These Instant Pot Meatballs are the easiest way to make meatballs EVER. No browning or sautéeing. Just throw them in the sauce uncooked and let the Instant Pot do the rest!
Try these Instant Pot Meatballs with some of our favorite side dishes or salads. If it’s bread you are looking for, you can never go wrong with Hot & Cheesy Garlic Bread, Breadtwists, or our Parmesan Pull Apart bread.
Instant Pot Meatballs
Meatballs in the Instant Pot are THE way to go when it comes to meatballs. They really couldn’t be easier! When cooking meatballs in a pan they can crumble and fall apart. Baking them can dry them out. Cooking them in the Instant Pot is easier AND tastes better. By cooking them in the sauce the meaty flavor infuses the sauce and makes it so much more flavorful. Instant Pot Meatballs can be shaped, thrown in and cooked without falling apart AT ALL. The meatballs stay tightly packed and don’t crumble in the sauce!
Cooking the Meatballs in the Instant Pot
See? Uncooked! Crazy right? The first time I made these, I was a little worried. I thought that the meatballs wouldn’t keep their shape and I would end up having meat sauce, which happens to me more than I would care to admit when I am making meatballs in a skillet. I don’t know why they don’t fall apart in the Instant Pot. It’s like magic. I also need to mention that this will work great in ANY kind of pressure cooker. No matter what you use, you will get the same results.
Avoiding The Burn Notice
Tomato based sauces can be tricky in an Instant Pot because tomatoes have a tendency to burn easily. Make sure your sauce is thin enough to create steam and seal the pot. You can thin it out by adding a can of diced tomatoes or even just a little water. If you are worried about it being TOO thin, you can always add tomato paste or tomato sauce to your pasta sauce after the meatballs are done cooking. I like using my homemade canned sauce because the consistency is just right. If it seems too thin afterwards, I will add a few tablespoons of tomato paste and that usually does the trick.
Tips for Cooking and Serving
- For this recipe I used our own Homemade Canned Spaghetti Sauce but you can use your own recipe or just store-bought spaghetti sauce. No matter what you use, it is going to be awesome. Even store-bought spaghetti sauce will be kicked up a notch because the meatballs will be cooked in it, giving it an incredible flavor.
- Not a huge fan of ground beef? Feel free to try ground turkey or ground chicken meatballs too!
- These meatballs can easily be made gluten free if you want to switch out the Panko breadcrumbs for gluten-free breadcrumbs. You can also use gluten free oats if you don’t have breadcrumbs on hand.
- Of course, you will want to serve these meatballs over gluten-free pasta if you have an intolerance to gluten. If GF pasta isn’t your thing, you can also use zoodles (spiralized zucchini) or you can use spaghetti squash.
Want More Instant Pot Recipes?
Strapped for time? We have dozens of delicious dinners that come together in no time! Check out some of our Instant Pot favorites:
- Sunday Pot Roast Instant Pot Recipe
- Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo
- Instant Pot Pork Chops and Gravy
- Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage
- Easy Instant Pot Chicken Breasts
- Instant Pot Stuffed Peppers
How to Make Instant Pot Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs ground beef lean
- 1/2 cup onion grated
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 2 eggs
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 cup spaghetti sauce (see notes above)
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients (except spaghetti sauce) until well mixed. Mixing together with your hands works great.Form into balls using hands or small ice cream scoop. You want them to be slightly smaller than a golf ball.
- Spray bottom of Instant Pot with cooking spray and add spaghetti sauce. Place meatballs over the sauce, layering them if necessary. It's OK if they touch, just don't squish them too much.
- Place lid on Instant Pot and switch valve to “sealing”. Press “Manual” and set to high pressure for 7 minutes.
- After you hear the timer go off, allow to slow release for another 5 minutes and then do the quick release (you do this by carefully switching the tab to "venting"). Remove lid from Instant Pot, stir, and serve over cooked pasta noodles.
Equipment
- 6-Quart Instant Pot Pressure Cooker (See Instant Pot Note Below)
Diann says
Instead of the spaghetti sauce could I use a brown gravy then put on top of mashed potatoes.
Favorite Family Recipes says
I haven’t tried gravy in the instant pot, so I’m not sure. Usually gravy has some milk or cornstarch in it and those things don’t cook well in an IP.
Alex says
Best meatballs ever. My grandkids inhale them.
Jenson says
I love using these instant pot meatballs in spaghetti. Perfect addition that the kids love
Ashley says
This recipe turned out great! I ended up using Ragu instead of making my own sauce like i normally do, but even with jar sauce the meatballs were delicious! This is definitely my new go to meatball recipe. It was so quick and easy making them in the pressure cooker. Thanks
April says
These meatballs were delicious! I love how easy they are to make!
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Joy says
This recipe is fantastic. I love that in following all the instructions and measurements to a ‘T’, the outcome is exactly what you would hope for. The only substitution I made was onion powder in lieu of grating onion but that was only for the sake of convenience. I made the meatballs slightly larger than a golf ball and cooked them for 11 minutes instead of 7 but followed the other cooking instructions verbatim and the results were perfect and delicious. Unlike some reviews, I didn’t get a burn notice but I would emphasize the importance of spraying the bottom of the Instant Pot with the non-stick cooking spray to minimize the possibility of this happening. Needless to say, I’ll be making this again!
Echo Blickenstaff says
Thank you so much for your comment! I’m happy you love this recipe as much as we do!
Marianne says
Would the cooking time change if I made the meatballs bigger? Baseball size
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yes, you would probably have to cook longer. I don’t know exactly the time, you’d have to experiment with it!
Heather says
Ok so this was a fail for me. I got the food burn message. I even added water to the spaghetti sauce. When I got the error I scooped it all out and finished on the stove top. They tasted great but I need help to make this one work.