This is the BEST recipe for Instant Pot Meatballs! These meatballs are simple to make, full of incredible flavor, and are the most tender meatballs you have ever had!
This recipe has been inspired by my famous Baked Italian Meatball Recipe. Instead of a crispy exterior, these meatballs are soft and tender--much like they had simmered in sauce for hours.
My recipe for Instant Pot Meatballs is just as flavorful as my traditional oven-baked meatballs and the meatballs are just as tender, if not a bit more tender!
The difference is that Pressure Cooker Meatballs do not have a crispy exterior. I give you suggestions to get achieve a browned exterior, but I have to say these tender meatballs remind me of authentic Italian Meatballs that have been simmered in rich tomato sauce all day. Bottom line, they are just good!
How To Make Meatballs in Instant Pot
Step One: Prepare Meatballs
- Mix together the binding ingredients for meatballs.
- Add in the ground meat and mix until just combined. Do not over mix or you will have tough meatballs.
- Roll meatballs into 1-inch balls.
- Place the meatballs on a cookie sheet. At this point, you can freeze meatballs for 10 minutes to make them easier to handle, or you can pressure cook meatballs right away.
Step Two: Prepare Instant Pot
- Pour beef broth or water into the inner pot of the pressure cooker.
- Add in trivet to the inner pot of the pressure cooker.
Step Three: Cook Meatballs
- Gently, place the prepared meatballs onto the trivet, stacking as needed.
- Place lid on the pressure cooker and be sure vent knob is pointed to sealed.
- Cook on high pressure for 7 minutes.
- Let pressure release naturally for at least 5 minutes before releasing pressure manually. This will help to keep the meatballs super tender.
Serving Suggestions
Instant Pot Meatballs are fabulous served alone or with your favorite sauce. I personally like to serve these meatballs with homemade spaghetti sauce or Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce and a side of pasta or use them to make Meatball Subs.
Another great tip is to stir up to ½ cup of the beef broth and meatball drippings from the inner pot into tomato sauce for a delicious addition to your sauce for meatballs.
How to Brown Meatballs
As I stated earlier, browning meatballs is a completely optional step, and it is a step that can make this recipe for meatballs a bit more complicated.
If you would like to brown meatballs, you can follow one of the two following options.
Option One: Saute Meatballs Before Pressure Cooking
This method is tedious, as the meatballs can only be browned in batches of 3-4 and the meatballs can fall apart if flipped too soon. So proceed with caution and attention to detail.
- Once your meatballs are formed, it is essential you freeze them for 10-15 minutes to help hold their shape as they are browning.
- Turn the Instant Pot to the saute function and add in ½ tablespoon of oil and let it heat.
- Add the meatballs in batches of 3-4 at a time to the heated oil and brown meatballs on each side.
- Once the meatballs have been browned, remove them from the pressure cooker and repeat the process until all the meatballs are browned.
- Turn off the saute function and add in beef broth and scrape up any browned bits from the inner pot. This is a crucial step and if you do not do this, you very well may get a burn notice.
- Proceed with the recipe, decreasing the cooking time from 7 minutes to 6 minutes.
Option Two: Broil Meatballs After Pressure Cooking
This is the easiest way, and my preferred method, to achieve a browned exterior to your pressure-cooked meatballs.
- Once the meatballs have been pressure-cooked, place cooked meatballs on a broiler sheet pan.
- Broil on high for 1 minute per side until browned.
More Instant Pot Beef Recipes
- Instant Pot Beef Stew
- Instant Pot Lasagna Soup
- Instant Pot Ground Beef (From Fresh and Frozen)
- Instant Pot Chili
- Instant Pot Pot Roast
- Instant Pot Mongolian Beef
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If you tried out this recipe for Instant Pot Meatballs, I would love for you to leave a review and comment below.
Instant Pot Meatballs
Ingredients
For Meatballs
- 1 pound ground beef
- ⅓ cup bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
- ¼ cup beef broth
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
- ½ tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon pepper
- pinch red pepper flakes
For Cooking Meatballs in Pressure Cooker
- 1 to 1 ½ cups beef broth or water
Instructions
Prepare Meatballs
- In a large bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, seasonings, Parmesan, ¼ cup of beef broth, and egg until well incorporated.
- Add in the ground meat and mix until just combined. Do not over mix or you will have tough meatballs.
- Roll meatballs into 1 inch balls. Place on cookie sheet. At this point, you can freeze meatballs for 10 minutes to make them easier to handle, or you can pressure cook meatballs right away.
Pressure Cook Meatballs
- If using a 3 or 6-quart pressure cooker, add 1 cup of water or broth into the inner pot. If using an 8-quart pressure cooker, add 1-½ cups of water or broth to the inner pot. Add the trivet to the inner pot of pressure cooker.
- Gently, place prepared meatballs onto the trivet, stacking as needed.
- Place lid on the pressure cooker and be sure vent knob is pointed to sealed. Set to cook on high pressure for 7 minutes, using the manual or pressure cook button.
- Let pressure release naturally for at least 5 minutes before releasing pressure manually.
- Serve the meatballs with your favorite sauce.
Equipment Needed
Notes
Nutrition
Debra
If you freeze the meatballs prior to cooking, how long would you cook frozen meatballs in the IP?
Kristen Chidsey
10 minutes will be perfect if the meatballs are frozen solid. If slight frozen, no need to change cooking time. Enjoy
Katie C
These were fantastic, and so quick and easy! I made them this afternoon, and will be making your IP spaghetti sauce tomorrow. They will become meatball sandwiches the following day! Thanks for sharing this easy, delicious recipe!
Kristen Chidsey
So happy to hear you enjoyed Katie! I love meatball sandwiches myself.
April
Hey Kristen,
This was a fantastic recipe! I had more beef on hand so I made a bunch more (about 36) and didn't know if I could stack them in the IP so didn't (just baked those ones) so BOTH ways - IP and baked turned out amazing. They are so delicious and easy. Kids, hubby and I ate up right up. Thanks!
Kristen Chidsey
So glad you enjoyed so much April! We love them both ways here as well. And for future reference, you can stack them in the instant pot if needed.
Denise Motta
Omg, I don't review normally but these were awesome! I wouldn't change a thing and I'm a changer! Tender, juicy, fantastic!
Kristen Chidsey
So glad you enjoyed Denise!
Michele
I didn’t eat them because I had plant based ones, but husband, daughter and her friends ate them. They all said they were good but I got excellent reviews on my sauce! After dinner, when I asked my husband how the meatballs really were, he said they were alright.
Susan
These were easy and very tasty. I doubled the recipe, I got 36 meatballs scooped out with a 1.5 inch cookie scoop. I followed the instructions exactly for the instapot and than browned them under the broiler. Super moist. We ate some for dinner and I froze a bunch of them to have on hand. Thanks for a great recipe!
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoyed Susan and thank you for taking the time to leave a review.
Courtney
Could I use a 24 ounce of pasta sauce instead of beef broth or water?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Courtney! I assume that is because you want to cook your meatballs right in the sauce. First, they may fall apart and the cooking liquid could get greasy, so it is best to steam them first in my opinion. Secondly, if you want to try it anyway, you will still need 1 cup of beef broth or water and then use 24 ounce pasta sauce. You need that thin liquid to reach pressure.
Ashley
These came out delicious and tender! Question: I had to make these into 2 inch balls, instead of 1 inch, so they would stay on the trivet and not fall through the spaces. I cooked them for, I think, about 13 minutes because they were twice the thickness. So, my question is, if I make 2 inch meatballs, how long do you recommend that I cook them for? Thanks!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Ashley! I am so glad you enjoyed! Well, if the meatballs came out tender, I would stick with 13 minutes. I would have recommended 10-11 minutes, but it sounds like you nailed it 🙂
Bethany Herring
Hi! If i double this, should I add more time? (They're all in one pot, stacked up.)
I'm new to the IP so I haven't developed a feel for how to modify recipes.
Thanks for the great receipe, my 15-month-old loves them.
Bethany Herring
Oops, I see the advice/answer already posted, so never mind my question. But my thanks remains!
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you 15 month old loves these meatballs! And that you found the answer (you do not need to double the time 😉)