The right toppings can take your meatloaf to the next level. Here are our 11 best meatloaf topping sauce ideas for you to try!
Meatloaf is a comfort food perfect for every occasion.
It’s easy to prepare, requiring only your choice of ground meat and a handful of ingredients, such as pork, beef, seafood, lamb, venison, veal, or chicken.
You get that pleasant, savory taste from the ground meat when cooked to perfection.
But to bring out the best flavors of the meat, you must combine the ground meat with other ingredients.
Once all ingredients are well-incorporated, you must shape the meat into a loaf, and you can either bake or smoke the meatloaf.
The outcome is a slightly peppery dish similar to that of a hamburger.
However, the trick is to accompany the meatloaf with sauces or glaze to make it more flavorful.
If you’re stuck on what sauces to try on your meatloaf, we’ve covered it here, starting with these 11 meatloaf topping sauce ideas.
If you want something simple, try the classic or traditional meatloaf with ketchup and brown sugar.
But if you want to try a unique sauce on your meatloaf, the #10 Chipotle Sauce will pair exceptionally well with tender and savory meatloaf.

You can never go wrong with a classic meatloaf glaze that will give your dish a more savory and moist texture.
This recipe is the best comfort food that will remind you of your mother’s cooking, served on a big platter and shared with the entire family.
Plus, this recipe only requires three ingredients: cider vinegar, ketchup, and brown sugar.
Once the brown sugar caramelizes, the sweetness on the tasty ground meat hits your palate in the right spots.
And the sourness and sweetness of the ketchup also amplify the flavor, but the cider cuts through the bold taste just right.
This BBQ Sauce Glaze puts an exciting twist on the classic American dish, a surefire way to impress your friends and family.
This simple tomato-based recipe can be done while you’re waiting for the meatloaf to cook in the oven.
It doesn’t take a lot to make this easy glaze, which is perfect for when you have surprise guests over.
You can grab a few ingredients like brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, Creole mustard, and ketchup.
The slightly bitter taste of the mustard, the briny Worcestershire sauce, and sweet and tangy ketchup all meld well on a meaty dish.
You have to make sure to spread the glaze on top of the meatloaf while still in the oven.
Then finish baking for about 15 to 20 minutes until perfectly cooked.
If you’re looking to make a versatile sauce to smother your grilled meats, veggies, or meatloaf, this Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce is a must-try!
Simply combine all the ingredients and let the magic take place as the different flavors develop.
This sauce is best on meatloaf, pulled pork, barbeque ribs, or grilled chicken, but you may also put a little bit of this sauce on your sandwich as the flavors are so diverse.
You get a little bit of heat and sweetness and a lot of flavors from the various ingredients, such as honey, yellow mustard, chipotle pepper in adobo, ketchup, garlic powder, and more.
If you’re wondering what to prep during your summertime barbeque or weeknight get-togethers, make the juiciest meatloaf and top it off with this tangy Balsamic Brown Sugar Glaze.
Making your meatloaf juicy is essential, so the dish absorbs the flavors, and you get to enjoy them on every bite.
That’s because this dish can dry quickly, and this recipe is just the perfect match for a simple American classic.
You can serve this recipe with string beans or mashed potato!
What we love about this sauce is the rich and complex sweetness of the balsamic vinegar, which will also offer hints of molasses, prune, chocolate or cherry!
For those who want bolder flavors on their meatloaf, this Chili-Garlic Sauce will make it worth your while.
This recipe is similar to Huy Fong chili garlic sauce with no additional preservatives and is also freshly made.
The taste offers a bit of heat from the chilies, which will give your meatloaf an interesting flavor.
Use a good heaping of chili peppers like Fresno peppers or whatever you have in your pantry.
However, if you also like this sauce to look similar to the store-bought chili-garlic sauce, make sure to select red chilies for appearance.
Overall, you’ll enjoy this recipe because it’s tangy and hot, with a good punch from the garlic, and the brightness of this sauce will pair well with the hearty meatloaf.
Another versatile sauce that you can drizzle on top of your pizza, grilled meats, burgers, chicken wings, and more is this Honey BBQ Sauce that never gets old.
Creating this meaty dish and finding something familiar to top it with can instantly boost your mood, no matter what time of day!
It’s the perfect blend of tangy and sweet, which will surely please every palate.
Some of the ingredients you need for this recipe are cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, garlic and onion powder, honey, ketchup, and salt and pepper to taste.
But what we love is the perfect marriage of the honey and ketchup, along with the slightly caramelly undertones, which is to die for!
You can’t go wrong with this Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce for your summertime barbeque.
It offers refreshing and vibrant flavors that will remind you of life in the tropics and how you’ll enjoy this dish with a cold beer at hand.
This recipe also requires common ingredients that are probably already in your pantry.
You’ll need sun-dried tomatoes that offer you a tart and sweet taste, which is more potent than their fresh counterparts.
And the others are just basic herbs like oregano, thyme, rosemary, basil, parsley, and other condiments like garlic, brown sugar, tomato paste, and olive oil.
Once you’ve tried this on your meatloaf, you’ll never want another sauce again, as it gives you all the floral and herbaceous notes from the herbs and the vibrant flavors of tomatoes.
This Liquid Gold Sauce is named after its vibrant and bold flavors and the bright yellow color that looks appetizingly pretty on top of your meatloaf.
Don’t be intimated by the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe because you only need to put everything in a blender and mix until all ingredients and flavors are well incorporated.
The various spices give this recipe its unique taste, such as the heat from the cayenne pepper, the smokiness from the cumin, and the punch of flavor from the curry powder.
Lastly, add maple syrup to neutralize the spices’ acidity, brininess, and heat.
And did I mention you also need chickpeas as this recipe’s base?
Whether you’re prepping meatloaf, summer squash, flank steak, sausages, roasted potatoes, or chicken thighs, this tangy and vibrant Chimichurri Sauce will elevate every dish like no other!
It has just the right tang from the vinegar and is also slightly spicy, which doesn’t overpower the entire dish.
To those who love cilantro, you can add a good heaping of this herb to make the flavors pop even more.
Once you’ve blended everything, you’ll get a lovely, rich, and silky green sauce for your meatloaf!
Who doesn’t want a distinct smoky chipotle on their meatloaf, especially when paired with a cold beer?
Don’t think the chipotle sauce is only good on sandwiches because the spicy notes of this recipe will elevate your meatloaf to a certain degree that will satisfy your tastebuds.
Grab a few ingredients for this recipe, like Hidden Valley Original ranch dressing, mayonnaise, chipotle peppers, white distilled vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder, and sugar.
Blend all ingredients until the flavors are infused, and keep this sauce in the fridge for up to two weeks!
11. Kale Pesto
Don’t underestimate the tasty flavors of pesto on meatloaf.
You might think pesto sauce is only for pasta or sandwiches, but the savory meatloaf also benefits from the olive oil in the pesto, giving the meatloaf moisture.
You’ll enjoy the garlicky taste of this pesto sauce, with hints of pepitas, parmesan cheese, and the zesty flavor of lemon juice.
The strong and earthy taste of kale will also make this meatloaf sauce vibrant, nutty, and delicious.
The bottom line
If you want to enjoy your meatloaf, whipping up the most delicious sauce will do the trick, giving the meat some moisture.
Every bite will give your palate bursts of flavors, depending on the kind of sauce you drizzle over your meatloaf.
You might want to serve your meatloaf with these 8 delicious side dishes.

Best Meatloaf Topping Sauce Ideas
The right toppings can take your meatloaf to the next level. Here are our 11 best meatloaf topping sauce ideas for you to try!
Ingredients
- Traditional Meatloaf Glaze
- BBQ Sauce Glaze
- Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce
- Balsamic Brown Sugar Glaze
- Chili-Garlic Sauce
- Honey BBQ Sauce
- Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce
- Liquid Gold Sauce
- Chimichurri Sauce
- Subway Chipotle Southwest Sauce
- Kale Pesto
Instructions
- Skim through our Meatloaf Topping Sauce list.
- Select the topping you’re looking for.
- Prep the ingredients as instructed.
- Spill your thoughts on our Facebook page!