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Instant Pot Turkey 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?
I love to serve these Instant Pot 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 Swedish meatballs, but ground beef works just as well. If you use beef, swap out your cooking liquid to beef broth.
- Eggs: The perfect ingredient to hold together your meatballs. If you’re egg free, make a chia egg to help with this (1 tsp chia seeds + 1 tbsp water)
- Whole Grain Breadcrumbs or crackers: Breadcrumbs are a binder and also keep your meatballs from getting dry.
- Paprika
- Black Pepper
- 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 and can cause your meatballs to crumble.
- Allspice
- Butter: I prefer unsalted butter for this recipe. Ghee or olive oil can be used as well, just avoid the margarine.
- Broth: I love making my own turkey stock/bone broth. If you prefer to use store bought make sure and grab low sodium.
- Coconut aminos: Here’s the difference between using soy sauce and coconut aminos. Some people like Worcestershire sauce for this recipe instead.
- 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.
- Fresh Parsley: If you’d rather use dried parsley, just add 1 teaspoon to the pot before cooking under pressure.
Recipe Tips:
- 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.
- 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.
- As an alternative, you’re welcome to sauté the meatballs. I still recommend freezing them so they don’t fall apart, and pressure cook for 5 minutes after.
- Want to save time later? Make a double batch of the meatballs and keep 1/2 in the freezer for next time! Simply pull out your frozen meatballs, allow to thaw for a few minutes, and cook according to the rest of the recipe.
Instructions for Instant Pot Turkey Swedish Meatballs:
- Make your meatballs: Using your hands, mix the meatball ingredients (ground turkey, eggs, breadcrumbs, paprika, pepper, onion and garlic powder, and allspice) in a medium bowl. Form 16 equally sized meatballs. Do not over mix these, they stay together better when handed minimally.
- Freeze: Place the meatballs on a cookie sheet and freeze them for 15 minutes or so. The goal is to be able to pick the meatballs up without them losing their shape.
- Add the meatballs: Spray the bottom of the pot with oil and place the meatballs in your pot. It’s ok if they’re stacked. Add broth, coconut aminos, and mustard.
- Cook: Close the Instant Pot lid and lock it in place. Set the pressure valve to Sealing and set the time to cook on high pressure for 8 minutes.
- Release the pressure: Once the cook time is complete, allow the pressure cooker to naturally release pressure for 5 minutes, then quick release the pressure by turning the valve to Venting.
- Remove the meatballs: Scoop out your meatballs with a large spoon and set aside. Add the butter, allow the liquid to cool for a few minutes, and slowly add the Greek yogurt and parsley into the pot. Carefully stir the meatballs until they’re evenly coated, and serve topped with fresh Parmesan.
Stovetop Instructions:
- In a large bowl, combine together ground turkey, eggs, breadcrumbs, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and allspice.
- Form 16 equally sized meatballs, careful to not over mix.
- In a large skillet or 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 and 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, add the butter, 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.
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 these healthy Swedish Meatballs 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
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Instant Pot Turkey Swedish Meatballs
Approximate Serving Size: 4 meatballs plus 1/2 cup of gravy/sauce
Servings 4
This easy Instant Pot Turkey Swedish Meatballs recipe is delicious! Healthy Swedish Meatballs are the perfect weeknight dinner recipe, and can easily be frozen for meal prep.
Equipment
- Instant Pot 6 qt
- Coconut Aminos
- Sealing Rings
Ingredients
- 1 lbs ground turkey
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup bread crumbs crushed
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp allspice
- 4 tsp butter unsalted
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth low sodium
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos or low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tbsp mustard
- ¾ cup Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup fresh parsley
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese (garnish)
Instructions
Instant Pot Directions:
- Using your hands, mix the ground turkey, eggs, breadcrumbs, 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. 1 lbs ground turkey, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup bread crumbs, 1 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp allspice
- Place the meatballs on a cookie sheet and freeze them for 15 minutes or so. The goal is to be able to pick the meatballs up without them losing their shape.
- Spray the bottom of the pot with oil and place the meatballs in your pot. It’s ok if they’re stacked. Add broth, coconut aminos, and mustard. 1 1/2 cups chicken broth, 1 tbsp coconut aminos, 1 tbsp mustard
- Close the Instant Pot lid and lock it in place. Set the pressure valve to Sealing and set the time to cook on high pressure for 8 minutes.
- Once the cook time is complete, allow the pressure cooker to naturally release pressure for 5 minutes, then quick release the pressure by turning the valve to Venting.
- Scoop out your meatballs with a large spoon and set aside. Add the butter and allow the liquid to cool for a few minutes and slowly add the Greek yogurt and parsley into the pot. Carefully stir the meatballs until they’re evenly coated, and serve topped with fresh Parmesan. 4 tsp butter, 3/4 cup Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup fresh parsley, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
Stove Top Directions:
- In a large bowl, combine together ground turkey, eggs, breadcrumbs, paprika, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and allspice. 1 lbs ground turkey, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup bread crumbs, 1 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp allspice
- Form 16 equally sized meatballs, careful to not over mix.
- In a large skillet or saucepan, melt butter and add meatballs to pan, allowing them to sear a bit. 4 tsp butter
- Remove meatballs and set aside.
- Pour the chicken broth into the pan and use a silicone scraper to scrape the bottom of the pan. 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- Mix in the coconut aminos and the mustard, then gently add the meatballs back to the pan. 1 tbsp coconut aminos
- 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, add butter, and allow the sauce to cool a bit.
- 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! 3/4 cup Greek yogurt
Notes
Recipe Tips:
- 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.
- 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.
- As an alternative, you’re welcome to sauté the meatballs. I still recommend freezing them so they don’t fall apart, and pressure cook for 5 minutes after.
- Want to save time later? Make a double batch of the meatballs and keep 1/2 in the freezer for next time! Simply pull out your frozen meatballs, allow to thaw for a few minutes, and cook according to the rest of the recipe.
Healthy Eating Plans
21 Day Fix: For this entire recipe of 21 Day Fix Swedish Meatballs:- 5 Red Containers
- 4 teaspoons.
- 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.
Nutrition
Calories: 242kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 313mg | Potassium: 514mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 764IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 138mg | Iron: 2mg
Make This Recipe?
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Hi, I’m just curious if you have the old version of this recipe (where you add the butter and cook each side of the meatball on sauté before cooking in the broth?) anywhere so I can refer back to it? Thanks, Bryan
Hi Bryan! Here it is:
Directions:
1) In a large bowl mix together ingredients for meatballs. Turn Instant Pot to saute, and melt 2 tbsp butter in the Instant Pot. When the butter is melted form the meatballs and place in the Instant Pot to sear, turning as needed. This will help the meatballs hold their form.
2) Remove meatballs and set aside. Pour the chicken broth into the Instant Pot and use a plastic, wood, or silicone utensil to scrape the bottom of the Instant Pot. Mix in the aminos and mustard, then gently add the meatballs back into the Instant Pot. Lock the lid into place cook on high pressure using the manual function for 5 minutes. Let pressure naturally release for 10 minutes before doing a quick release of the pressure.
3) Turn off the Instant Pot, remove the meatballs, and let the sauce cool to about room temperature. Whisk in the plain Greek yogurt until the sauce is smooth, and add the parsley. Let sit a couple minutes to allow the parsley time to soften. Pour the sauce over the meatballs and serve topped with parmesan cheese.
Note: If the sauce is still hot when the Greek yogurt is mixed it will curdle into cheese curds. So be sure to give the sauce time to cool before mixing in the yogurt. This is the perfect time to prepare side dishes.