Last Updated on January 13, 2023 by Anne-Marie
You'll love how easy it is to make this Instant Pot meatballs recipe. Super flavorful and simple to make, these pressure cooker meatballs taste like they've been cooking all day!
Why this recipe works
The time-saving trick to this Instant Pot recipe? You don't have to brown or bake the meatballs before simmering them in the sauce!
Here are some rave reviews from my readers:
Leanna said she has made this 10 TIMES and her family won’t eat any other meatballs!
Amber said that it was super easy to make and extremely rare that she finds something that both of her boys and husband like!
Wendy said she made the recipe twice in two weeks and was glad she doubled the recipe!
Ingredients
- ground meat (beef, pork, chicken, turkey, or venison - or use a couple in your meat mixture)
- breadcrumbs (gluten-free, plain, or seasoned)
- egg
- milk (or milk substitute)
- Worcestershire sauce
- garlic cloves
- grated fresh parmesan cheese
- fresh herbs such as oregano, basil, and parsley (dried Italian seasoning works, too)
- onion powder
- sea salt
- black pepper
- your favorite spaghetti sauce from the grocery store.
You can also use a homemade sauce like my Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce or this version of Alton Brown's Tomato Sauce.
How to make Instant Pot Meatballs
This classic meatballs with pasta sauce recipe makes a delicious dinner. It's the ultimate comfort food!
1. Prepare the pressure cooker. Make sure to place the trivet that came with your Instant Pot on the bottom of your pressure cooker, so the meatballs don't stick during cooking.
2. Then add the spaghetti sauce.
3. Place meatballs in the sauce, close together.
4. Cover the pressure cooker. Then cook on High Pressure for 8 minutes cooking time.
5. Then perform a 10-minute Natural Release. Then do a Quick Release to vent any remaining pressure.
6. When cooking the performing the natural release, start cooking your pasta.
7. Serve up your batch of meatballs over pasta.
8. Leftover meatballs can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container and reheated the next day.
FAQs
What size Instant Pot?
You can use any electric pressure cooker for this recipe, not just the Instant Pot brand.
However, if you use a bigger size, it will take longer to come under pressure.
I use a large 8 Quart Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker since I double my recipes to have leftovers.
But the 6 Quart Instant Pot Duo Pressure Cooker 7-in-1 is perfect for most recipes.
See What Size is Best? 6-Quart vs. 8-Quart Instant Pot to determine what size pressure cooker works best for your family when making homemade meatballs.
What kind of breadcrumbs?
You can use plain or flavored bread crumbs.
If you're gluten-free, use gluten-free panko breadcrumbs or gluten-free breadcrumbs. I also use these in my Easy Fried Air Fryer Ravioli Recipe.
Make homemade crumbs by toasting gluten-free bread. Then chop the toast in a blender or food processor until finely ground.
You can also use gluten-free oats. Chop these up in a blender or food processor until finely ground.
Forming the meatballs
You can make the meatballs with your hands or a small ice cream scoop.
You want them to be slightly smaller than a golf ball.
Even though you don't brown or bake the meatballs before you put them in the Instant Pot, they won't fall apart during cooking.
So don’t worry! You’ll have tender meatballs and not tough meatballs every time.
Can you freeze the meatballs?
Yes, you can freeze the cooked meatballs in sauce. Here's how:
1. Allow the Italian meatballs to cool completely.
2. Place in a freezer-safe Ziploc bag or plastic container.
3. Label and date. A frozen batch of meatballs keeps for up to three months.
How to reheat frozen meatballs
1. Let the meatballs defrost in the refrigerator overnight. (Or in a pan of water if you're in a hurry.)
2. You can reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave. Serve the meatballs over pasta or zoodles.
Depending on your needs, you may prefer to reheat individual portions rather than the entire recipe.
Serve these with leftover Instant Pot Lasagna!
Substitutions
Here are some meatball subs tips for those of you who may have food allergies:
Can I make this egg-free?
You can substitute the following for the egg:
- 2 tablespoons buttermilk
- 3 tablespoons plain yogurt
- 1/4 cup ricotta cheese
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
Can I make this dairy-free?
If you’re dairy-free, use your favorite milk substitute and vegan Parmesan cheese.
Seasonings
No herbs? Use Italian seasoning. Spice the meat mixture with pepper flakes.
No Worcestershire sauce? Use soy sauce.
Out of garlic? Use chopped celery.
What type of ground meat should I use?
You can use any type of ground meat to make these juicy meatballs!
- 1 pound lean ground beef to make beef meatballs
- 1 pound ground chicken to make chicken meatballs
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 pound ground venison
You could mix in some homemade Italian sausage with ground meat. Since Italian sausage is already seasoned, cut back on herbs, black pepper, and salt.
Or use half pork and half beef in your meatball mixture. It's all good!
More easy homestyle meatball recipes
Here are some family favorite meatball recipes:
● This Zesty Slow Cooker Porcupine Meatballs recipe is made with red beans and rice.
● These Gluten-Free Asian Meatballs with Hoisin Sauce can be served on rice noodles.
● This Asian Style Gluten Free Meatballs Recipe are mini meatballs that can be served on rice noodles.
● Finally, these Slow Cooker Turkey Meatballs are gluten-free and super tasty.
How often do you make homemade meatballs for dinner?
Best Instant Pot Meatballs
You'll love how easy it is to make this Instant Pot meatballs recipe. Super flavorful and simple to make, these pressure cooker meatballs taste like they've been cooking all day!
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef, ground pork, ground chicken, ground turkey, ground venison, or a blend
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (gluten-free, plain, or seasoned)
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup milk (or milk substitute)
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed
- 1/4 cup fresh parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 2 tablespoons fresh herbs, finely chopped – oregano, basil, parsley (or 2 teaspoons dried)
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cups spaghetti sauce
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the combination of meat, if using.
- Add all other ingredients and gently mix them, but do not overwork.
- Form into meatballs using your hands or a small ice cream scoop. Meatballs should be the size of a small golf ball.
- Place the trivet at the bottom of the Instant Pot.
- Then add jarred or homemade spaghetti sauce to the Instant Pot.
- Carefully place the meatballs close together in the sauce.
- Cover and cook on High Pressure for 8 minutes with a 10-minute natural release.
- While meatballs are cooking, prepare spaghetti or other pasta noodles.
- Serve Instant Pot meatballs immediately with spaghetti or other noodles.
- Store leftover meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 757Total Fat: 40gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 247mgSodium: 1846mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 6gSugar: 16gProtein: 62g
Nutritional information is automatically calculated per the ingredients list. Serving size may not be accurate. Please double-check with your preferred nutritional app for the most accurate information.
Our whole family enjoys this recipe! I have used just ground beef and also added about 1/3 pound of mild Italian sausage. Both ways are great. The recipe fits easily in my 3-quart Instant Pot, and we always have enough left over for 1-2 lunches. My favorite sauce is Prego Traditional – no chunks and tastes rich like it has cooked all day.
How many meatballs does this make?
Around 12 depending on how big you make them.
This was super easy. I wasn’t sure about the raw meatballs getting fully cooked, but they were perfect. I used homemade sauce from our garden and it was delicious!
These were the best meatballs I have ever had or made. They were so easy to make and this will be my go-to meatball recipe.
I have made these once and am planning to make them again. My only issue is the grease from the meat. Any way to address this?
First, try using a leaner type of meat – lean ground beef, lean ground turkey, or lean ground chicken. Or try a combination! Avoid ground pork as that’s very greasy.
If you have the time, you can refrigerate the Instant Pot Meatballs after you cook them. The fat should collect in the sauce once it’s cold. Scoop it off with a spoon, then reheat the meatballs for dinner.
Good luck!
Best meatballs we’ve had. I love the recipe but I got the burn notice and had to turn off the pot. I tried removing a few meatballs and moving the trivet around but got the burn notice again. I only had one layer of meatballs. I finished cooking them in the microwave. Not sure why the burn notice though. Any thoughts?? Any suggestions are much appreciated
Glad you enjoyed the Instant Pot Meatballs. I usually get a burn notice when there is food debris on the rim of the pot or inside the lid rim. Use a wet paper towel to remove any food splatters before you put on the lid to avoid this next time.
Thank you, I’ll make sure the rim is clean! A five star recipe!
Why is it necessary to put the trivet in the bottom of the pot?
You need to have the trivet at the bottom of the Instant Pot so the meatballs don’t stick to the bottom and/or burn.
Do the meatballs have to be in 1 layer or can they be stacked on top of each other?
The meatballs can be stacked in the Instant Pot.
If I double this recipe, would I double the cooking time ?
I would add only a few minutes to the cooking time. You don’t want to over cook the Instant Pot Meatballs! But I would be more concerned that your Instant Pot wouldn’t hold that many meatballs!
I don’t make meatballs any other way than this recipe. It couldn’t be easier to just put them in the instant pot and cook them for 8 minutes. Thank you!.
I have probably made this recipe 10x since finding it maybe a month ago. My family said they wouldn’t eat any other meatballs. They taste better than the Spaghetti Factory’s meatballs, in my opinion. (Popular Italian restaurant here.) Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for the compliment! That your family loves Instant Pot Meatballs better than the Spaghetti Factory’s meatballs? WOW! I’m bowled over.
Can I freeze raw and cook in the instant pot? Would you add time?
I don’t know if you can cook raw frozen meatballs in the instant pot. Instead, I would follow the instructions above about freezing cooked Instant Pot Meatballs.
Oh my goodness everyone loves this tonight! It is extremely rare that I find something that both of my boys and husband all like. And on top of that it was so easy! Thank you 🙂
I’m so glad your family loved the Instant Pot Meatballs and that you found it easy to cook up. It’s one of our favorites, too!
I’ve made this recipe twice in two weeks and both times I doubled the recipe, and very glad I did! I caramelize an onion to add to the sauce but otherwise follow the reciped exactly.
I love your idea of adding caramelized onions to the Instant Pot Meatballs. YUMMMY! Glad you liked the recipe.
Did you cook the meatballs in 2 batches or stack them up all at once?
I cooked the Instant Pot Meatballs in one batch. There should be enough room if you have a 6-quart pressure cooker.