Classic Beef and Pork Meatloaf
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Classic Beef and Pork Meatloaf is an old-fashioned family-friendly recipe full of flavor. The savory meatloaf combines with a delicious sweet glaze that is sure to be one of your new favorites. Serve with almost homemade mac and cheese and cheesy garlic mashed potatoes to complete this classic comfort meal!
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Classic meatloaf is one of my favorite old-fashioned recipes! It’s an inexpensive and family-friendly meal that is easy to customize to your family’s taste.
There are a lot of meatloaf recipes and variations out there but this is the best classic meatloaf recipe we have tried.
Why I love this recipe
This meatloaf turns out tender and juicy, no dry texture here! The addition of Ritz crackers instead of bread crumbs adds a subtle butter flavor. The prep time is pretty quick which is great for those busy nights as well.
The glaze on this recipe is what really takes it over the top though. It’s sweet and tangy and gets rave reviews!
Ingredients
- lean ground beef
- ground pork
- Ritz crackers
- eggs
- milk
- dijon mustard
- Worcestershire sauce
- onion
- salt and ground black pepper
- garlic powder
- ketchup
- brown sugar
- onion powder
- white vinegar
Step by step
- Preheat oven and line a loaf pan with parchment paper or foil
- In a large mixing bowl combine meat, crushed crackers, eggs, milk, ketchup, and spices. Knead together the meat mixture with your hands until blended.
- Press the meatloaf mixture into the baking dish and press it down with a rubber spatula.
- Bake uncovered for 45 minutes.
- As it gets closer to the 45 minutes stir together the glaze in a small bowl.
- Remove the meatloaf from the oven and drain any grease if necessary (a turkey baster is great for this!)
- Spread half the glaze over the meatloaf with a spoon.
- Bake an additional 45 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160 F when checked with a meat thermometer.
- Let meatloaf sit for 15 minutes before slicing.
Variations
- add in your favorite diced veggies: celery, carrots, diced peppers, even finely diced potatoes…you can also pulse the veggies in your food processor to make them extra finely chopped
- use ground turkey instead of hamburger and/or ground pork sausage instead of ground pork
- experiment with seasonings: chopped parsley, minced garlic, and Italian seasoning are all great add-ins to this recipe
- use breadcrumbs instead of Ritz crackers in a pinch
Tips for best results
- Place your loaf pan on a rimmed baking sheet to prevent mess from excess grease if using a higher fat ground beef
- When spooning the glaze over the meatloaf, be sure not to touch the spoon to the meatloaf itself so you don’t cross-contaminate the remaining glaze
Serving suggestions
Serve this meatloaf alongside mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, or roasted vegetables or any of these best sides for meatloaf.
Storage & leftovers
If you have leftovers I highly recommend trying our leftover meatloaf sandwiches! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or check out our tips for 6 ways to reheat meatloaf without drying it out.
You can freeze meatloaf before or after baking. Wrap tightly in foil and store in a freezer safe bag up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
If you try this recipe please comment and rate it below, I love hearing from you!
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Classic Beef and Pork Meatloaf
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
Classic Beef and Pork Meatloaf is an old-fashioned family-friendly recipe full of flavor. The savory meatloaf combines with a delicious sweet glaze that is sure to be one of your new favorites!
Ingredients
For the meatloaf:
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 cup Ritz crackers, crushed
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/3 cup yellow onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
For the glaze:
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 2 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper or foil and place on a rimmed baking sheet.
- In a large bowl combine all meatloaf ingredients together. Knead together with your hands to mix until just combined.
- Press the meat mixture into the prepared pan and use a rubber spatula to press it in evenly.
- Bake uncovered for 45 minutes.
- As you approach the 45 minute mark, mix together glaze ingredients in a small bowl.
- Remove the meatloaf from the oven and carefully drain any grease if necessary. (A turkey baster is good for this.)
- Spoon half the glaze over the meatloaf, being sure not to touch the spoon to the half-cooked meatloaf so you don’t cross-contaminate the glaze.
- Return the meatloaf to the oven and bake for an additional 45 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Let meatloaf sit 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Serve with remaining glaze for dipping.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 90 minutes
- Category: main course
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 293
- Sugar: 10.1 g
- Sodium: 771.4 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Carbohydrates: 13.1 g
- Fiber: 0.3 g
- Protein: 24.3 g
- Cholesterol: 121.6 mg
Loved it! I used 1.5 lbs of each and adjusted a bit for the difference, I made two loaves and it fed six right away and three more had sandwiches later.
The sauce is yummy I doubled it!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Best recipe ever! ❤️
I also used 1 1/4lb ground beef and the same with ground pork. Was so easy and quick! Lots of flavor. Will definitely make this again. Wish I had doubled the sauce- was so good.
So glad you liked it!
I was in the mood for meatloaf so I purchased the meat loaf beef/pork package at the store and found this recipe! I used panko breadcrumbs instead of ritz crackers and I didn’t have white vinegar, so substituted rice vinegar with a dab of lime juice works just as well. Make double the sauce, because you will be using it! And after putting the meatloaf in the pan, I took a couple slices of cheddar and colby cheese and folded them down into the meatloaf, so it would be in the meatloaf’s middle. Recipe is a keeper. Thank you!!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Made it exactly as the recipe said and it was really tasty. I waited the 15 minutes to let it cool and then took out of pan. The problem was I couldn’t make nice slices, it just fell apart when I tried to pick up each slice? It still was delicious but the presentation wasn’t nice
Made this exactly as given and we really enjoyed it. The only change I would make next time is to reduce the amount of brown sugar in the topping, it was just a bit too sweet for our taste. Otherwise, terrific.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Kate!
It was excellent! Will, definitely, make again! The best meatloaf we ever had! Thank you!
I rarely if ever follow a recipe. I followed this recipe.
This is THE best meatloaf EVER and I have been cooking for 50+ years. Absolutely delicious.
Yay! I’m so glad you liked it!
Delicious! This recipe has just become my new GO TO for meatloaf!
Made this for dinner last night. Used crumbled saltiness instead of Ritz crackers as that’s what I had. The end result was delicious but not pretty. It kind of fell apart and I couldn’t cut anything resembling an actual slice. I’m wondering if it’s because it cooked too long. I did the first 45 min, added the glaze, and then did the full 45 min without checking the temp. When the timer finally went off I temp’d it and it was 190! Oh well, it was still super tasty!!
Made exactly as directed except for the milk as it was so wet & mushy without it. Tasted delicious but came out mushy and there’s no way this could be sliced , more like scooped. I took pics but not sure I can show them.
Definitely going to try this. Has anyone tried making this… Take all ingredients (including the glaze ingredients) and place everything into one mixture & make burger patties? Planning on trying that!
hey – quick hello to say i just made one into a patty – grilled it – put it on a ciabatta roll before cooking the meatloaf in the oven. 10 stars!! Great idea for 2 reasons: was able to adjust the seasonings if I needed to (I didnt). Was able to eat it right away, instead of waiting for the entire meatloaf. Win,win. cheers
Preheat oven to what?
350. As the recipe states.
This meatloaf was so moist and flavorful! Excellent!
The preparation instructions do not include the chopped onion. What’s up with your proofreaders?
Re-read the directions…
Can this be made ahead and stored in the fridge or freezer? If so, how far in advance would you suggest?
I’ve made this before exactly as written except for cutting back the salt a tad (personal preference) and it was delicious. Totally replaces our old stand by. Thank you!
It was delicious! I added Hungarian Paprika and a packet of meatloaf seasoning (instead of spices). I used homemade breadcrumbs instead of the crackers. I would make it again for sure!
So this was actually one of the worst meatloaf recipes I have ever made. Sorry to those that left a post, but seriously, really? No flavor, no solidity, no crust. Horrible recipe!
Excellent! Made it exactly as directed. It came together so easily and the result was positively delicious! The whole family rave. Perfect flavors and texture. Keeping this one for sure!
Delicious!!! I used ground turkey, ground pork and saltines for the crackers. I made it for my brother who is trying to eat healthier. It was so tender yet after it was refrigerated I was able to slice it for sandwiches. Will use this recipe from now on. Thank you!!
Great recipe! Very flavorful. It’s a keeper!
Great recipe
What is a serving? How many slices?
“pre-heat oven” to SOME temprature, just pick something. Surely that will work. Consider reading or taking a class in writing directions.
The full printable recipe card with all the details can be found at the bottom of the page.
I had 2 smaller loaf pans and had to subdivide the mixture into them since ai didn’t have a loaf pan large enough to accommodate the whole thing, wish there was a time given for such a circumstance so I knew what to do.
I saw a mixture of pork and beef, (BORK) at the market and bought it to try this recipe. I made it in two smaller loaf pans and shared one with a good friend who is a great cook. Her comment, BEST EVER. I agree, Because I used the smaller foil pans I use to meat thermometer instead of the recommended timing. Came out moist tender, not dry, and very flavorful. The glaze is definately worth the time to make it. I’m not typically a big meat loaf fan but I would make this again for company.
I’m so glad you liked it Marcia!