Meatloaf isn’t pretty. Let’s just get that out on the table. It’s so ugly, in fact, that I couldn’t stop giggling while taking these pictures. All I could think about were those silly post cards with retro pictures of jello molds and other hideous foods from the 1950s. But you know what? After one bite you forget allll about what it looks like. Even the smell is enough to change your mind. This loaf is insane (in a good way).
If you’re not into loaves of meat, I found that this mix makes a pretty excellent Thai turkey burger as well. To taste test the seasoning I had to cook a small dollop in a skillet and it turned into a little mini turkey burger. Quite delicious. Pop one of those onto a Hawaiian roll and you’re golden. Or, you can do it in meatball form.
I covered my mouth-wateringly delicious (yet ugly) meatloaf with a spicy Sriracha glaze. If you don’t like spicy, you can use a jar of sweet chili sauce (not spicy as the name may imply) or even a sweet and sour sauce. But, you know, I had to have my sriracha!
Oh, and this makes a pretty big loaf. It can easily be halved if needed.
Thai Turkey Meatloaf
thai turkey meatloaf
Servings 8Ingredients
LOAF
- 2 lbs ground turkey ($5.36)
- 4 cloves garlic ($0.32)
- 3-4 whole green onions ($0.38)
- 2 inches fresh ginger ($0.30)
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce ($0.18)
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil ($0.19)
- 2 large eggs ($0.46)
- 1.5 cups cooked jasmine rice ($0.26)
GLAZE
- 1/2 cup brown sugar ($0.12)
- 2 Tbsp ketchup ($0.05)
- 2 Tbsp sriracha sauce ($0.17)
- 1 Tbsp rice vinegar ($0.04)
Instructions
- Place the ground turkey in a large bowl. Slice the green onions and mince the garlic. Add the onion and garlic to the bowl along with the soy sauce and sesame oil. Peel the ginger and grate it directly into the bowl using a fine cheese grater. Mix everything together well.
- Add the eggs and cooked jasmine rice (white rice will work in a pinch). Mix everything together thoroughly. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray. Place the meat mixture onto the baking sheet and shape it into a loaf.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Once preheated, place the loaf inside and bake for 30 minutes. While the loaf is baking, mix together the sriracha glaze. In a small bowl stir together the brown sugar, ketchup, sriracha, and rice vinegar.
- After it has baked 30 minutes, remove the loaf from the oven and spoon half of the sriracha glaze over top. Bake for an additional 30 minutes. Spoon the remaining glaze over top and bake for a final 15 minutes. A meat thermometer placed in the center of the loaf should read 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Allow the loaf to rest for ten minutes before slicing.
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Nutrition
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Step By Step Photos
This is the ground turkey that I used. It is 85% lean, 15% fat. The store did have a leaner ground turkey but it was about a dollar more per pound and I figured the fat would help keep the loaf moist. If you prefer the leaner turkey, it should also work just fine.
Place the ground turkey in a bowl and add the sliced green onions, minced garlic, peeled and grated ginger, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Mix it all up very well.
Next add two eggs and the cooked jasmine rice. White or brown rice will work in a pinch if you don’t have jasmine rice, but just know that jasmine rice does add some flavor. Mix everything up really well again.
And this is your final Thai turkey mix. You can make it into burgers or meatballs at this point if you don’t want a loaf. It’s pretty wet and sticky, so if you’re making burgers, make sure to use some oil or non-stick spray.
If you’re going the meatloaf route, cover a baking sheet with foil and then spray with non-stick spray. Shape the mixture into a loaf. I prefer to bake meatloaf on a baking sheet rather than a loaf pan because it allows extra moisture to drain away. Loaf pans hold it all in and they often get soupy on the bottom.
Bake the loaf in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes. This is what it looks like so far. Not so pretty, but you can see how some of that moisture is draining away.
While the loaf is baking during that first 30 minutes, mix up the sriracha glaze. Stir together the brown sugar, ketchup, sriracha, and rice vinegar.
Spoon about half of the glaze over the meat loaf and spread it all over the sides. Bake for an additional 30 minutes.
After a full 60 minutes of baking, my meatloaf had already exceeded the safety mark of 160 degrees internal temperature. I still had some glaze left so I spooned it over top and baked it for 15 more minutes.
And then it had a nice thick, sticky sriracha glaze! …smells SO good. The meatloaf should lift easily from the baking sheet. The glaze that dripped onto the baking sheet was burned, but none of the meatloaf or glaze on the meatloaf were even close to being burned.
I garnished with a few more sliced green onions and I just happened to have some fresh pineapple that I cut up that morning.
Make sure to allow the meatloaf to rest for at least ten minutes before slicing. This allows the steam pressure to reduce, which keeps the moisture in the loaf instead of driving it out.
Yummy, I’ve never heard of this type of meatloaf but I will definitely make it again! So yummy!
This was really good! First time I made it with the rice. Second time I wanted to cut calories, so I shredded two carrots in place of the rice and it turned out amazing and super moist but still held together! Iโll be making this again for sure!
Ooh this is such a good idea! I didnโt want to double up on the rice as a side dish and also in the load itself.
An upperclassman shared this recipe with me my freshman year of college โ he told me it was important to have at least one tasty, go-to dish that is easy to put together and youโre willing to make for other people, and this was his. It was honestly one of the first meals I learned to make after moving out. 10+ yrs later I still make it often, and have shared it with so many people. It turned rice wine vinegar, sriracha, and sesame oil into household staples for me that I always have on hand and now I know so many ways to use those ingredients. I really learned to love cooking and have made so many of your recipes over the years. Thank you for this simple, filling, really delicious recipe.
What a great story! Thank you so much for sharing!
I made this tonight but used enough regular plain breadcrumbs & plain panko until it felt ok (instead of the jasmine rice bc I didnโt have any ready to go.) In my oven (which always cooks faster) it was at 195F after 30 minutes when I pulled it to top it with the glaze. I tossed it back in to melt the glaze nicely and it was great. Not dry at all but absolutely no fat on the baking tray. I wonder if the breadcrumbs soaked up any fat and kept it inside? It was the 3lb Wegmans ground turkey pkg. I will definitely try it again with Jasmine rice instead of breadcrumbs. The glaze is spicy but delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
Love this meatloaf! I serve in a bowl with rice, Asian slaw and avocado. I also half the recipe. So much flavor with simple ingredients. Budge Bytes does it again!
my wife always made the absolute best meatloaf. since i have found this recipe, we both agree that it is the best meatloaf we have ever eaten. I have made it numerous times and each time we talk about its deliciousness the entire meal. once, i was forced to make it with ground beef and it, too, was fabulous. But, we both agree the turkey is better. thank you and i apologize for not giving th thumbs up earlier. This recipe is like the Gospel; i want to spread it to everybody!!
OMG, Beth – this was delicious! I’m only cooking for 2, so I halved the recipe, and I made the mistake of trying to bake it in a Corningware dish. It was a soupy mess, so about 40 minutes into the cook, I slid it out of the dish (I had put parchment paper under it, thank heaven) and transferred it to a sheet tray and that really helped. Plus, I turned up the heat to 400 and cooked it for another 15 minutes. It was still a little loose for a meat loaf, but at least it somewhat held together, and the flavor was FANTASTIC! I substituted Frank’s for the siracha and some maple syrup for the brown sugar. Sooooo yummy!!!
I would love to see you revisit this recipe, Beth!
I’ve definitely been thinking about it!! :)
Without a doubt, beside chocolate, this is one of the best things I ever put in me mouth. I followed the directions exactly. Have made this 4 or 5 times. I even use your sauce for my baby back ribs sometimes too. I, through you, have made momma happy and you know if momma happy…
I’ve been making this for a few years and love it…but has anyone made it with brown rice?
Can I use gochujang as a sub for sriracha? I know itโs Korean but Itโs in my pantry a lot more often than srirachaย
Yep, I bet gochujang would be awesome in the glaze. :)
Finally got a chance to make this – it was phenomenal and the gochujang worked really well! Even our 1yo liked it (the non-glazed parts of course!)
Hi there! Iโm new to the world of cooking and have never made a meatloaf! However, here I am, ground turkey mashing through my fingers! Lolย
After making the mixture, I realized I donโt have any foil! Will it be okay if I just use parchment paper instead?ย
Yep, these days I actually prefer parchment over foil (this is an older recipe from back when I used foil a lot).
I used the โturkey in a tubeโ from Aldi and it was delicious! I used 2 tbsp of minced ginger (from a bottle). The glaze seems like a lot at first but you definitely need all of it.
I made this tonight and it was a hit with the entire family! I did use half siracha and half sweet chili sauce because one of my kids can’t handle too much spiciness. We will definitely make it again!
I couldn’t find ground turkey at the grocery store so I am planning to use ground pork instead. Do you think it’s a good idea?
Yes the pork will be much higher fat content though, so if you can I’d try to use some ground chicken.
Pork also goes great with these flavors, so I think it will be great! And the rice should help absorb some of that extra fat that Kelly mentioned, so I don’t think it will be too much of a problem. :)
I love this meatloaf. Great flavor. The jasmine rice take the flavor to the next – great – level!
This would easily be a 5-star recipe, but I had trouble with the moisture/texture. The flavors were so excellent Iโm going to try it again, but next time Iโm only going to parboil the rice, and maybe it will pick up the extra moisture.
ย
Iโm also going to either grind my own turkey or buy a coarser grind. The turkey-in-the-tube was really smooth, almost like turkey paste.
ย
I canโt speak high enough about the flavor.
Completely changed how I make meatloaf!!!ย
I thought you HAD to add water and cook it. Not this loaf! Itโs perfect just exactly how you made it.ย
#1 doubled the glaze (what can I say – I like a lot of sauce)
#2 somehow it I couldnโt get it formed well – was pretty flat…husband said it looked like a fish. But still AMAZING!!
LOVE this so much. Adding to my dinner rotation.ย
Do you think I could swap quinoa in for the rice?
Hmm, honestly it’s a bit too hard to predict how that would turn out without testing it. Quinoa and rice have fairly different textures and properties, so they likely won’t act the same in the meatloaf.
My husband and I love this recipe, just wondering how to adjust the cooking time if I would like to make smaller mini meatloves rather than one large meatloaf. We want a little more glaze to meat ratio! Thanks in advance!
It’s hard to estimate the cooking time without testing it, but in this other BBQ Meatloaf recipe that I have I cooked these small meatloaves for 20 minutes. It will definitely depend on the size, though.
Hi Beth! Thank you for sharing all your wonderful recipes. Since I discovered you website, I’ve been using a lot of your recipes to help with my family’s budget. I’ve been trying to figure out how to cut back on grocery spending. I used to spend about $700 per month for groceries. I’ve been using your recipes for the last three weeks making weekly trips to grocery store and spending $120-$130. By the end of next week, I could say that I’ve been able to save $180 in the last month. WIth that being said, will this recipe work if I use a muffin tin? How could I keep the moisture under control? Add more rice? Thanks again!!!
Wow, Cheryl! That’s some great savings!! I’m so happy I’ve been able to help. โค๏ธ I think you could definitely do this in a muffin tin and since they’re smaller, I don’t think there would be too much moisture pooling. I do a vegetable meat loaf in a muffin tin and it’s not too bad, despite the vegetables containing a lot of moisture! The baking time will probably be shorter, since they’re smaller, as well.
If I donโt have sriracha in pantry. ย Do you have a suggestion for a replacement.ย
I had to use up some ground turkey, so I turned to this recipe last night. Halved the quantities, used plain white rice instead of jasmine, and my soya sauce gave the loaf a very dark colour indeed – but it was still extremely delicious. Thank you!!
Beth, do you have a suggestion for swapping out the white rice? Really trying to cut calories and I’m not sure what I should use instead. Thanks for any suggestions, love all your recipes!
You can leave it out, but the loaf will just be a slightly different texture and might not hold together quite as well. That starch acts as a good binder. There are other starches you can use, but they’ll all have the same calorie load. ;)
I made this last night. I’ve got gestational diabetes, and have found rice sends my glucose numbers skyrocketing. I swapped the rice for riced cauliflower, and the loaf held together well, and tasted wonderful, without affecting my numbers.
Awesome, thanks for sharing the results!!
Beth you did it again…made my day!! I made this for dinner last night and we all loved it!! Even my picky children!! Now the only thing I did was I added 1 tbsp of Epicure Asian Stir-Fry spices (a Canadian based company). Well thanks again for coming up with these great recipes!!
Thank you so much for guiding me through my first efforts making meat loaf. It came out so yummy. My boyfriend loved it. It held together great. I followed the recipe exactly except I used 1.5 lbs ground turkey and .5 lb ground pork. Also I used leftover cooked rice that had been sitting in our fridge for days.
This one was a bit of a mixed bag for me, though more good than bad.
The good:
Oh wow, is this delicious. I grew up eating the America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook meatloaf, which follows a similar recipe, so when I saw this involved a pan-baked meatloaf with a ketchup/brown sugar glaze, I knew I’d like it. Plus, it’s got the meat/ginger/green onion/soy combo of gyoza, which can’t be beat.
It wasn’t too hard or expensive to make, and, like I mentioned, it’s delicious.
The not-so-good:
Unfortunately, though I followed the recipe to the letter, my loaf didn’t have as much structural integrity as yours–the best it could do was a sort of thick meat pancake. This changed the baking process quite a bit. On top of that, I goofed and accidentally poured all of the glaze on in the first intermission–not the end of the world by any means, but a bit of a mistake.
I’m not sure why my loaf lacked the structural integrity yours had. Maybe it needed another egg? Maybe I didn’t believe in it hard enough?
Whatever the case, it was definitely tasty, and I’m sure I’ll make it again, though I’d like to figure out why mine was so flimsy this time around.
Hahah, it sounds like you believed in it plenty! :) If the meat mixture is too soft to form into a loaf, that’s usually because it has too much moisture (so an egg would probably make it worse). Perhaps your rice had more moisture than mine? Or maybe it was due to that weird turkey in a tube that I used? Not sure. If I could have actually seen yours with my own eyes, I’d probably be able to help more. :P
Thanks for the feedback! I’ll keep it in mind the next time I make this.
Hey,
You might want to try wrapping the tinfoil around the shape of the meatloaf for the original bake so that it keeps the shape.
Then move the foil back for the rest of the baking and glazing process.
SOOOOOO delicious! I had a lb of ground pork on hand, so I used half pork and half turkey. I only used half the sriracha since my hubby isn’t a fan of too much spice. He declared this to be his “preferred meatloaf recipe”…and ate 3 helpings. My friend who recommended it said that it tastes like the inside of a potsticker…spot-on!
I chose this recipe because I had some company that is allergic to beef and meatloaf feeds a nice crowd without breaking the bank. I followed the recipe to the T and it was a HUGE hit. It was by far the best turkey meatloaf I have ever had, and my company agreed eagerly. This will become a common dinner in my household, in all of its variants.
I made these last week with one change. I used 1/2 turkey and 1/2 chicken because that`s what I had. I used the lined cookie sheet but instead of shaping into a loaf, I spread the meat mixture as I would a brownie batter, cut the cooking time to 30 minutes. At 15 minutes I topped with sauce. Once cooled, I cut just like I would brownies because they fit my homemade square hamburger buns. I got 12 square burgers. My hubby and kids loved them so much that I made another batch!! They freeze wonderfully!! I freeze them on a lined cookie sheet for about 2 hours, then I wrap them individually in saran wrap then place all in a gallon sized freezer bag. Great for quick dinner. Microwave for 2 minutes, serve with salad or steamed vegetables. My kids love them as an afternoon snack cut up and eaten on crackers. Best Thai recipe I’ve used in a while!!! Will being using this recipe often! Thank You Beth!
That’s such an awesome idea! Thanks for sharing it!
I did this! It worked beautifully and made it so much easier to portion for meal prep, not to mention being a lot faster to bake!
This was a very pleasant surprise. Thanks so much for this recipe. It’s a keeper!
I just made this and I love it. It’s a keeper. Thank you for the recipe!
Just got introduduced to your blog yesterday,Thai turkey meatlof is in the oven now, love you already!! THANK YOU!!
This looks amazingly delicious!!!
Instead of using turkey, can i use pork? Is there anything that would have to change in the recipe?
Instead of making, a glaze, I am thinking of just dipping it into soy sauce! I hope this would work too.
P.S I am in Poland and i absolutely love your site!
Yes, you can definitely use pork instead of turkey. These flavors work really well with pork. You can also try shaping them into meatballs instead of a loaf to make them easier for dipping, although you’ll need to reduce the cooking time.
Great made it last night think I added a little to much srircha!!!
Yum! First time making meatloaf, used ground beef and added cilantro. So delicious and easy, next time would make extra glaze to slather all over the sliced meatloaf!
Hello Beth, I was searching your site for a meatloaf recipe so I could use up my ground beef. Could you use ground beef for this recipe? I like the idea of the Asian spices :) Thanks!
Yes, you could. Let me know how it turns out!
Often the best stuff I learn from Beth is the really odd stuff. Like meatloaf works better without a meatloaf pan.
This is my boyfriend’s all-time favorite meal in the world. I love how it is a beautiful combination of Asian flavors and an American classic dish, not to mention it’s easy to put together! Thank you for this Beth :)
This recipe is delicious. It has definitely become a favorite in my house. My boyfriend insisted that I make it for Thanksgiving this year for a pot luck we were attending… he said, “trust me, I know my friends.” I put it on a bed of arugula. Everyone loved it!
I made this last night it was really good, It was a little loose which is fine for meatloaf but I want to make them in them into meatballs for a trial party sampler, any suggestions on making them a little firmer. I was thinking an extra egg and some bread crumbs.
Yes, an egg and bread crumbs will definitely help firm it up :)
The flavors are all there, however I think the recipe is a little off… or at least should be clarified. You mention brown rice can be used. I used brown rice, however I don’t think it works here. My meatloaf ended up being very soft and wet and sort of flattened out in the pan. I think a white rice would be able to absorb the moisture and hold the loaf together better than a brown rice. That being said, it was delicious and I will certainly make this again using white rice.
Love this! We make it with leftover Golden Bowl rice (we always get way more rice than we need) and it tastes great!
Thank you!
I am going to add crushed pineapple, because it’s so close to perfect, and I think that’s all it needs.
This is one of my favorites! I printed it out and have had it in my recipe book for at least 5 months before I made it. WOW! It was so delicious! We like it hot in our house so I doubled the sriracha. Thank you for this wonderful recipe! :)
Jessica
West Linn, OR
Wow this was ahhmazzing… as Beth would say!
I have made many recipes from Beth’s site but when my husband tried this meatloaf and 2012’s #5 Crunchy Asian Salad I paired it with, he said it was the best ever!! He has been known to say this in the past but I apparently one up’d myself thanks to Budget Bytes. My kids loved it too, I added only 1 tablespoon of Sriracha and doubled the ketchup so it wasnt too spicy.
If you have never tried Beth’s recipes 2012’s best 20 is a great place to start!
Beth I wish great things for you in 2013!
Valerie
Golden, CO
I had this and it was really good. I think I used a little too much fresh ginger, but it was good. I also added some red pepper to get a little more veggies in the recipe.
Yes,I think ground chicken would also work well.
Do you think this would taste just as good with ground chicken instead of turkey?
Made this last night, but just tried it today (I wanted it to set up overnight). Wow, what a great flavour, and the glaze is the perfect accompaniment! Since I’ve made a few meatloaves in my life, I added a few personal touches: lightly sauteed the garlic/ginger mixture (to take the sharpness out), added some soaked bread in milk, and I added a cup of cooked quinoa, just because that is what I had on hand. To mold the meatloaf, I used a trick I learned from the Food Network. Spray a loaf pan well with Pam, then fill it with the meat mixture, patting it in well. Then flip it over onto your baking tray, give it a few good taps, and out it pops, beautifully formed! I also love this dish as you could easily use the meat mixture in three ways: as a meatloaf, meatballs (I think the Siracha glaze would be awesome on meatballs), or a burger. 5-star dish!!!
Made this last night and my boyfriend and I loved it! We normally make smaller meatloaves in general but this size will give us lots of leftovers this week, which is great. The seasoning and the spicy glaze were dead on!
I’m so excited to try this. My “cousin” shared it since she loved it. I’m going to try and substitute quinoa for the rice though ( more protein). Also I like doubling meatloaf recipes, cooking in a 9 x 9 cutting and freezing individual portions. Works great chopped up on salads or as a sandwich!!!
Made this meatloaf last night, and I have to say it was excellent. However, instead of ground turkey, I used ground pork. Seemed more Thai to me. Plus it was cheaper. Great recipe.
I made this as burgers. It yielded about 6 of them and they were delicious. I used the glaze as directed and had just enough to cover all 6 two different times as directed.
My only complaint about the recipe is that I feel the ginger may overwhelm. I love ginger, but it is powerful. Looking back, I would definitely make it again and maybe with just an inch of ginger instead of 2 inches.
Thank you! Wonderful recipe.
I made this as burgers. It yielded about 6 of them and they were delicious. I used the glaze as directed and had just enough to cover all 6 two different times as directed.
My only complaint about the recipe is that I feel the ginger may overwhelm. I love ginger, but it is powerful. Looking back, I would definitely make it again and maybe with just an inch of ginger instead of 2 inches.
Thank you! Wonderful recipe.
nice posting.. thanks for sharing.
I made this last night and my husband and I loved it. Thanks for another great recipe!
I just made this last night using a loaf pan. Had to drain off some of the liquid before I glazed it, but OMG this was amazing. I love that I can use your site as a go-to for new, affordable, tasty and healthy recipes. Never lets me down. Thanks!
Family agreed- best meatloaf ever!
Lindsay – It’s 1.5 cups of cooked rice. It’s hard to cook less than one cup of rice because you’d need a SUPER small pot, so I’d just cook one cup of dry rice (usually that means adding 1.5 cups of water) and then take 1.5 cups after it’s cooked.
Anon – Thanks for noticing the typo! It’s fixed :)
Just a small comment. The total for the meal seems to be added up wrong in the chart. It reads $2.16
Hi Beth, is the 1.5 cups of rice measured out before or after cooking it? If I need 1.5 cups of cooked rice, about how much is that uncooked? Do you think I can substitute quinoa for the rice?
Popped over after reading your peach/siracha recipe on Blog her. Great site. This looks delicious. Always looking for ways to use ground turkey. Can’t wait to try this.
I made this Wednesday of last week, and my husband has talked about everyday since! Hands down the best meatloaf that we have ever had. Thank you so much.
Made this tonight–a great hit!
Made it with the sweet chili glaze…excellent!! My husband went back for seconds and thirds :)
I made this last night. My meat mixture was a little runny, so I added about a cup of spanko. It was excellent.
I made this last night. My meat mixture was a little runny, so I added about a cup of spanko. It was excellent.
Oooh yum yum. Why does turkey go so well with Asian spices? I swear it’s like magic. What a fun way to do meatloaf, thanks for the recipe!
Danielle.Lax – I’ve never used agave in cooking, so I’m not sure how that would effect the glaze or how much to use.
Can I replace the sugar with agave? Would you know how much agave?
this sounds really good, cant wait to try it. When I make meat loaf, I cook in muffin tins – perfect portions and it cooks much faster. I can try some with siracha and some with chili sauce for the kiddos :)
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Ashlee – Sriracha is super spicy :) If you want to use sweet chili sauce, just substitute it completely for the glaze. Pour it straight from the bottle onto the loaf after baking for 30 minutes, and then another coat at the 60 minute mark. I’m not sure how BBQ sauce would taste with this recipe… might be good, but might clash a little with the Asian flavors.
and healthy too! love it!
I can’t handle a lot of spice…if I used sweet chili sauce or something else, would I just substitute it in the glaze recipe, or use it by itself? Or would BBQ sauce work instead of sriracha?
Just how spicy is sriracha? I know, it’s ridiculous that I haven’t tried it.
Purpleysawks – Probably! If you try it, let us all know how it is :)
Do you think I could do the glaze without the ketchup?
They’re actually pretty good w/o the glaze (that’s how I tasted my mini-burger), but if you want the glaze, you can just spoon some over top after cooking. You will want to heat up the glaze to dissolve the sugar, though. So, just mix up the glaze, heat it up in a small sauce pan, and spoon it over the cooked burgers.
Looks delicious! If I’d like to make these into burgers, when would you recommend adding the glaze?