Best Keto Meatloaf Recipes
Best keto meatloaf recipes for the lover of meatloaf and the skeptic looking for that elusive flavorsome and "this is the best ever" recipe...
Meatloaf is one of those adaptable comfort foods.
When meatloaf is good it can be really good, but when it is bad, it can be really awful.
I am sure a few of you are smiling or maybe grimacing right now, thinking back to that - dry, tasteless meatloaf you had to eat at some family function when you were a child.
I am pretty sure we've all had a -
“This is the best meatloaf ever!” moment
and the
“What am I eating?” experience.
If you like meatloaf and adopted a ketogenic lifestyle, you are probably looking for a gluten free, grain free, sugar free version of your best memory of meatloaf.
Looking for ketogenic meatloaf recipe ideas, carry on reading...
If you are searching for Caveman Keto's Bacon Explosion, go straight here.
Wanting no carb tips? Then go here.
Personally, I have a bit of a love hate relationship with it.
But, this is usually the time of the year that I feel like trying my hand at meatloaf again.
And looking around for new keto friendly recipes, I found the easiest way to make sure that my meatloaf is not dry is to add bacon and cheese to it.
How did we cope before keto and the abundance of fat in our food?
With added fat, my food is seldom dry and after all bacon makes everything tasty. Doesn't it?
I like my meatloaf full of flavor.
It needs to be moist, but not soggy and definitely not too dry.
Not asking much am I? 🙂
I like to get the flavor from onion and a combination of fresh and dried herbs.
Sometimes I like an Italian version with oregano, rosemary, basil and more Italian herbs.
Other times I indulge in Mexican flavors – cilantro, cumin, chilies, peppers with avocado and Mexican salsa.
And as bacon is synonymous with keto - bacon wrapped and cheese filled - makes for a rich and filling ketogenic indulgence.
Here I share my top keto meatloaf recipes.
We’ll start with a classic meatloaf.
Classic meatloaf is normally made with ground meat, bread or bread crumbs soaked in milk, eggs, diced onion, celery and carrots. Usually this traditional meatloaf then has a ketchup glaze on top.
Here is my favorite keto friendly version of this dish…
Simple and Easy Basic Recipe
This is as basic as meatloaf can be.
It is made with ground beef and is bound with golden flaxseed meal.
To bind your meatloaf you really have three low carb options. These are coconut and almond flour and flaxseed meal like in this recipe.
Maya from WholesomeYum makes this recipe with Worcestershire Sauce, but coconut aminos work well for a sugar free option.
Keto meatloaf is generally very tender and easily falls apart.
Maya suggests that you use a sharp serrated bread knife and that you let it rest for ten minutes before attempting to slice it.
Go here for the recipe and the source of the picture.
Pizza Inspired
Pizza or meatloaf for dinner?
Why not combine the two flavors?
To make this rich and delicious dish Taryn from Joy Filled Eats use ground turkey, pepperoni slices and mozzarella cheese. She serves it with a pasta sauce.
She doesn't use any flour for binding, only egg.
She effectively layers this dish. First she adds a layer of the ground turkey mixture into her loaf pan.
Then she adds a layer of pepperoni slices on top of the ground turkey layer.
She adds the cheese and more pepperoni slices around the cheese.
Then she adds another layer of ground beef. This is for the top and also the sides of the loaf to effectively form a roll.
She finishes it off with more pepperoni slices.
If you like the combination of pizza and meatloaf, get the recipe from Joy Filled Eats.
Dairy Free Paleo Meatloaf with Almond Flour
Delicious clean eating at its best...
This paleo meatloaf is made with ground beef, almond flour as the binder, eggs, unsweetened almond milk, mushrooms and a homemade tomato sauce for the top.
This recipe is from Kettle and Fire. You probably know them better for their delicious bone broth.
Italian Low Carb Meatloaf with Parmesan Cheese
This simple classic keto meatloaf is made with ground beef and no fillers.
What makes it special is the Italian flavors, the homemade marinara sauce and the Parmesan cheese crust on top.
This simple no fuss recipe has been developed by Lisa from DownShiftology.com
If you like the idea of simplifying your life, whilst enjoying delicious and highly nutritious food, then you'd definitely want to check out her blog.
Ketogenic Mexican Chili Meatloaf
Denise from My Life Cookbook based this ketogenic Mexican meatloaf recipe on her mother's chili recipe.
She uses ground beef and pork, because she feels the pork gives the meal more flavor. To make it gluten and grain free she makes this keto meatloaf with almond flour.
To get the Mexican flavor, it is packed with Mexican spices and chili.
Get the recipe and original picture here.
Keto Meatloaf with Bacon and Cheese Recipe
As you'd know from reading the introduction, I am one of those love hate people when it comes to making meatloaf.
This is my favorite recipe right now. Like many of my keto recipes it is very rich, but off course that is great, because it means we eat smaller portions.
I would love to hear what you think in the comments below?
What you need
What you Do
This recipe makes 8 servings.
More - Photos and Tips
Here is the 5 by 5 bacon weave in the meatloaf pan. Check out the video at the bottom of the page for instructions to make it.
I used a normal loaf pan, but I am considering getting a two piece pan like this one from Rachael Ray.
Here is the bacon weave with the first layer of the ground beef mixture, the sour cream and cheese layered on to that.
After this picture was taken, I added the rest of the beef on top and then folded the bacon over the beef.
If you want to see how to make a bacon weave, then watch the video below by Caveman Keto.
He shows how to make his keto bacon explosion meatloaf, which he makes with 2 bacon weaves. (One on the inside and one on the outside.)
The cooking times are just an indication as ovens differ. It is best to use a meat thermometer to be sure that the meat is cooked through. I like the one I share in my ultimate gift guide for anybody following a keto lifestyle.
Slow Cooker Barbecue Loaf
If you've never made a meatloaf in your slow cooker, then you definitely want to check out this recipe. You'll be surprised how moist and flavorful it can be.
If you love your slow cooker or crock pot and are looking for a keto friendly recipe, then get cooking...
This deliciously moist meatloaf is made with ground beef, ground pork and almond flour.
Get this delicious recipe here.
Buffalo Chicken Meatloaf with Coconut Flour
There is so much I like about this buffalo chicken meatloaf with coconut flour recipe. 🙂
Where do I start?
Firstly it is made with ground chicken and coconut flour. Most of the meatloaf recipes I've found are made with almond flour or flax seed. This loaf shows that coconut flour is also a viable option.
Lisa used onion powder to get the flavor she wanted. Onions tend to be high in carbs, so where possible she replaces them with powder.
She uses this buffalo wing sauce for the divine flavor and then finishes it off with a creamy blue cheese dressing which perfectly complements the buffalo chicken wing flavor.
This delicious meal was prepared by Lisa from LowCarbYum. Lisa is an amazing photographer and likes to share photos of every step of her cooking process. Visit her website to enjoy her beautiful photos and wonderful food.
Crockpot Zucchini Meatloaf
Here is another crock-pot meatloaf recipe.
This Italian inspired dish is made with beef or bison and with zucchini rather than gluten free bread crumbs or flour.
When you use zucchini be sure to squeeze out as much of the water out of the zucchini as possible.
Get this simple delicious recipe here.
Mini Meatloaves with Pork Rinds and Cheddar Cheese
Want more control over your portion sizes? Then try these mini meatloaves.
They are made with ground beef, pork rinds and cheddar cheese.
They are great as a main meal, but also as a snack and you can make them as small as you want.
Caveman Keto Meatloaf
This Low Carb High Fat Caveman Keto Meatloaf or Bacon Explosion as it is also known as, is the most searched for ketogenic meatloaf on the internet.
It is far from a traditional meatloaf. In fact it really is a meat and cheese explosion.
It is made with ground beef, pork sausage, lots of thick cut bacon and shredded cheddar cheese.
Want to try it? Go get the recipe and step by step pictures at Caveman Keto.
The secret of this roll is that it has a bacon weave on the inside and the outside of the ground beef and ground sausage layer.
Watch the video below to see exactly how it is made. If you just want to see how he makes the outside bacon weave, then skip straight to minute 6:15...
This Bacon Explosion is probably as close as you are going to get to a no carb meatloaf. It has only 1 gram of net carbs per portion and that mostly comes from the cheese.
No Carb Meatloaf
I often see questions in the forums from people looking for no carb meatloaf.
Personally I have not found a no carb recipe, but the net carbs in meatloaf is generally low.
To keep the net carbs as low as possible, consider the following:
I think it is unlikely that we'll get to a zero carb meatloaf recipe that is full of flavor. But we can definitely keep the carbs very low.
If you do want to add a flour, then ground flax meal is your lowest carb option. Check out this guide for a comparison of the different low carb flours.
If you do find a no carb version, please let us know in the comments below.
Finally
One of the things I love about an LCHF meatloaf is that the extra fat we add with bacon, cheese and or cream means that you'll probably never have a dry meatloaf. Nor are you likely to have a flavorless or tasteless one.
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