Satisfy your comfort food cravings with these BBQ Cheddar Meatloaf Muffins, made with ground venison for a hearty, protein-packed meal. Low in carbs and keto-friendly, these meaty muffins are bursting with the smoky-sweet flavor of BBQ sauce and gooey cheddar cheese, perfect for a healthy yet indulgent treat with only 2 net carbs per 3 mini meatloaves, this is perfect for the Keto diet!
Meatloaf brings back a lot of childhood memories. Mom would serve her meatloaf dinner with mashed potatoes and corn and the juice from the meatloaf pan would be the gravy we would put on our potatoes. It was pure comfort food on your dinner plate!
These low carb mini meatloaf muffins are delicious served with a side of asparagus and a heaping serving of mashed cauliflower in place of the potatoes!
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Why You'll Love BBQ Cheddar Meatloaf Muffins
Portion control: made in a muffin tin, eash meatloaf muffin is the perfect portion size.
Flavor packed: bbq sauce and cheese add a cheesy smoky flavor!
Kid-friendly: kids love the muffin sized portion and they are easy for them to handle!
Ingredients
- Ground venison
- Crushed pork rinds
- Large egg
- White onion
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Sugar free barbecue sauce (affiliate link to my preferred sauce)
- Cheddar cheese
- Salt
- Black pepper
Hint: use half ground venison and half ground pork to add a little more fat and flavor.
How to make Meatloaf Muffins
- You will mix the ground venison, onion, egg, cheese, and barbecue sauce together until it is well combined. I like to use my hands to do this and to get it mixed well without over mixing.
- While you are mixing the meatloaf together, the oven should be pre-heating to 350 degrees. Once the meatloaf is mixed together, it can be portioned into a muffin pan. I prefer silicone because it won't stick when it is done baking.
- Use a ¼ cup cookie scoop to measure the meatloaf mixture. Alternatively, you can use a ¼ cup measuring cup.
- Pack the meatloaf mixture into the muffin pan tightly. Then top with some more sauce then bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
Substitutions
Ground meat substitute: use ground beef, turkey, or chicken in place of the ground venison.
Regular BBQ Cheddar Meatloaf Muffins: If you do not follow a low carb diet, you can substitute ground bread crumbs for the crushed pork rinds and regular BBQ Sauce for the sugar-free (my favorite regular bbq sauce is Sweet Baby Rays!).
Large meatloaf: use a bread loaf pan instead of a muffin pan.
Variations
Pizza Meatloaf Muffins: Substitute pizza sauce for the bbq sauce and stir ½ cup diced pepperoni into the meatloaf mixture.
Spicy Jalapeño BBQ Cheddar Meatloaf Muffins: Add finely chopped jalapeños into the meat mixture for a spicy kick.
Cheeseburger Meatloaf Muffins: Skip the bbq sauce and use ketchup, adding some pickle juice to the ketchup and diced pickles to the meatloaf mixture.
Equipment
12 cup muffin pan
Large cookie scoop
Baking sheet (to hold the silicone muffin pan)
Hint: if using a non-silicone pan, be sure to coat the muffin pan generously with cooking spray.
Top Tips
- If the venison you have is not already mixed with ground pork, use a ration of 75% ground venison and 25% ground pork to add a little more fat to the meat.
Serve with...
As you can see by the photo above, I served this particular recipe with roasted asparagus or air fryer cauliflower. If you want to add dessert to the menu, we love this recipe for Low Carb Lemon Thumbprint Cookies!
If you want to enjoy a burger instead of meatloaf, be sure to try our favorite Caprese Venison Burger!
Related Recipes
When you make this recipe, please comment below and let me know what you think. I'd love it if you tag me on Instagram @honeybunchhunts or #honeybunchhunts so I can see your photos!
If you love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating
📖 Recipe
BBQ Cheddar Meatloaves
Equipment
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Ingredients
- 1 pound ground venison
- 1 ounce pork rinds crushed fine
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoon onion diced
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- ½ cup sugar free barbecue sauce divided
- 2 ounce cheddar cheese shredded
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, using your hands, mix the ground venison, eggs, onion, pork rinds, Worcestershire sauce, ¼ cup of the barbecue sauce, and shredded cheese until it is combined.
- Scoop ¼ cup of meat mixture and pack into a silicone muffin cup. Repeat until all 12 muffin cups are filled.
- Place silicone muffin pan on a sturdy baking sheet and place in oven. Bake for 20 minutes., until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F.
- Remove mini meatloaves from oven and let cool up to 15 minutes before removing from the muffin pan.
Crystal says
It doesn't say where to add the cheese?
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Crystal, thanks for asking, I had missed adding it to the instructions. It is mixed in with the meat mixture ingredients in step 2. I have updated the recipe to reflect this.
Jane says
Hi! Looks so good. Where is the “extra fat” in the recipe, that you reference in your notes?
Thank you!
Jane
Shelby Law Ruttan says
The ground venison I use is processed by my butcher with pork fat added. If you do not do this with your venison, feel free to use a 3/4 pound ground ground venison and 1/4 pound ground pork. The "extra fat" that boosts fats more is from the pork rinds and shredded cheese.
Christy says
Can we use a metal muffin tin ??
Shelby Law Ruttan says
You sure can. I used silicone because the meatloaf muffins slip out so easy, but a metal muffin tin will work just fine as well.
Megan Ellam says
I love these individual serves. I have done meatloaf like that before so will absolutely give them a try. Thanks for a great recipe.
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Megan, thank you for trying the recipe! Shelby
Linda says
Love these meatloaves and the addition of pork rinds. So good and comforting!
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Linda, thank you! Shelby
Mikayla says
We went with a combination of beef and sausage for this recipe and I have to say quite simple and very good!
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Mikalya, thank you! I've not tried beef and sausage together, sounds like something I need to do! Shelby
Erin says
Ooh, this sounds really interesting and tasty! I haven't had meatloaf since I was a kid but this sounds awesome. I should really give it a try!
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Erin! Yes, meatloaf is SO good. I love leftovers in sandwiches too! Shelby
Petro says
Love this idea, such an interesting take on a classic recipe! I never tried venison in my meatloaves, I'll have to give it a try next time I make some.
Alex says
The cookie scoop is such a great idea! I'll have to try that. And these meatloaves! They sound packed full of flavor.
Katie Crenshaw says
These were so fun to make and so delicious! The cheddar cheese and barbecue sauce makes them so tasty!
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Yay! Thank you!
Brianna says
This meatloaf has so much flavor, I especially love the crunch from the pork rinds. Definitely going into the dinner rotation.
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Brianna! So happy you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you! Shelby
LaKita says
These little meatloaves are absolutely delicious! Also love the addition of pork rinds in the recipe, yum!
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Lakita, thank you so much!