Instant Pot Swedish Meatballs (Easy & Quick)

If you love this easy Instant Pot recipe, you’ll love also: Instant Pot chicken fried rice, Instant Pot beef vegetable soup, Instant Pot meatballs and spaghetti sauce, and Instant Pot Spaghetti Bolognese.

Instant Pot Swedish Meatballs are a Quick, Family-Friendly Dinner

Instant Pot recipes are one of the easiest and best ways to get a quick family meal on the table during the busy week. Usually something like a from-scratch chicken soup, Italian meatballs and homemade sauce, or delicious Swedish meatballs would take hours to prepare.

But not with the Instant Pot!

Keeping a few electric pressure cooker recipes in your meal rotation, like today’s easy Instant Pot recipe, is a great way to simplify family meals.

Ingredients Needed

Meatballs

• 1 lb ground beef (85/15 or 90/10 fat content)
• 1 lb ground turkey (93/7 fat content)
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs (or gluten-free breadcrumbs)
• 1/3 cup whole milk (or unsweetened plant-based milk)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (or 1½ teaspoons dried parsley)
• 1 teaspoon salt (this is based on taste preference)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil

Sauce

• 2 cups beef stock or beef broth
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot starch
• 2 Tablespoons cold water
• 1/2 cup full-fat sour cream

Equipment Needed

• 6 or 8 Quart Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker of choice to cook the sauce and meatballs
• 1 large bowl for combining the meatball ingredients
• cookie scoop (optional) for forming the meatballs

Step 1: Form the Meatballs

Add all the meatball ingredients (except the olive oil) to a large bowl. Using clean hands, combine the ingredients: ground beef, turkey, panko breadcrumbs, milk, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, allspice, and nutmeg. Roll the meatball mixture into 1-inch balls, making them tight (approx. 24-30 meatballs).

Step 2: Brown the Meatballs

Set the Instant Pot to the saute function (press the saute button on the front of the Instant Pot). Once hot, add the 2 tablespoons of oil.

Brown the meatballs in a single layer for 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove the meatballs to a plate once brown on each side. Work in batches as not all 24-30 meatballs will fit in the Instant Pot to brown at one time. Once all the meatballs are brown, turn off the saute function on the Instant Pot.

Step 3: Add the Sauce Ingredients to the Instant Pot

Add a splash of the beef broth to the Instant Pot. Use a wooden spoon to stir the sauce and scrape up any of the bits stuck to the bottom of the Instant Pot liner. The bits add great flavor to the sauce! Then add the remaining broth and Worcestershire sauce and gently stir to combine.

Step 4: Return the Meatballs to the Instant Pot

Add all the meatballs to the sauce in the Instant Pot.

Step 5: Cook the Meatballs and Sauce for 8 Minutes

Close the lid on the Instant Pot. Set the valve, located on top of the lid, to Sealed. Turn on the Instant Pot to Manual/Pressure Cook (high pressure) for 8 minutes.

Step 6: Naturally Release Pressure, Then Perform a Quick Release

When the cooking time is up, the Instant Pot will beep. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes (let the Instant Pot sit undisturbed during this time).

Then, after 10 minutes, move the valve on top on the lid from Sealed to Venting. This will release all the remaining pressure/steam from the Instant Pot. Once all the steam has been released, open the lid.

Step 7: Finish Making the Sauce

• Remove the cooked meatballs from the Instant Pot to a clean plate.
• Set the Instant Pot to Saute.
• Add the cornstarch (or arrowroot starch) and water to a small bowl. Whisk the ingredients to create a slurry, then add to the sauce in the Instant Pot. Allow the sauce to thicken with the heat, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes.
• Now it’s time to add the sour cream. If you add the sour cream directly to the hot liquid it will curdle. Instead, temper the sour cream by adding the sour cream to a small bowl, then add a small amount of the hot sauce from the Instant Pot (about 2 tablespoons of the hot liquid). Whisk the mixture, then slowly pour it into sauce, stirring to combine.
• Finally, return the meatballs to the thickened sauce in the Instant Pot.

Now the meatballs and sauce are ready to enjoy!

How to Serve

Serve this Instant Pot Swedish meatballs recipe over cooked egg noodles, mashed potatoes (I love to make Instant Pot mashed potatoes), rice (the Instant Pot is the best way to cook rice), or polenta. You may want to add a side as well; however, you don’t need one.

Pro Cooking Tips

• Avoid the Burn Warning: After using the saute function to brown the meatballs in the Instant Pot, add a small amount of broth and use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the bits that are stuck to the bottom of the Instant Pot liner. Removing the bits from the bottom of the liner will ensure you don’t get a burn notice during the pressure cooking step.
• Make Juicy Meatballs: The higher the fat content in the ground beef, the juicer the meatballs will be. Using 85/15 or 90/10 ground beef will result in the juiciest meatballs. Also, don’t over mix the meatball mixture when combining the ingredients. The milk and breadcrumbs also help to create tender meatballs, so don’t skip these ingredients.
• Check the Sealing Ring: Check the silicone ring that lines the interior of the Instant Pot lid before closing the lid and cooking the sauce and meatballs. It’s easy for this lid to loosen after cooking or in storage. If the ring isn’t on top, the Instant Pot won’t ever come to pressure and cook the food.