Instant Pot Porcupine Meatballs are a tasty and simple recipe, made with ground beef, rice, and a simple tomato sauce. Pressure cooker Porcupine Meatballs are easy to make, and are a family favorite!
Originally published 10/6/2017
Instant Pot Porcupine Meatballs
I’m going through my Nana’s recipes and picking out the ones I want to convert to pressure cooker recipes. She was a great cook!
Nana had many recipes for the stove top pressure cooker, such as the wildly popular Instant Pot Beef Barley Vegetable Soup. That recipe really struck a chord with a lot of people.
My theory is because it is simple, homey, healthy, and just a touch old fashioned. You don’t see a lot of modern recipes like that. It’s also delicious and easy to make!
Porcupine Meatballs are also a little old fashioned, and I love Nana’s simple recipe. I did adapt it a bit to give the dish a little more flavor, but it is still close to my childhood memories.
I made these for my son when he was growing up, and he loved them. Kids love Porcupine Meatballs! I know I sure did, and still do!
How to make Porcupine Meatballs in the Instant Pot
1) Mix the ingredients together and form 10-14 small meatballs.
2) Add soup and water/broth to the pot.
3) Add seasonings to the pot and stir.
4) Add the meatballs, coating them in the sauce.
5) Pressure cook the meatballs for 20 minutes, and naturally release for 20 minutes.
(photo shows 10, but some folks had better results with longer NPR).
6) I prefer to skim off any fat after removing the meatballs from the pot if I am going to serve the sauce over potatoes, etc.
When they come out of the pressure cooker, the grains of rice are standing up like porcupine quills!
Those little grains of rice poking out of the meatballs are fun to look at! And fun to eat! The sauce is simple and tasty!
What to Serve With Instant Pot Porcupine Meatballs
I like to serve them with mashed potatoes or more cooked rice. You can serve these pressure cooked meatballs with
Instant Pot Swedish Meatballs
Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs
Instant Pot Albondigas Soup (Mexican Meatball Soup)
Instant Pot Lentil Beef Stew
If you make this yummy Instant Pot Porcupine Meatballs recipe, please leave a comment with a star rating below. I’d like to know how you liked it!
Instant Pot Porcupine Meatballs are a tasty and simple recipe, made with ground beef, rice, and a simple tomato sauce. Easily cooked in your electric pressure cooker.
- 1 lb Ground Beef (80% to 90% Lean)
- 1 Tablespoon Onion, grated or finely diced
- 1 Egg
- ¼ cup Long Grain White Rice (uncooked, rinsed)
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt (or 3/4 tsp table salt)
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 3 Tablespoons Heavy Cream (or half and half)
- 2 Tablespoons Bread Crumbs
- 1 (10.75 oz) can Condensed Tomato Soup
- 1 can Water or Broth (use the soup can)
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Red Wine Vinegar
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Mix all of the ingredients for the meatballs together and form into 12 to 14 small meatballs. Set aside.
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Mix the sauce ingredients together and stir well to combine. Pour into the pot and turn on the Sauté mode to start the sauce warming up.
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When the sauce is just starting to simmer, stir it and carefully add the meatballs to the pot.
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Close the lid of the pressure cooker and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position. Cancel the Sauté mode.
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Press the Manual (or Pressure Cook) button, and then the + or - button to choose 20 minutes.
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When the cooking cycle ends, let the pot sit and naturally release for 20 minutes. Then manually release the remaining steam until the pin in the lid drops.
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Open the lid and serve the meatballs with some of the sauce over them (I prefer to skim off any fat from the sauce after removing the meatballs, if I am going to serve the sauce over potatoes, etc.).
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These Instant Pot Porcupine Meatballs go well with crusty bread, salad, or a vegetable side dish.
A few of my readers suggested cooking some potatoes at the same time in the sauce. I think that's a great idea!
Updated 10/21/17
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Christy
I know this review is a lot later than everyone else’s, but I had to leave this review. I grew up with Porcupine Meatballs that always used chunks of tomatoes and were baked. My dad and I loved them, but he ended up with Stage 4 Kidney Cancer. We had to tone down the tomatoes because of his chemo. I found this recipe and tried it. He RAVED about how wonderful it was. He had me make it many times for him before he passed away. I just wanted to say thank you very much for posting this recipe. My little one and I now eat this instead of what I grew up eating because it is that good!! Definitely worth 10 stars!! 🙂
Sandy
I’m so sorry for your loss. Thank you for letting me know about your dad. I’m glad he found enjoyment in this recipe.
KayeM.
Could you use brown rice? If so, what adjustments would you need to make?
Sandy
I would cook the rice partially first or find a brown par-cooked rice.
Lucinda Phillips
I made these today using turkey mine and they were delicious. My husband used to make them on the stove, but I prefer these ones!
Susan M
These. Are. Fabulous!! My mom used to make these meatballs when I was growing up on the stovetop. She said she was craving porcupines, and I decided to see if I could find an instant pot recipe to make my life easier. She loves these! And so do I! Delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe 🙂
Wendy
These were a big hit in my house, thank you Sandy! Question: do you think these would do well making ahead and freezing? Maybe I should skip the heavy cream in that case?
Sandy
Great! Yes, you can freeze them.