No-fail Gluten-Free Meatloaf that’s easy to make, packed with flavor, and comforting any night of the week. This gluten-free meatloaf recipe is also dairy-free and nut-free.
If you are looking for a meatloaf recipe with oatmeal you’ve come to the right place. If you can’t have oats, no worries, you can use gluten-free crackers or breadcrumbs instead.
For more easy gluten-free dinners you might like my Hawaiian Chicken. My Beef Short Ribs are also easy to make and amazing. For more ideas check out my Easy Gluten Free Recipes.
Gluten-Free Meatloaf
Gluten-Free Meatloaf doesn’t have to be tasteless and dry. It can’t be flavorful, moist, and delicious. You’re going to love this easy gluten-free meatloaf recipe. It has some hidden veggies and some additional optional add-ins. It’s one of the easiest weeknight meals and it can be made ahead of time and baked when ready.
My husband got this gluten-free meatloaf recipe from a friend, who got it from a friend. Since then, I’ve modified it to meet my family’s style. This is one of the few meatloaf’s that I actually like. Growing up, meatloaf was a dry hunk of meat that you could barely swallow, even after you smothered every inch of it in ketchup (sorry mom, it’s true!).
I really enjoy this gluten-free meatloaf recipe for two reasons. The first being that it’s moist and full of flavor. The second is that it is loaded with veggies. If you prefer turkey over beef you’ll want to make this Turkey Meatloaf.
Meatloaf has European origins dating back thousands of years and has been a staple meal in households across the United States for centuries – hitting cookbooks in the U.S in the early 19th century. It’s quick to throw together and is considered a low budget meal when served with vegetables and potatoes.
You can use ground turkey or beef in this gluten-free meatloaf recipe and you don’t need to do anything different if you decide to use one or the other. We typically make this gluten-free meatloaf with beef but not everyone likes beef or can eat it.
The shredded zucchini adds moisture to the recipe, helping to keep the gluten-free meatloaf from drying out. You don’t have to add the other recommended vegetables, but we like to hide veggies in our meals, so we usually add all the vegetable options.
Tips for making gluten-free meatloaf
- You can use gluten-free breadcrumbs or crushed gluten-free crackers in place of the gluten-free oats
- Make sure all your ingredients are gluten-free
- Use a gluten-free Worcestershire sauce
- You can leave out the veggies if you like, but they add flavor and moisture to the recipe
If you have any questions, please ask in the comments below.
How to make Gluten-Free Meatloaf
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- In a large mixing bowl, blend all ingredients.
- Press the meatloaf mixture into a loaf pan, or 8×8 square pan.
- If desired, brush the top with ketchup half way through baking.
- Bake 1 hour.
- Let cool for ten minutes. Serve hot.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
That’s it. Super easy! You can always make the gluten-free meatloaf mixture the night before and store it covered in the refrigerator. Simply pre-heat the oven when you are ready to bake it and add 5 minutes to the cook time (because you are baking it from a colder temperature point).
Can I use gluten-free crackers in meatloaf
Yes! traditionally people used to make their meatloaf recipe with oatmeal. You can use gluten-free crackers or breadcrumbs in meatloaf. We typically use gluten-free oats in our gluten-free meatloaf but not everyone can tolerate oats. Swap the 1 cup of oats in this recipe for equal parts crushed gluten-free crackers or dried breadcrumbs and bake as directed.
Are oats gluten-free?
Oats in a natural form, with no contamination, are gluten-free. If the oats are grown on land that once grew wheat they may be contaminated. Also, when processing oats, if they’re not processed in a wheat-free facility there’s a risk of contamination. We like to use Gluten-Free Harvest Certified Organic Rolled Oats (affiliate link) in our gluten-free meatloaf.
What to serve with gluten-free meatloaf
- Gluten-Free Crescent Rolls
- Mashed Potatoes
- Steamed Green Beans
- Roasted Vegetables
- Salad
- Lemon Wok Asparagus
- Red Roasted Potatoes
- Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts
If you have any questions about this gluten-free meatloaf recipe please leave a comment below and I will get back to you.
Again, this meatloaf is delicious, healthy, and low-budget. You can either make it in advance, or bake it while you are winding down after work. You can serve almost any side with gluten-free meatloaf and you can be sure everyone will love it.
If you like meatloaf but you are looking for a Paleo version, Noshtastic has a fabulous Paleo Meatloaf with gravy that is Whole 30. Perchance to cook has a super yummy Apple Sage Turkey Meatloaf.
No-fail Gluten-Free Meatloaf that's easy to make, packed with flavor, and comforting any night of the week. You are going to love how tender this easy gluten-free meatloaf recipe is.Gluten-Free Meatloaf
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8
Serving Size:
1 cup
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 196Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 74mgSodium: 488mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 19g 
Tessa
I couldn’t believe how good this meatloaf was! I used to hate meatloaf. Not and more. Thank you!
Lorraine
I replace the carrot with celery, truly this is a great recipe! THANK-YOU!
Lucy E.
Looked up a GF recipe for meatloaf and saw this first off. I could not believe how great it sounded and made it right away for dinner tonight since I fortunately had all the ingredients. My husband LOVED it and so did I. Found it easy to prepared and absolutely delicious!! Thanks for posting it…mine was never even close to being this good in my pre-Celiac disease days!! Printed it out so I can make it again
chrystal
Hi Lucy,
I am so glad you both loved it. Thank you for taking the time to stop back by and let me know.
All my best,
Chrystal
Alicia
I made this recipe for the first time as is and it was great. I’m going to make again in muffin tins and freeze for my daughter’s school lunch.
chrystal
I’m so glad you like this meatloaf! We love it and rotate it into our menu monthly.
Best,
Chrystal
Leanne
Hi, I’d love to make this but don’t know what you consider a “small” zucchini. Approximately how much of a cup will I need?
chrystal
Great question, Leanne. I would say it’s a 1/2 cup moderately packed. Hope that helps.
Best,
Chrystal
Susan
I made this tonight and followed the recipe exactly. Best meatloaf I’ve ever made. Thank you!!
Laura
Could this recipe be doubled and still fit into a loaf pan? I feel like most meatloaf recipes I come across use 2lbs of ground beef and I would like to make a bigger portion so we have plenty of leftovers. Perhaps with the oats and veggies, it makes a bigger loaf so doubling would not be necessary?
chrystal
Hi Laura,
I think it will fit in a large loaf pan. You’ll need to cook it a little longer to get the center cooked through.
Best,
Chrystal
Millie
HI Chrystal, I made this recipe for the first time recently and we loved the taste. However, it had a bit of a mushy consistency. I doubled the recipe, added gf breadcrumbs instead of the oats, 80% lean grass-fed ground beef, and didn’t add the carrots. Should I add another egg to hold it together better? I molded it in a shallow pan, because 2 lbs with all the ingredients didn’t fit into my loaf pan. Could this be the issue?
Any advise to make it less mushy would be greatly appreciated. TIA!
chrystal
Hi Millie,
Although gf bread crumbs are an option they don’t absorb moisture the same way that oats do. Try cutting the bread crumbs in half next time and see if that helps. You can add another egg but it might give it more of a spongy texture.
Best,
Chrystal
DeAnn Heinekamp
I doubled this recipe, leaving out the carrots and adding 1/2 cup of chopped green and red bell peppers. I formed two loaves and baked for 45 minutes in a casserole dish. The result was a delicious, moist meatloaf that stuck together perfectly.
chrystal
I’m so glad you like it. I love the addition of bell peppers! Thanks for sharing.
Best,
Chrystal
Chani
I just tried this recipe (my first time making meatloaf ever!) and while it was absolutely delicious I had some trouble so I want to see if you can help me fix it and try it again. I used GF breadcrumbs and I probably overestimated the amount of zucchini since I wasn’t using carrot and wasn’t sure what you meant by small zucchini. The result was a mushy consistency that looked like raw egg so I baked it for another 20 minutes and that may have helped some but was still too mushy to slice and serve. We ate it anyway and loved the flavor but I wonder if I would need to increase the breadcrumbs to match the oats or something else. Probably less zuc would help too but wasn’t sure if that would make enough of a difference. Also, I used kosher beef and it likely was more salted than regular beef and I would reduce the salt in the recipe next time to account for that. Thanks for any insight!!
chrystal
Hi Chani,
It does sound like it was the zucchini. I’ll update the post but it’s about 1/2 cup shredded zucchini. Zucchini tends to have more liquid in it. For the breadcrumbs, you would need to use dry breadcrumbs as they would absorb some of the liquid.
I hope that helps,
Chrystal
Chani
Ok, thanks so much. That’s what I figured and will try it again with less zuc, less salt and will add in carrot. I will probably try the oats as well to see if that works better than the particular brand of GF breadcrumbs that i used. BTW, what do you serve this with? Excited for a new “go-to” recipe for ground beef! Thanks!!
Chani
Oops, I now see your whole list of sides to serve with it so disregard that question.
Debbie
I just found out besides needing gluten free I am allergic to tomatoes is there anything I could substitute the ketchup with? This recipe sounds so good and I really love a good meatloaf. I am wanting to try this recipe but I am stumped on what could give me a like affect the way the ketchup does.
chrystal
Hi Debbie,
You might be able to use a tomato free BBQ sauce. Also, if you like ketchup they make a tomato free ketchup. One brand is called “Nomato Ketchup”. There are others.
I hope that helps.
Best,
Chrystal
Debbie
Yes it does I will try that thank you
Beckie
OMG!!! this was aaaamazing! Even if you’re not GF, this is the best meatloaf, hands down. Kudos and thank you!
chrystal
I’m so glad you like it Becky. Thank you for stopping by to let me know.
Best,
Chrystal
Marzipan
We cannot eat tomatoes so I subbed in green salsa- delicious! I had not made meatloaf in years but am making this regularly now, it is so good. I have used green bell pepper rather than zucchini with excellent results. In this time of infrequent grocery shopping I am now subbing in onion and garlic powder- still wonderful.
chrystal
I love the idea of using green salsa! Thank you for sharing.
Best,
Chrystal
David Ganon
Does it matter whether you use steel-cut oats as opposed to rolled oats? And I assume you use the raw, dry oats rather than cooked oats, but could you confirm? So glad to have found this website — thank you!
chrystal
Steel cut oats don’t cook enough in this recipe. It’s best to use rolled oats or quick oats.
Best,
Chrystal
Ginger
My husband and I really enjoyed this meatloaf. We didn’t add zucchini, but the meatloaf still was very moist with carrots. Also, I wasn’t sure if I should use rolled oats or quick oats, but I had Bob’s GF old fashioned rolled oats on hand and made them finer in a food processor. I figured smaller pieces were better than larger oats! It is a keeper for our family. Taste was great and it held up well!
chrystal
Hi Ginger,
I am so glad you both like it. Thank you for sharing.
Best,
Chrystal
Marina McDonald
Made this recipe almost exact minus the carrot and used Trader Joes rice crumbs. Was a winner and officially making the rotation, thank you.
chrystal
I’m so glad you liked it. Thank you for sharing what you used.
Best,
Chrystal
Shelby
After great success with your cake recipes I had to venture to try something new.
Normally my meatloaf is just whatever I have on hand and a GF McCormick seasoning pack. I made the effort to follow this recipe exactly as written and it did not disappoint! I will admit I was skeptical about baking carrots and zucchini into a meatloaf but if it helps me eat more vegetables I am all for it. Upon letting it cool the color was throwing me off a bit and my boyfriend was skeptical about eating it.
I could not believe how moist this meatloaf was! I can normally make a great meatloaf but this was 10x better than mine and it had extra vegetables in it! It even reheated to a delicious moist meatloaf for the next several days of leftovers. You continue to amaze me with your recipes!
Beata
“This is delicious” said my 9 year old daughter and asked for an extra helping. The rest of us agreed. I reduced the mustard by 1/2 as my picky girl is not a fan. I finely grated the carrots and omitted the zucchini. I used gluten-free rolled oats. Perfect texture! Great taste! Super easy! Thank you for your kid friendly recipes.
chrystal
You are so welcome. I am glad that you both loved it.
Best,
Chrystal
Beth
I have made this and we enjoy it. I am wondering if I can make ahead and freeze? Will it still be decent?
chrystal
Yes, you can freeze this meatloaf. We often freeze the leftovers and reheat it.
Best,
Chrystal
Rita
This meat loaf was excellent. Loved the texture. I used grass fed beef and was worried it would be dry. I used one whole small-medium sized zucchini, and used 3/4 cup whole rolled oats. For my taste preference I only used 1/8th cup mustard. This was moist, flavorful, and if I hadn’t made it never would have known oatmeal was in there. Will make again and again
chrystal
I am so glad you liked it. Thank you for sharing what you used.
Best,
Chrystal
Dixie
I have never written a recipe poster before! My hubby and I LOVED this meatloaf. I didn’t have a zucchini, so I chopped up a cup plus of spinach for a double recipe. I also added beef Better Than Bouillon. Oh my it was so good.
chrystal
So glad you both loved it.
Best,
Chrystal