Air fryer turkey meatloaf is one of the easiest healthy dinners in your air fryer. These healthy mini meatloaves are made with organic ground turkey, carrots, celery, onion, and a perfect mix of dry spices.
My son loves meatloaf and we often make different versions of meatloaf with turkey, chicken, beef, and even bison.
This turkey meatloaf in air fryer quickly became one of our favorite recipes. The meatloaves are cooked in muffin liners which makes them even more fun and convenient to pack for lunches, especially for kids.
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⭐Why you will love this air fryer turkey meatloaf
- this recipe is very easy and it is much faster to cook meatloaf in air fryer than in the conventional oven.
- the air fryer will stay clean, because we will be using parchment muffin liners to cook the meatloaves.
- it contains hidden veggies (carrots, celery, onions).
- this turkey meatloaf is lean and nutritious making it a perfect food for kids.
📋Ingredients
Below you will find the image and the list of all the ingredients to make this healthy air fried meatloaf.
Ground Turkey: I recommend using 93% lean organic ground turkey. Using leaner meat will make the meatloaf taste too dry.
Onion: yellow or white onions are both great to use.
Carrot: carrots will add some flavor, sweetness, and nutrients to your meatloaf.
Celery: it is great to add some celery for extra fiber and juiciness.
Olive Oil: I used it to saute the vegetables before adding them to the meat mix.
Egg: it is used to bind all the ingredients and to prevent the meatloaves from falling apart.
Bread Crumbs: Italian or plain bread crumbs to add some amazing texture.
Milk: you can use milk or some broth. It will help to create moist meatloaf.
Spice Mix: I used sage, thyme, cumin, garlic powder, and black pepper. All these dry herbs and spices go very well together and match the turkey flavor.
Salt: adding some salt to the meat mix will bring up the flavors and make your meatloaf more savory.
Ketchup: it is used to glaze the turkey mini meatloaves at the very end. You can skip the glazing part, although it is strongly recommended.
Brown Sugar: adding some brown sugar will create a better glaze and will balance the acidity of the ketchup.
See the recipe card for ingredients quantity.
🔪How to make turkey meatloaf in air fryer
Below I posted the step-by-step pictures with detailed instructions on how to make this mini meatloaf in air fryer.
Prepare the Veggies - Peel and rinse carrots, celery, and onion. Chop them coarsely and place them in the food processor. Process for about 30-60 seconds or until they are finely grated. You can use the box grater instead for this step.
Saute the Veggies -preheat the frying pan over medium heat. Add olive oil and the grated vegetables. Saute on medium heat stirring often for about 5 minutes or until vegetables start softening up and evaporate most of the moisture.
Make the Meat Mix - in a large mixing bowl, add ground turkey, egg, bread crumbs, milk, spice mix, salt and sauteed vegetables. Using a spatula or your hand, mix everything until all ingredients are well combined.
Form the Mini Meatloaves - using a spoon, fill each muffin liner with the meat mixture until the top. Just leave a little bit of space for the glaze.
Air Fry - preheat your air fryer for 3 minutes. Arrange the mini meatloaves on the air fryer basket in a single layer. It is ok if they touch, the muffin liners will prevent them from sticking. Air fry at 375°F for 15 minutes. Use the food thermometer to check the temperature. If it's less than 165°F, cook the meatloaf for 5 minutes longer. It took only 15 minutes in Ninja air fryer to cook mine.
Glaze - Mix ketchup and brown. Spread the glaze over each meatloaf (about one teaspoon)
More Air fry - Air fry glazed meatloaves for another 3-5 minutes. Let them cool down a little bit and enjoy!
♨️Top tip
All air fryers are different and it is so easy to overcook ground turkey by only a few extra minutes. To avoid overcooking, air fry the meatloaf for about 15 minutes first, check the internal temperature, and cook a few more minutes if it has not reached 165°F.
🍽Equipment and tools
Ninja Air Fryer Max XL, 5.5 qt
Food Processor (or box grater)
Frying Pan
Large Miming Bowl
Parchment Muffin Liners
Measuring Spoons
Measuring Cup
👪How to serve
This air fryer turkey meatloaf is high in protein and goes well with veggies, salads, or grains. Below are my favorite sides to enjoy with these meatloaves:
- Instant Pot Buckwheat Groats
- Air Fryer Carrots And Potatoes
- Ukrainian Beet Salad
- Air Fryer Frozen Asparagus
- Air Fryer Parsnip Fries
- Truffle Oil Sweet Potato Fries
🌡️How to store and reheat
Refrigerate: when the meatloaves cool down, transfer them to an airtight container and store them in the fridge for about 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave for about 1 minute or until hot. I suggest cutting the muffin meatloaf in half before reheating it in a microwave.
Freeze: you can freeze these turkey muffin meatloaves for about 3 months in freezer-safe bags or containers.
🧂Recipe variations
- Make it gluten-free by using gluten-free quick oats in place of bread crumbs.
- Switch it up by using some mushrooms instead of celery, or glazing the meatloaves with some BBQ sauce.
- Use your hands to shape it as a traditional meatloaf instead of using muffin liners. Just make sure to cook it longer or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
💭Common questions
How long to cook meatloaf in air fryer?
- It all depends on the brand of your air fryer and the size of your meatloaves. It took me 15 minutes at 175°F to cook 8 muffin meatloaves in my Ninja XL air fryer.
Can I use beef instead of turkey?
- Yes, you can use any mince meat for this recipe or even the mix of two. My favorite is the mix of beef and turkey.
Other air fryer protein recipes ideas
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📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Turkey Meatloaf
Equipment
- 1 Ninja XL air fryer
- 1 food processor or box grater
- 1 set of measuring spoons
- 1 Measuring Cup
- 1 Frying Pan
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl
- 8 muffin parchment cups
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey 93% lean
- 1 medium carrot
- 1-2 celery rib
- ¼ yellow onion
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 egg
- ⅓ cup plain bread crumbs
- ¼ cup milk or broth
- ¼ teaspoon salt or more by taste
- ⅛ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon dry sage
- ¼ teaspoon dry thyme
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dry parsley
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
Instructions
- Prepare 8 muffin parchment cups. In a food processor, add coarsely chopped onion, celery and carrot. Process for about 30-60 seconds or until finely grated. *See notes.
- In a frying pan, add olive oil and heat over medium heat. Saute grated vegetables, stirring often, for about 5-7 minutes or until most of the moisture evaporated. Turn off the heat and let them cool down little bit.
- Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, add ground turkey, egg, bread crumbs, milk, salt and spices. Now add the sauteed vegetables. Mix everything well with silicone spatula or hand until all ingredients well combined.
- Fill the whole muffin liner with the meat mix. Repeat with the rest of the meat. Arrange the meatloaves in air fryer basket in one layer. Cook at 375°F for 15 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165°.
- Using a fork, mix ketchup and brown sugar. Open the air fryer and spread about one teaspoon of glaze on top of each cooked meatloaf. Air fry for another 3-5 minutes to form a beautiful glaze. Let them cool down little bit and enjoy!
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