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    Home » Recipes » Air Fryer

    Air Fryer Mini Turkey Meatloaves

    Published: Apr 21, 2022 · Modified: May 10, 2024 by Nataliia

    Jump to Recipe

    Air fryer mini turkey meatloaf is one of the easiest dinners that the whole family enjoys. These muffin meatloaves are made with ground turkey, carrots, celery, onion, and a perfect mix of dry spices. 

    Mini turkey meatloaves with ketchup glaze and green parsley on top on a white plate.

    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.

    And if you do not have much time, you can simply cook ground turkey in air fryer with just a little oil and your favorite seasonings.

    Jump to:
    • Why you will love this air fryer turkey meatloaf
    • Ingredients
    • How to make turkey meatloaf in air fryer
    • Top tip
    • How to serve
    • How to store and reheat
    • Recipe variations
    • Common questions
    • Other air fryer dinner ideas
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    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 has added veggies such as carrots, celery, onions. 

    Ingredients

    Below you will find the image and the list of all the ingredients to make this healthy air fried mini meatloaves.

    Ingredients with tags to make this recipe.
    • Ground Turkey: I recommend using 93% lean 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 juiciness
    • Celery: just one large rib. You can also skip celery.
    • 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.
    • Brown Sugar: adding some brown sugar will create a better glaze and will balance the acidity of the ketchup. 

    See the recipe card at the end of this post 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 meatloaves in air fryer.

    Air fryer turkey meatloaf process shots picture collage.

    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 fryer turkey meatloaf process shots picture collage.

    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.

    Three muffin metloafs on a plate. One if them is cutin half to show how it looks inside.

    How to serve

    This air fryer turkey meatloaf goes well with veggies, salads, pastas 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 dinner ideas

    • Air fryer frozen chicken wings
    • Air fryer chicken meatballs
    • Air fryer chicken cutlets
    • Air fryer fish fillets from frozen

    📖 Recipe

    Mini turkey meatloaves with ketchup glaze and green parsley on top on a white plate.

    Air Fryer Turkey Mini Meatloaves

    Nataliia
    Air fryer mini turkey meatloaf is one of the easiest dinners that the whole family enjoys. These muffin meatloaves are made with ground turkey, carrots, celery, onion, and a perfect mix of dry spices. 
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 18 minutes mins
    Total Time 38 minutes mins
    Course dinner, Main Course
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4
    Calories 288 kcal

    Equipment

    • 1 Ninja XL air fryer
    • 1 food processor or box grater

    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!

    Notes

    *if you do not have food processor (or too lazy to wash it after), use a simple grater box to grate your vegetables. Onions can be also finely diced.
    *place the parchment muffin cups in a muffin pan for easier filling. If you have air fryer round muffin pan - use it. But just parchment liners works well too.
    *all air fryers cook differently. My Ninja took only 15 minutes to cook these meatloaves. Always use thermometer to avoid over cooking or under cooking.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 2mini meatloavesCalories: 288kcalCarbohydrates: 15.4gProtein: 27.4gFat: 12.6gSodium: 478.6mg
    Keyword air fryer meatloaf, air fryer mini meatloaves, muffin meatloaves
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Sava's kitchen female author wearing an apron standing in the kitchen.

    Hi, I'm Nataliia, a mom from Ukraine living in the U.S. I share cozy, family-friendly recipes that taste like home, no matter where you are. I hope these recipes end up in your family’s recipe box someday.

    More about Nataliia →

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