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Home » Instant Pot Magic

Pressure Cooker Meatloaf with Brown Sugar Glaze

By Gary White
This post may contain affiliate links.
Read my full disclosure here.

Published February 12, 2019. Last modified August 1, 2025 By Gary White

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pressure cooker meatloaf image for Pinterest.

The best part about this pressure cooker meatloaf recipe (other than the insane flavor) is the way that it's cooked. By cooking it in a steamer basket, all the fat drains away, making it as healthy as meatloaf can be. It's easily made gluten free with the right breadcrumbs; and with an irresistible brown sugar ketchup glaze, you’ll be coming back for more!

sliced meatloaf on white plate with mashed potatoes and green beans

I'll be honest... I've seen a lot of pressure cooker meatloaf recipes online that just didn't seem appetizing at all. It seems as though most methods prefer to glaze the meatloaf before you cook it, like you would in a traditional meatloaf recipe. But that just doesn't work for pressure cooking. IMHO. What you usually end up with is a slimy, almost orange sauce that kinda ruins it for me. Even when you put it under a broiler, there's really no coming back from it.

So I decided to switch things up for this one. It took a few tries to get it right, but I think you'll be very happy with this method! I know my family was.

Can I make this gluten-free?

Absolutely! We've tested this recipe using 4C Gluten Free Crumbs, and we couldn't have been happier with the results. Our local grocery store carries this brand of bread crumbs, but if yours doesn't you can order them online here.

sliced meatloaf on white plate with mashed potatoes and green beans

How to Make Pressure Cooker Meatloaf

ground beef in mixing bowl
Add ground beef to large mixing bowl.
breadcrumbs and spices in mixing bowl
In a separate bowl – combine dry ingredients.
breadcrumbs and spices on top of ground beef
Add dry ingredients to ground beef and mix well with hands or fork.
eggs, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce in mixing bowl with whisk
In same bowl used for dry ingredients – whisk together wet ingredients.
wet ingredients poured over ground beef
Add wet ingredients to ground beef mixture and mix well to combine.
whole uncooked meatloaf on steamer basket in Instant Pot
Form one large circular loaf with the beef mixture and place in a steamer basket. Add 1 cup of water to pot along with a 2-inch trivet. Place basket on top of trivet. Lock lid and cook for 16 minutes at high pressure.
ketchup and brown sugar in mixing bowl
Meanwhile – combine ½ cup ketchup and brown sugar with a whisk.
whole cooked meatloaf on steamer basket in Instant Pot
Once cook time is complete, allow pressure to release naturally (about 10 minutes).
whole meatloaf on baking sheet
Transfer meatloaf to a baking sheet...
meatloaf covered with ketchup glaze on baking sheet
...and generously glaze with ketchup mixture.
whole meatloaf under broiler on baking sheet
Place under high broiler for about 3-5 minutes...
whole meatloaf in oven on baking sheet
...or until desired caramelization occurs.

And this is the AMAZING result...

sliced meatloaf on wooden cutting board

 

More Instant Pot Ground Beef Recipes

  • Pressure Cooker American Goulash
  • Pressure Cooker Chili

★ Did you make this Pressure Cooker Meatloaf?

Please give it a star rating below! ★

📖 Recipe

sliced meatloaf on white plate with mashed potatoes and green beans

Pressure Cooker Meatloaf with Brown Sugar Glaze

This meatloaf is perfectly juicy with a glaze that's edible by itself.
5 from 9 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 392kcal
Author: Gary White

Ingredients 

Meatloaf

  • 2 lbs. ground chuck
  • 2 tsp. sea salt
  • 1 tsp. black pepper
  • ½ tsp. garlic powder
  • ½ tsp. onion powder
  • ¼ tsp. dried parsley
  • ¼ tsp. dried thyme
  • ½ cup bread crumbs see notes for gluten-free option
  • ½ cup chicken stock
  • 3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. ketchup
  • 2 eggs

Glaze

  • ½ cup ketchup
  • ¼ cup brown sugar

Instructions

  • Add ground beef to large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl – combine dry ingredients. Then add dry ingredients to ground beef and mix well with hands or fork.
  • In same bowl used for dry ingredients – whisk together wet ingredients. Then add wet ingredients to ground beef mixture and mix well to combine.
  • Form one large circular loaf with the beef mixture and place in a steamer basket. Add 1 cup of water to pot along with a 2-inch trivet. Place basket on top of trivet. Lock lid and cook for 16 minutes at high pressure.
  • Meanwhile – combine ½ cup ketchup and brown sugar with a whisk.
  • Once cook time is complete, allow pressure to release naturally (about 10 minutes).
  • Transfer meatloaf to a baking sheet and generously glaze with ketchup mixture.
  • Place under high broiler for about 3-5 minutes, or until desired caramelization occurs.

Notes

To make this gluten-free, we use 4C Gluten Free Plain Crumbs. Our local grocery store carries these, but they are also available to order online through Amazon or Walmart.com. Some Worcestershire sauce also contains gluten, so be sure to check your labels. We use Lea & Perrins, which is gluten-free.

Nutrition

Calories: 392kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 121mg | Sodium: 867mg | Potassium: 479mg | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 165IU | Vitamin C: 2.1mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 3.7mg
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THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS. TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT AFFILIATE LINKS, VISIT MY DISCLOSURE PAGE.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Dan Luttrell

    April 16, 2019 at 8:12 pm

    5 stars
    Made this in my Ninja Foodi halved the recipe worked great made a pan out of aluminum foil and sat on rack in low position pc then hit broil for 7 minutes will make it again

    Reply
  2. Laura

    July 30, 2019 at 2:29 pm

    Steps 5 & 6 say to add 1 cup of water to the pot. Does that mean the total amount of the water is 2 cups? Thank you

    Reply
    • Gary White

      August 05, 2019 at 10:37 am

      Sorry, that was a mistake. It's updated now. Thanks for the heads up!

      Reply
  3. Christmas Green

    August 13, 2019 at 8:54 am

    5 stars
    Making this right now, looks delicious! Am going to use my crisp lid to brown it in the instant pot!!,

    Reply
    • Mare

      October 01, 2019 at 12:35 am

      What is a crisp lid?

      Reply
      • Susan

        October 11, 2019 at 10:01 am

        MARE, google Mealthy lid.

        Reply
      • Julie

        October 23, 2019 at 2:58 pm

        If you have a foodie that also functions as a air crisper you have two lids. A pressure lid and a crisper lid.

        Reply
    • Lori

      June 29, 2020 at 1:10 pm

      If I double the recipe, and make a 4lb meatloaf, would the time double as well?? Thanks

      Reply
      • Gary White

        July 01, 2020 at 7:27 am

        I have not tested a loaf that large, but I don't think doubling the time would be necessary. Maybe something like 25 minutes?

        Reply
    • Stewart C

      February 11, 2022 at 1:34 pm

      Good idea! How long and what temp?

      Reply
  4. Nicole Nusshag

    October 25, 2019 at 5:30 pm

    5 stars
    This recipe was amazing! We have a small family, so I only used a little over a pound of beef, but still followed the recipe otherwise. We will be making this again for sure!

    Reply
  5. Vicki Barnes

    December 08, 2019 at 3:39 pm

    5 stars
    I made this last night. Add a few extra ingredients like egg, brown sugar, I was awesome..

    Reply
  6. Becky

    February 01, 2020 at 8:15 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious and so much quicker than using the oven!

    Reply
  7. Deena

    July 26, 2021 at 9:08 pm

    5 stars
    Came out great, only changed one thing added a chopped jalapeño! Thanks for the great recipe👌

    Reply
  8. Elizabeth

    March 03, 2022 at 5:58 pm

    5 stars
    Great recipe! Full of tasty goodness! And, it cooked and looked like a gem! Thank you!

    Reply
    • Gary White

      March 14, 2022 at 3:44 pm

      You're welcome. Glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply
5 from 9 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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Meet Gary

I'm Gary... husband, dad, recipe developer, and comfort food nerd. I believe in real food for real life. This blog? It’s where I share the recipes my family actually eats. Simple, soulful, and full of flavor. My goal is simple: help you cook food worth making again. More about me...

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