Meatloaf is a very popular family dinner and it can be very stressful being the chef when you have the whole family around the table waiting for a bite!
If you find yourself on this page, you’re probably wondering how long you should cook your meatloaf for the perfect, most comforting loaf possible. There is nothing worse than waiting patiently for your delicious meatloaf meal, only to open the oven and find it charred!
With your oven set to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, you will be looking at somewhere between 25 and 30 minutes on average, however, this will depend on the size of the meatloaf.
If this sounds like a dilemma you regularly have, you’ve come to the right place! This article will tell you everything you need to know about cooking your meatloaf to perfection. Let’s dive in!
How Long Should You Cook Meatloaf At 375 Degrees For?
After you have spent time preparing your meatloaf meal, you’ll want to make sure that it is cooked to perfection. Leaving the meatloaf undercooked or overcooking the meatloaf are two disasters that you don’t want to experience.
If you’re hoping to avoid either of these situations, you will need to pay attention to the temperature, personal preference, and size of the meatloaf and adjust your cooking time based on this (need help adjusting your cooking times? See our guide here).
Personal Taste Preferences
If you prefer your meatloaf to be juicy and soft, you will want to cook it at a temperature that is lower than 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
This is because you want the meatloaf to be cooked through without it being dry and hard. Try cooking your meatloaf at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for around 40 minutes.
Some people prefer their meatloaf to be crunchy and less juicy. If this is how you like yours, you should set the oven to a high temperature. Somewhere between 375 and 400 degrees Fahrenheit will work here.
Size
The size of the meatloaf has a big impact on the length of time you will need to cook it for. The bigger the loaf, the longer it will need to cook. If you are cooking a meatloaf that is 5 lbs, it will take a lot longer to cook than a loaf that is 1 lb.
How Long To Cook A 2lb Meatloaf At 375 Degrees Fahrenheit
You will not want to cook your 2lb meatloaf for longer than an hour as this can lead to it drying out and becoming crumbly and hard. If you’re not sure that your meatloaf is cooked through, check the internal temperature. This should be around 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
How Long To Cook A 4lb Meatloaf
It is recommended that you set the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit for a 4lb meatloaf. You will need to leave it in the oven for between 2 and 2 and a half hours.
Before you remove the product from the oven, check the internal temperature of the meatloaf to ensure that it has cooked all the way through.
Temperature
If you cook your meatloaf at quite a low temperature, you will need to leave it in the oven for longer. This will mean that the moisture will be kept in your meatloaf.
How Do You Know If Your Meatloaf Is Cooked?
When you have taken your meatloaf out of the oven, your pork and beef meatloaf must reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit, and your chicken and turkey meatloaf reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
To check this, invest in a thermometer to measure the temperature. This way your meatloaf will never be undercooked!
What Temperature Should You Cook Your Meatloaf At?
You should attempt to cook your meatloaf at a temperature between 325 degrees Fahrenheit and 400 degrees Fahrenheit. If you put the oven on any higher than this, you will end up drying out your meatloaf!
How To Cook Your Meatloaf In An Air Fryer
If you don’t want your meatloaf to be too greasy, it is a good idea to cook it in an air fryer. The air fryer will allow the grease to drip through the basket, meaning that the final product is not too greasy.
You should cook your meatloaf for around 30 minutes in an air fryer. Again, check that the meatloaf is cooked to temperature by using a thermometer. The internal temperature should be between 160 and 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
When the meatloaf is cooked, remove it from the air fryer and let it cool for around 20 minutes. This will prevent the meatloaf from falling apart due to high temperatures.
Step-By-Step Guide To Making Your Meatloaf
Meatloaf is a comforting and popular meal that is a great one to master. You want your whole family to consider your meatloaf the best out there! Follow these steps below to ensure that your meatloaf is prepared and cooked to perfection!
First, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensure that the rack is in the middle of the oven.
Next, place some ground turkey (or your preferred meat) in a large bowl. Add the pepper, garlic, salt, celery, egg, onions, breadcrumbs, and ketchup to the bowl and mix all of these ingredients thoroughly.
Next, transfer this mixture into a loaf pan. Ensure that the tin you have chosen is suitable for your loaf, and attempt to form a loaf shape with it.
Next, bake the meatloaf in the oven. Ensure to keep an eye on it so that it doesn’t end up getting burned.
When fully cooked, remove the meatloaf from the oven and enjoy!
Final Thoughts
So, there you have it! We hope that you have enjoyed this ultimate guide to cooking meatloaf to perfection. Ideally, meatloaf should be cooked at around 375 degrees Fahrenheit for between 20 and 30 minutes, depending on the size of the meatloaf and your personal preference.
With the help of this guide, you will easily be able to prepare and cook a fantastic meal for the whole family. With some trial and error, you will certainly be able to prepare the best meatloaf for everyone to enjoy, and your family will be requesting this meal for weeks to come!
Have you ever made something so delicious that you wished you could savor it forever?
Only to find that the recipe has now mysteriously vanished from your phone and the entirety of the internet. Yep, there’s not much more painful than that.
Hi, my name is Mark Williams and I have been infatuated with cooking since I was young. I would beg my mother to pull a chair up to the counter so I could watch what she was doing.
