John, sorry that is a bit confusing, isn't it? I've updated the recipe. 3 cups of ground beef is about 1 pound or 450 grams. Hope that helps!
Hello Jennifer..thank you first for the recipes. I'm not new to keto, just new to cooking!
Question is the flaxseed just the seeds?
Thank you.. I am going to start with this recipe first.
Hey Sue, yes it's just the seeds. Remember to let everything sit for 5-10 minutes so that they can absorb all the excess water. Hope you enjoy!
Hey Jennifer. So after the flaxseed gels up after 10 minutes, then it's edible.
Hi Dora, after it gels up, it's ready to transfer to the baking pan.
I made this yesterday and it was delicious. Only next time I would add more spices. I left out the onions and garlic because I have a sentitive stomach. I am having the leftovers for supper tonight. I bet it will taste even better.
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the meatloaf!
For the Meat Loaf. What can I swap balsamique vinaigar for? And I'll try it with bacon on top. It will give extra moisture and savor.
Hi Annie, if you don't have any balsamic vinegar you can mix 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar with 2 tablespoons of Erythritol/sugar-free sweetener. Topping the meatloaf with bacon sounds delicious!
Our Almond flour is extremely expensive. Are there any substitutes?
Hi Judith. This recipe is made with flaxseed instead of almond flour.
Jennifer can you put down how many grams in each serving with All your recipes. Thank you
Hi Pat. At the moment, I don't have time to weigh each individual serving, but I will make a note to weigh certain recipes in the future.
So glad to learn about the flaxseed. I’m allergic to red meat so will sub ground turkey and always add turkey sausage. Can’t wait to make it! Thanks!
Thank you for no almond flour in the recipe.
Binders for keto meatloaf is always problematic.
Flax might do the trick.
Will try tonight.
Want to keep the drippings contained so will bake in a glass loaf pan, low and slow?
Hi Jack.
Yes, the flaxseed helps to bind everything together and works best in all the meatloaf recipes I've tested.
If you want to use a loaf pan the outside of the meatloaf will be less crispy, but you'll be able to keep the drippings. They're great for making gravy or frying low-carb veggies.
Enjoy!
Hi, not made yet however, what is the serving size?
I am an old man that is dumb as a rock. I need added communication. I am not a good cook actually a stupid one. Any help you can provide I would appreciate it.
Thanks,
Mike
Hi Mike! The recipe makes 8 servings.
This made a delicious meatloaf. I put it in a loaf pan to contain the juices. I used ground flaxseed since that’s all I had. I was rushing and mixed the tomato paste and balsamic vinegar in with everything else, but it still came out great! Thanks Jennifer for a meatloaf recipe that doesn’t need almond flour or pork rinds.
I made this recipe this evening for my family and myself, it was absolutely delicious. My adult son found it a little bland, added an extra bit of salt and was delicious. I didn't think it would've been done by the hour but boy, was I wrong, it was moist to perfection, the sauce topping was beautiful (it's amazing what tomato paste & balsamic can produce, I never would have even known, but I loved it, had cauliflower mash, so settled for mashed potato & mixed veggies, sorry but slowly starting on healthy keto, will DEFINITELY make again.
The meatloaf was delicious. Thanks! One serving was too small. I ate two! 😉