Our family recipe for brown sugar meatloaf is everything a good meatloaf should be, moist, juicy, flavorful, and topped with a sweet, delicious, thick brown sugar glaze! Just like my mom and grandma made it!
When I want meatloaf, I know just which recipe to turn to, old-fashioned brown sugar meatloaf. This is everything a good meatloaf should be. Moist, juicy, flavorful, and topped with a sweet, delicious, thick Brown Sugar sauce.
I have to admit I love meatloaf. Strange as it may sound, I like this meatloaf more than I like a good juicy steak! I’ve been making this recipe for over 20 years and I still adore it! It was passed down to me from my Grandma.
Try my Stove Top stuffing meatloaf, turkey meatloaf, and Alton Brown meatloaf next. You won’t be disappointed. I promise! ♥
Brown Sugar Meatloaf Ingredients
Meatloaf
- Rolled Oats
- Milk
- Salt + Pepper
- Marjoram
- Sage
- Thyme Leaves
- Garlic Powder
- Hot Sauce
- Eggs
- Onion
- Ground Beef
Sauce
- Ketchup
- Brown Sugar
- Dried Mustard
- Dried Ginger
- Liquid Smoke
- Hot Sauce
How Do You Make Brown Sugar Meatloaf?
This recipe is simple enough to whip up for a weeknight dinner. It seems like there are a lot of ingredients in this recipe but they’re mostly just dumped in a bowl and mixed, so overall, it’s pretty dang easy to make.
Basically, you chop an onion then dump the ingredients together and mix them up. The overall cook time is 1 hour and 15 minutes so you need to plan ahead and start it early enough to get dinner on the tables before your tribe gets too hungry!
You can adjust the seasonings if you want to customize this meatloaf.
Recipe Notes
- Spice it Up: The hot sauce is added in such small quantities that it really just adds a little extra flavor, it doesn’t add any heat. My hubby’s a total wimp when it comes to heat and he doesn’t even notice it’s in this recipe.
- If you want some heat you’ll need to bump up the amount of hot sauce significantly! You can also add some cayenne pepper to add more heat.
- Gluten-Free: If you look through the ingredient list you’ll notice that this recipe adds oatmeal to the meatloaf rather than the usual breadcrumbs.
- I really like this for two reasons; first, the oatmeal adds some really great nutrition, and second, if you use gluten-free oatmeal, it makes the overall dish gluten-free. I buy the gluten-free oatmeal at Trader Joe’s and really like it. We are a divided gluten family. Hubby tries to go mostly gluten-free, the rest of us, not so much!
- Leftovers: If you happen to have any leftovers, this makes KILLER meatloaf sandwiches.
Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? This will last in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Can You Freeze This? Yes, place it in an airtight container for 3-4 months.
- Make-Ahead Tips: Bake this ahead, refrigerate, and reheat.
- Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety check out this link.
How To Make Brown Sugar Meatloaf
- Mix the first 11 ingredients until evenly blended
- Add the ground beef.
- Mix.
- Mix all the topping ingredients in a liquid measuring cup.
- Form the meat ingredients into a loaf.
- Pour half the topping over the meatloaf.
- Bake then brush the remaining sauce. Bake again.
See full instructions below.
What To Serve With Meatloaf
I love to serve this with my Southern style green beans, brown sugar carrots, and a slice of Southern cornbread. Of course, Bisquick biscuits are always great with everything. Pass the butter and honey!
More Delicious Ground Beef Recipes
Brown Sugar Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 2/3 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon dried garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup white onion finely chopped
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
Topping:
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup brown sugar firmly packed
- 1 teaspoon dried mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon dried ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
- a couple of drops of hot sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
- In a large bowl mix the first 11 ingredients until evenly blended. Add the ground beef (1 1/2 pounds) and with your hands mix until all the ingredients are well combined.
- Mix all the topping ingredients in liquid measuring cup. Set aside.
- On a rimmed, parchment paper-lined baking sheet form the meat ingredients into a loaf 5w x 7l x 2h (the mixture is a bit loose so making it wide, about 5 inches, works best). Pour half the topping over the meatloaf. Brush the sauce over top and sides in an even layer.
- Bake meatloaf in a preheated oven for 1 hour. Remove the meatloaf from the oven and brush the remainder of the sauce over top and side in an even layer then return the meatloaf to the oven and cook for 15 minutes. Allow meatloaf to cool for 10 minutes then serve.
Fans Also Made:
Notes
- Spice it Up: The hot sauce is added in such small quantities that it really just adds a little extra flavor, it doesn’t add any heat. My hubby’s a total wimp when it comes to heat and he doesn’t even notice it’s in this recipe.
- If you want some heat you’ll need to bump up the amount of hot sauce significantly! You can also add some cayenne pepper to add more heat.
- Gluten-Free: If you look through the ingredient list you’ll notice that this recipe adds oatmeal to the meatloaf rather than the usual breadcrumbs.
- I really like this for two reasons; first, the oatmeal adds some really great nutrition, and second, if you use gluten-free oatmeal, it makes the overall dish gluten-free. I buy the gluten-free oatmeal at Trader Joe’s and really like it. We are a divided gluten family. Hubby tries to go mostly gluten-free, the rest of us, not so much!
- Leftovers: If you happen to have any leftovers, this makes KILLER meatloaf sandwiches.
Nutrition
On your phone? Check the web story here.
Source: Gonna Want Seconds
Wow, one of the best meatloaf I made! My husband and in-laws absolutely loved this!
Wow, that’s amazing, Joanne! I’m so happy it was a hit 🙂
I made this for the family and some guests over the weekend, and it went over very well. I added a little extra brown sugar to the glaze to really showcase it. This was the first time I have ever cooked a meat loaf, and I can’t wait to do it again soon. Thanks so much for this recipe!
Hey Dave! So glad you made this. Thanks so much for letting me know how it worked for you 🙂
My husband will LOVE this! I can’t wait to give it a try. Thanks for such a great recipe!
Kathleen, I am craving meatloaf also and actually have plans to make it this weekend 🙂 I make the brown sugar glaze also but Grumpy introduced me to putting dill pickles in it and I’m totally hooked! 🙂 I have not used oats in meatloaf before. I’m going to consider this when I make it this weekend. Looks delicious!