These Instant Pot meatballs come out so juicy and delicious! Infused with flavor from simple seasonings and marinara sauce, they are ready in under 30 minutes and keep your oven off. Works great with ground beef or turkey.
The Instant Pot works surprisingly well for pasta -- we've been having Instant Pot lasagna and Instant Pot spaghetti and meat sauce on repeat! Another great option for pasta night are these Instant Pot meatballs.
I'm about to blow your mind with these unbelievably delicious and easy meatballs are in the Instant Pot! The pressure cooker already ensures that it's a mess-free recipe that won't leave you cleaning forever, but I've tested and tweaked this recipe to make the meatballs absolutely perfect, too. With the perfect ratios, I can promise that they never fall apart, come out dry, or taste bland. Better yet, I've tried this with both beef and turkey, so you know this will turn out great either way!
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Reasons You'll Love These Instant Pot Meatballs
- simple ingredients yield big flavors here- and the meatballs absorb even more flavor by cooking in the marinara sauce
- you can have it ready and on your table in under 30 minutes
- cooking the meatballs in a cake pan prevents the tomato-based marinara sauce from triggering a burn warning
Watch: Meatballs Instant Pot Recipe
Watch the video below to see exactly how I prepped these Instant Pot meatballs. It’s so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel.
What You'll Need for Meatballs in Instant Pot
- ground beef- we've used lean ground beef here, but ground turkey works great as well!
- marinara sauce- grab your favorite brand; we used Newman's Own
- breadcrumbs- help the meatballs stick together; you could swap for gluten-free breadcrumbs or leave them out (the meatballs will be a bit stickier)
How to Make Meatballs in Pressure Cooker
1. Mix- In a bowl, mix together the ground beef, salt, egg, worcestershire, basil and oregano. When completely combined, stir in the breadcrumbs until just mixed in.
Roll 1.5 tablespoon meatballs- if you do smaller, 1 tablespoon meatballs, you may want to reduce the cook time to prevent them from overcooking.
TIP- a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop helps you get perfectly portioned meatballs
2. Prepare Instant Pot- Place 1.5 cups in the stainless steel insert of the Instant Pot. Place a trivet over the water, and a cake pan on top of that. Pour in half a jar of marinara sauce, then arrange the meatballs in the sauce. Pour the rest of the marinara on top of the meatballs.
TIP- I love this 7 inch cake pan and use it all the time in my Instant Pot! Definitely one of my favorite purchases.
3. Cook- Place the lid on the Instant Pot, and set the valve to the 'sealing' position. Pressure cook on high pressure for 12 minutes, then allow 5 minutes for a natural pressure release. After the 5 minutes are up, release any remaining pressure.
4. Serve- Spread the sauce and meatballs over pasta or zucchini noodles, sprinkle with fresh basil or parmesan cheese, and enjoy!
Serving Instant Pot Meatballs
We love these juicy meatballs over pasta, zucchini noodles, or spaghetti squash with a sprinkle of parmesan and fresh herbs. They make a great party appetizer, too. To use up leftovers, make a meatball sub with a bun and some mozzarella cheese!
Storing Instant Pot Meatballs
- fridge- cool completely, then either cover the cake pan and store away, or portion out into individual portions with pasta. Refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- freezer- portion out into individual portions with pasta in freezer-friendly containers. Cool completely, then freeze for up to 3 months.
- thaw- overnight in the fridge.
- reheat- in the microwave until steaming hot.
FAQ
Yes, you absolutely can, however I do not have a cook time for you. It's also worth mentioning that most commercially-available meatballs are 1 tablespoon in size whereas this recipe uses 1.5 tablespoons, so cook times might differ.
When testing this recipe, I found 1 lb of ground beef made too many meatballs to fit in a single layer in the cake pan. When stacking the meatballs, they did not cook through evenly, therefore I recommend ¾ lb and a single layer.
You're welcome to try, however I have had issues with tomato based products giving the burn warning, and found this to be a reproducibly safer method.
Unfortunately the cook time for spaghetti and these meatballs were not compatible; after 12 minutes, the pasta will be completely overcooked.
More Instant Pot dinners
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
Pressure Cooker Meatballs
Video
Ingredients
- 12 oz ground beef 350 g/ ¾ lb; see note 1
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon oregano
- 22 oz marinara sauce 650 mL/ 1 jar
Instructions
- 1. Mix- In a bowl, mix together the ground beef, salt, egg, worcestershire, basil and oregano. When completely combined, stir in the breadcrumbs until just mixed in.Roll 1.5 tablespoon meatballs- if you do smaller, 1 tablespoon meatballs, you may want to reduce the cook time to prevent them from overcooking.
- Prepare Instant Pot- Place 1.5 cups in the stainless steel insert of the Instant Pot. Place a trivet over the water, and a cake pan on top of that. Pour in half a jar of marinara sauce, then arrange the meatballs in the sauce. Pour the rest of the marinara on top of the meatballs.
- Cook- Place the lid on the Instant Pot, and set the valve to the 'sealing' position. Pressure cook on high pressure for 12 minutes, then allow 5 minutes for a natural pressure release. After the 5 minutes are up, release any remaining pressure.
- Serve- Spread the sauce and meatballs over pasta or zucchini noodles, sprinkle with fresh basil or parmesan cheese, and enjoy!
Tips:
- fridge- cool completely, then either cover the cake pan and store away, or portion out into individual portions with pasta. Refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- freezer- portion out into individual portions with pasta in freezer-friendly containers. Cool completely, then freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Information
© Sweet Peas & Saffron - Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
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Hi, I'm Annie. With a Bachelor of Science degree, a minor in nutrition and nearly 20 year of both classical training, and self-taught experience, I've spent my career proving that home cooking can be practical, delicious and inspiring. What started in 2013 as one food blog has grown into a full-time business. Today, my husband Clayton and I run five food websites that connect with millions of home cooks every month.
When I'm not in the kitchen or behind the camera, I'm using fueling my love of travel, or chasing down new ideas that keep food fun and fresh.
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