41 Breadcrumb Alternatives for Meatloaf and Meatballs!

Meatloaf and Meatballs are very simple dishes to make at home. All you need is ground meat of your choice, an egg, and some breadcrumbs. Top it off with some seasonings, and you are good to go!

So, what happens when you are all set to make meatloaf or meatballs and you don’t have any breadcrumbs? You don’t want to go to the grocery store just for one item, so next time this happens, check out this list of bread crumb alternatives that you probably already have at home!

Why does meatloaf and meatballs need breadcrumbs?

So, you may be wondering why you even need breadcrumbs in the first place when you make meatloaf and meatballs. Breadcrumbs act as a binding agent in meatloaf and meatballs, so your ground meat mixture doesn’t fall apart and get dry tasting.

Breadcrumbs are also an easy way to add flavor by using preseasoned breadcrumbs. You will notice that a lot of the alternative options also add a lot of flavor without additional seasonings being needed!

What can I replace breadcrumbs within meatloaf?

Breadcrumbs are fairly inexpensive, and they last a long time, but sometimes you run out at inconvenient times. This list of options to use is awesome because most of these items are more than likely already in your pantry.

If you have ever wondered if you are saving money by making your own meatballs, check out “Is it Cheaper to make or buy Meatballs?” The answer may suprise you!

1. Oats

Using oatmeal like quick or instant oats is a great gluten free option to use in meatballs and meatloaf. It adds a great texture and makes it even more filling. I have used instant oats in a packet as long as they were plain flavored! Check out “Is it cheaper to make your own oatmeal?“

2. Cooked Rice

This is a great way to use up leftover cooked rice. Sometimes cooked white rice can get a little crunchy, but when you mix it in for meatloaf it will absorb all the juices and come out nice and soft.

3. Croutons

Croutons are a great substitute for breadcrumbs! As an added bonus if they are already flavored you can skip additional seasonings for the meatloaf or meatballs. We recently did this with cheddar cheese garlic croutons and the final flavor of the meatloaf was amazing!

4. Stale Chips or Chip Crumbs

So many people think I am odd for saving the bottom of the bags of potato chips. You know those little bits and pieces of chips that left in the bag? I guess most people throw them away, but I use them in place of breadcrumbs all the time! Whether it is to bread chicken or to put in meatloaf. Different flavored chips like barbeque or sour cream and onion add lots of flavor to the mix as well! (Pro tip: chips tend to have a lot of salt, so make sure you don’t add additional salt in your seasonings or you may end up with a really salty meatloaf.)

5. Stuffing Mix

This is a really good way to use stuffing mix when you are bored of plain stove top stuffing. Simply mix in 1 box of stuffing mix to about 2lbs of ground meat. If you want to use less meat, just use 1/2 a box to 1lb of meat. I have used a whole box to 1lb and it made the meatloaf a little dry but was still tasty.

6. Cornflake Cereal

This one is straight out of the 50’s housewife cookbook! Take plain cornflakes (not the frosted ones) and mix with your ground beef or turkey. The cornflakes add a nice crunch and the resulting texture is great.

7. Toasted Bread

If you are out of breadcrumbs, the easiest way is to put 2 slices of bread in the toaster and then crumble the toast or cut it put into chunks like croutons. Lots of people skip the toasting and prefer to soak a piece of bread in milk or water and that totally works too!

8. Fritos or Doritos (Corn Chips)

This is one that we have done a couple times. Just like with potato chips, when the bag of Fritos or Doritos is at the bottom with just little tiny pieces left, I crunch them all up to make my own breadcrumbs. These work really well to coat chicken breasts or pork chops too! Since Fritos and Doritos tend to be pretty salty, you will need to make sure you don’t add more salt when you season your meat mixture!

9. Cheez-its or Goldfish Crackers

As a mom of toddlers, I almost always have cheese crackers like Cheez-its or Goldfish on hand! I like to take all the smashed up broken bits at the end of the box and crush them even more with a rolling pin. (Pro Tip: use your hand to grab all the crackers out first and leave all the salt in the bag. This keeps your meatloaf and meatballs from getting overly salty.)

10. Bran Flakes

This one is a super easy way to use up bran flakes. We tried them for breakfast and honestly they weren’t very taste on their own. So rather than toss them out, I used them in meatloaf and the texture was great. The bran flakes don’t add a lot of flavor but they do add a lot of fiber to the meal!

11. Instant Potato Flakes

I’m sure I am not the only one that always has a box of instant mashed potatoes in my cupboard. I love them for a super quick side dish when I don’t have fresh potatoes and they work as the perfect binder in meatloaf and meatballs. They don’t really add any additional flavor but they do give a creaminess to the final texture!

12. Pork Rinds

Using pork rinds that you smash into crumbs is a great way to make a carb free bread crumb! I like to use my hands, food processor, or my handy rolling pin to crunch these up into small pieces. (Pro Tip: this is surprisingly a great stress reliever!) Pork Rinds do tend to have a lot of sodium, so watch your seasonings!

13. Rice Krispie Cereal

We tend to think of Crispy Rice cereal as sweet but by itself it is actually quite bland. These make the perfect binder for meatloaf and meatballs. The texture is similar to using cooked rice and as an added bonus this cereal is fortified with vitamins and minerals, so I feel healthier using them. (It probably is not healthier but I still feel healthier, LOL!)

14. Saltine Crackers

Saltine crackers are a great breadcrumb alternative and I love to use up stale saltines by making breadcrumbs! The texture is very similar to panko breadcrumbs and the flavor is good as well. Unless you use the no salt saltines, watch your seasonings because saltines have a ton of salt!

15. Pretzels

This was a happy accident that I found that pretzels work really well as breadcrumbs. I accidentally mixed up a bag of crushed pretzel crumbs that I planned on using for a pretzel crust with a bag of homemade bread crumbs. Pretzels can get really salty, so I use my hands to grab all the pretzels out of the bag and leave all the salt at the bottom of the bag!

16. Tortilla Chips

We recently stumbled upon tortilla chips from Walmart that are Chili Garlic flavored and they are amazing! The crumbs at the bottom of the bag of tortilla chips are excellent for breadcrumbs in anything. The flavor transfers over and it makes a really nice Mexican flavor!

17. Cheerios Cereal

This is another toddler friendly food that I almost always have on hand. The cheerios themselves are not actually sweet so they are perfect to smash up into bits for breadcrumbs.

18. Parmessan Cheese

My sister swears by using parmesan cheese in for meatloaf instead of breadcrumbs. She likes to use the grated powdered stuff, but I am not a fan. I have used the fresh shredded parmesan and it works well too. Both types of parmesan can get salty so watch your seasoning. I like to use an Italian seasoning or garlic herb blend when I use the parmesan cheese because they pair well together.

19. French Fried Onions

I always tend to have leftover French fried onions whenever I make green bean casserole, so this is a great way to use them up! I don’t even break them up, I just mix them whole into the meat mixture. The onion flavor it gives is really nice with a meatloaf! For more information, check out “Can I use expired French Fried Onions?“

20. Ritz Crackers

Hmmmm buttery ritz crackers are the best for topping casseroles so it makes sense that they work well as breadcrumbs in meatloaf and meatballs!

21. Ramen Noodles

This one was new to me, but my grandmother told me about this! She says she crunched up a pack of uncooked ramen noodles until they were tiny bits and then mixed it with her ground meat. She skipped the seasoning packet and saved it for something else. She said the resulting texture was nice and soft small noodles in the meatloaf and it went really well with a brown gravy on top. She also mentioned that it seemed to make the meatloaf heartier too!

22. Shredded Cheese

Similar to parmesan cheese, you can actually use any cheese you like! We have used shredded mozzarella and sharp cheddar cheese and the flavor is definitely there. This was a nice change from a regular old meatloaf. (Pro Tip: melted cheese can stick and burn to your pan, so make sure you grease the pan very well, so you don’t end up with hard to remove cheese bits on your pan!) In case you were wondering, “Is shredding your own cheese cheaper?“

23. Ground Almonds or Nut Flour

If you are on a keto or low carb diet, using ground almonds or any nut flour is a great alternative to traditional breadcrumbs. Nuts do give some extra flavor too. The texture is very similar to a breadcrumb but occasionally it can feel gritty. This will really come down to how fine the cuts are ground. (Pro Tip: definitely use a food chopper or food processor for this one!)

24. Special K Cereal

Before you think I am too crazy, hear me out! Plain Special K cereal without the dried fruit is actually pretty savory and similar to bran flakes. The flavor is not as strong as bran flakes, and it works really well to add a slight crunch to your meatloaf!

25. Baby Rice Cereal

We ended up an insane amount of baby rice cereal and unfortunately my youngest child did not care for it at all. I tried a zillion ways to use it up, and it worked really well in meatloaf and meatballs! You can also use it to make muffins and quick breads too!

26. Boiled Potatoes

I almost always have fresh potatoes in my cupboards because they are cheap and so versatile to cook with. I came across a recipe that had you boil potatoes first and them chop them up into small cubes. Then you add the potatoes to your meat mixture. The result was actually amazing! Instead of making mashed potatoes on the side, this was like a one pan meatloaf and potatoes that was great with a brown gravy on top. We also found that you could recreate the same effect with canned white potatoes that are already diced. I gave them a good rinse first and added them to the meat mixture, so it saved the time of having to boil them first!

27. Cheese Puffs (Cheetos)

Whether you like the light and airy puffs or the harder crunchy cheetos, these snacks are perfect to smash up for breadcrumbs! They give a cheesy flavor and won’t cause any weird textures. Keep in mind some brands can be salty so you may want to adjust your seasonings.

28. Club Crackers

There is something so yummy about buttery club crackers! Put these crackers in a food processor and make your own breadcrumbs. They add a richness to your meatloaf or meatballs that taste like you added a ton of butter!

29. All Purpose Flour

When all else fails, you can always use a small amount of all purpose flour. Just keep in mind that raw flour doesn’t taste very good, so you want to make sure not use very much. I have done this in a pinch and mixed it slightly with water first like a slurry. This made it easier to distribute the flour into the meat mixture evenly.

30. Cooked Quinoa

Quinoa is a tasty side dish and occasionally I have a good amount leftover. Using it in meatloaf or meatballs is a great way to use up leftovers. As an added bonus quinoa not only adds a great flavor and texture, but it also adds extra protein and fiber to your meal!

31. Couscous

Similar to quinoa, couscous is a wonderfully easy side dish and using them instead of breadcrumbs is a great way to use up leftovers. I recently had made a Mushroom couscous and used it for meatloaf, and it tasted amazing.

32. Rice Cakes

Rice Cakes in plain or savory flavors are a super easy item to crunch up or put in a food processor to make breadcrumbs. Keep in mind that sweet flavors will add flavors that you may not want. As a bonus rice cakes are really low in calories so it won’t add a ton of calories to your main dish.

33. Cooked Macaroni and Cheese

As a household with 2 toddlers, we almost always have leftover mac and cheese in the house. My 5-year-old even went on a just mac and cheese kick for a while so I seemed to always be making it. As a fun way to get my son to try meatloaf, I mixed cold cooked mac and cheese in with the meat mixture, and it turned out awesome like a stuffed meatloaf!

34. Cornmeal or Cornbread Mix

I always stock up on cheap cornbread mixes when they are on sale and cornbread is such an easy side dish. In a pinch I have used crumbled leftover cornbread in my meatloaf, and it added a really nice flavor. Since most cornbread mixes only require egg and milk, you can easily add just the plain mix to your meatloaf and recreate the same taste without having to make a full pan of meatloaf. Don’t forget to check out “Expired Jiffy Cornbread Mix: to Eat or Not to Eat?“

35. Lentils

Whether you have leftover lentils or just a bag in your cabinet, you can totally use lentils in your meatloaf. Not only does it add a nice hearty texture, but lentils will add potassium, fiber, and protein. Keep in mind that lentils can cause lots of gas, so if you have frequent tummy troubles you may want to skip this one.

36. Funions

It’s like a potato chip and a onion ring fell in love and had a baby funion! These fun snacks are great, but I never seem to finish off a whole bag and end up with a bunch of smashed ones at the bottom. This is the perfect time to use them as breadcrumb! They add a great texture and onion flavor to meatloaf or meatballs.

37. Chex Cereal

It doesn’t matter if you have the corn, wheat, or rice flavor of Chex, they can work very well for an alternative to breadcrumbs. These are easy to smash into little bits, and I let me kids do it in a Ziploc bag for fun!

38. Frozen Hashbrowns

I’m not a huge fan of frozen hashbrowns because they never turn out the way I want. My mom recently told me to try them in meatloaf, and I was truly surprised at how well it works. They had a nice potato flavor, but it isn’t super heavy. We did a brown gravy sauce with it, and it turned out really good.

39. Riced Cauliflower

Similar to cooked rice, riced cauliflower is a great keto friendly side dish. If you have leftover riced cauliflower, try using it in your meatloaf or meatballs! They add a great texture and none of the gluten!

40. Bread Heels

I have a really hard time throwing food a way that is perfectly fine, so I have gotten into the habit of putting the end pieces from the loaf of bread in a bag in the freezer. Then when I want garlic bread, stuffing, or breadcrumbs, I just pull out a few heel pieces! Since these usually get thrown away, this is like a totally free option.

41. Popped Popcorn

My husband and son are huge popcorn lovers and regularly have bowls of popcorn for a snack after dinner. They will pop a large bag and just chip clip it until they finish it off. I have found that sometimes it goes stale before they finish it or they just forget about it. If you put popped popcorn in a food processor, you will end up with a really nice and soft textured bread crumbs. It also adds a really nice flavor if it is butter flavored or cheese flavored! You might find this interesting “Can I eat expired Microwave Popcorn?“

What can you substitute bread crumbs for in meatloaf or meatballs?

Whether you are out of bread crumbs, short on cash, or just looking for a new way to make meatloaf, I hope this list has inspired you to look in your cabinets.

There are so many options for breadcrumb alternatives and I bet most of us have at least on of these in our pantry right now!

For more information on ways to use those meatballs, check out this awesome list of Dinner Ideas for Meatballs!

If you are looking for a side that is not mashed potatoes for the meatloaf, check out these alternative side dishes!