I Tried 6 Frozen Meatloafs & One Blew Me Away with Its Juicy Flavor

As the weather cools off, the comfort food cravings kick in, but sometimes you don't have hours to whip up a meatloaf from scratch. Having quick options that you can heat up in under 10 minutes is a great way to satisfy that hankering, minus all of the prep work, cooking, and clean up.

I'll admit, I work from home and we don't have kiddos, so cooking is relaxing to me, a way to unwind and take a break from screen time. That said, I really enjoy cooking things from scratch and have made meatloaf from scratch before, leaving me hopeful that I can bring a good perspective to some of the quick frozen options out there before you spend the money.

Frozen meatloaf dinners can range in flavor, texture, sauciness, price point, and nutrition, and let's face it, groceries are expensive these days, so buying products that don't end up liking can be frustrating. Don't fret, we here at Eat This, Not That! did the work for you by trying six different kinds of frozen meatloafs for you, so when you're craving something that tastes homemade, you can whip it up on a whim. Here they are ranked in descending order from my least favorite to my most favorite.

Banquet Mega Meats Meatloaf

This meatloaf meal from Banquet left a lot to be desired. The cooking instructions take a bit of time. Slice the film to vent it before microwaving the food on high for 6 minutes, then open the film to swap the patties in the tray and stir the potatoes before microwaving it for another 5-6 minutes.

The Look: This meal comes with sides, chunky mashed potatoes and corn, and the meatloaf is topped with a ketchup glaze. It comes with very little mashed potatoes—barely a quarter of a cup, but that said they might be the best ones so far.

The Taste: The potatoes have a great texture and an almost tangy flavor, probably from being mixed in with the ketchup glaze. It's just a small portion compared to the amount of meatloaf that you get. This meatloaf is the worst so far, compared to other microwave meatloaf dinners. At times, these meals, especially when microwaved and not baked, can have an ever-so-slightly spongy texture. That's to be expected because you're not getting a homemade meal, but rather a quick fix when you're hungry and need something fast. That said, this is unfortunately the worst one I tried. I disliked the flavor and the bouncy texture was off putting. You might have better luck if you have the time to bake it, but if I'm buying these meals, it's generally to heat them up quickly.

Price Point: Cost for the box/serving: $4.18

Hungry-Man Homestyle Meatloaf

The Hungry-Man meal comes with a brownie, mixed vegetables, and mashed potatoes to make it a full meal. To be frank, the heating directions are a little annoying. You have to remove the film completely from the brownie corner and slit the film over the patties, cooking on high for 4 1/2 minutes. After that, you carefully remove the brownie with a fork and set that aside before stirring the potatoes, rearranging the patties, and recovering the dish with the film. Cook it for another 4 to 4 1/2 minutes and then make sure that the food is up to temp at 165° after letting it stand for a minute. All that is kind of cumbersome when you compare it to others that you can just throw in the microwave without doing anything.

The Look: This meatloaf dinner honestly reminds me of a school cafeteria lunch. Opening the package, the patties look thin and the veggie side is just your basic frozen vegetable mix. Just the standard frozen mix that we grew up eating as kids, which combined with the rest of the meal could bring a little nostalgia. That said, the patties just don't look as good as others like Stouffer's. They're visibly thinner and look slightly drier.

The Taste: The brownie is slightly bitter, and though it seemed like a nice touch, biting into it revealed a dry texture. The mashed potatoes are surprisingly good, with a smooth and silky consistency, though slightly gluey. This reminded me of overworked homemade mashed potatoes made with russet potatoes. The corn and vegetables are unexpectedly flavorful for a standard frozen mix, with the corn flavor standing out the most. The meatloaf initially seemed promising, but biting into the thin, small patties revealed a spongy, overcooked texture. Overall, this meal isn't something I would choose to buy again.

Price Point: Cost for the box/serving: $3.74

Lean Cuisine Protein Kick Meatloaf

Of course with Lean Cuisine, the low-cal, "healthy" option, it's most likely not going to taste as delicious as some of the other choices here, but I wanted to include this one because sometimes these meals are loaded with sodium or high in carbs and having a high-protein, lower-calorie option is always good, especially during New Year, New You season. The meal comes with mashed potatoes and a slice of meatloaf. Just cut the film to vent the food, cook 4 minutes on high, stop to stir the potatoes and recover the food before cooking for another 1 ½ minutes.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

The Look: At first glance, it's a smaller portion—obviously that will help with calorie count. I'm open to the prospect that this probably will not taste similar to other options out there because it is a leaner choice. However, even with that in mind, I didn't like it for a few reasons.

The Taste: The potatoes have a decent texture, but they have a slight artificial taste that is a little unpleasant, making me not want to finish them. After tasting the first bite of meatloaf, I thought for a moment, "Wow it's quite juicy," but then immediately bit down on it and discovered that although it's not dry, it's slightly slimy and a bit mushy. I would maybe eat this again as a lower calorie option if I was in a rush, but it's not something that I would seek out necessarily. The gravy has a sharp flavor to it and a creamy texture with a few bites of juicy tomato mixed in. All-in-all it's just ok…not terrible, not amazing.

Price Point: Cost for the box/serving: $3.49

Hormel Square Table Meatloaf

Stamped as America's number one selling meatloaf entrée brand, they pride themselves on keeping their meatloaf free of preservatives, artificial ingredients, artificial colors, and artificial flavors, refrigerated in a BPA free tray.

The Look: This meatloaf is the one I was most excited to try due to the lack of preservatives and artificial ingredients. When I pulled it out of the microwave, I wasn't sure what to think if I'm being honest. It just looked like a literal brick brushed with thick tomato sauce. It's essentially steamed in the liquid in the container because you don't even vent the seal, leading to the meatloaf maintaining the juiciness.

The Taste: When I took a bite, it was incredibly tender. Despite its appearance, the meat just melts in your mouth. The only problem that I have with it is that the texture of the meat—combined with the tomato sauce—makes it taste more like a misshapen meatball, rather than actual meatloaf. I guess that makes sense—wedged up meat is going to taste like wedged up meat, balled or not—but the mouthfeel was off. It also doesn't come with any sides, which could be a bit of a downer if you were looking to get that all-in-one meal. When all is said and done, this meatloaf dinner is absolutely delicious in a pinch.

Price Point: Cost for the box: $8.34. Cost per serving: About $2.78.

Stouffer's Classic Meatloaf

Stouffer's is one of the front runners of frozen food, so it should come as no surprise that they are one of the best when it comes to meatloaf. Their classic meatloaf is a mix of beef and pork, served with a side of mashed potatoes. Simply leave the film on, don't even bother scoring it, and cook it for 7 1/2 minutes on high in the microwave.

The Look: The appearance is decent, especially for a microwave meal, but definitely doesn't look like enough for two people in my opinion. There is one small, but thick, piece of meatloaf each (the box says there are two servings), which doesn't look like much if you're sharing it.

The Taste: The meatloaf itself is quite flavorful. I took a bite and an instinctive "yum" came out of my mouth because it was particularly juicy. Obviously when microwaving it, you might not get that satisfying crust, so if you have time to cook it in the oven, that can be a better solution if you prefer it that way. I usually enjoy a juicier texture and this hit the nail on the head. The gravy complemented the dish well, not too salty. The potatoes were just so-so, definitely a nice fluffy texture, but had a bit of an artificial taste to it. Overall, for a microwaved meatloaf meal, the texture and flavor is pretty comparable to homemade. I noticed it was ever so slightly mushy as I continued eating it, but tender nevertheless, and still a really solid option.

Price Point: Cost for the box: $4.97. Cost per serving: About $2.49.

Marie Callender's Meatloaf and Gravy

Marie Callender's frozen dinners are some of the best on the market, so it shouldn't surprise you that their meatloaf and gravy is a delicious option for a quick comfort food themed dinner on the fly. All you do is cut the film to vent, cook on high for 4 minutes, stir the potatoes and rotate the meatloaf, then cover the food and cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes.

The Look: The Marie Callender's meatloaf is a bit of a smaller portion, but thick cut. This might be my favorite meatloaf meal so far. It comes with flavorful corn and potatoes. The potatoes looked like they might have that overworked, sticky texture, but there's only one way to find out!

The Taste: Starting with the potatoes, they're flavorful and taste like they were made from scratch. A very little bit of the glaze ended up mixed in, giving it added flavor, and the texture is the best so far. The meatloaf is juicy and tastes homemade, and honestly, I was quite surprised. This meal is definitely one that I would get again! The only downside is that you only get one piece, so if you're a big eater that might not be enough. That said, I would rather sacrifice quantity for quality all day everyday. Plus, you can grab any roll you'd like and turn this into a sandwich.

Price Point: Cost for the box/serving: $3.48

Next time you're craving homemade meatloaf, but don't have the time or energy to make it from scratch, Marie Callender's or Stouffer's have you covered!