Meatloaf Cupcakes
What’s inside: A fun and kid-friendly way to serve up meatloaf, these Meatloaf Cupcakes with Mashed Potato “Frosting” are a great way to serve meatloaves at parties or prep them for lunch boxes.
Meatloaf Cupcakes with Mashed Potato Frosting Recipe
As a parent, one of the key things I’ve learned about getting my daughter to actually eat her lunch is to put a little effort into the presentation.
A cute lunch is a lunch that’s going to actually catch her attention and have a chance of actually getting eaten.
I recently surprised her with these super cute meatloaf cupcakes with mashed potato frosting – and she loved them! We’ve since had them as a fun family dinner and they still hadn’t lost any of their allure. I also think they would be a fun addition to a party – you could put these out as well as real cupcakes for a cute sweets and meats theme.
For a fun April Fool’s Day menu, you can serve these Meatloaf Cupcakes and then follow them up with my “Chicken Pot Pie” dessert (that is actually a vanilla pudding pie). Stacey has even more April Fool’s Ideas on her site.
I hope your kids love this recipe as much as ours did!
— Jennifer
Meatloaf Cupcakes Ingredients
For your convenience, I’ve provided ad links to supplies used to make this recipe; see our disclosure policy here.
- 1lb Ground Beef
- 2 Egg Yolks (or just 1 egg)
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/4 cup Milk
- 1 Small Onion, minced
- 1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic, about 2 cloves
- 1 cup Panko-style Breadcrumbs (we used Italian-style)
- 1/2 cup Ketchup
- 1/3 cup Brown Sugar
- 2 cups Mashed Potatoes
Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.
Tip: we kept the seasoning simple but you can add your favorite meatloaf or burger seasonings to make this meatloaf cupcake recipe uniquely your own.
Helpful Kitchen Tools
- Muffin Pan
- Silicone Muffin Liners
- Mixing Bowl
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Spatula or Wooden Spoon
- Pastry Brush
- Small Microwave-safe Bowl
- Piping Bag (optional: fit with a large star tip)
How to Make Meatloaf Cupcakes
To Prep: Preheat oven to 350F and line a standard muffin pan with silicone or paper liners.
- Make Meat Mixture – Combine ground beef, egg yolks, Worcestershire sauce, seasoning and milk in a bowl. Mix in onion, garlic, and breadcrumbs until cohesive, adjusting with extra milk or breadcrumbs if needed.
- Portion & Bake – Divide mixture into prepared muffin pan and bake for 25-30 minutes.
- Glaze & Finish Baking – Brush a brown sugar-ketchup glaze on top of meatloaf cupcakes a few minutes before the end of the baking time.
- Make Mashed Potatoes – Prepare mashed potatoes while cupcakes bake, let cool slightly, then transfer to a piping bag with a large star tip.
- Assemble & Serve – Pipe mashed potato “frosting” on top and serve.
Prep Tips
- Finely Mince the Onion & Garlic: Small pieces blend better and prevent chunks that might make the cupcakes fall apart.
- Don’t Overmix the Meat: Mix until just combined; overmixing makes the meatloaf dense and tough.
- Use Muffin Liners: Save time on clean-up and prevent the meatloaves from sticking to the pan by using paper or silicone liners.
- Use Dehydrated, Instant Potatoes: Save time and prevent clumps by using instant potatoes instead of making your mashed potato frosting from scratch.
More Fun Lunch Box Recipes for Kids
- Avocado Pasta Salad
- Muffin Pan Chicken Pot Pies from Sugar, Spice and Glitter
- Healthy Veggie Pinwheels
- West Virginia Pepperoni Rolls from The Soccer Mom Blog
- Quinoa-Crusted Chicken Fingers
- Macaroni Salad from Sugar, Spice and Glitter
- Reuben Sliders
- Sandwich Lollipops from The Soccer Mom Blog
- Chicken Quesadillas
- Piggies in a Blanket from Sugar, Spice and Glitter
- Pizza Muffins
- Italian Pinwheels from The Soccer Mom Blog
- Deep Dish Mini Pizzas
Meatloaf Cupcakes Recipe (Printable Recipe Card)
If you tried this recipe and loved it too, please rate it! We’d also love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
Meatloaf Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1lb Ground Beef
- 2 Egg Yolks (or just 1 egg)
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/4 cup Milk
- 1 Small Onion, minced
- 1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic, about 2 cloves
- 1 cup Panko-style Breadcrumbs (we used Italian-style)
- 1/2 cup Ketchup
- 1/3 cup Brown Sugar
- 2 cups Mashed Potatoes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Line a standard muffin pan with silicone or paper wrappers. Set aside.
- Place the ground beef in a large bowl and add in the egg yolks, Worcestershire sauce, seasoning and milk. Use your hands or a meat chopper to completely combine.
- Add onion, garlic and breadcrumbs, mixing until completely cohesive and all ingredients are incorporated.
- You want the meat mixture to hold it's shape while being soft to the touch. Add additional milk or breadcrumbs to achieve the ideal texture.
- Divide the meat mixture into 12, placing about 1/4 cup of the mixture into each prepared muffin liner.
- Bake the meatloaf cupcakes for 25-30 minutes, until an inserted meat thermomter reaches at minimum 160F.
- About 8-10 minutes before the end of the cooking time, combine together the ketchup and brown sugar and remove the meatloaf cupcakes from the oven.
- Brush the ketchup mixture onto the top of each cupcake and then return the pan to the oven for the remaining time.
- While the cupcakes are baking, prepare your mashed potatoes according to your personal preferences.
- Allow the potatoes to cool slightly, then transfer into a piping bag fit with a large star tip.
- When the meatloaf cupcakes are done baking and have cooled for a couple minutes, swirl the mashed potato "frosting" onto each one.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 233Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 370mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 1gSugar: 9gProtein: 13g
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