If you’re not accustomed, it can be difficult to gauge how quick ground meat cooks in the oven – which I guess is why so many people ask “how long to cook meatloaf at BLANK temperature”!
That’s exactly why I’m going to be covering the times for all the different temperatures in this article, as well as dropping tips and tricks and information on cooking meatloaf with different meats. Remember to stay tuned for a delicious meatloaf recipe at the end!
Table of Contents
- The Rule Of Thumb For Meatloaf Cooking
- How Long To Cook Meatloaf At 375
- Cooking 2lb Meatloaf: 350 – 375 Answered
- Cooking Larger Loaves At 375
- Cooking Poultry Loaves
- More Meatloaf Cooking Asks
- Tips And Tricks For Cooking Meatloaf!
- Creole Cuisine Inspired Meatloaf Recipe
- FAQs
- Meatloaf And Cooking Times
The Rule Of Thumb For Meatloaf Cooking
The standard temperature for cooking meatloaf is generally regarded to be 350 °F, though some prefer to cook their loaves at 375 °F or even 400 °F. This generally depends on your cooking method, the strength of your oven, and personal preference.
The rule of thumb generally followed for cooking meatloaf is to add 35-45 minutes to the cooking time for each pound of loaf.
How Long To Cook Meatloaf At 375
How Long To Cook 1 lb Meatloaf At 375
Any meatloaf cooked at 375 °F is best cooked for at least 40 minutes, with the higher end of that being around 45-50 minutes.
However, 1 lb meatloaves are a little faster – 25-40 minutes tends to be the mark for these light loaves. If you opt instead to cook a 1lb meatloaf at 350 °F, it will be done within around 35-45 minutes.
If you’re still unsure, use a food thermometer to double check – when fully cooked, meatloaf should reach an internal temperature of 160 °F. Once it does, you should take it out of the oven and let it rest.
If it still needs a little browning, simply turn the temperature up slightly and leave it in for another 2-5 minutes.
Whenever baking at 375 °F, be cautious and vigilant to avoid burning your meatloaf as this is a moderately high temperature to be baking it at.
Cooking 2lb Meatloaf: 350 – 375 Answered
How Long Does A 2 lb Meatloaf Take To Cook At 350?
Cooking meatloaf at 350 °F is generally a safer choice than cooking at higher temperatures.
If you’ve been wondering how long to cook a 2 lb meatloaf at 350 °F degrees, you then shouldn’t be shocked to hear that it may take a little longer than a 375 °F loaf. It requires about an hour of cooking.
Take care not to overcook your meat, as this could cause it to take on an unpleasant crumbly, and dry texture.
How Long Do You Cook A 2 lb Meatloaf At 375 Degrees?
So, how long does a 2 lb meatloaf take to cook at 375 °F? Well, the good news is that it’s a little faster!
Generally, you can expect a 2 lb meatloaf to finish cooking at roughly 45-50 minutes when cooking at 375 °F. However, it’s important to be cautious when cooking at this higher temperature – you run the risk of overcooking or burning the edges of your loaf and having a raw center.
It’s best to check your meatloaf with a food thermometer while cooking at this temperature to insure the safe internal temperature (160 °F) is reached.
Cooking Larger Loaves At 375
As expected, a larger meatloaf tends to take a little longer.
I would advise against making such big loaves not only because of this, but also because they tend to dry out a lot easier in the oven. And there’s a higher chance of uneven cooking.
If you decide to make a larger loaf, its best to cook it in a loaf pan rather than a baking pan and to keep it intermittently covered during baking. It’s also a good idea to cook it at a slightly lower temperature, and to raise it either halfway or during final third of the cooking process.
How Long To Cook 3 lb Meatloaf At 375
If you decide to bake a 3lb meatloaf at 375 °F, expect it to take somewhere between 1 hour 30 minutes – 2 hours.
How Long Does It Take To Cook A 4 lb Meatloaf At 375 Degrees?
At 350 °F, a 4lb meatloaf will take 2 hours and 40 minutes(ish) to cook.
To cook at 375 °F, you can expect it to be a little faster than this – likely from 2 hours to 2 hours and 20 minutes.
How Long To Cook A 5 lb Meatloaf At 375
Cooking a 5lb meatloaf at 375°F will take roughly 2 hours and 55 minutes.
Cooking Poultry Loaves
How Long To Cook Chicken Meatloaf At 375?
To cook chicken meatloaf at 350 °F, it will take roughly 80-90 minutes. Like baking chicken breast at 400 °F vs a lower temperature, it is a bit faster to cook your meatloaf at 375 °F.
However, be very careful to ensure you don’t undercook the chicken as ingesting raw chicken can be very dangerous.
If you’re interested in making chicken meatloaf, consider mincing your own chicken and learning the best methods for reheating chicken in the oven in order to make the safest chicken possible.
How Long To Cook Turkey Meatloaf Mini At 375?
To cook an average sized turkey meatloaf at 400 °F will take 50 minutes. This means that the same meatloaf baked at 375 °F will take roughly 1 hour.
More Meatloaf Cooking Asks
How Long To Cook Meatloaf At 325?
How long does it take to cook meatloaf at 325? Unsurprisingly, the answer is muuuuch longer than it would’ve taken at 375 °F. Unless of course you’re cooking an extra small loaf. In the case that you aren’t, however, it takes around 1 hour and 15-20 minutes.
Just be sure to keep an eye on your loaf in the final stages. While this is the slowest cooking temperature for meatloaf, it’s often regarded as the best by professional chefs! cooking your meatloaf at this temperature will keep it juicy and moist.
How Long To Cook A Small Meatloaf At 375?
If you’re looking to cook a 1lb meatloaf at 375 °F, it’ll need around 35-45 minutes in the oven. A smaller meatloaf will take even less time, so be sure to keep a low temperature and a constant eye on them.
Tips And Tricks For Cooking Meatloaf!
Before we get into the recipe below, be sure to watch this quick video by YouTube channel Mashed.
It has plenty of great advice on cooking meatloaf, including the reasons you may want to rest your meatloaf, what dish is best to use for baking it, and how different ingredients affect the outcome of your loaf.
Creole Cuisine Inspired Meatloaf Recipe
Serves: 4 people
| Prep Time: | Cook Time: |
| 15-20 mins | 45 mins – 1hr |
The meatloaf recipe used here was created by Rose of YouTube channel ’Island Vibe Cooking’. The steps to making this juicy, flavorful glazed meatloaf have been transcribed below for your convenience. This way, you have access to both a visual guide and written instructions!
Ingredients
| – 2 lbs of ground beef (85% or 90% work) |
| – 1 tbsp of olive oil |
| –1 finely diced onion |
| – 2 tbsp of minced garlic |
| – 4 slices of Cuban or Italian bread |
| – ½ cup of milk |
| – ¼ cup of chopped parsley |
| – 2 eggs |
| – 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce |
| – 1 tbsp creole seasoning |
| – Salt and pepper to taste |
Ingredients For The Glaze
| – 3/4 of a cup of ketchup |
| – 2 tbsp of tomato sauce |
| – ¼ cup of brown sugar |
| – 1 tsp of Dijon mustard |
| – 1 tsp of paprika |
| – 1 tbsp of granulated onion or onion powder |
Panade Preparation
- Begin by breaking up your bread of choice into small, bite-size pieces over a medium-large bowl.
- Then, pour in your milk over top of the bread chunks. Stir in the bread for a second or two just to make sure they’ve all been wet by the milk.
- After this, add in the eggs and mix everything up again, this time with a little more vigor.
- At this point, you can add in the parsley, Worcestershire sauce, creole seasoning, onions and bell peppers. Once again, use a wooden spoon (or your hands) to mix everything up until well incorporated. Now, your panade should be ready to receive the beef!
- Now, add the oil, black pepper, salt, garlic, and finally, the ground beef.
- Knead everything in with your hands, making sure that all of the flavors are evenly distributed into the beef.
- You’re ready to loaf up your meat! But first, let’s work on that glaze.
Making The Glaze
- To begin making the glaze, add your brown sugar, Dijon mustard, onion powder, paprika, ketchup and tomato sauce to a small bowl.
- After this, simply mix everything up! You can use a small sauce whisk, fork, or mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon.
Loafing Your Meat
I borrowed some tips from Binging With Babish’s video on meatloaf for this next step.
We’re going to be preparing the meatloaf for cooking now, which is a step that’s often overlooked. To do this, you’re going to need a baking pan, tinfoil or oil (do NOT use parchment paper) and ideally, a small loaf pan.
The idea behind using a small loaf pan is that the loaf will cook faster, be easier to maneuvered, will retain more juices, and have a more even glaze-to-loaf ratio.
With that being said, let’s start!
- Take your loaf pan and lightly oil it, making sure to drain out any excess oil.
- After this, tightly pack your meatloaf into the pan – especially around the top and sides. You want to press it down between every few layers of meat.
- Once filled to the top, turn your pan over onto the foil-lined or greased baking pan and let the meatloaf fall onto it. If you’re using a small loaf pan, make sure to leave some space for the other mini-loaves. If you don’t have a pan, just form the shape of small, well-packed loaves with your hands as best as possible.
- Once your loaves are in place and ready, put them in the oven at 350 °F for fifteen minutes WITHOUT glazing.
- Once the fifteen minutes are up, take a culinary brush and brush a thin(ish) layer of glaze onto each loaf.
- Put them back in the oven for another 15 minutes before repeating the glazing.
- After this, leave them in for another 20 to 25 minutes in the oven before taking them out. You can optionally leave the meatloaf covered in tinfoil for the entire cooking process, save for during the last 15 minutes.
- After taking your meatloaf out, leave it to rest for 10 minutes. Then, cut it into slices and serve with the glaze. Be sure to store any leftover meatloaf in the fridge to make it last longer.
FAQs
How Long To Cook Meatloaf At 375?
25 – 40 minutes seems to be the window for 1 lb meatloaves.
How Long Do You Cook A 2 lb Meatloaf At 375?
It might take 45 – 50 minutes.
How Long To Cook 3 lb Meatloaf At 375?
Somewhere between 1.5 – 2 hours would do.
How Long Does It Take To Cook A 4 lb Meatloaf At 375?
A 4 lb meatloaf will take roughly 2 hours to 2 hours and 20 minutes to cook.
How Long To Cook A 5 lb Meatloaf At 375
Cooking a 5lb meatloaf at 375°F will take roughly 2 hours and 55 minutes.
Meatloaf And Cooking Times
Meatloaf is a tricky food to create universal guidelines for – everyone has a personal family recipe or some regional variation on this dish, making it near impossible to standardize.
However, there are ways around this!
The best one us honestly just to use a food thermometer and adjust the temperature to suit your loaf n’ oven, but there are other methods to use in lieu of that.
As long as you follow the rule of thumb of adding 35 minutes of cooking for each pound of meatloaf, you should be good!
