Making meatloaf in the slow cooker

As far as I'm concerned, you make the best meatloaf in the slow cooker. I can hear you thinking…here she comes again with her slow cooker 😉 . I totally get it and if it's not your thing, then just skip this recipe. Although you can of course also do this meatloaf in the oven, but it tastes better from the slow cooker.

Table of Contents

Make meatloaf in the slow-cooker

Below I give you the recipe to make your own meatloaf, but you can of course also get a delicious seasoned minced meat from your butcher. Then you'll be ready even faster!

You first make the meatloaf with the ingredients below and then a marinade. You will also find information about the marinade below. If you want to read more tasty slow cooker recipes, take a look here. I really recommend trying our favorite sweet and sour chicken!

Want to learn how to cook? Check the cooking course by the Cooking University for more information .

Ingredients for the meatloaf

Making meatloaf is not that difficult, whether you do it in the slow cooker or in the oven. The advantage of the slow cooker is that the minced meat is a lot more tender.

This is what you need for a meatloaf for 4-6 people:

• 800 grams of minced meat
• 1 egg
• 1 onion
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 2 teaspoons sambal manis
• Splash of soy sauce
• breadcrumbs or some finely ground oatmeal flakes (a few tablespoons)
• 1 bell pepper
• extra herbs that you feel like (for example, minced herbs or Maggie garden herbs or fresh thyme and rosemary)

Meatloaf marinade ingredients

• a few tablespoons of curry
• Splash of sweet soy sauce (I usually use Manis)
• 2 garlic cloves
• a little honey (I used ginger honey for the marinade, but you don't have to)

Mix the ingredients for the meatloaf marinade together and let it rest for a while before placing it in the slow cooker.

Preparing meatloaf in the slow-cooker

• Put the ground beef in a large bowl
• Press the garlic and add it
• Chop the onion and the bell pepper very finely
• Add the egg (white and yolk)
• Add 2 teaspoons sambal manis
• Add sweet soy sauce as desired
• Add salt and pepper
• Include a little breadcrumbs (or oatmeal) so that the minced meat is not too 'wet'
• Knead the whole with dough hooks or with your hands (don't forget to take off your rings) and shape it into a loaf of bread

Time-to-do-everything-in-the-slow-cooker

First I cut 2 more onions into rings, which go at the bottom of the slow cooker so that the meatloaf is not in its own moisture, but on top of the onion rings.

• Put the onion rings in the slow cooker first
• Place the meatloaf on top
• Grab the marinade and brush the top and sides of the meatloaf with a brush
• Set the slow cooker to low for 5 hours
• In between marinating a few times with the marinade makes it extra tasty

Prefer to make the-meatloaf in the oven?

That is of course also possible. You make the meatloaf and the marinade in the same way. Then preheat the oven to 180°C

• Place the meatloaf in a bowl (you can also place onion rings under this too)
• Marinate the top and sides with the marinade
• Place the meatloaf in the preheated oven for about 40-45 minutes.
• You can also marinate here in the meantime

As you can see, it doesn't make much difference whether you make the meatloaf in the oven or in the slow cooker. The convenience of the slow cooker is that you don't have to stay with it and that you can prepare it early before you focus on the rest of the food.

Meatloaf is also delicious on a sandwich, but also delicious with mashed potatoes or celeriac puree.