Best Turkey Meatloaf We’ve Made

We set out to create the best turkey meatloaf recipe, and this is it. Ground turkey can often dry out and lose its flavor in the oven, but we have the secret for crave-worthy, moist turkey meatloaf.

If you have turkey meatloaf skeptics in your life, this recipe will change their minds. The secret to keeping the inside juicy and flavorful lies in the produce aisle: finely chopped mushrooms.

Even if you aren’t the biggest mushroom fan, stay with us. The meatloaf doesn’t end up tasting like mushrooms. Instead, the tiny mushroom pieces disappear right into the meat, adding a rich, savory flavor and moisture. We love this trick so much that we also use finely chopped mushrooms when making classic meatloaf and turkey burgers, and even use them in turkey chili! It’s fair to say that we are obsessed.

Key Ingredients

• Ground Turkey: Use ground turkey with some fat (this is not the time for 99% lean ground turkey breast, which will dry out). Look for turkey with at least 7% fat for the juiciest results. You can also use ground chicken, or if you are craving beef, check out our beef meatloaf recipe.
• Mushrooms: We use white button or cremini mushrooms. As we mentioned above, they are the secret to making the best, juiciest, most flavorful turkey meatloaf. They bump up the umami, making the turkey taste incredibly savory (not mushroomy) while adding moisture.
• Onion and Garlic: These add more flavor to the meatloaf. You will cook them down with the mushrooms before adding them to the meatloaf mixture.
• Worcestershire: This seasons the meat and adds even more rich, savory flavor.
• Ketchup: We use a small amount in the meatloaf itself and save the rest for the classic glaze on top. We prefer the lower-sugar options sold at the grocery store or our own homemade ketchup.
• Eggs, Breadcrumbs, and Milk: These three ingredients create the binder that adds moisture and an amazing, tender texture. Use homemade breadcrumbs, panko, or crushed saltine crackers for the best results. We use saltines when making our Italian meatballs and love them!

Find the full recipe with measurements below.

How to Make the Best Turkey Meatloaf

Thanks to tiny pieces of chopped mushrooms, this turkey meatloaf is moist and has unbelievable flavor. This recipe comes together quickly and easily. Here’s a brief overview of how to make it:

1. Cook the chopped mushrooms, onions, and garlic in a skillet until soft.
2. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and ketchup.
3. Rehydrate the breadcrumbs in a little milk. This simple step is crucial for adding tenderness and locking in moisture.
4. Gently combine the mushroom mixture with the soaked breadcrumbs, eggs, and ground turkey.
5. Form the mixture into a free-form loaf on a baking sheet, spread a little extra ketchup on top, and bake in a 400°F oven for about 50 minutes.

Our Secrets for Making Turkey Meatloaf

Tip 1: Finely chop and cook the mushrooms. Since we chop our mushrooms really small and cook them with onions, they almost disappear into the meatloaf mixture. The photo below shows how small we chop them. You can do this by hand or use a food processor.

As they cook with our onions, they release a lot of liquid and shrink even more, which is why you don’t really notice them in the meatloaf (this is why many of our readers who don’t like mushrooms still love this recipe!).

Tip 2: Skip the loaf pan and use a baking sheet. We prefer to bake turkey meatloaf on a baking sheet rather than in a loaf pan. You can use a loaf pan if you prefer, but we find that a baking sheet makes cleanup a bit easier and lets you add more glaze to the top and down the sides. As a side note, we love baking our go-to meatball recipe, too.

Tip 3: Add a glaze over the top. We keep our glaze simple and just use ketchup. If you want to upgrade your glaze, we both love the glaze on this meatloaf recipe, which starts with ketchup and adds a little maple syrup and mustard.

Tip 4: How to tell when meatloaf is done. We use a 400°F oven and expect the meatloaf to take about 50 minutes. You know when it is done when the internal temperature reaches 165°F. If you don’t have an internal thermometer, remove it from the oven when the inside is no longer pink and feels firm.

Tip 5: Let it rest before slicing. Before slicing, leave the meatloaf on the counter to rest for at least 10 minutes. This allows the juices to redistribute and the middle to firm up nicely. When slicing, use a serrated knife for the cleanest cut.

What to Serve with Meatloaf

Our family loves slices of this moist turkey meatloaf with classic sides like our buttered noodles, classic mashed potatoes, potatoes au gratin, or easy sautéed cabbage. This mashed cauliflower is a great lower-carb option, and many of our readers love mashed sweet potatoes. If you are looking for something green, roasted broccoli or sautéed broccoli, along with our quickly sautéed green beans, are perfect matches.

My son also loves this with a side of roasted butternut squash, sweet potato fries, potato wedges, or baked french fries! And don’t forget the leftovers—this turkey meatloaf is absolutely fantastic when turned into sandwiches the next day.

Make-Ahead and Freezing Tips

This turkey meatloaf isn’t just delicious—it’s also a perfect make-ahead meal. Here is how we handle it:

• Make the mixture a day in advance: Follow the recipe, but stop just before forming the loaf. Keep the raw mixture in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. When you are ready to bake, form the mixture into a loaf, spread on the ketchup, and bake as directed.
• Freeze unbaked meatloaf: Form the mixture into a loaf, but leave off the ketchup. Place it on a sheet pan lined with foil and freeze until firm, about 1 hour. Wrap the foil tightly around the frozen loaf, slide it into a freezer bag, and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before topping with ketchup and baking.
• Freeze baked meatloaf: Let the cooked meatloaf cool completely, then wrap in foil and freeze for up to 1 month. We love slicing the meatloaf before freezing so we can pull out just one or two portions for an easy dinner.

Frequently Asked Questions

Since sharing our turkey meatloaf recipe, we’ve had some common questions, so we thought we’d answer them here.

Can I double the recipe? Yes! You can easily double the turkey meatloaf recipe below (which means using about 2 pounds of ground turkey). Double the rest of the ingredients and expect it to bake a bit longer in the oven (usually 15 to 20 minutes). We always use an internal meat thermometer as a guide—you are looking for an internal temperature of 170°F.

I hate mushrooms. Is there a substitute? Even though the final dish doesn’t taste like mushrooms, we know some folks prefer to skip them! We have substituted them with grated zucchini with excellent, perfectly moist results. You will cook them down, just like the mushrooms in the recipe.