Instant Pot Swedish Meatballs is one of my top 5 favorite Instant Pot recipes. The flavor of these pressure cooker Swedish meatballs is really good, and the rich sauce complements the meatballs very well. Served over noodles or mashed potatoes, these Swedish Meatballs are amazing!
Instant Pot Swedish Meatballs
There are many delicious recipes you can make with ground beef.
Speaking of delicious, these pressure cooker Swedish Meatballs are very delicious!
In this recipe for Instant Pot Swedish Meatballs, I wanted to stay with the traditional ingredients, but strayed a little.
You will not typically find Worcestershire or Dijon in the sauce. I didn’t add a lot, but I think the flavor is so much better from the addition of these two ingredients.
Lightly browning the meatballs before pressure cooking them gives them, and the sauce, a richer depth of flavor that only something fried/browned can give. Please don’t skip this step unless you are using frozen meatballs.
I hope you won’t be put off by the Allspice and Nutmeg. There isn’t enough to make it taste strongly of those spices. They are warm spices, and just add a little something special, and they are traditional to Swedish Meatballs.
Serve Instant Pot Swedish Meatballs alone, or over a pile of egg noodles or mashed potatoes. The sauce/gravy is so good you won’t want to leave a drop of it on your plate!
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If you make this pressure cooker Swedish Meatballs recipe, please let me know! Just drop a comment with a star rating below. It would be great to read your feedback!

Instant Pot Swedish Meatballs are tender, flavorful meatballs with a delicate flavor. Covered in a rich sauce and served over noodles or mashed potatoes. These pressure cooker Swedish Meatballs are a family favorite recipe!
- 1 lb Ground Beef* (85%-90% lean)
- ½ lb Ground Pork
- ½ cup Panko Bread Crumbs
- ½ cup Milk
- 1 small Sweet Onion, grated on a cheese grater
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Allspice
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 Egg, beaten
- ¼ cup Fresh Parsley, finely chopped, divided
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 6 Tablespoons Butter, divided
- 2 10-ounce cans Beef Consommé (or good beef broth, 2½ cups)
- 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 cups Heavy Cream, divided
- ¼ cup Flour
- Salt & Pepper to taste
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In a mixing bowl add ground beef. ground pork, panko, milk (pour over the crumbs), onion, salt, pepper, allspice, nutmeg, garlic powder, beaten egg, and 2 Tbsp of the parsley. Mix together well to combine the ingredients.
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Form 30 meatballs and set them on parchment paper.
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Turn on the pot's Sauté setting, and when it is hot, add the olive oil and 2 Tbsp of the butter.
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Add 15 of the meatballs and brown lightly on outside. Do not cook completely. Remove to a plate and repeat with the remaining meatballs.
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Add the beef consommé (or broth) and stir, scraping the bottom of the pot to get up any of the browned bits (deglaze).
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Add the remaining 4 Tbsp of butter, dijon, Worcestershire, and 1 cup of the heavy cream (reserve the remaining 1 cup). Stir well.
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Cancel the Sauté setting.
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Add the meatballs back into the pot (or add the frozen meatballs, if using). Close the lid and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
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Press the Pressure Cook/Manual button or dial (High pressure), and then the +/- button or dial to select 4 minutes. When the cook time is finished, let the pot sit undisturbed for 6 minutes (6 minute natural release).
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While the meatballs are cooking, mix the flour with the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream. Whisk it well so there are no lumps. Set aside.
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Do a controlled Quick Release of the pressure (*A controlled quick release means you release the steam in short bursts, then longer bursts, until you can be sure none of the sauce spews out of the vent with the steam from the intense pressure. Then fully open the vent and let it go).
When the pin in the lid drops down, you can open it.
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Remove the meatballs to a plate and cover. Turn on the Sauté setting (Med - Normal temp) and bring to a simmer. Whisk in the flour/cream mixture, stirring frequently, until thickened. Cancel the Sauté setting.
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Taste the sauce and adjust salt & pepper, if needed. You can either add the meatballs back in, or serve and pour the sauce over them. Garnish with remaining parsley.
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Instant Pot Swedish Meatballs go great over noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes.
*Frozen meatballs can also be used. See instructions for when to add them.
Calories are variable based on the ingredients used. Based on 3 meatballs with sauce.
Resources to Make Instant Pot Swedish Meatballs and More
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Ginny
Made this tonight and it was very delicious! Think I will cut down on amount of sauce next time because I’ll be throwing half of it out. Also plan on freezing meatballs for about 30 minutes next time to make them easier to brown them without them falling apart. Thanks for the recipe.
Stuart Dick
Are you kidding me with these ridiculous prep times? I consider prep time to include taking all the ingredients out of the cupboard and refrigerator, cutting up any vegetables, making all the meatballs, grating the onions etc. I started this around 5 pm and was eating around 8:30. 20 minutes prep time??? Ridiculous. It takes that much time just to get the ingredients out of the cupboard. Every recipe i have ever seen you need to at least triple the prep time.
Sandy
I’m sorry. I appreciate your feedback and will add some time. Thank you, Stuart.
Lance
How do you keep the formed meatballs from crumbling apart when browning them? Any tricks or suggestions? Thanks!
Sandy
I think mixing the mixture well is important. You might try an additional egg. It could be the meat.
Lynn l
This was absolutely delicious. I used frozen meatballs and it worked out great. Thank you !!!
Sarah
Would regular bread crumbs work in place of panko? I have two containers of regular bread crumbs at home and don’t necessarily want to buy even more bread crumbs. 🙂 Looking forward to trying this recipe soon! My husband keeps asking when I am going to try making Swedish meatballs.
Sandy
Yes, you can use regular bread crumbs. Enjoy!
Starr Freist
For dietary restrictions, is there any way this can be made with 2% milk?!
Sandy
Yes, just add it last.
Braum
Maybe i am doing something wrong.. I have tried to make this recipe twice and each time my meat balls have turned into “meat blops” – do you have to sautee prior to pressure cooking?
Sandy
I’m sorry that happened. Yes, you do need to brown the meatballs first, as steps 3 and 4 indicate. It does make a big difference in firmness and flavor!