Instant Pot Swedish Meatballs
by Chungah
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These Instant Pot Swedish meatballs is a true one pot meal! Made with the most tender, juicy homemade meatballs and a rich, velvety gravy.
Featured Comment
So delicious. Somehow I ended up with 45 meatballs so decided to freeze half after the browning stage. The gravy was incredible and I served everything over egg noodles. My kids asked for seconds and thirds! Thanks for a keeper.
why you’l love Instant Pot swedish meatballs
- Ultimate comfort food. Pairing juicy, tender meatballs with a rich, velvety creamy gravy is simply pure comfort food, nostalgic of Ikea’s favorited classic meatballs. They are perfect for a cozy night in or impressing weekend company.
- One pot convenience. Making Swedish meatballs in the Instant Pot cuts down on time and effort, cooking both the meatballs and gravy all in a single pot. It’s an absolute weeknight miracle dinner!
- Nothing beats homemade meatballs. Homemade meatballs give you complete control over ingredients, flavors, and texture. And the mix of ground beef and ground pork yields the juiciest, most tender meatballs. The best part? You can double the batch of meatballs and freeze them for later!
How to make swedish meatballs in the Instant Pot
- Make the meatballs.
- Combine the ingredients. Combine the ground beef, ground pork, Panko, milk, egg yolks, shallot, garlic, thyme, allspice, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
- Mix gently. Mix the ingredients just until combined. Overworking the meat will lead to tough, dense meatballs.
- Form the meatballs. Portion and roll the mixture into 3/4-to-1-inch meatballs. Pro tip: Keep your hands slightly wet with water.
- Sear. Sear the meatballs in batches in a 6-qt Instant Pot® using the “sauté” function until browned on all sides, about 3-4 minutes. They will not be fully cooked here.
- Build the gravy. Whisk in the flour until golden, about 1 minute, then stir in the beef stock to deglaze the bottom of the pot, scraping up any browned bits.
- Pressure cook. Return the seared meatballs to the Instant Pot, seal the pressure cooker valve and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. When the cooking cycle is complete, carefully turn the valve for a quick-release.
- Thicken the gravy. Set the meatballs aside and keep warm. Set the Instant Pot to the “sauté” function and simmer until reduced and thickened, about 4-5 minutes. The longer it simmers, the more it thickens. Stir in the sour cream, salt, and pepper until it thickens to a gravy-like consistency.
- Serve. Serve the meatballs and warm gravy over mashed potatoes, garnished with dill and parsley.
How to serve swedish meatballs
- Base: serve the meatballs and gravy over a hot starchy base such as mashed potatoes, boiled potatoes or egg noodles
- Sides: peas, green beans, or roasted vegetables
- Condiments: sweet lingonberry preserves or cranberry sauce
- Garnish: sprinkle with parsley or chives for a pop of color
more favorited meatball recipes
Tools For This Recipe
Instant Pot Swedish Meatballs: Frequently Asked Questions
How can I “flash freeze” the meatballs?
Place the uncooked meatballs on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper, freezing for 1 hour until solid. Transfer the meatballs to an airtight, resealable freezer bag. Label, date and freeze up to 1 month.
Do I have to brown the meatballs before pressure cooking?
Yes! Browning the meatballs first (using the “sauté” function) will lock in their shape, preventing them from falling apart in the Instant Pot, while adding deep, rich, caramelized flavors to the base of the gravy.
Can I use frozen meatballs instead?
Yes, you can use frozen meatballs as a major time-saver for busy nights! Skip the thaw and pressure cook the meatballs with the beef stock for 6 minutes, followed by a quick-release.
How can I store leftovers?
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, reheating gently on the stovetop over medium low heat until warmed through, adding a splash of beef stock, if needed.
Instant Pot Swedish Meatballs
Everyone’s favorite IKEA Swedish meatballs made so easily right in your pressure cooker! So tender so creamy!
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups beef stock
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
For the meatballs
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- ½ cup Panko
- ⅓ cup whole milk
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 medium shallot, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Set a 6-qt Instant Pot® to the high saute setting. Heat canola oil; working in two batches, add meatballs and cook until all sides are browned, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; set aside.
- Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
- Stir in beef stock, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pot; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Return meatballs to the Instant Pot®. Select manual setting; adjust pressure to high, and set time for 8 minutes. When finished cooking, quick-release pressure according to manufacturer’s directions.
- Set meatballs aside. Select high sauté setting; simmer until the sauce has reduced and thickened, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in sour cream; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately with meatballs, garnished with dill and parsley, if desired.
For the meatballs
- In a large bowl, combine ground beef, ground pork, Panko, milk, egg yolks, shallot, garlic, thyme, allspice and nutmeg; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Using a wooden spoon or clean hands, stir until well combined. Roll the mixture into 3/4-to-1-inch meatballs, forming about 30-32 meatballs.
Equipment
Notes
- Keep your hands wet. When forming the meatballs, keep your hands slightly wet to keep the mixture from sticking to your hands, ensuring perfectly round, smooth meatballs.
- Make ahead of time. The meatballs can be assembled up to 1 day in advance and placed in the fridge until ready to use. The uncooked meatballs can also be stored in the freezer for up to 1 month (once flash freezing).
- Make a double batch to freeze. Make a big batch of meatballs, doubling the recipe, to have a stash ready in the freezer to cut weeknight dinner prep to just a few minutes.
- Deglaze with beef stock. Deglaze the bottom of the Instant Pot with beef stock, lifting up the browned bits (fond) to incorporate all the rich, caramelized flavors to the gravy while also preventing the dreaded burn error.
- Chicken stock also works. Unsalted chicken stock works well in place of the beef stock.
- Serve with a starchy base. Serve the meatballs with a starchy base such as mashed potatoes or cooked egg noodles to sop up the rich, creamy gravy.
Did you make this recipe?
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The whole family loved it! (2 & 4yo too!!!!)
how can we adjust this without instant pot?
Thanks for this recipe, very delicious. I think the recipe as written could be improved. When adding salt to the raw meat mix, it says ‘salt and pepper to taste’, can’t do that with raw meat. I think the overall cooking time is not realistic, it took a while to brown all the meatballs. Finally, should the meatballs be added back to the finished sauce? These are very minor points, overall a great recipe.
Have this one on repeat. Awesome family meal.
Absolutely delicious. Didn’t have shallots or fresh dill- just added some onion powder and extra parsley. Sauce didn’t thicken much- next time will add a cornstarch slurry. But definitely will make again.
Yummy! Crowd pleasing recipe. Thank you! I followed the recipe as is the only change I made because I don’t usually have sour cream. I used half greek yogurt and half table cream. My family loved it, no left overs!!!
Tastes good. Meatballs did not cook all the way. Cook longer. 8 min is not enough time for just browning then in the pan. Needs to be 10-12 min
Delicious, but any tips for avoiding the sour cream curdling?
DJ asks “Delicious, but any tips for avoiding the sour cream curdling?”
The sour cream should be added AFTER cooking. If it still curdles it’s because the pot is still boiling. Temper it ie add a little bit of the hot broth to the sour cream in a bowl and stir it up good. Then add that slowly to the pot while stirring gently. Should be fine!
Made this last night and my boys and I loved it! Halved the meatball recipe, used ground turkey (still got 30 1″ meatballs) and made the full gravy recipe and had almost no leftovers. The fam asked me to add this to our regular rotation. Another Damn Delicious go-to!
These meatballs were delicious! I mixed all ingredients, except meat, together first and then added 2lbs of ground turkey (93/7, not breast, it’s too lean) and the meatballs came out moist and flavorful. An 1/8 cup measure cup works well for portioning out the meat. I dipped it in water between scoops to prevent sticking. I’ve added this recipe to my list of go-to dinners!
Family of 7, many of us are picky eaters. Our preferences clash often. Matter of fact, I only have one kid who eats nearly everything.
I had only 1 LB of ground beef on hand, so I halved the recipe, made 2″ meatballs (used crumbled toast instead of Panko), and scrambled the egg white to mix in with the 3 cups of brown rice I served the meatballs over. I didn’t have any parsley or dill on hand, and these were still outta the ballpark scrumptious! I also used 1/8 cup whole milk in place of the sour cream because mine had gone bad.
Definitely need to double the sauce!
My ENTIRE family ate this until each one was stuffed full.
Miracle? We had enough for everybody to eat, even though I forgot to do up a veggie.
Great recipe! I saw this on your Instagram and knew I needed to make it for Sunday dinner. Really enjoyed the gravy!
These were a huge hit, and I will definitely make again. I had to brown in 3 separate batches, but it wasn’t too bad. The gravy sauce is sooo delicious.
These came out PERFECT! My whole family loved it. Definitely a keeper.
I’m deleting my other swedish meatball recipe. This was super tasty!
Like other reviewers, I made my meatballs bigger (1.5 – 2 inches) so I didn’t have to brown so many batches. I was skeptical that the two cups of broth would not be enough to pressure cook the meatballs (was afraid of burn notification), but it was just the right amount. I forgot the milk in the meatballs and they still turned out really *moist*. I did add a splash of white wine and cooked it off, then a splash of worcestershire and about a tsp of Dijon before adding the sour cream. Served o we egg noodles. 10/10 would make these again.
Made these tonight. I made the meatballs bigger (2”) and I am glad I did as the recommended 1” sized meatballs would have been very tough when cooked for 8 minutes in the Instant Pot. The sauce is delicious.
Will make this again.
Would not change a thing! I got a bit nervous when trying to roll over the meatballs in the first batch while cooking. I was using long kitchen thongs and some of the meatballs were tearing apart when flipping them over. A spatula made quick work of this. I will definitely make this recipe again – going into my recipe collection as “keeper”…
So delicious. Somehow I ended up with 45 meatballs so decided to freeze half after the browning stage. The gravy was incredible and I served everything over egg noodles. My kids asked for seconds and thirds! Thanks for a keeper.
This is a keeper! My entire family loved it!