Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Turkey Meatballs

These instant pot pressure cooker turkey meatballs are super quick, flavorful, and budget friendly. Ground turkey, breadcrumbs, garlic, eggs, and seasoning make up these simple homemade meatballs. These are super versatile, serve over pasta, on a meatball sub, with roasted veggies, or with creamy mashed potatoes. Or make an extra batch and store in the freezer!

Highlights of the pressure cooker meatballs:

• Homemade meatballs are so easy to make
• Can substitute store-bought short cuts
• Meatballs can be premade and frozen until needed
• Family-friendly meal
• Customizable
• Budget friendly
• Great main dish, very versatile
• Uses simple ingredients
• Great for an easy weeknight dinner or quick meal prep lunch

If you like these homemade turkey meatballs in the instant pot, you’ll love…

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Easy Five Ingredient Instant Pot Beef Chili

First Steps:

• Combine meatball ingredients in a large mixing bowl
• Portion into 1 oz. meatballs
• Roll into perfect balls
• Freeze slightly
• Transfer to pressure cooker

Grocery store list & substitutions:

• Ground lean turkey (substitute ground chicken or lean ground beef, alternatively use store-bought meatballs)
• Panko bread crumbs (or substitute regular bread crumbs)
• Large whole eggs
• Fresh garlic cloves or substitute garlic powder or onion powder
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• Italian seasoning
• Parmesan cheese, for garnish
• Fresh parsley or thyme for garnish
• Marinara sauce, pesto, or other desired sauces

Serving ideas & variations for this instant pot recipe:

• Serve over cauliflower rice or spaghetti squash for a low-carb option
• Serve over cooked pasta with jarred marinara for a quick meal
• Use lean beef meatballs or chicken meatballs
• Serve on a hoagie for a quick meatball sub or on a toasted pita with hummus and cucumbers for an easy pita sandwich
• Serve over instant mashed potatoes and top with creamy gravy

Tools I used for this delicious recipe:

• Glasslock Glass Food Storage Containers – the square containers are the perfect size for lunches or leftovers, stain proof, and they are dishwasher safe
• Tongs – a must have kitchen tool!
• USA Pan Half Sheet Pan – my go-to sheet pans, these are truly non-stick and clean up nicely
• Instant Pot Pressure Cooker – A versatile counter top appliance perfect for quickly cooking these meatballs! My favorite electric pressure cooker.
• Portion Scoops – perfect for getting even sized meatballs.

Final Steps:

• Add meatballs to the bottom of the pot
• Pressure cook meatballs until cooked
• Toss in desired sauce and enjoy!

What to serve with turkey meatballs?

I like to serve my turkey meatballs tossed in marinara sauce or tomato sauce over pasta, zucchini noodles, or with spaghetti squash as a low carb option. You can also serve these over a bed of Failproof Long Grain Rice in the Instant Pot with veggies or on a meatball sub!

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 the meatballs do not stay together while rolling, they will most likely fall apart while cooking. 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.

How do I make sure my instant pot 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 cooking time and add more as needed!

Instructions for this one-pot meal:

• In a large bowl combine the ground turkey, bread crumbs, eggs, salt, pepper, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Gently mix with your hands until evenly combined. Use a portion scoop to scoop 1 oz. meatballs, you should get 25-28 meatballs. Roll into balls and place on a sheet pan. Freeze for 20-30 minutes until hard.*
• Add the chilled meatballs into the bottom of the pressure cooker. Secure the lid onto the pressure cooker. Turn on, select “Pressure Cook” setting, set to “high pressure” for 10-12 minutes, and start.
• Once the timer has expired and the meatballs have finished cooking, allow the pressure to release naturally. Gently toss, secure the lid on again and pressure cook for another 10-12 minutes. The meatballs should temp at 165 degrees F once done. 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.

*If desired, brown meatballs on saute function before pressure cooking.

*Cook time may vary on size of the meatballs, 1oz. meatballs that are slightly frozen will take 20-25 minutes. Adjust cooking temperature as needed.

Did you make this recipe?

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