Mini meatloaf bites savory glaze (Printable)

Savory mini meatloaf bites baked in muffin tins, topped with a sweet maple-mustard glaze for easy servings.

# What You'll Need:

→ Meat Mixture

01 - 1 lb ground beef (85% lean)
02 - 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
03 - 1/4 cup milk
04 - 1 large egg
05 - 1/3 cup finely diced onion
06 - 1/4 cup finely diced celery
07 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
08 - 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
09 - 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
10 - 1 tsp salt
11 - 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
12 - 1/2 tsp dried thyme

→ Maple-Mustard Glaze

13 - 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
14 - 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
15 - 1 tbsp ketchup

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
02 - In a large bowl, combine breadcrumbs and milk. Let sit for 3 minutes to soften.
03 - Add ground beef, egg, onion, celery, garlic, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and thyme to the breadcrumb mixture. Mix gently until just combined, avoiding overmixing.
04 - Divide the mixture evenly among the muffin cups, pressing lightly to fill each cup.
05 - In a small bowl, whisk together maple syrup, Dijon mustard, and ketchup until smooth.
06 - Spoon or brush half of the glaze over the tops of the mini meatloaves.
07 - Bake for 20 minutes.
08 - Remove from oven and brush the remaining glaze on top.
09 - Return to oven and bake an additional 5 minutes, until the meatloaf bites are cooked through and reach an internal temperature of 160°F.
10 - Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Run a knife around each meatloaf to loosen and lift out.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • They're deceptively elegant—look like you spent hours in the kitchen when you really didn't.
  • The maple-mustard glaze strikes that sweet-savory balance that makes people ask for the recipe immediately.
  • Perfect for batch cooking; make a double batch and freeze half for chaotic weeknights.
  • Kids who normally turn their noses up at meatloaf somehow devour these like they invented them.
02 -
  • Don't skip the 3-minute breadcrumb soak—this is the actual difference between moist bites and ones that taste like meat-flavored foam.
  • The muffin tin matters more than you'd think; use a standard 12-cup and fill each cup approximately the same amount or the smaller ones will overcook while you wait for the larger ones to finish.
  • Check the internal temperature at 160°F rather than guessing by color; ground beef needs this exact temperature for food safety, and the two-stage glaze application means the tops brown faster than the insides cook.
03 -
  • Use a mix of 85% and 90% lean ground beef if you want to hedge your bets—it gives you flavor without grease pooling in the tin.
  • Make an extra batch and freeze them unbaked; they go from freezer to oven with just 5 extra minutes and feel like a miracle on a chaotic night.
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