Why Your Meatloaf Is Watery and How to Fix It (2024)

FAQs

Why Your Meatloaf Is Watery and How to Fix It? ›

There's no need to worry, though, as there's a solution to this problem. If there is too much liquid before you put it in the oven, you can squeeze out the excess. However, doing so can be difficult, so it's best to be cautious about how much liquid you add from the beginning.

One of the most common reasons meatloaf is watery is an overabundance of liquid ingredients. Adding broth, milk, or eggs can enhance flavor and moisture, but too much can lead to a soupy consistency. Use these ingredients sparingly, and consider adding breadcrumbs or oats to absorb excess moisture.

Use Extra Egg: Eggs act as binders and provide moisture. Add one or two eggs per pound of meat for a moist texture. Make Use of Milk: Soak breadcrumbs in milk before adding them to your mixture. This will keep your meatloaf moist during baking.

To moisten dry meatloaf, drizzle a small amount of broth, tomato sauce, or gravy over the slices before reheating.

Is it better to add milk or water in meatloaf? Without question, it is better to use milk in meatloaf. The added fat adds richness and moist texture to the meatloaf, and the added milk proteins encourage additional browning reactions (which means more flavor).

Eggs Add Structure

Egg yolks, which are mostly water but contain a good amount of protein and fat, add flavor, richness, and moisture. They also help bind the meat together and get the loaf to set in a stable form without the need to overwork the meat.

For the best reheating results, preheat the oven to 250 F. Place the meatloaf on a cooking tray and add some water or broth — around one to two teaspoons, per Insanely Good. Cover the tray with aluminum foil and place in the oven for 25-30 minutes.

You can add a little bit of water or broth to a pan and simmer the meat for a few minutes. The goal is to allow the liquid to penetrate the meat without allowing it to overcook even more. This should take a couple of minutes. If you add a couple tablespoons of vinegar or lemon juice, this also helps revive the meat.

The meatloaf can be cooked uncovered. However, if you are concerned about it burning, you can cover the meatloaf with foil for the first 45 minutes and uncover it for the final 15 minutes to allow the meatloaf to brown on top.

If you don't have any bread, you can substitute it for breadcrumbs, crackers, cereal grains, oatmeal, instant rice, instant barley, or even potato flakes! However, bread is still the best choice of all the potential options.

What is the basic meatloaf formula? ›

The Basic Meatloaf Formula

All recipes for meatloaf start with the same basic formula: 2 pounds of ground meat and a “panade” made of bread or crackers soaked in milk. Along with a few eggs, this panade helps to hold the ground meat together and adds some essential moisture to the mix.

When this happens, it's because you didn't use enough. Next time, try adding in an extra egg and/or some more breadcrumbs. Alternatively, rice, barley, corn flakes, crackers, and dried soup mix can also stand in as binding ingredients as well. Including larger quantities of these items should help solve the problem.

You can also make a panade using breadcrumbs. The starchy paste coats the meat proteins and helps keep them from shrinking and tightening during cooking, ensuring tender meatloaf (or meatballs). Lastly, my parents always slathered the loaves with a generous amount of ketchup before popping them in the oven.

Wire Rack. Placing a wire rack in your pan can elevate the meatloaf, allowing excess grease to drip away from the loaf.

Arrange slices of your dried-up meatloaf in the baking dish. Pour another thin layer of tomato sauce or gravy on top of the meatloaf slices. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake the meatloaf for 20 to 30 minutes or until it's hot all the way through.