This easy homemade Swedish meatballs recipe is healthy, fast, frugal, and delicious. Pressure cooker Swedish meatballs and sauce couldn’t be any easier to make and taste like the famous IKEA meatballs. Serve the meatballs over egg noodles, Instant Pot mashed potatoes, Instant Pot rice, or polenta.
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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.
What are Swedish Meatballs? Traditional Swedish meatballs are made with allspice, then served in a creamy sauce (made with sour cream). The allspice gives the meatballs a distinct, unique flavor. This homemade recipe sticks to the traditional version as closely as possible, giving the meatballs and sauce that unique flavor that we all love about this classic Swedish dish!
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
Variations & Substituions
There are a few tweaks that can be made to the delicious meatballs and sauce.
- Gluten-Free Meatballs: This is an easy swap. Use gluten-free breadcrumbs. The breadcrumbs act as a binder so the meatballs don’t fall apart.
- Use Ground Pork and Ground Beef: Many Swedish meatball recipes are made a combination of ground beef and ground pork. You can easily sub out the ground turkey in my recipe for ground pork.
- Dairy-Free Option: The whole milk in the meatballs can be swapped for a plant-based milk, like unsweetened plain almond milk. For the sauce, swap out the sour cream for a plant-based sour cream or canned coconut milk. Coconut milk would add a unique flavor to the sauce, almost like a tropical twist.
How to Make: Step by Step Instructions
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.
Our Favorite
Side Dish Recipes
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.
Instant Pot Swedish Meatballs (Easy & Quick)
Equipment
- 1 6 or 8 Quart Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker of choice
- 1 large bowl for combining the meatball ingredients
- 1 cookie scoop (optional) for forming the meatballs
Ingredients
Swedish Meatballs
- 1 lb ground beef (85/15 or 90/10 fat content)
- 1 lb ground turkey (93/7 fat content) or ground pork
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs or gluten-free panko breadcrumbs
- 1/3 cup whole milk or unsweetened plant-based milk (for dairy-free)
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (or 1 1/2 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
Sauce
- 2 cups beef stock or beef broth
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons organic cornstarch or arrowroot starch (a grain-free option)
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 1/2 cup full fat sour cream or plant-based sour cream or canned coconut milk (for dairy-free)
Instructions
- 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). I use a cookie scooper to form the meatballs and then roll each one in my hand to create a tight, compact ball.
- Set the Instant Pot to the saute function. Once hot, add the 2 tablespoons of olive 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.
- 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. Then add the remaining broth and Worcestershire sauce and gently stir to combine.
- Add all the meatballs to the sauce in the Instant Pot.
- 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.
- 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).
- 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.
- 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 cold 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.
- Temper the sour cream by adding the sour cream to a small bowl, then add a small amount of the sauce from the Instant Pot (about 2 tablespoons of the hot liquid). Whisk the mixture in the bowl, then slowly pour it into sauce, stirring to combine.
- Finally, return the meatballs to the thickened sauce in the Instant Pot.
- Serve warm over mashed potatoes, rice, egg noodles, polenta, or your favorite pasta.
Notes
- Storage: Store leftover meatballs and sauce in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days. Reheat in a skillet over medium heat, or in the microwave.
- Meal Prep: This recipe is a fantastic meal prep option. Portion the recipe into meal prep containers and add Instant Pot rice or Instant Pot mashed potatoes on the side.
Nutrition
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Excited to try this! Before serving I will take out some sauce sans cream for me, then add the sour cream to the remaining sauce for the family.
I so appreciate your wholesome recipes without added unhealthy ingredients. Thank you!
So glad the recipes are helpful, Corinne! That’s a great idea.
Hi, can this be done in a slow cooker instead?
Hey Sonia, It can, I would use this recipe: https://therecipecritic.com/slow-cooker-swedish-meatballs/
Let me know what you think of this recipe! The meatballs are on my monthly meal rotation. Sometimes I serve them with rice, other times mashed potatoes or egg noodles. I love to make the rice or mashed potatoes in advance, then reheat in the microwave for a fast meal.