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Rapid formation of the MAB phase ceramic, Mn2AlB2, by the method of induction furnace-assisted self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) was investigated in this work. The effects of Al content, high-energy ball-milling and cold pressing load on phase purity and reaction behaviour were also examined. An Al content of 140% allowed the highest conversion of reactants to Mn2AlB2. Increasing ball-milling time was shown to increase phase purity and reduce SHS ignition and peak temperatures. Unpressed powder samples exhibited higher phase purities and significantly lower SHS ignition temperatures than pressed samples. It was revealed that Mn2AlB2 forms by a two-stage reaction in this process, as evidenced by the presence of two exothermic peaks in the temperature-time data. The short synthesis times and equipment scalability available using this method offer a unique solution for the large-scale fabrication of MAB phase powders.