Brown Sugar Meatloaf – Covered with a sweet brown sugar glaze this meatloaf full of flavor, it’s the best meatloaf you will ever have. Grab a fork & dig in.

sliced meatloaf on a plate.

I grew up eating meatloaf at least once a week, okay maybe it wasn’t that often but my mom loved to make meatloaf. As I got older I started to crave her recipe after having so many dry, bland and not so good meatloaf. This Brown Sugar Meatloaf recipe from my mom can’t be beat. I’m serious put it to the test.

I’ve had this meatloaf my entire life. I honestly thought this is how meatloaves were made. But as I grew up and started to eat dinner at friends homes, I quickly found out that all meatloaf is NOT created equal. My mom’s recipe is far superior and the key reason is the brown sugar glaze. {Drooling now.}

meatloaf topped with the glaze.

Another factor that makes my mom’s recipe better than everyone else’s is the fact that she uses bread, not bread crumbs. She breaks up soft, chewy bread into cubes and this makes it moist and not dry at all. My dad loves onion, so naturally, this is loaded up with onion but that is something you can adjust to your liking.

I love onion too – so I leave it as it and I cut the onion into larger chunks so that it makes it easier for my kids to pick out. Some have an aversion, thinking that it might make them grow greens on top of their head {LOL}.

a forkful of meatloaf.

The first time I made this Brown Sugar Meatloaf, my hubby was not looking forward to dinner because he hated meatloaf. HATED it. But as soon as he took a bite of my mom’s recipe – he had a change of stomach and heart. My kids love this meatloaf too!

Always fighting on who gets the end pieces because they have the most amount of glaze. My hubby and I usually win this and I tell them as soon as they make the meatloaf then they can have the end pieces. But I have been known on occasion to share.

two slices of meatloaf on a plate.

I first posted this recipe back in October 2013 and I giggle at the picture {image below} . This was when I first started my blog so it brings back some great memories. And also, I remember that day just like it was yesterday because I was so stressed out.

I made a complete dinner just to style the meatloaf and the picture isn’t even all that good. LOL. But I have learned a lot since then and I don’t stress about the side dishes in the photos anymore and that has made my life so much easier. I will say though it is fun to look back.

Make this a complete meal with:

Enjoy this best ever Brown Sugar Meatloaf – my family has been making this meatloaf for 3 generations and you will know why after your first bite.

Recipe note: NOTE: I like to drain the pan ½ way thru the baking time. We also like to double the sauce!!! 

Don’t forget to pin Brown Sugar Meatloaf this to your favorite Pinterest board for later.

Brown Sugar Meatloaf

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 293 kcal
Brown Sugar Meatloaf – my mom's recipe for the best meatloaf you will ever have. Covered with a sweet brown sugar glaze this meatloaf full of flavor. Grab a fork & dig in.
BROWN SUGAR MEATLOAF - my mom's recipe for the best meatloaf you will ever have. Covered with a sweet brown sugar glaze this meatloaf full of flavor. Grab a fork & dig in.

Ingredients
 

  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
  • 3-4 bread slices, cut into 1 inch cubes I use white sandwich
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 small yellow onion chopped
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 9×13 pan.
  • Mix together the brown sugar, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce.
  • In a mixing bowl, combine all remaining ingredients and shape into a loaf.
  • Pour sauce over loaf. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until it's cooked through and the juices run clear.
Calories: 293kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 28gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 126mgSodium: 970mgPotassium: 589mgSugar: 16gVitamin A: 215IUVitamin C: 2.6mgCalcium: 79mgIron: 3.8mg
BROWN SUGAR MEATLOAF - my mom's recipe for the best meatloaf you will ever have. Covered with a sweet brown sugar glaze this meatloaf full of flavor. Grab a fork & dig in.
Tried this recipe?Let us know what you think!
BROWN SUGAR MEATLOAF - Covered with a sweet brown sugar glaze this meatloaf full of flavor, it's the best meatloaf you will ever have. Grab a fork & dig in.

Original post image, Oct 2013, this post was recently updated.

brown sugar meatloaf

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39 Comments

  1. This is going to be my new go-to meatloaf! I made it the other night (I was craving beef… is that weird?) and assumed the kids wouldn’t even try it, but it was a HUGE hit. Everyone ate it up and said it was great. Thanks for another awesome recipe!

  2. I don`t understand how the total cooking time for this recipe is 1h. I just made a similar dish and I spent 3-4 hours to prepare it.

  3. This is similar to my recipe, but I don’t put the glaze on it until most of the fat has been cooked out and drained from the loaf pan. I don’t want to waste any of the glaze while draining off the fat.

  4. 5 stars
    I made this recipe and I was pleasantly surprised how well it turned out. I have been trying to find the right meatloaf recipe and I think my search is over. My family loved it. It is really good the next day. I misread the recipe and used 3/4 cup of bread crumbs, instead of 3-4 cubes of bread and it still turned out fine.

    1. This is baked uncovered, but if you feel like yours is getting too browned or dark, you can always tent it with foil to stop it from getting darker of course.

  5. 5 stars
    I made this a couple of weeks ago, and I had to come back to get the recipe. I’ve now bookmarked and printed it. I’ll never lose it again! It’s delicious.

  6. 5 stars
    Made this tonight, and it was a hit! My boyfriend LOVES my meatloaf, but I can never make it the same twice. Tried this one with only the bread substituted for Ritz Crackers. Still, it’s our favorite meatloaf by far!! Thank you!!!!

  7. Made it 2 times now and we really enjoy the flavour. It is easy for me to make too which I love and if I have less ground beef, I use only 1 egg. Love it. Thanks for your family recipe.

  8. 5 stars
    Great recipe! I use 1/2 lb lean ground beef and 1/2 lb ground pork. Also 1/2 cup of oatmeal, then egg, milk etc. The glaze is my favorite!

  9. Have any of you added brown sugar IN the meatloaf? And PLEASE confirm 9×13 pan? not the loaf pan?
    Thanks!

    1. 9×13 is correct, I have never made mine in a loaf pan, because I like all the sides caramelized with the glaze. And no brown sugar IN the meatloaf.

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