Instant Pot Meatballs
Dinner just got a whole lot easier with these tender and flavorful Instant Pot Meatballs made from a blend of meat and seasonings. All done in only 30 minutes!
FAST AND FLAVORFUL HOMEMADE MEATBALLS
I don’t know about you, but I love when meals are quick and easy. I love me a good meatball in some marinara sauce. Tender, juicy, and super flavorful and when you try this Instant Pot Meatballs recipe, you’ll love them even more since they’re so incredibly simple to make and much faster than the ones you have to keep an eye on as they simmer on the stovetop for a while or bake away in the oven and hope they don’t dry out. Full of flavor and versatile- my kind of meal!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Yes. I would recommend using a lean ground beef so it doesn’t release as much grease.
Not necessarily. If you were cooking them on the stovetop, they would need much more time to simmer in the sauce but with the instant pot, it speeds up that whole processs and still come out super tender!
Sure thing, transforming these homemade meatballs to appetizer meatballs is simple. Start by making them smaller, to do this, I like using a 1 ½ Tablespoon sized cookie scoop to measure and shape them with. Then you can cook them in a BBQ or sweet asian sauce instead of marinara that may be more appropriate for an appetizer. Since these are smaller in size and will cook more quickly, be sure to reduce the cooking time.
Good news, if you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can still make these meatballs in the oven using my Homemade Meatballs in the Oven recipe.
Or if you aren’t feeling baked meatballs, try my Crockpot Meatball recipe.
To store your leftover Instant Pot Meatballs, let them cool and come to room temp before placing them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Additionally, you could store them in a Ziptop bag.
Also, these can be frozen for up to 2-3 months. I like to flash freeze them first before putting them in a freezer safe container or bag. Then later, when ready to enjoy again, be sure to remove them from the freezer and toss them in the refrigerator to thaw. Then you can reheat them using a bit of sauce or water so they don’t dry out as they’re reheating. I like to store some extra sauce in a container as well so I can use it when reheating.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- lean ground beef – you want lean so as not to produce too much grease.
- pork sausage– you can use regular, mild Italian or spicy Italian sausage.
- Italian style panko breadcrumbs– If you don’t want to use the Italain version, you can use plain panko breadcrumbs instead. If you choose to do so, I would add a teaspoon or two of Italian seasoning to the mixture.
- grated parmesan cheese – you can use fresh or the stuff in the green bottle.
- large eggs
- salt
- garlic and herb seasoning– I used Dash Garlic and Herb Seasoning (not a paid affiliate link) with no salt added. But, really you can use any other garlic and herb seasoning that you prefer. I know Target and Kroger sell their own store brand seasoning that would work just fine.
- oil– When picking your cooking oil, you need to use any high smoke point oil like, canola, vegetable, avocado or sunflower seed oil. Don’t use olive oil or butter since they have such a low smoke point and will burn.
- water– if you don’t add the water, you may have a super thick sauce and this can raise your risk of throwing a burn notice with your Instant Pot.
- marinara sauce– You can use any jarred or homemade marinara or any of your favorite flavored, red pasta sauces for this meatball recipe With this many meatballs, you need to use at least 24 ounces or 3 cups of marinara sauce so they have some sauce to work with. If you use my homemade sauce recipe, you’ll have enough for this recipe and have some extra sauce leftover. You could always have an extra jar of sauce on hand if you like more sauce with your meatballs and pasta.
- cooked pasta– for serving, optional
HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT MEATBALLS
In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, pork sausage, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, eggs, garlic and herb seasoning and salt until well combined. I find this easiest to do with my hands. Obviously it should go without saying that your hands should be very clean or wear food safe gloves.
Use an ice cream scoop to form the meat mixture into 12 large balls. You can roll them by hand as well. Turn on the sauté feature of an 8 quart Instant Pot and set it to 6 minutes. Add the oil to the instant pot insert.
Once the oil is hot, add the meatballs and sear (brown) each side for about 1-2 minutes (or until browned.) You will probably need to do this in two batches. If needed, add more time to the instant pot so you can continue browning. Set the meatballs to the side after they have all been browned. Note: we aren’t fully cooking them, we just want to get a nice color to them.
Cancel the saute function and pour in the water and marinara sauce. Stir and scrape up any brown bits that might have gotten stuck to the bottom of the pot. You’ll want to do this so you don’t get a burn message.
Place all 12 meatballs into the pot and do your best to cover them in the sauce (it’s okay if they don’t all get fully covered). Seal the lid on the instant pot and set it to pressure cook on high for 7 minutes. Once the instant pot finishes cooking, allow it to naturally release for 5 minutes and then release any remaining steam. You may want to cook the meatballs in the Instant Pot in batches if you have a smaller Instant Pot.
Serve the meatballs and sauce over pasta and enjoy.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
- Crock Pot Homemade Meatballs and Marinara
- Crock Pot Sweet and Sour Meatballs
- Crock Pot Party Meatballs
- Salisbury Steak Meatballs
- Meatball Parmesan Skillet
- Bacon Wrapped Meatballs
- Crock Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs
- Crock Pot Meatball Stroganoff
- Crock Pot Swedish Meatballs
- Porcupine Meatballs
- Meatball Sub Casserole
Instant Pot Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ½ pound pork sausage (regular, mild Italian or spicy Italian)
- 1 cup Italian style panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic and herb seasoning
- 2 Tablespoons oil
- ⅓ cup water
- 32 ounce jar marinara sauce
- cooked pasta for serving (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together 1 pound lean ground beef, ½ pound pork sausage, 1 cup Italian style panko breadcrumbs, ½ cup grated parmesan cheese, 2 large eggs, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon garlic and herb seasoning until well combined. I find this easiest to do with clean hands.
- Use an ice cream scoop to form the meat mixture into 12 large balls. You can roll them by hand as well. Note: I only show 6 in my pictures but this recipe makes 12 large meatballs.
- Turn on the saute feature of an 8 quart or larger Instant Pot and set it to 6 minutes.
- Add 2 Tablespoons oil to the instant pot insert.
- Once the oil is hot, add the meatballs and sear (brown) each side for about 1-2 minutes (or until browned.) You will need to do this in two batches. If needed, add more time to the instant pot so you can continue browning. Set the meatballs to the side after they have all been browned. Note: we aren’t fully cooking them, we just want to get a nice color to them.
- Cancel the sauté function and pour in⅓ cup water and 32 ounce jar marinara sauce. Stir and scrape up any brown bits that might have gotten stuck to the bottom of the pot. You’ll want to do this so you don’t get a burn message.
- Place all 12 meatballs into the pot and do your best to cover them in the sauce. Seal the lid on the instant pot and set it to pressure cook on high for 7 minutes. Note: I added 6 at a time, then covered with sauce, then added the other six and stirred gently to cover with sauce. It is okay if they aren't all fully covered.
- Once the instant pot finishes cooking, allow it to naturally release for 5 minutes and then release any remaining steam.
- Serve the meatballs and sauce over cooked pasta.
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- This was tested in an 8 quart Instant Pot. If yours is smaller, you will probably have to make these in two batches because the Instant Pot won’t come to pressure if it is too full.
- If you do get a burn notice. Add a bit more water in with the sauce and stir making sure you didn’t leave any brown bits on the bottom of the insert.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
I only have a 6qt Instant Pot- will this recipe work in that size ?
As long as you do it in batches. You just don’t want your pot too full or it won’t come to pressure 🙂
Loving this so much