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    Home ยป Recipes ยป Instant Pot ยป The BEST Instant Pot Meatballs

    The BEST Instant Pot Meatballs

    Modified: Feb 13, 2024 ยท Published: Dec 9, 2021 by Chandice ยท This post may contain affiliate links ยท 19 Comments

    JUMP TO RECIPE

    With both pork and beef, these Instant Pot meatballs are so flavorful! In less than 30 minutes you can have the most delicious dish on the table.

    Cooking meatballs in the sauce makes them extra moist and perfect for serving on hoagie buns for a meatball sub or over our 3-ingredient gluten free egg noodles or another pasta. You can also serve them with our gluten free spaghetti and gluten free spaghetti sauce.

    Instant Pot Meatballs in a white bowl

    I love creating Instant Pot recipes because they are just so darn easy. These meatballs are no exception. Simple, tasty and QUICK. We also have a recipe for gluten free meatballs although you can make these GF as well.

    If this is your first time making homemade meatballs, don’t fret, they really couldn’t be easier and since we put them into the sauce, you don’t even have to do the extra step of browning them first.

    The combination of meat, we chose beef and pork, really give these so much flavor. I have had just beef meatballs in the past and they lacked that flavor and quite honestly, fat, that I think good Italian meatballs have. Unlike our tacos which taste fantastic with just beef.

    Similar to our Mississippi chicken instant pot style, instant pot lasagna and creamy Italian chicken, this is a recipe that you just dump in the ingredients and start. Not many extra steps which is great if you are short on time.

    If you have a bit of extra beef after this recipe, be sure to save it for our Instant Pot hamburger soup and BEST Instant Pot spaghetti. Both are so delicious and filling for a cold winter day! And you can top them with our Instant Pot bacon for extra flavor! Or serve them with our instant pot broccoli cheddar soup on the side.

    This Instant Pot chicken pasta is another quick and delicious Instant Pot dish and goes great with venison meatballs as well. It has quickly become a family favorite.

    What you need

    There are just a few key ingredients needed to make these tasty and tender meatballs. One of them is bread crumbs of course. Since I am gluten-free, I chose the best store bought GF bread, Canyon Bakehouse. The country white loaf is most versatile and great in this recipe.

    I love how easy this bread is to use in everything from gluten-free French toast bites and cinnamon roll French toast casserole (also made in the Instant Pot!) to gluten-free stuffing. Whether you are gluten-free or not, it is a great option.

    Instant Pot Meatballs ingredients

    So here is what you need. Simple ingredients that you likely already have in your kitchen…

    • Ground pork
    • Ground beef (save some extra for healthy sloppy joes as well)
    • Breadcrumbs we use Canyon Bakehouse gluten-free bread to make ours
    • Parmesan
    • Eggs
    • Dried onion
    • Garlic, minced
    • Worcestershire sauce
    • Dried basil
    • Dried oregano
    • Teaspoon salt
    • Little bit black pepper

    How to make Instant Pot meatballs

    To make these meatballs simply follow these six steps. You can serve them hot or use them as a delicious meal prep recipe to have later. And if you love hearty beef, this venison backstrap is another great option.

    Bread being crushed to be made into breadcrumbs
    • Start by crumbling 5 pieces of bread onto a baking sheet then bake at 425 degrees for 5 minutes or until toasted to a crisp and golden in color
    • Mix the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and add freshly grated parmesan cheese
    • Add the toasted breadcrumbs and combine really well
    Instant Pot Meatballs step by step instructions
    • Add the tomato sauce bottom of the pot
    • Using a small cookie scoop, spoon our rounds of meat mixture and roll between your hands
    • Add the meatballs to the pressure cooker one at a time on top of the sauce and cook on high pressure for a cooking time of 8 minutes
    • Do a quick release, remove the lid and enjoy!

    Pro tip: If you get a burn notice warning on your Instant Pot, open the lid and give it a good stir, scraping the bottom and start again

    Can you use freeze the meatballs?

    Yes, if you aren’t quite ready to eat them yet, you can flash freeze the raw meat balls for 30 minutes on a baking sheet. After a flash freeze, add the meatballs to a gallon ziplock bag and freeze for later.

    Simply add them to the sauce and cook for 10 minutes from frozen instead of 8 like we do in this recipe with fresh meatballs.

    If you have extra ground beef, be sure to cook it up for our Big Mac salad or tater tot casserole.

    Do you have to use marinara sauce?

    I love this recipe with marinara because it is just so delicious! I recommend a high quality sauce like Rao’s marinara sauce to bring out the flavor even more.

    However, if you prefer to make this Instant Pot meatballs recipe without pasta sauce, use the sautรฉ function to brown your meatballs just slightly (1 minute turning them to get all sides). Next, add 1 C beef broth to the Instant Pot and cook meatballs on a trivet for 8 minutes on high pressure.

    Once the meatballs are cooked you can drain the beef broth and serve them as is or toss them with some bbq sauce or grape jelly.

    Other common substitutions

    • Ground turkey or ground chicken can be used in place of beef
    • If you don’t care about using gluten-free bread, you can certainly use panko breadcrumbs as well
    • Feel free to add any other dried herbs that you personally like
    Instant Pot Meatballs in a white bowl with gold fork next to it

    What do you serve these with?

    I love serving these Instant Pot meatballs all on their own with a little flaky sea salt. However, they are also great as meatball subs with a drizzle of olive oil.

    Of course you can also go classic and serve them over your favorite gluten-free (or regular) pasta. If you want something a bit healthier, zucchini noodles are also great.

    How do you store leftovers?

    If you have any leftovers, they can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. They will just as delicious next time you enjoy them!

    Instant Pot Meatballs on a fork cut in half

    More Instant Pot Recipes…

    • Instant Pot Apple Crisp
    • Instant Pot Artichoke Dip
    • 50 Gluten-Free Instant Pot Recipes
    • Instant Pot Country Style Ribs
    • Instant Pot Pork Chops and Apples
    • Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

    Need an EASY and delicious breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert?
    Take a look at my Sheet Pan Meals and More!

    NEED MORE GOODNESS? Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter for great recipes, entertaining ideas and more!

    The BEST Instant Pot Meatballs

    Instant Pot Meatballs in a white bowl
    4.94 from 15 votes
    With both pork and beef, these Instant Pot meatballs are so flavorful! In less than 30 minutes you can have the most delicious dish on the table. They are also gluten-free and easy to make!
    PRINT RECIPE SaveSaved!
    Course: Instant Pot
    Cuisine: Italian/American
    Keyword: Instant Pot, meatballs
    Servings: 18 meatballs
    Calories: 187kcal
    Author: Chandice Probst

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound ground pork
    • 1 pound ground beef
    • 1 cup breadcrumbs we use Canyon Bakehouse gluten-free bread to make ours
    • 1 cup parmesan
    • 2 eggs
    • 2 tablespoon dried onion
    • 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
    • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
    • 1 teaspoon dried basil
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
    • 28 ounces marinara sauce

    Instructions

    • Start by crumbling 5 pieces of bread onto a baking sheet then bake at 425 degrees for 5 minutes or until toasted to a crisp and golden in color
      Bread being crushed to be made into breadcrumbs
    • Mix the remaining ingredients, minus the marinara sauce, in a large bowl and add freshly grated parmesan cheese
    • Add the toasted breadcrumbs and combine really well
    • Add the marinara sauce to the bottom of the potย 
    • Using a small cookie scoop, spoon our rounds of meat mixture and roll between your hands
    • Add the meatballs to the pressure cooker one at a time on top of the sauce and cook on high pressure for a cooking time of 8 minutes
    • Do a quick release, remove the lid and enjoy!

    Notes

    Pro tip: If you get a burn notice warning on your Instant Pot, open the lid and give it a good stir, scraping the bottom and start again. If your sauce is too thick, try adding a bit of water as well to thin it out
    if you aren’t quite ready to eat them yet, you can flash freeze the raw meat balls for 30 minutes on a baking sheet. After a flash freeze, add the meatballs to a gallon ziplock bag and freeze for later.
    If you prefer to make this Instant Pot meatballs recipe without pasta sauce, use the sautรฉ function to brown your meatballs just slightly (1 minute turning them to get all sides). Next, add 1 C beef broth to the Instant Pot and cook meatballs on a trivet for 8 minutes on high pressure.
    Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.ย 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1meatball | Calories: 187kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 310mg | Potassium: 186mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 75IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 94mg | Iron: 1mg

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    Chandice of This Vivacious Life

    Hi, I'm Chandice!

    Parties, gatherings, gorgeous food and ESPECIALLY holidays with my people are what make my heart pitter patter. Having a place to share our favorite traditions, recipes and celebrations is very important to me. I live each day with unapologetic, authentic happiness and hope to help others do the same. More About Chandice

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Samantha P. says

      December 19, 2023 at 8:02 pm

      5 stars
      Fantastic recipe, I added fresh mushrooms, fresh tomato and parsley to my canned tomate sauce, and left out the cheese and it still came out very tasty! Thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
      • Chandice says

        December 20, 2023 at 4:27 am

        Thanks! So glad you loved it. Your additions sound amazing…

        Reply
    2. MK says

      October 17, 2022 at 2:19 pm

      4 stars
      These are great but I definitely got the dreaded BURN notice. Every time I use parmesan, I get it. Next time, I will leave it out. But these were easy to throw together and tasted good. I used meatloaf/meatball mix from the store (pork/beef/veal).

      Reply
      • Chandice says

        October 18, 2022 at 5:00 pm

        So great to hear that you loved them! Sorry about the burn notice, I feel like it is hit or miss.

        Reply
    3. Kim Coburn says

      January 09, 2022 at 1:30 am

      Hello, I was wondering how much tomato sauce is required. No mention of quantity or brand is mentioned. Thanks.

      Reply
      • Chandice says

        January 10, 2022 at 8:47 pm

        Sorry Kim, one or two jars of the flavor you like.

        Reply
    4. Natalie says

      December 20, 2021 at 1:01 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious meatballs. My family loved it. This is definitely a keeper. I’ll make it again for sure.

      Reply
      • Chandice says

        December 22, 2021 at 10:54 pm

        Thanks Natalie, yes they are a family favorite around here for sure too! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    5. Chenรฉe says

      December 20, 2021 at 6:52 am

      5 stars
      This is my new favorite way to make meatballs! I love how easy it was to make them in the instant pot!

      Reply
      • Chandice says

        December 22, 2021 at 10:55 pm

        Thanks Chenee I am so glad you loved them!

        Reply
    6. Elena says

      December 20, 2021 at 5:54 am

      My dinner was ready in less than 30 minutes. The meatballs were so flavorful and juicy! Everybody loved them!

      Reply
    7. Moop Brown says

      December 19, 2021 at 7:55 pm

      5 stars
      I’m always looking for more recipes to do in the instant pot and can these meatballs pair well with a variety of other dishes.

      Reply
    8. Liz says

      December 19, 2021 at 4:21 pm

      5 stars
      I’ve been looking for more instant pot recipes to make! Thanks for posting the step by step pictures and directions – very helpful!

      Reply
    9. Mikayla says

      December 18, 2021 at 9:00 pm

      5 stars
      These tasty meatballs were actually pretty simple to put together and you can add rice, pasta or nothing and have a good meal

      Reply
    10. Amy Liu Dong says

      December 18, 2021 at 1:22 pm

      5 stars
      An easy and delicious instant pot meatballs. I’ll be making this for everyone tonight. Yum!

      Reply
    11. susan | the wimpy vegetarian says

      December 17, 2021 at 10:26 pm

      5 stars
      I always mix pork and beef together too! I’ve made them in my slow cooker oodles of times, but never in the Instant Pot. This is one of the dinners I will make again when my kids and grandkids come to visit soon!

      Reply
    12. veenaazmanov says

      December 17, 2021 at 4:21 am

      5 stars
      Pork and Beef combination is special. These meat balls are moist, juicy and flavorful. A perfect side dish at the Dinner Table.

      Reply
    13. Allyssa says

      December 16, 2021 at 12:15 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you so much for sharing this amazing meatballs recipe! Will surely have this again! It’s really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!

      Reply
      • Chandice says

        December 16, 2021 at 9:31 pm

        Thanks Allyssa, I am so glad to hear you loved it!

        Reply
    4.94 from 15 votes (1 rating without comment)

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