The Absolute Best Gluten-Free Breadcrumb Swap For Meatloaf

If you're one of the many folks abstaining from gluten these days, you're all too familiar with the tweaks and swaps often required to keep classic recipes on your menu. Traditional dishes like America's favorite dinner, meatloaf, trigger the gluten radar big time, as meatloaf traditionally calls for incorporating breadcrumbs into the meat as a binder. Sure, you can simply sacrifice a loaf of gluten-free bread and crumble it up — but gluten-free bread is expensive, and who wants to ruin a $10-plus loaf by reducing it to crumbs? Fortunately, there are many alternatives to choose from when you want a delicious, gluten-free meatloaf.

One scrumptious swap for those conventional breadcrumbs is pretzels. They not only lend some crunch to your meatloaf, but they introduce a distinct level-up to the flavor that's a delicious surprise. Simply grab a bag of your favorite gluten-free crispy twists or sticks and pulse them in a food processor or crush them up by hand (a rolling pin or similarly hefty kitchen tool works great as a bludgeon). Whatever breadcrumb amount your recipe calls for, directly sub in the same amount of pretzel crumbs and complete your preparation of the dish as normal. If you want to take the unique flavor upgrade even further, you can opt for flavored pretzels like honey mustard or cheddar. A mustard pretzel plays really well against the typical tomato-based topping of meatloaf. One point to bear in mind, however, is pretzels are generally high in salt content unless you're using a low-sodium product, so some adjustments to the salt in your recipe may be in order.

Another gluten-free breadcrumb swap that yields great results is using grated raw potato in place of the crumbs. As with the pretzels, a comparable amount of potato can be used as a direct swap for the bread product called for in your recipe. Using potatoes lends its own special qualities, as the high water content in the raw vegetable imparts moisture into the meatloaf, serving up a particularly tender and juicy final result.

Almond flour is also a great gluten-free option as well as being keto-friendly. It, too, can be directly subbed measure for measure for breadcrumbs. It is not only very absorbent to keep your meat juices inside the loaf, but it lends a nice nuttiness to the dish.

Oats are also a popular add-in for meatloaf — just make sure the oats you select are certified gluten-free. Any type of crushed-up gluten-free crackers will work, as well. If you want to stick to the traditional route, you can additionally purchase ready-made, prepackaged gluten-free breadcrumbs, if they're available from a nearby health food store or other shop with gluten-free products.

Whichever nongluten swap you opt for, make sure you avoid the last-minute mistake that causes an overly dry meatloaf: cutting it hot from the oven. This lets the juices escape, whereas letting the dish sit allows the liquid needed time to settle and evenly distribute. Similar to giving roasts and steaks a rest break before cutting into them, about 10 minutes will also do the trick for your meatloaf.