Gluten free meatloaf is moist, tender, and delicious! This recipe is also dairy free and takes only a few minutes of hands-on preparation time. I've topped mine with my Simple BBQ Sauce, but you can use any barbecue sauce you like.
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Meatloaf is a classic, homestyle dish that's great comfort food for a weeknight dinner. It gives you a lower cost protein, as ground beef is usually less expensive than other cuts. I like that this gluten free version uses oatmeal rather than breadcrumbs.
Ingredients for Gluten Free Meatloaf
- Seasoning Mix - I use my Gluten Free Spice Mix in meatloaf. It's a tasty blend of a number of herbs and spices. Mix it up once and use it with eggs, beef, and in all sorts of different dishes! If you're in a hurry and don't have any mixed up, you might try some Montreal steak spice as a substitute.
- Oats - If you, or someone you're feeding, needs to eat gluten free, use only certified gluten free oats. Others are usually cross-contaminated by wheat from the fields and processing plants. If you don't happen to have quick oats on hand, regular GF oats will also work well.
- Dairy Free Milk - Use almond milk, cashew milk, or your dairy free milk of choice.
- Barbecue Sauce - I like this Simple BBQ Sauce, which isn't loaded with sugar.
Instructions
Add oats to milk in a large mixing bowl to soak while you turn on the oven and assemble the other ingredients.
Add eggs, ground beef, and spice mix to the oat-milk mixture. Combine it all together.
Press the mixture into a standard loaf pan, and bake it for 45 minutes.
Pull the meatloaf from the oven, drain off excess fat, and slather on the barbecue sauce.
Return it to the oven for another 10 minutes, or until it tests done in the centre with a quick-read digital thermometer.
Recipe Tips and FAQ's
Gluten free oats make an excellent substitute for bread crumbs in meatloaf. In fact I prefer to use them, because I don't generally keep bread crumbs on hand. Either regular or quick oats will work in this recipe.
Oats, or in some cases bread crumbs, and eggs act as binders to hold meatloaf together. If you let it sit for 10 minutes after you remove it from the oven, the loaf will hold together and slice better, too.
I tested this recipe with almond milk and cashew milk, but most dairy free milk beverages should work fine.
What to Serve with Meatloaf
If you have any questions or comments about the recipe, please do drop them into the comment section below. 🙂
Recipe
Gluten Free Meatloaf
Equipment
- loaf pan
- Instant-read thermometer
Ingredients
- ½ cup quick oats gluten free, if necessary
- ½ cup dairy free milk
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons Cathy's Gluten Free Spice Mix
- ½ cup Simple BBQ Sauce
Instructions
- Soak oats in milk in the bottom of a large mixing bowl
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Oil a standard loaf pan.
- Add other ingredients except for barbecue sauce to the oat-milk mixture in the large bowl. Mix everything together well. Press the mixture into the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes.
- Drain off any excess fat. Spread the barbecue sauce over the top of the loaf. Return the loaf to the oven for another 10 minutes, or until it registers an internal temperature of 160°F (71°C).
- Let the loaf sit for 10 minutes. Remove from pan, slice, and serve warm.
Notes
- Soaking the oats in milk helps to soften them as you assemble the other ingredients. They don't really need much time.
- Check the centre of your loaf with a thermometer, and remove it from the oven when it's done but not overdone. Meatloaf that cooks too long dries out.
- Your meatloaf should be ready to serve in about an hour, but the extra 10 minutes of resting time helps it to slice better.
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