Meatloaf is one of those retro dishes that deserves a comeback. It’s definitely out of style, but it doesn’t have to be the questionable lump of half-steamed gray meat from your childhood. In fact, it can be a well-browned, juicy, and fairly quick meal when you cook it in your air fryer.
How to Make Perfect Airfryer Meatloaf Every Time
Cooking a meatloaf in the air fryer is simply a better experience than cooking it in the oven. Using the oven is actually insultingly bad by comparison! I, like most people who cook, want to eat well, faster. "Well" is the key word here, otherwise I'd microwave everything (and then I'd lose my job). The air fryer's convection heating makes it a hero for fast cooking and excellent browning, and it more than halves the average cooking time of a meatloaf in the oven (which can take almost an hour). For that reason alone, it's worth it.
While I have included a recipe below, it doesn’t really matter which meatloaf recipe you use. The only thing you need to consider is the size of your air fryer. If you normally use two pounds of ground beef and make the meatloaf 12 inches long, you’re going to have a problem if your air fryer basket is only 10 inches long diagonally. You’ll either have to make the loaf taller instead of longer, or make two smaller loaves instead.
To make my meatloaf, I grated half an onion into a large mixing bowl and added salt and dry spices, along with some panko crumbs. I mixed everything together and let it sit for a few minutes to let the dry ingredients rehydrate in the onion water. Then I mixed in a pound of ground beef and an egg until well combined.
