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Make juicy, protein-packed Instant Pot Meatballs in minutes with this healthy recipe! They’re great for pasta night, meal prep, or freezing for busy weeknights.
These Instant Pot Meatballs can be made in any electric pressure cooker. Just roll, freeze for a few minutes, and pressure cook for a no stress dinner. Use these in any meatball recipe–Instant Pot Spaghetti & Meatballs, Asian Teriyaki Meatballs, or these Swedish Turkey Meatballs.
Why I Love Instant Pot Meatballs
I love this Instant Pot Meatball recipe because it’s quick, healthy, and versatile. Whether I’m adding them to pasta, zoodles, or enjoying them with a side of veggies, they turn out perfectly tender every single time. Plus, cleanup is a breeze since everything cooks in one pot!
Enjoy!
– Becca
Ingredients for Pressure Cooker Meatballs
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Ground Beef: You can also use ground turkey to lower the saturated fat in this recipe.
- Egg: The common belief is that eggs are added to meatballs for moisture, but that isn’t it. They are added to the mixture to bind everything together.
- Rolled Oats: Whole grains give the meatballs more texture.
How to Make Instant Pot Meatballs
Step 1: In a large bowl mix together ground beef, eggs, rolled oats, Parmesan cheese, garlic, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes until well combined.
Step 2: Using a cookie scoop or rounded tablespoon, scoop out 24 meatballs and roll with your hands.
If you’re following a specific diet, this is where your containers/points/calories are calculated from, so the goal is 24 meatballs.
Step 3: Place the meatballs onto a cookie sheet and put them in the freezer for at least 15 minutes. You want the meatballs to be frozen enough to easily handle without them losing their shape.
Step 4: While your meatballs chill, add 1/2 cup of water to the bottom of the silver Instant Pot insert, then place your trivet in the bottom.
Once your meatballs are chilled, place them on top of the trivet. You can stack them if necessary.
Close and lock the lid and place the pressure valve in the sealing position. Cook on high pressure for 8 minutes.
Step 5: Once to cook time is complete, allow the pot to naturally release pressure for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, move the valve to Venting, then quick release the pressure and remove the lid.
Step 6: Carefully remove the trivet and gently pull apart any stuck meatballs. Alternatively, you can remove the meatballs with tongs–just be careful not to burn yourself on the sides of the pot.
Serve the meatballs immediately or store in the fridge up to 5 days.
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Recipe Tips
- You can substitute equal amounts of whole wheat bread crumbs for the rolled oats.
- For extra flavor, you can add beef stock to the bottom of your pot in place of water.
- I don’t recommend cooking the meatballs in spaghetti sauce. Things like tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes tend to trigger the Instant Pot burn notice. Instead, add the sauce after your meatballs are finished cooking and turn on the sauté feature to get everything heated up.
- You can add more red pepper flakes if you like your meatballs spicy, or leave the red pepper out if you don’t.
- I don’t add salt to my recipes so you can season to your own taste with salt and pepper after cooking.
Instant Pot Meatballs FAQs
Instant Pot meatballs will take about 30 minutes from start to finish. There are only 8 minutes of actual pressure cooking, but the time it takes to come to pressure and then release the pressure brings the total time to about 30 minutes.
These Instant Pot Meatballs are perfect for meal prep! They’ll keep in the fridge for up to six days, or in the freezer for up to two months.
To prevent the meatballs from sticking together, freeze them individually first—lay them out on a baking sheet or in a single layer in a freezer bag before transferring to a container.
If you want a plain version to season later, simply leave out the herbs and spices before cooking. You can always sprinkle seasonings or sauce on top when reheating.
I love to pair meatballs with these Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes and this Creamy Polenta Recipe.
Healthy Eating Plans
Weight Watchers Points
4 2025 Plan Points using 96% lean ground beef.
21 Day Fix Containers
For the entire recipe: 4 1/2 Red Containers, 1/2 Blue Container, 1 Yellow Container.
Per Serving: 1 Red Container, 1/4 Yellow container, 1/8 Blue Container (I do not count this unless I have more than one serving).
2B Mindset
This recipe is a great one for your lunch or dinner protein requirement. Make sure to add in your other Plate It! macros as needed.
If you tried this recipe for Instant Pot Meatballs or any other recipe on my site please leave a rating and let me know how it went in the comments!
Instant Pot Meatballs
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Equipment
- Instant Pot 6 qt
- Instant Pot Trivet
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef extra lean
- 1 eggs
- ⅓ cup rolled oats
- 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese grated
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl mix together ground beef, egg, rolled oats, Parmesan cheese, garlic, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes until well combined. 1 lb ground beef 1 eggs ⅓ cup rolled oats 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese 4 cloves garlic 2 tbsp Italian seasoning 1 tsp crushed red pepper
- Using a cookie scoop make 24 meatballs and use your hands to roll them into a ball.
- Place meatballs onto a cookie sheet and put them in the freezer for at least 15 minutes.
- While your meatballs chill, add 1/2 cup of water to the bottom of the Instant Pot and then place your trivet in the bottom.
- Place chilled meatballs on the trivet.
- Close and lock the lid and place the pressure valve in the sealing position.
- Pressure cook on high for 8 minutes.
- Let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then quick release the remaining pressure.
- Gently remove the trivet and separate any stuck meatballs. Serve immediately or store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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