Easy homemade Instant Pot Swedish meatballs recipe! Total comfort food at it’s finest and takes less than 20 minutes to make. You’ve got to try it with frozen meatballs or make them yourself! Keto friendly and delicious.
This easy homemade Instant Pot Swedish meatballs recipe is so great. Tastes like my Grandma’s and it’s one of our very favorite Instant Pot recipes. (originally published 6/17, affiliate links present)
I don’t know about you but year round I am all about comfort food!
Instant Pot Swedish Meatballs
I used to throw it in the oven but especially when it is 100 degrees outside I have no interest in that. Thank goodness for my fancy pressure cooker! 😉
Let’s start with a few basic tips:
- Make sure to Bookmark our InstaPot recipes page. We add new ones each week!
- Then LIKE our IP Facebook page for new ideas daily.
- This is a great InstaPot cookbook to grab too.
- I HIGHLY recommend you buy this non stick pot. It is easier to clean and will avoid the burn message too.
- For reference, this is the pressure cooker I have and use for all recipe creations.
- I know…it looks delicious right??!!
Of course you could use frozen Instant Pot meatballs for this dish. I think my easy meatball recipe is so simple and is packed with flavor though, so I prefer to make them myself.
- If you have a favorite meatloaf recipe you can use that as well and just form them into balls.
Meat with a bit more fat content work a bit better just so the meatballs don’t fall apart in the pressure cooking process but that is totally up to you.
What is a Swedish meatball?
They are traditionally made with onion, ground beef, ground pork, breadcrumbs, egg yolks, allspice, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
The sauce ingredients typically include butter, flour, beef broth, sour cream, salt and pepper.
Homemade Swedish meatballs
Or if you prefer a side I would suggest a bit of egg noodles or Instant Pot white rice. We love them just as they are. 😉
For dinner when we have a quiet house (very rare, but it does happen), or just as a special treat I love pairing this with a glass of Chardonnay too!
- If you’re like me and don’t have a lot of time to make it to the store you can order what you want online.
- I love a glass of wine with these personally.
Homemade Instant Pot Swedish meatballs
- Homemade meatballs – or use these pressure cooker frozen meatballs
- Ground beef
- or half sausage and half ground beef or turkey
- Bread crumbs
- If making Keto Swedish meatballs substitute for fried onions
- French onion soup mix – yes really
- Egg
- Ground beef
- Butter
- Heavy cream
- Beef broth
- Onion
- Sour cream
- Worcestershire sauce
- Cornstarch – to thicken the sauce
- Dijon mustard
You can also opt to make this basic meatball recipe here too. It has half ground beef and half sausage.
Pressure cooker Swedish Meatballs
Time needed: 7 minutes.
Instant Pot Swedish Meatballs
- Make meatballs
Mix together your ground beef, packet of french onion soup mix, 1 tbsp worchestershire sauce, bread crumbs, and 1 egg. (skip if using frozen meatballs). Make into medium size meatballs.
- Saute
Spray the inside of your Instant Pot with non stick spray and add a bit of olive oil inside. Set to saute, low.
Add your meatballs and diced onions to your pot and cook until the outsides are browned (if using frozen meatballs skip this step). Turn pot OFF. Take meatballs out and add 1/2 your can of beef broth to deglaze your pot. - Mix sauce
Mix together all your other ingredients in another bowl and use a whisk to make sure all lumps are gone. Pour your cream mixture into the pot and put meatballs back in. Put your lid on, close your steam valve.
- Cook
Set to high pressure on your Instant Pot for 3 minutes for homemade meatballs. If using defrosted previously frozen meatballs cook for only 3 minutes as well.
If using frozen meatballs need 5 minutes (for small frozen, larger may take longer). Once it’s done and beeps do a quick release.
Check meatballs to ensure they’re cooked thru. Remove the meatballs from the pot. - Thicken
Set Instant Pot to saute low again. Add remaining 2-3 tbsp. of cornstarch and whisk into liquid in pot. Allow to bubble and thicken, add more cornstarch if desired.
Add meatballs back into sauce mixture and serve!
What if you want to use frozen meatballs instead?
Here are instructions for Crockpot frozen meatballs. That means you’d only have to use the recipe for my sauce and coat.
- That is a good question and a great alternative to save time and prep time.
- I have done this. With that said I will say I prefer my homemade meatballs better but here’s what you do if you want this easier version:
- Pour 1.5 c. water inside your inner liner with a vegetable steamer inside.
- Empty bag of frozen meatballs into basket.
- Close lid and steam valve and set to pressure high for 3 minutes followed by a quick release.
Timing will vary but this is pretty good for all brands. Differences will come if yours are quite large but even if they’re not cooked all the way through they will be with the second heating time with the sauce
- You can skip step one since these are precooked and now defrosted.
- Take out, set aside, drain water out of pot and start with whisking your sauce ingredients together.
Put diced onions in as is without sauteeing first with the meat, that is fine because they’ll soften in the cooking process.
What is the IKEA meatball sauce?
They keep these details under tight wraps, but I must say this could be a copycat IKEA meatball recipe because it tastes so similar.
- The key to success is the sauce really, made right in the skillet where you brown the meatballs.
- As stated earlier, it is a mixture of butter, flour, beef broth, heavy cream, Dijon mustard, and Worcestershire sauce.
- This creamy sauce picks up all the flavorful fond on the bottom of the pan.
- Try it for yourself and let us know if it’s as close and good as you remember having it there.
What do you serve with Swedish meatballs?
Traditionally these are served with potatoes and lingonberry jam, which I love! We have also served them alongside white or brown rice or noodles. If you like spiced meatballs, add a dash of allspice to the meat mixture.
Other suggestions are:
- This is the best mashed cauliflower for a low carb alternative side dish
- What vegetables go with Swedish meatballs? Well you’d probably get a different answer depending on whom you asked. For us if you want a really healthy option you can just make these mixed steamed vegetables
- Instant Pot mashed potatoes using red potatoes is probably our favorite.
What is so special about Swedish meatballs?
Well maybe nothing for you unless you’re like me and had a Swedish relative who made these! THEN they come with a boat load of memories I tell you.
- If you are looking for a recipe specific to your heritage this may be something you could make and pass down to younger generations.
Recipes with meaning are so much better no matter what they really taste like. Yes I love my slow cooker but quick is where it’s at nowadays.
Instant Pot Swedish meatballs
Looking for other meatball recipes, here are a few others to try:
- Instant Pot Dr Pepper barbecue meatballs are a fun appetizer
- Italian meatballs can be made and used as a base to this recipe
- Easy Swedish meatball casserole was made after this with noodles cooked together topped with crispy fried onions on top!
Another easy meatloaf recipe you can follow to make homemade meatballs for this.
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***** If you LOVED this recipe give it 5 Stars below and let everyone know what you thought about it. 😉
Instant Pot Swedish Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 pkg french onion soup mix
- 1 egg
- 1/2 c bread crumbs substitute french’s fried onions if making keto
- 2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 8 tbsp butter melted
- 1 can beef broth 14.5 oz.
- 1 c heavy cream
- 1/2-1 onion diced
- 1/2 c sour cream
- 3 tbsp cornstarch varies according to thickness desired
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- mushrooms quartered, optional
Instructions
- Mix together your ground beef, packet of french onion soup mix, 1 tbsp worchestershire sauce, bread crumbs, and 1 egg. (skip if using frozen meatballs). Make into medium size meatballs.
- Spray the inside of your Instant Pot with non stick spray and add a bit of olive oil inside. Set to saute, low.
- Add your meatballs and diced onions to your pot and cook until the outsides are browned (if using frozen meatballs skip this step). Turn pot OFF. Take meatballs out and add 1/2 your can of beef broth to deglaze your pot.
- Mix together all your other ingredients in another bowl and use a whisk to make sure all lumps are gone.
- Pour your cream mixture into the pot and put meatballs back in. Put your lid on, close your steam valve.
- Push the pressure high button on your Instant Pot for 3 minutes for homemade meatballs. If using defrosted previously frozen meatballs cook for only 3 minutes as well. If using frozen meatballs need 5 minutes (for small frozen, larger may take longer).
- Once it’s done and beeps do a quick release.
- Check meatballs to ensure they’re cooked thru. Remove the meatballs from the pot.
- Set Instant Pot to saute low again.
- Add remaining 2-3 tbsp. of cornstarch and whisk into liquid in pot.
- Allow to bubble and thicken, add more cornstarch if desired.
- Add meatballs back into sauce mixture and serve!
Video
Katiejstew says
Hi I am trying to meal prep- I like to freeze bulk- can I do this? pre-make the meatballs, make 20/30. Freeze them in batches of 10 to pull out when needed for dinner? Stick them frozen in the insta pot? Would I need to alter your recipe at all? It says no egg if frozen? Just want to check! Thanks!
Jacquelyn says
Hi Katiejstew,
If I’m reading it correctly I think she means to skip all of the meatball ingredients if using frozen meatballs, not just the egg. I was confused by it at first too, until I reread it. You can put the meatballs in the instant pot while frozen, although she states to add a couple of minutes to the cook time. I’m going to try this tonight using fresh meatballs. Great idea to make a few batches ahead of time and freeze them!
Sheri Biishop says
These were amazing, definitely a recipe I will keep, I just received my InstaPot for Christmas and have only tried a few recipes so far. I will be making this one again.
The Typical Mom says
Yay so glad you loved them
FirstTimeInstantPot says
First time making these DEELISH SWEDISH MEATBALLS! thank you so much The Typical Mom. Received my first instant pot this week for Christmas. Ready to follow recipe with excellent authentic IKEA flavors. Keep up the good work.
The Typical Mom says
So glad you loved them!
Jeff says
I’ve made this recipe probably 10 times, thank you for it and I like it very much, so does the family. I’m old school so if you don’t have something nice to say then don’t say it. This is her recipe and if she took the time to put it out there for us then appreciate it and shut up. I’m swedish, I’m not or keto crap I’m sick of it! I’m a US Marine and a Male and I love this recipe and again like it or shut up and find the next one. Dang!
The Typical Mom says
Thanks. 😉 Appreciate the support.
Holly Stanton says
I’ve cooked this recipe several times for my husband. It’s quick and easy and he loves it with egg noodles (which I cook on the stove).
Jeff says
Thank you for being nice and not a tool, I like your egg noodle idea been doing it along time. I wish these dummies would just move on.
Fawn Nelson says
I was shocked that this was Keto. The amount of Carbs in it is so high. I’m allowed 20 carbs per day. Why is the carb count so high?
Cb says
Did you remove bread crumbs from the count? If you subbed them with fried onions it will look a whole lot better carb-wise.
ASwedishChick says
I haven’t tried this recipe, but as a SWEDE… please do not call these Swedish meatballs because this is not at all how we do it. I’m sure this recipe can be absolutely lovely still 🙂 but, it is not SWEDISH. 🙂
FrenchFriesArentFrenchDuh says
that’s just the name… as we all know French fries aren’t actually French and fortune cookies are not Chinese. You can blame King Charles the XII for the name 😛
ASwedishChick says
It’s not actually “just the name”, since there are TONS of variations on meatballs from all over the world. Italian meatballs is only one example. French fries are always french fries. Duh. So that’s not a very good argument here I’m afraid. 🙂
And for you second point about King Charles the XII – That story is fabricated and has been debunked by several different sources since it first surfaced online. You can look it up, but unless you speak Swedish I think it will be hard for you to find any good information on this.
I took the liberty of finding a quote for you from one of these articles:
“Tellström säger att ordet köttbulle för första gången nämndes 1755 i Cajsa Wargs kokbok, alltså långt efter Karl XII död 1718.”
“The word meatball is first mentioned in a cook book by Cajsa Warg from 1755, which is long after Karl XII died in 1718.”
So, accurate sources aside… 🙂 I still don’t think it’s a cool move to toss around names and titles when it’s inaccurate, like calling something Swedish when it ISN’T. The flavor profile doesn’t even line up with Swedish flavors. Again – not dissing the recipe or the creator behind it. I am simply questioning the name since to me, as a swede who is passionate about cooking, I find it fundamentally wrong and almost insulting.
Call the recipe American meatballs, if anything. But. It. Aint. Swedish.
The Typical Mom says
Well…..I am Swedish and my Grandmother who came from Sweden gave this recipe to me and I adapted it to work in a pressure cooker. SO…..it is authentic to me. Please just pass it on by if it doesn’t suit your needs or verbiage. No need to leave negativity on a site you have the ability to access for free, you’re welcome for that.
Cb says
French fries are called “chips” in the UK-furthermore, in the US, chips are definitely not what we call “French fries”. Call your recipes what you like, people can search for “traditional” recipes if they really want to.
J says
Is it the lack old spices such as nutmeg? Or something else that significantly deviates from an authentic Swedish recipe? Also, please evaluate your priorities if meatballs cause offense.
Maria says
Exactly!
KLK says
Holy moly… it’s just a recipe! Move along.
Erika says
First time making these, felt the instructions were a little unclear. Did I miss something or does it never mention what to do with the other 1/2 the beef broth?
Lisa says
I would assume that it falls into the next step… “all other ingredients”.
Margaret says
This is amazing! I made it tonight and my hubby gave it two thumbs up. The only problem I had is that before the instant pot pressurized it shot out the “burn message.” I stopped everything, turned off the instant pot and tried again-same thing happened. Anyone else have this happen or an idea of why it happened? The sour cream and heavy cream is really supposed to go in on the step where the meatballs finish cooking, right?
The Typical Mom says
It may have done this because either you didn’t deglaze the pot after sauteeing and there were bits of meat stuck on. Or you didn’t turn it off after saute to give it time to cool off a bit before hitting the pressure button. Some pots are very sensitive and this happens.
Stephanie says
We did this tonight, and added “ALL” the rest of the ingredients, INCLUDING the cornstarch. We finally figured out that the cornstarch was burning to the bottom of the instant pot. I know it’s good habits to read the instructions all the way through before beginning, which my daughter did (she’s an adult), but when actually making the recipe, she just followed that step exactly, and tossed in the cornstarch, too!
Ashley Hendrix says
Have made this serval times and my family begs for it! I have altered so that it’s Keto friendly:) substitute breadcrumbs with French Fried Onions. IT’S AMAZING
The Typical Mom says
Yeah so glad it’s a hit.
Lisa says
If you use frozen meatballs, would you use 1lb. or 1.25lb?
Annie says
Girl, this looks delicious, but you GOTTA make it an option to get rid of that video in the bottom left corner. So distracting!
The Typical Mom says
There’s an x on the top right corner if you’d rather not see it.
Jen says
This was very good! After reading through the comments, I opted to make the meatballs and saute them in onions until browned first in the multipot (as directed). Then rather than removing the meatballs, I just pured the beef broth over them and pressure cooked for 3 minutes, quick released the pressure. Then I removed the meatballs and threw all the other ingredients in on saute mode on low and made the gravy and then mixed the meatballs back in at the end. I am new to the multicooker and was worried about amount of liquid or burn warnings mentioned. This method worked for me and it was delicious.
Jen says
Also…I used 1/2 and 1/2 just cause it’s what I had.
The Typical Mom says
Thanks for your method too.
The Typical Mom says
So glad you loved them!
Heather M Martin says
I am excited to try this recipe. I have never used the instant pot before. I would like to add noodles or rice to the dish. Is there any way to cook the noodles in the sauce and then add the meatballs back in.
The Typical Mom says
You could try adding them with everything else, maybe egg noodles 1 c. and pouring the sauce over the top. Then go ahead and do the pressure high for 4 min.
Ep says
I thought the recipe itself is poorly written.
Chef B says
Was my first time making this and the taste is divine but the sour cream and heavy cream curdled. That was a bummer. Don’t know what I did wrong but we ate it anyway. Maybe I have to use another setting??? At any rate this will be made again!
The Typical Mom says
What setting did you use? That’s never happened to me.
Laurie says
It would seem, dear Rikki is a troll. LOL
Laura G says
Delicious! Used milk instead of heavy cream and worked well!
Robin says
Cream is only mandatory if you’re keto I think
The Typical Mom says
You need the cream either way.
Jennie says
Just made this … our second meal in the IP! Yummy!!!! This will be made again!! ????
The Typical Mom says
OH good!!
CookingToday says
I’m fairly new to this so I followed the recipe exactly, and during the pre-heating phase (when it still says “On”), it said it was burning (“burn”) twice. I wasn’t even able to get to the pressure cooking stage. Is this normal with recipes that have a cream sauce?
Stephanie Blevins says
Same happened to me. The recipe allows too much liquid on the bottom of the pot – evidently that never works. I poured mine into a large pot and cooked it on the stove. Fabulous taste but NOT a recipe for the InstaPot.
dingo635 says
If you don’t add any cornstarch until step 10 you won’t have a “burn” problem.
Kip says
Instructions extremely unclear. Especially for a novice cooker myself.
Alejandra Brizuela says
Just cut open the meatballs (after 18 minutes of soup) and the were raw…. Did I do something wrong? is it possible my meatballs were too big? Put them back under soup for another 18 minutes… will see….
The Typical Mom says
Yes they must’ve been too large as mine were totally done, a little bigger than spoon size…or your pressure valve may not have been completely closed to reach full pressure.
Christie says
I have a pressure cooker and it doesn’t have all the options the instant pot does. Would I cook on low pressure for the 18 minutes?
Tami says
I haven’t used the soup function yet. Is it ‘gentle’ enough that the cream and sour cream don’t curdle?
Kim says
If I used frozen ikea meatballs, how would I alter this?
The Typical Mom says
I would thaw them in the microwave so they are at least room temperature and then add them as I did here. Mine were frozen as well and I just defrosted them first.
Rikki says
THAW THE GODDAMNED MEATBALLS KIM!
Debbie says
I need fast, have you ever tried the frozen meatballs?
The Typical Mom says
Yes I used them in my Swedish meatball casserole. They just have a different texture is all.
Rikki says
DEBBIE WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AT MEATBALL RECIPES IF YOU USE FROZEN MEATBALLS?
PastryChef says
Rikki, leave the commenting to the OP since the few I’ve seen from you are pretty rude. Not everyone has the same level of cooking; you posted this in 2018, hopefully you have learned how to be nicer
Kate Sommerfeld says
Looks delicious! What if I just wanted to make it in my crockpot?
The Typical Mom says
You could precook the meatballs and make the sauce as directed. I would leave it on low for maybe 4 hours and check it. I haven’t made it in there so I am not sure of the timing.
Rikki says
KATE THESE ARE MEATBALLS. YOU AKE BALLS COOK THEM AND PUT THEM IN SAUCE. OVERTHINKING THE BALL IS DEATH OF THE BALL.
JtothaH says
I love you Rikki ? you had me cracking up reading this!