Whole30 Meatloaf
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This Whole30 Meatloaf recipe is gluten free, dairy free and SO delicious. Made with ground beef, almond flour and coconut aminos, then topped with a simple ketchup glaze, your family will be asking for more!
Meatloaf: a classic dish and a staple recipe to have in your recipe rotation. This whole30 version is made with ground beef, but then uses almond flour instead of breadcrumbs and omits any sort of cheese. But, it’s SO flavorful, you won’t even know it’s gluten free and dairy free!
One thing I love about this is that it uses cooked vegetables (think: carrot, onion, celery, and garlic), which elevate the flavor and ensure that the texture isn’t too dry. And of course, be sure to pair it with mashed potatoes (or, mashed sweet potatoes) if you’re feeling fancy).
Recipe features
- Made with ground beef, sautéed vegetables, almond flour, tomato paste, and coconut aminos for tons of flavor (no bland meatloaf here!).
- This meatloaf recipe is gluten free, dairy free and sugar free, but your family will never know it!
- The prep time is about 15 minutes, and after that you just throw it into the oven and it cooks.
Ingredient notes:
- Veggies – The recipe uses a combination of carrot, onion, celery, and garlic, which not only make the meatloaf more substantial and nutritious, but ensure the meatloaf isn’t dry.
- Coconut aminos – Basically whole30-approved soy sauce that’s made from coconut sap instead of soy. I like using it in all of my paleo/whole30 recipes, like this banh mi bowl and my Asian chicken lettuce wraps.
- Ground beef – I used 93% lean ground beef; you could also use 1.25 lb. ground beef and .75 ground pork if you prefer.
- Tomato paste – I recommend tomato paste in the actual meatloaf instead of ketchup because it helps to bind the ingredients together a bit better.
- Eggs – Whisk them ahead of time so they’re easier to incorporate with the other ingredients. This will also prevent you from potentially over-mixing everything, which we don’t want to do.
- Parsley – Preferably fresh for a better flavor.
- Almond flour – Since this is whole30 meatloaf, you can’t use breadcrumbs. So, almond flour to the rescue! It’s pretty flavorless and helps to hold everything together.
- Ketchup – Double check the ingredient list and make sure you’re using sugar-free ketchup (Primal Kitchen is my favorite).
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Sauté the vegetables. Start by sautéing the carrot, which takes the longest to soften. Then, add the onion, celery and garlic to the skillet and cook for about 3-4 minutes before adding in one tablespoon of coconut aminos. Allow the mixture to cool before adding it in with the other ingredients.
Step 2: Mix ingredients together. Next, add the beef, eggs, tomato paste, the rest of the coconut aminos, parsley, and almond flour to a large bowl. Then, add the cooled, cooked vegetables and use a fork or your hands to GENTLY combine everything. Stir until the almond flour is just incorporated.
Step 3: Make the glaze. Whisk the ketchup and coconut aminos together in a small bowl until they’re fully incorporated.
Step 4: Bake the meatloaf. Transfer the meatloaf mixture into your greased bread pan. Brush HALF of the glaze overtop, then bake the meatloaf for 1 hour, or until the internal temperature reaches 160°. Leave the meatloaf in the pan for 15 minutes, then carefully invert it onto a serving platter and brush the remaining glaze over it. Wait 10 minutes before slicing.
Expert tips and FAQs
- You can make the meatloaf in a 9×5 or 8×4 loaf pan.
- Always grease your loaf pan beforehand with nonstick spray.
- You’ll know the meatloaf is done once it reaches an internal temperature of 160ºF.
- Since this meatloaf doesn’t contain any breadcrumbs, it’s a little more fragile than other recipes – don’t worry if it falls apart a bit while slicing (it’s still delicious!).
What sides go with meatloaf?
So many options, but my personal suggestions are these air fryer potato wedges, Instant Pot broccoli, skillet roasted fingerling potatoes, or even these savory mashed sweet potatoes.
Can I use ground turkey instead of beef?
You actually can! You can follow the recipe as-is, but I’d check it with a meat thermometer after 45 minutes because it’ll be done a little more quickly. Just note that every oven is different, so cook times do vary.
Can this be prepped ahead of time?
Yes, somewhat. If you want to make this recipe even easier, sauté the vegetables a day ahead of time. Store them in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Then, you can mix ALL of the ingredients together in a large bowl at once before transferring to your bread pan.
Storage
- Refrigerator – Keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- To reheat, you can either microwave the slices, or if you haven’t sliced it yet, heat your oven to 250°, place the meatloaf in a shallow dish with a little bit of broth and heat until it’s warmed through, approximately 25 minutes.
- Freezer – Wrap each piece of meatloaf tightly in plastic wrap or foil, then place it into a freezer-safe plastic bag. For more tips on freezing meatloaf, check out this post from the Spruce Eats on how to best store and freeze meatloaf.
More Whole30 dinner recipes
If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
Whole30 Meatloaf
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 carrot, finely chopped
- 1 celery , finely chopped
- 1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos, divided
- 2 lb. ground beef
- 2 eggs, whisked
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup almond flour
for the glaze:
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat, then add the carrot and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the celery, onion and garlic and continue cooking for 3-4 minutes until soft. Last, add 1 tbsp coconut aminos and sauté for 30 seconds; transfer the mixture to a bowl and allow it to cool for 10-15 minutes.
- Next, preheat the oven to 350° and grease a bread pan (9×5 or 8×4) with nonstick spray; set aside.
- Add the ground beef, eggs, parsley, tomato paste, salt, almond flour, and remaining coconut aminos to a large bowl. Once the veggies have cooled, add them to the bowl as well. Use a fork or your hands to GENTLY stir everything together, being careful not to over-mix. Transfer mixture to your bread pan.
- In a small bowl, whisk the glaze ingredients together, then brush HALF of it over the meatloaf. Bake the meatloaf for 1 hour, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 160°. Leave it in the pan for 15 minutes, then carefully invert it onto a serving platter. Brush the remaining glaze on top.
- Wait 10 minutes before slicing (note: the meatloaf is going to be a little more fragile than most since it's gluten free, so it may fall apart a bit when slicing — that's ok!). Slice and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
I made this because it was gluten free. I had to use soy sauce and used frozen Kale instead of parsley. Used 4 x 8 loaf pan, ceramic took much longer to cook. I will make this again,.
The Whole 30 meatloaf is fantastic. I used to use a bunch of bread crumbs and grated locatelli cheese in my old meatloaf. This is just as delicious, and especially when I cut it up in cubes (the size of smallish meatballs) and add it to my marinara sauce. I’ll never go back!
Thank you!
I’m so happy you liked the meatloaf, Donna!
Delicious! I swapped a shallot for the onion because I didn’t have one and I chose to only use a 1/2 cup of almond flour(bobs red mill). I put some Worcestershire and sriracha to the meatloaf mix and also in the glaze topping, I think it just added a little more flavor. My husband was not a fan of meatloaf before but using this recipe he came back for seconds! This will be a staple for our family dinners, paired with roasted golden potatoes and garlic green beans. Thank you for this delicious and healthy recipe!
Thanks Gen! Glad you enjoyed the meatloaf!
Unfortunately we did not love the almond flour taste, it is pretty distinct. Not sure if there is a specific almond flour people recommend or maybe using less would be better. I wonder, would the egg alone bind it enough to skip a nut flour altogether?
Unfortunately you need some sort of flour or breadcrumbs to hold this together.. if you don’t need it to be whole30, gluten free breadcrumbs are a great option. If you still want to keep it whole30, almond flour is your best bet. You could try reducing it to 1/2 cup or 3/4 cup if you’d like. I hope this helps!
What’s a good nut free sub for the almond flour?
You could try oat flour, though I’d only use 1/2 cup to start and increase as needed.