Rating: 5.00
(3)

Instant Pot BBQ Meatballs

By Rachel
December 31, 2022

These instant pot BBQ meatballs are the perfect appetizer or easy weeknight dinner. Homemade beef meatballs in a quick BBQ and grape jelly sauce. For an even quicker meal, substitute premade frozen meatballs. I love these for a rice bowl or over noodles for a more filling dish.

Easy Instant Pot BBQ and Grape Jelly Meatballs in a bowl with steamed brown rice

Making homemade meatballs is so simple and they can easily be customized. You might also like these Instant Pot Teriyaki Meatballs or my Sweet and Sour Meatballs for a quick meal! Find all of my Instant Pot Recipes here for more inspiration.

Serve these BBQ meatballs over quinoa or Steamed Rice alongside some roasted veggies for a filling and nutritious meal that the whole family will love.

Highlights of This Instant Pot Recipe

  • Easy Instant Pot recipe: the Instant Pot does all the work for this recipe, no standing over the stove. Toss the frozen meatballs, grape jelly and BBQ sauce in the Instant Pot and when you open it up you will have perfectly tender meatballs in a rich, thick glaze!
  • Good for picky eaters: kids will love this dish, especially the tasty grape sauce. This is a great way to get some protein into your families diet. Keep some meatballs in the freezer so you can make this dish in a pinch if needed.
  • Easy appetizer: not only is this dish a great entrée recipes, but it also makes a great cocktail appetizer. Serve in a crockpot, directly out of the Instant Pot, or in a serving bowl with toothpicks so your guests can easily grab a meatball!
  • Simple ingredients: these meatballs are a mix of beef, breadcrumbs, egg, and seasoning – make them custom to your liking, or in a rush, use frozen meatballs. The sauce is made from grape jelly and any type of barbecue sauce. Serve the meatballs over rice, noodles, or on their own.
a bowl of rice topped with BBQ meatballs with fresh green onions and cilantro.

I like my grape meatballs served over rice with lots of fresh green onions and cilantro. A squeeze of fresh limes and some extra sauce make these extra delicious. Looking for some side dish ideas? This post for 35 Easy Side Dishes to Serve with Meatballs will give you some inspiration!

Find all of my Entree Recipes here for more quick weeknight family meals.

Ingredient List & Substitutions

  • Grape Jelly: homemade or store-bought jelly will work here. Other flavors of jelly or preserves may be used as a substitute.
  • BBQ Sauce: homemade or store-bought barbeque sauce will work, you can use any flavor as well.
  • Ground Beef:  I typically keep an 80/20 blend on hand as it works for most recipes. Any blend of ground beef will work for this recipe or you can grind your own. Make your own meatballs or use pre-made frozen beef meatballs can be a substitute if needed.
  • Whole eggs: I like fresh pasture raised farm eggs if available, but any kind will work for this recipe.
  • Bread crumbs: plain bread crumbs, panko bread crumbs, or Italian bread crumbs will work. You can also use make your own at home.
  • Onion: red onion, white onion, or yellow onions will work in the soup. A finely diced shallot will also work, if you do not like onion, omit it.
  • Worcestershire sauce: this just adds a little extra hint of flavor.
  • Garlic: add as many fresh garlic cloves as desired, I use upwards of around 4 or 5 cloves. Jarred minced garlic can be used as well.

How to Make These Instant Pot Meatball

Let’s talk a little about how to make these Instant Pot BBQ Meatballs (The printable instructions are in the recipe card below.)

Quick overview:

  • In a large mixing bowl combine all meatball ingredients.
  • Form and freeze meatballs.
  • Add meatballs, grape jelly, and BBQ to the Instant Pot.
  • Pressure cook until done.
  1. In a large mixing bowl combine ground beef, eggs, onion, garlic, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Mix with your hands until evenly combined.
  2. Use a portion scoop to scoop even amount of the meat mixture, roll into balls, and place on a lined sheet pan.
  3. Freeze homemade meatballs until just set up – this helps so they do not fall apart in the Instant Pot.

4. Add frozen meatballs to the base of the Instant Pot along with grape jelly and BBQ sauce. Cover with the lid and pressure cook on high for 12-14 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through. Release the pressure naturally.

5. Serve meatballs as is over rice with extra sauce. Leftover meatballs can be cooled and stored in the fridge for 3-4 days.

More Easy Weeknight Meals

Tools I Use For This Meatball Recipe

  • Instant Pot Pressure Cooker – A versatile counter top appliance perfect for quickly cooking these meatballs! My favorite electric pressure cooker. I use my Instant Pot for rice, quinoa, soup, stew, meatballs, and more!
  • Glasslock Glass Food Storage Containers – the square containers are the perfect size for lunches or leftovers, stain proof, and they are dishwasher safe. I even use these to store leftovers in the freezer.
  • Tongs – a must have kitchen tool! I love the locking tongs as they are space saving and I like to keep a variety of sizes and lengths on hand for different recipes.

Recipe FAQs

How do I keep my meatballs from falling apart?

A good mixture of binding agents is important. Both whole eggs and breadcrumbs are great for keeping meatballs from falling apart. A simple way to check that the meatballs wont fall apart while cooking is while rolling the meatballs. If your raw meatball mixture is falling apart, increase the amount of breadcrumbs as needed. You can also chill/freeze the meatballs before baking to help them hold their shape while cooking.

How do I make sure my meatballs are moist?

Pressure cooking meatballs in the instant pot keeps the inside light and moist. The key is to start on the low end of time and add more as needed! Cooking in a sauce, such as this BBQ grape jelly sauce, is another key

Overhead shot of a rice bowl with BBQ and grape jelly meatballs with sliced green onion

Storage

Let the meatballs cool completely and store them in a airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat in a pan on the stove or in the microwave.

Variations & Serving Ideas

  • Serve as a delicious appetizer at holiday parties or for game day.
  • Turn into a fun spin on the classic meatball sub.
  • Serve in a rice bowl topped with avocados, green onions, cilantro, limes, and more.
  • Substitute apricot preserves or cranberry sauce for grape jelly.
  • Use homemade or store-bought meatballs.
Instant Pot BBQ Meatballs
5 from 3 votes

Easy Instant Pot BBQ and Grape Jelly Meatballs

Homemade beef meatballs in a tangy bbq and grape jelly sauce
By: The Hearty Life
Servings:5 Servings
Prep Time:15 minutes
Cook Time:15 minutes
Chilling time::30 minutes
Total Time:1 hour
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Ingredients
  

For the meatballs:

  • 1 lb. Lean ground beef
  • 2 Whole eggs
  • 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
  • 2 tsp Kosher salt
  • 1 tsp Black pepper
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire
  • 2-3 cloves Garlic, minced
  • 1 small White onion, finely diced

For the sauce:

  • 3/4 cup Grape jelly or grape preserves
  • 3/4 cup BBQ sauce

Instructions
 

  • In a large mixing bowl combine the ground beef, bread crumbs, eggs, salt, pepper, Worcestershire, garlic, and onion. Gently mix with your hands until evenly combined. Use a portion scoop to scoop 1 oz. meatballs. Roll into balls and place on a sheet pan. Freeze for 20-30 minutes until hard.*
  • In the base of an instant pot or pressure cooker, combine the frozen meatballs, bbq sauce, and grape jelly. Make sure the meatballs are coated well. Secure the lid onto the pressure cooker. Turn on, select "Pressure Cook" setting, set to "high pressure" for 12-14 minutes, and start.
  • Once the timer has expired and the meatballs have finished cooking, allow the pressure to release naturally. Allow to cool slightly, serve as is or in a rice bowl topped with extra sauce. Leftover meatballs will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Notes

*Alternatively you could use store-bought frozen meatballs. I freeze the meatballs before placing in the pressure cooker so they don’t fall apart.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 422kcalCarbohydrates: 64gProtein: 24gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 122mgSodium: 1578mgPotassium: 541mgFiber: 2gSugar: 41gVitamin A: 195IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 73mgIron: 4mg
Author: The Hearty Life
Calories: 422kcal
Cost: $
Course: Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Ground Beef Recipes, instant pot recipes, Meatballs, Rice Bowls

Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @theheartylife on Instagram and hashtag it #theheartylife.

If you enjoyed this recipe, I would appreciate if you left a star rating on the recipe card above or a comment below sharing your experience! I value your feedback, it would also mean a lot if you could share this recipe or my website with friends or loved ones. Cheers!

5 from 3 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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