This easy keto meatloaf with pork rinds takes just minutes to prep. By substituting the breadcrumbs, this comfort food is transformed into a delicious low-carb meal the whole family will love!
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Ground meat shaped into a loaf is known for being an easy and tasty dinner. You can whip it up in minutes to feed your whole family!
The secret is to replace the breadcrumbs. With some simple switches, this classic comfort food becomes a low-carb dinner everyone will love.
This easy keto meatloaf recipe comes together in just a few steps! Mix the ingredients, form into a loaf, and bake. The prep can be done in minutes.
So if you’re looking for something simple and satisfying to make for dinner, give this tasty main dish a try!
How to Make Meatloaf Keto
The recipe uses everyday ingredients and only takes 5 simple steps to throw together:
- Lightly spray a 5×9 inch loaf pan with oil or line with foil for easy clean-up.
- In a large bowl, combine all the low-carb meatloaf ingredients. Mix until well-combined.
- Form the mix into a loaf shape and place in the prepared pan.
- Place in the oven and bake at 350°F. Bake until the meat thermometer registers 165°F, usually between 1 hour or 1 hour and 15 minutes. You can tell the meat is done if the juices run clear.
- Remove from the oven, drain any fat, and let the meatloaf sit for about 10 minutes.
If you want, you can brush the top of the loaf with ketchup and place it under the broiler for about 5 minutes. Otherwise, cut into slices and dig in!
I usually cut mine into 8 big slices, but you could easily cut into as many as 12 smaller slices.
Low-Carb Breadcrumbs
As I mentioned, traditional meatloaf recipes use breadcrumbs to add bulk and texture. But what's a good low-carb substitute for this high-carb ingredient?
My favorite option is to make keto meatloaf with pork rinds. Simply crush the pork rinds and mix them right in! They’re an excellent substitute for breadcrumbs.
I like to use baked pork rinds whenever possible. Fried pork rinds absorb oil during the frying process and can release that oil back into the dish.
Another option would be to use coconut flour. This flour is very absorbent, so you may not have as much fat to drain at the end. The flour will soak it up.
Finally, you could easily use more of a traditional bread crumb. Just bake up a quick bread recipe first, and then turn it into homemade breadcrumbs. I use my basic low carb bread when I want to make meatloaf and gluten-free meatballs using this method.
Overall, I like using pork rinds because it’s the easiest option. Plus, I think the texture turns out perfectly!
What to Add for Bulk
We have a few options to replace breadcrumbs, but what about adding some more ingredients for bulk?
The first option is to add some cheese to the keto meatloaf recipe. Parmesan would be a great ingredient to add bulk and flavor.
You could also throw in some low-carb vegetables. The recipe calls for dried minced onion, but feel free to add some fresh diced onion as well. Or add some riced cauliflower to really make your ingredients go a long way!
It’s easy to get creative and experiment with this recipe.
Popular Comfort Food Recipes
Looking for more delicious low-carb dishes that are easy to prepare and can feed a crowd? Check out a few of these favorites:
- Keto Pulled Pork Casserole is simple to make for a tasty dish inspired by Mac and Cheese that’s sure to be a big hit!
- Keto Creamy Chicken Soup with bacon is rich, creamy, and bursting with flavor for a hearty soup you can serve as a main course.
- Chicken Crust Pizza is easy to prep, gluten-free, and almost zero carbs for a perfect way to satisfy your pizza cravings!
- Keto Loaded Cauliflower Casserole with cheese and bacon is an easy recipe that makes a fantastic side dish for any meal.
- Eggplant Parmesan Keto with gluten-free breading is a delicious, cozy casserole that’s loaded with cheese and authentic Italian flavor!
Easy Keto Meatloaf Recipe
Everyone loves simple recipes that can feed a crowd. This meaty main dish is a perfect example!
You can enjoy keto meatloaf for dinner with the family and have leftovers for later in the week. Or bake it for yourself and freeze the slices for easy meal prep.
And if you’re looking for even more variations, try my Instant Pot meatloaf, buffalo chicken meatloaf, salmon loaf with canned salmon, or ground turkey meatloaf muffins!
Follow us on FACEBOOK, PINTEREST, and INSTAGRAM for even more tasty keto-friendly recipes!
Recipe
Low-Carb Keto Meatloaf
Video
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 2 tablespoons dried minced onion
- ¾ cup crushed pork rinds
- 1 6 oz can tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons low carb sugar substitute or a touch of stevia (optional)
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- low carb ketchup optional topping
Instructions
- Lightly spray a 5x9 inch loaf pan with oil or line with foil.
- Combine all ingredients in large bowl and mix until blended.
- Pat into loaf shape and place in pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees F until meat thermometer registers 165 degrees F (about 1 hr to 1 hr 15 min).
- When meat is done, juices will be clear. Drain any fat and let sit about 10 minutes before slicing. If desired, brush top with ketchup and place under broiler for about 5 minutes.
Notes
Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart
Nutrition
Additional Info
Notes on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Copyright
© LowCarbYum.com - Unauthorized use of this material without written permission is strictly prohibited unless for personal offline purposes. Single photos may be used, provided that full credit is given to LowCarbYum.com along with a link back to the original content.
First Published: January 3, 2013... Last Updated: August 27, 2020
Renee
hello what brands of pork grinds are baked?
The Low Carb Cook
Hi Renee! I love the brand EPIC as their pork rinds are oven baked 🙂
Elizabeth Martin
For the meat loaf recipe above, should the cooking time be adjusted if you want to make a bigger meatloaf, and if so, by how much per half pound or full pound. I only see cooking instructions based on the 8 serving size, and if I change the serving size, the cooking time does not adjust.
Lisa MarcAurele
I would use a meat thermometer to test for doneness (160°F). It's difficult to give a cooking time as there are other factors other than just weight like the shape and size of the loaf.
Jodi
I used turkey meat so we shall see how it turns out!
Susan
Thank you, thank you, thank you for providing an exact amount for a serving size of 165g ! I haven't tried your recipe yet for the meatloaf, but I will very soon and will write another comment after I do. I wish more KETO recipe authors would provide the same information. It is very difficult to divide a skillet or pot full of a recipe into fractional parts according to the total servings. Your effort is very much appreciated.
KC
Why do you put sweetener in it?
Lisa MarcAurele
It's to give the tomato base a little more sweetness if you're used to adding ketchup.
Rosemary
I regularly make this meatloaf and, living alone, I slice it and freeze the slices individually. Someone asked farther down in the comments what percentage your ground beef was. Your reply was 90%. I prefer that too since there is less shrinkage. Is that why you add 2 TBLS olive oil . . . so it will be a a little moister?
Lisa MarcAurele
To be honest, I usually use ground wild deer meat with fat added so it's about 90%. But, yes, I do find that adding oil to the leaner meat makes it less dry.
Rosemary
I'm really enjoying this meatloaf. I cook just for myself so I portion the meatloaf into individual servings and freeze them. Is there any special reason why the recipe calls for dehydrated minced onion instead of fresh onion?
Lisa MarcAurele
It's just because I rarely buy fresh onions because they spoil before I can use them all. That's why I keep the dehydrated kind on hand. If I had more room in the freezer, I'd freeze chopped onions to use in the recipe.
Rosemary
I enjoy this meatloaf so much and it freezes (individual slices in my case) and reheats beautifully. Just wondering, is there any special reason why you use dehydrated minced onion instead of fresh?
Lisa MarcAurele
It's just because that's what I tend to have on hand.
paula
Yummy
Rosemary
In an earlier post I said how delicious the meatloaf tasted but crumbled some when I took it out of the pan. (I also mentioned 2 possible mistakes I made that might have caused this) I wanted to add that after I got the whole meatloaf onto a plate, as it cooled it became much firmer and held together. After spending time in the refrigerator it sliced cleanly without crumbles.
Neila
Meatloaf was a hit. Thank you so much for so many great recipes. Get tired of so many things but Never meatloaf.
Amy B
Hi- curious to make this, but wondering how to balance salt and pepper if I'm using pork rinds that are pre-seasoned? I can only find pork rinds seasoned with salt and pepper where I live and don't want the meatloaf to come out too salty/peppery.
Lisa MarcAurele
You may want to just leave the salt out and salt it when serving if needed.
Louise Brandt
Made this meatloaf last night, mixed every ingredient together to make a well blended loaf. The flavor was rich and delicious. I usually dip my meatloaf bites in ketchup, but this had a lovely rich tomato flavor baked in and didn't require more ketchup.
Cut it to serve while warm and it fell to pieces coming out of the pan. Any suggestions?
Lisa MarcAurele
The eggs typically hold it together. But if there's too much pork rinds, you may need another egg.
BarbaraZimmerman
So freakin good!!!
Lindy
What percentage fat ground beef do you use? I’m assuming you crush the pork rinds and measure 3/4 cup? Thanks!
Lisa MarcAurele
Many times, I use ground venison which is very lean. But otherwise, it's usually like 90%. And yes, the pork rinds are measured crushed.
Rosemary
The meatloaf has a delicious flavor but fell apart when I took it out of the pan. My low carb eating plan suggests 80% lean gr.beef and that might be the problem. Is there any way I could adjust for this? Also, I might have been more careful when measuring the pork rinds, the measurement may have been closer to 1 cup than 3/4 cup. The flavor is so good I want to have it come out right. I just cook for me so I would want to slice it and freeze it in individual portions.
Lisa MarcAurele
You could try adding another egg or xanthan gum for binding. Flax, chia, or psyllium (with a little water if needed) may work too.
Matt
That looks really awful. Hopefully just bad lighting, but I do not want to try this recipe at all.
Lisa
It's tough to photo brown foods. I think it just needed some garnish.
Linda
I am confused which ingredients are for the topping? Or do you mix it all into the loaf?
Lisa
You can add a tomato based topping or bacon slices if desired. Those options aren't listed in the ingredients. So everything is mixed into the loaf.
Kendra Hark
I'm really new to all this so please forgive me if this question is dumb. If you serve in 12 slices instead of 8 then how do you figure the nutritional values? I get it's basic math but I've had instances where the math doesn't work out like I think it should.
Lisa
Just plug it into the recipe analyzer at MyFitnessPal.com
Me
In this particular case, multiply the given values by .67.
Carbs: 5.1 x .67 = 3.3
Calories: 319 x .67 = 213
MacGhil
Forgot the link! http://makeovermyleftover.com/grits-and-grillades-meatloaf/
Lisa
Thanks! I'll check it out.
MacGhil
Lisa,
I know you're going to want to try to low-carb this Cajun meatloaf once you've tried it. I used a package of uncooked instant grits (I know, I know... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9AqbDtSFNU ) as the filler instead. The sauce is amazing. You might just try that on your own meatloaf recipe. I serve it with mashed cauliflower.
I'm down 30lbs and DH is down 20 and we feel great, and I want to thank you for your help. You make low carb living easy!
Shaundra Davis
Do you mix it all together or are some of the ingredients for a topping? Thank you for this recipe. I look forward to trying tonight!
Lisa
I mixed it all together.
Cindy
Okay I'm going to be one of THOSE people! Can this be done in a crockpot? I know meatloaf in general can be do I suppose my real question is "Have you tried this in a crockpot?" My oven is on the fritz but this sounds really good. Thanks so much!!
Lisa
I have not done this in the crock pot, but I don't see why it wouldn't work.
Carrie Holdcraft
Why so much swerve? I wouldn't normally use sugar in meatloaf.
Lisa
It's for the tomato like topping. I'd use half or less and will update the recipe to reflect that.
Marty
The meatloaf was delicious and moist. I actually added about a cup of shredded Parmesan and used a pint of fresh canned tomatoes in place of tomato paste. Thank you for the recipe. My family loved it too. Served with green bean almondine.
Sheri Dyer
This looks yummy. Do you use the same equivalent of the liquid sweetener?
Lisa
The liquid is concentrated so you need much less. I'd try 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon.
Barb
You are one amazing woman...many thanks for your wonderful work ! I am an insulin dependant diabetic (for the past twenty six years) who is now in complete remission thanks to LCHF /IF living...no insulin or metformin in my life any longer thanks to the incredible work of people like you ! I follow your recipes to the T...they work for me ! I tried to rate one of your recipes today and the rating thing 'stuck' on two stars ! I wanted to give your jerky and meatloaf recipes 'five stars', they are that worthy...just wanted you to know there might be an issue !
Lisa
Thank you so much for the comment Barb! Helping others is a BIG reason why I share these recipes. I truly believe the low carb way of eating is the healthiest diet and can treat or prevent numerous health issues. And, thanks for letting me know about the issue with the star rating!
steve
4 of the 5.1 carbs is from the tomato paste. I made this sans tomato paste and didn't miss it. (1.1 carbs)
Lisa
Thanks for the tip Steve!
Sue in CA
Oh this does look and sound yummy, especially on a chilly day like today. Meatloaf is such a comfort food!
Stacey Colamarino
I’m a little confused you don’t really say how to make it just a mix everything am I supposed to mix that tomato paste in that or am I supposed to mix it with a little bit of sugar and put it on top not sugar but artificial sweetener and put the tomato paste on top of it you didn’t specify
Lisa MarcAurele
If I want a ketchup like topping, I'll mix tomato paste with a little sweetener and sometimes a little bit of vinegar.