Instant Pot Swedish meatballs are a delicious change from the Italian version. Swedish meatballs are a blend of savory spices covered in a light but creamy gravy.
These are great for dinner, meal prep, a potluck, or a game day treat! Who doesn’t love food you can eat on a toothpick?
2/2020: This recipe has been updated to help the meatballs stick together better in the Instant Pot. It also has a ton of information about the ingredients and nutrition for you!
I love to serve these healthy Swedish meatballs over mashed potatoes, whole wheat egg noodles, or quinoa. If you’re in the Ikea Swedish Meatball fan club, you might love these with a side of lingonberry jam!
The best thing about this recipe is that it’s quick and easy. Easy to freeze and reheat, perfect for snacking. I hope you love it as much as we do!
What’s in a Swedish Meatball?
- Ground Turkey: I prefer turkey for my meatballs, but ground beef works just as well. If you use beef, swap out your cooking liquid to beef broth–it’s delicious!
- Eggs: The perfect ingredient to hold together your meatballs.
- Whole Grain Crackers: Cracker crumbs are a binder and also keep your meatballs from getting dry.
- Paprika: Paprika is a powder made from dried red peppers. Much like the vegetable it is derived from paprika has a very bright, slightly sweet flavor.
- Pepper: I love using a medley of red, green, white, and black peppercorns. Each one has a distinct spice. If you want to reduce the spice just leave the pepper out.
- Onion Powder: I find using onion powder works better for turkey meatballs versus fresh onions. The moisture from freshly chopped onions can cause your meatballs to fall apart.
- Garlic Powder: Just like the onions fresh garlic produces moisture which can cause your meatballs to crumble.
- Allspice: I always thought allspice was a seasoning blend. Even though it holds the flavors of cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg it is very much a plant all of its own. Allspice is actually a berry of Jamaican origin.
- Butter: I prefer unsalted butter for this recipe. Ghee or olive oil can be used as well, just avoid the margarine.
- Chicken Broth: I love making my own chicken bone broth. If you prefer to use store bought make sure and grab low sodium.
- Low-Sodium Soy Sauce: You can also use coconut aminos, or low-sodium tamari. Here’s the difference between using tamari or coconut aminos. Some people like Worcestershire sauce for this recipe as well.
- Mustard: The turmeric and vinegar in mustard add a wonderful depth of flavor to this dish. I like to use a Dijon or spicy brown mustard, but regular yellow mustard works great!
- Greek yogurt: A traditional Swedish meatball recipe is made with sour cream, but Greek yogurt is a healthier substitute and you can’t tell the difference. Plus, you get a ton of extra protein.
- Parsley: Dried parsley can be used in this recipe as well. Just add 1 teaspoon to the pot before cooking under pressure.
Recipe Tips:
Looking for more? Here’s where I share a little more about the recipe with you!
- Brown meatballs in small batches to avoid overcrowding the pot.
- If you struggle getting the meatballs to form using the sauté feature, go ahead and pressure cook the meatballs first.
- You can substitute the ground turkey with ground beef.
- Tomato sauce isn’t used in this recipe because of the tendency it has to cause a burn warning in the Instant Pot.
- You can use ghee or oil in place of butter.
- I don’t typically salt my recipes. Please add salt to your taste and dietary restrictions. Remember, the soy sauce in this recipe adds a lot of sodium.
- These are great served over mashed cauliflower or egg noodles.
- Ground turkey does not like to be handled. Be careful not to over mix, and use your hands to blend until spices are just combined. It’s best to use turkey that is very cold.
- I have not tested this recipe in a slow cooker.
- If you’re using the stovetop method, you can cook the meatballs on a baking sheet if you’d prefer. I’d cook at 350 for 15 minutes before finishing them on the stovetop.
- Waiting a few minutes for the sauce to cool before adding the yogurt in will help keep the recipe from curdling.
Struggling with sautéing your meatballs?
Go ahead and follow instructions for making these Instant Pot meatballs, it’ll make your life a little easier. If you’d like to double the recipe and keep half in the freezer for another recipe, it’s a great idea!
Instructions for Instant Pot Swedish Meatballs:
Time needed: 35 minutes.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Make your meatballs
Using your hands to mix ground turkey, eggs, cracker crumbs, paprika, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and allspice together in a medium size bowl. Form 16 equally sized meatballs. Do not over mix these, they stay together much better when handled minimally.
- Sauté
Set your Instant Pot to Sauté. Once the pot is hot, add butter to the bottom.
- Brown your meatballs
Brown your meatballs in small groups, careful not to overcrowd the pot. Brown about 15 seconds per side until the meat is just beginning to change colors.
- Deglaze your pot
Add the broth to the pot and use a spatula or wooden spoon to scrape away any stuck pieces from the bottom. This will help prevent a burn warning and make it easier to clean. Last, add coconut aminos or low-sodium soy sauce and mustard.
- Pressure Cook
Lock the lid and move the pressure valve to sealing. Pressure Cook (high) for 5 minutes.
- Quick Release
When the cooking time is complete, quick release the pressure and remove the lid.
- Make your gravy
Using a spoon, scoop out your meatballs and set aside. Stir in the Greek yogurt and parsley then gently add meatballs back to the pot. Carefully stir until the meatballs are evenly coated. Serve topped with fresh Parmesan.
Stovetop Instructions:
- In a large bowl, combine together ground turkey, eggs, cracker crumbs, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and allspice.
- Form 16 equally sized meatballs, careful to not over mix.
- In a large saucepan, melt butter and add meatballs to pan, allowing them to sear a bit.
- Remove meatballs and set aside.
- Pour the chicken broth into the pan and use a silicone scraper to scrape the bottom of the pan.
- Mix in the coconut aminos or low sodium soy sauce along with the mustard, then gently add the meatballs back to the pan.
- Cook for 10 minutes or until the meatballs reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
- Turn off the heat on the stovetop, remove the meatballs, and allow the sauce to cool a bit.
- Whisk in the plain Greek yogurt until the sauce is smooth.
- Add the parsley.
- Allow the parsley to soften for 1-2 minutes. Pour the sauce over the meatballs and serve topped with Parmesan cheese.
- Note: If the sauce is too hot when the Greek yogurt is added in, it’ll curdle. Make sure it’s cooled before mixing in the yogurt. This is a perfect time to prepare your side dishes!
Healthy Eating Plans
21 Day Fix: For this entire recipe of 21 Day Fix Swedish Meatballs:
- 5 Red Containers
- 4 teaspoons.
Per serving (4 meatballs and 1/2 cup of gravy):
- 1 ¼ Red Container and 1 teaspoon.
- Don’t forget to count any parmesan used for garnish in your Blue Container.
- Add containers for any sides that you serve with these 21 Day Fix meatballs. Watch this video if you need help counting containers for the 21 Day Fix.
More 21 Day Fix recipes you’ll love:
- 21 Day Fix Orange Chicken
- 21 Day Fix Tuscan Chicken Pasta
- 21 Day Fix Crack Chicken
- Quinoa and Brown Rice
2B Mindset: Serve as lunch with vegetables and an FFC, or as dinner with vegetables.
Weight Watchers: You can find a WW approved version of this recipe along with points information right here.
Loving this recipe? Here are some more that you might like:
- Mississippi Pot Roast
- Beef Gyro Recipe
- Instant Pot Mushroom Risotto
- Vegetable Chowder
- Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip
Easy and Healthy Instant Pot Swedish Meatballs Recipe | 21 Day Fix Swedish Meatballs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lbs ground turkey
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup whole grain crackers crushed
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp allspice
- 4 tsp butter unsalted
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos or low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tbsp mustard
- 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (garnish)
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Using your hand mix ground turkey, eggs, whole grain cracker crumbs, paprika, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and allspice together in a medium size bowl. Form 16 equally sized meatballs. Do not over mix these, they stay together much better when handled minimally.
- Set your Instant Pot to Sauté. Once the pot is hot add butter to the bottom.
- Brown your meatballs in small groups, careful not to overcrowd the pan. Brown about 15 seconds per side until the meat is just beginning to change colors.
- Add your broth to the pot and use a spatula or wooden spoon to scrape away any stuck pieces from the bottom. This will help prevent a burn warning and make it easier to clean. Add low-sodium soy sauce, and mustard.
- Lock the lid and place the pressure valve to sealing. Pressure Cook (high) for 5 minutes.
- When the cooking time is complete, quick release the pressure and remove the lid.
- Using a spoon, scoop out your meatballs and set aside. Stir in the Greek yogurt and parsley then add meatballs back to the pot. Gently stir until the meatballs are evenly coated. Serve topped with fresh Parmesan.
Stove Top Directions:
- In a large bowl, mix together ground turkey, eggs, whole grain cracker crumbs, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and allspice.
- Form 16 equally sized meatballs, careful to not over mix.
- In a large saucepan, melt butter and add meatballs to pan, allowing them to sear a bit. Remove meatballs and set aside.
- Pour the chicken broth into the pan and use a silicone scraper to scrape the bottom of the pan. Mix in the coconut aminos or low sodium soy sauce along with the mustard, then gently add the meatballs back to the pan.
- Cook for 10 minutes or until the meatballs reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
- Turn off the heat on the stovetop, remove the meatballs, and allow the sauce to cool a bit.
- Whisk in the plain Greek yogurt until the sauce is smooth.
- Add the parsley. Allow the parsley to soften for 1-2 minutes.
- Pour the sauce over the meatballs and serve topped with Parmesan cheese.
- Note: If the sauce is too hot when the Greek yogurt is added in, it'll curdle. Make sure it's cooled before mixing in the yogurt. This is a perfect time to prepare your side dishes!
Notes
- Brown meatballs in small batches to avoid overcrowding the pot.
- You can substitute the ground turkey with ground beef.
- You can use ghee or oil in place of butter.
- Add salt to taste.
- These are great served over mashed potatoes or egg noodles.
- If using dried parsley add it when you add your broth. You will only need a teaspoon.
- Turkey does not like to be handled. Be careful not to overmix, use your hands to blend until spices are just combined. It’s best to use turkey that is very cold.
I don’t have an Insta pot. Could I make this on the stove top? It looks amazing! Thanks!!
You sure could!
This recipes feeds 4? (If I’m reading it correctly?)
Nevermind – I see it now. Oops!
This sounds healthy and yummy! I have a couple questions as I am new on my quest to eat/cook healthier. Is the mustard – dry mustard powder or the condiment?
I am not familiar with amino. What is that?
Thank you very much for sharing.
Mustard is just regular mustard, and more information about aminos can be found here: https://mycrazygoodlife.com/what-is-coconut-aminos/
I loved this meal – just started the fix a few days ago and this was filling and tasty. And my husband and kids liked it too, so a keeper for sure. Will make a double batch next time to have leftovers. :-) Thanks for all these great recipes – very helpful!
This had good flavor, but when I made it the meatballs weren’t done in 10 minutes. I finished boiling the meatballs and sauce on the stove. Just FYI so others make sure to check theirs, too! :)
Is it possible to do this in the crockpot? If so, what would the directions be? Can I do without the amino? TYIA!
Hi Sarah! It is possible, but I haven’t done it so can’t give directions on it. I’d look for a similar crockpot recipe and then use those instructions :) You could use soy sauce instead of aminos :)
These were delicious!
Suggestions on how I can replace the yogurt- have to be diary free for my son. Butter is easy to change. Thanks!
I used Almond milk Greer yogurt and it was great!
Yay!!
looks good, but since the ingredient list is seperated we got all the way home from the store and realized we only bought for the meatballs and not the gravy
I’m sorry about that! If you scroll to the printable box on any recipe, you can see the list of ingredients and recipe directions without interruptions.
Does the serving counts include gravy, or is it just for the meatballs?
Gravy too :)
These look so good. What kind of crackers do you use? Can I substitute whole wheat bread crumbs instead?
You definitely could! I usually use wheat thins :)
absolutely delicious
Hi Becca, I made these once and were delicious! Did the recipe get edited to exclude the whole wheat crackers? I don’t see them on the ingredient list now, but in the comments you say you use wheat thins. Is a version of the recipe with the wheat thins available? Thanks!
Yes! Many readers were struggling to get them to stay together, so I reworked the recipe. Here is the previous one:
Meatballs:
1 lbs ground turkey
1/2 cup whole grain crackers crumbled
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 egg
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp allspice
Gravy:
2 tbsp unsalted butter
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1 tbsp amino
1 tbsp mustard
1/4 cup parmesan cheese (garnish)
salt and pepper
Any idea what/how much of the containers the Greek yogurt accounts for? This sounds really good but I have to make is dairy free!
Hey there! It’s one red container for the Greek yogurt :)
This has been a favorite in our household for a couple of years- thank you! In the new recipe you don’t mention cooling the sauce before adding the yogurt like you had previously stated to prevent curdling. Is this step not necessary?
Thank you for letting me know–it got left out! I just added it back in to the recipe tips :)
I can’t wait to make these tomorrow! Just to clarify, if I freeze the meatballs like you suggest, I do not need to brown them at all? Just throw them in with the liquids and cook? Also, they don’t get misshapen on the trivet? Thanks for your help, sorry I’m so needy!
No, if you freeze them I suggest cooking them first. :) Then, when you go to cook them you can toss them in with the liquids! (you’re not needy! I’m here to help!)
Ok, I’m with you now. Thank you so much, Becca!
I couldn’t get them thick, suggestions please?
I’d add some cornstarch to get the sauce thick :)