Instant Pot Swedish Meatballs

This easy Instant Pot Swedish Meatballs recipe paired with a creamy sauce is family friendly and perfect for a quick weeknight meal. Learn how to make authentic and classic Swedish meatballs with this tried and true recipe!

Easy Instant Pot Swedish Meatballs Recipe

Thanks to everyone’s favorite furniture store, Swedish meatballs are such a popular dish that kids and adults alike love. With a few basic ingredients, you can recreate this delicious saucy meal right at home!

This recipe is a favorite of mine because you can serve these meatballs on their own as an appetizer, or with some carbs for a full meal. It never fails to be a big hit for a family dinner or when serving guests! You’re going to love this version all done up in your pressure cooker. The flavors in the gravy will taste like it’s been simmering for hours.

What Are Swedish Meatballs?

Also known in Sweden as köttbullar, this is a classic dish made from meatballs spiced with nutmeg and allspice. These meatballs are served in a thick buttery beef gravy made creamy with sour cream.

Meatballs

• Ground beef and ground pork – I love to use a mixture of beef and pork in my meatballs. The pork has a higher fat content and makes the meatballs extra moist.
• Panko – This is my favorite type of breadcrumb to use. It’s a bit more coarse and holds the meatballs together well. You can use any type of breadcrumb you like best, including gluten-free breadcrumbs.
• Onion – I used a medium white onion. Shred it using a cheese grater to make nice even and small pieces.
• Egg yolks – Using just the yolks will give your meatballs an extra rich texture. Eggs are necessary to bind your meatballs together.
• Seasonings – Other than salt and pepper, Swedish meatballs have warmer spices. I used allspice and nutmeg.
• Milk – You can use any type of milk that you like. This gives moisture to your meatballs and reconstitutes the breadcrumbs with liquid to help them bind all the ingredients together.
• Olive oil – This is what we’ll use to fry the meatballs. You can use any oil that you have handy as long as it has a high smoke-point.

Gravy

• Butter – I always use unsalted butter. This will give you full control over the salt content in your gravy.
• Flour – We need flour to create a roux with the butter and thicken the gravy. You can make a roux with gluten-free flour, or take it out all-together and add a cornstarch slurry at the end while you reduce the gravy.
• Beef broth – Use low sodium broth. You can use any type of broth that you have handy, but beef broth will give a deeper and more authentic flavor.
• Salt & pepper – Season to taste.
• Sour cream – This is used to finish your gravy off. This takes your gravy to the next level! You can also use plain greek yogurt.
• Fresh dill and parsley – The more dill the merrier for me! These herbs will add delicious fresh flavor and make your meatballs look beautiful.

This is an easy 2-step IP recipe that you can whip up any night of the week! It takes no time to make the meatballs and simple gravy. Then once that’s done, the Instant Pot does all the work for you!

Form The Meatballs

To begin, add the ground meat along with all the other meatball ingredients to a large bowl and combine them together well using your hands. Yes, your hands! And don’t be afraid to really get into it as the ingredients really need to be evenly dispersed for the best tasting meatballs. Now, form the meat mixture into about 32 meatballs that are each 1-inch in diameter. They don’t need to be perfect, yet they all do need to be about the same size so that they cook evenly. 

Also, if you are having trouble getting your meatballs to hold shape the meat mixture may be too wet or too dry to hold together, which is an issue with the amount of egg or breadcrumbs. But it’s easy to fix! If the meatballs are too wet just add a little more of the breadcrumbs and if they are too dry add a little more egg. 

However, when adding more egg, I suggest that you whisk an egg in a small bowl and then add a little at a time to the meat mixture until the meatballs begin holding their shape. If you just toss in another whole egg you may find yourself with a mixture that is now too wet!

Cook The Meatballs

Next, it’s time to get those meatballs cooking! So add the olive oil to the pot of your pressure cooker and then turn it on to the saute setting. Now, add some of the meatballs to the IP in a single layer and cook them for about 3 to 4 minutes to brown them on all sides. You will need to do this in a couple of batches to cook them properly.

Then once the meatballs are fully cooked, transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate, and set them aside for a later step.

Make The Gravy

Now that the meatballs are cooked, you can start making the gravy right in the Instant Pot with all those savory meatballs drippings. To do this, first add the butter to the IP and let it melt. Next, whisk in the flour and cook it for 1 minute to form a roux. Then while whisking constantly, pour in the beef broth and season with a bit of salt and black pepper. Now, put the meatballs back into IP, close the lid, and set the valve to the sealing position. Finally, set the pressure to HIGH and cook for 8 minutes.

Yet, after you do this it will take the Instant Pot a few minutes to come to pressure before you see it starting to cook and the timer counting. So just be patient. It’s just getting ready to do its magic!  

Release The Steam

When the Instant Pot timer is up, quick release the pressure as per the manufacturer’s instruction for your model. Then once all the pressure has been released, you can safely remove the lid. But be very careful when doing this. The steam is very hot and can burn. 

Finish The Gravy

Before you can finish making the gravy you need to remove the meatballs from the pot. Then turn the Instant Pot back on to the saute setting and cook the gravy for about 4 to 5 minutes so it can reduce. Now, stir in the sour cream and your gravy is complete!

Garnish And Serve

Now, it’s time to dive into some Instant Pot Swedish meatballs! To serve, transfer the cooked meatballs to your dish of choice and pour all that delicious gravy over them. Finally, sprinkle the dish with the chopped herbs and enjoy!

What Kind of Meat Can I Use?

While I used pork and beef, you can use any type of meat that you like. Chicken, turkey, and lamb are also great options. Keep in mind that if you use a lean type of meat like chicken, turkey, or lean beef, it’s best to mix it with a fattier meat like pork, lamb, or regular ground beef. This will balance out the moisture to ensure you don’t end up with dry meatballs.

Can I Make This Recipe Dairy Free?

Yes! It’s easy to make the recipe dairy-free. Just use a plant-based butter and milk. Then omit the sour cream at the end and add a little more beef broth. 

Can I Make Gluten Free Swedish Meatballs?

Yes! For the meatballs, you can use gluten-free breadcrumbs or quick oats in place of the regular breadcrumbs. You may need to adjust the amount of egg, but this will work. As for the gravy, just use a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour and it will work perfectly to thicken the gravy.

How To Serve

These meatballs are traditionally served with lingonberry jam. This can be kind of hard to track down at your local grocery store, but, believe it or not, you can find it at IKEA! If you stumble across this jam, I would highly suggest picking it up for these meatballs.

Swedish meatballs can be served as a main dish over egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or rice. You can try some low-carb options like cauliflower rice or some zoodles. You can also serve them as an appetizer all on their own!

Leftovers

Store these in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days. They are perfect for reheating in the microwave! If you’d prefer a different option, you can also reheat them covered in a saucepan over medium heat. Feel free to add an extra splash of beef broth if the gravy has thickened up too much.

Freezing

Let the meatballs cool down to room temperature and store in an airtight container. I like to store this recipe in individually-sized containers to make thawing easier. These meatballs will last up to 3 months frozen.

You can either thaw in the microwave, or transfer the frozen meatballs to the fridge and let them thaw out overnight. Transfer to a saucepan and warm them over medium heat.

More Saucy Meatball Recipes:

• Philly Cheese Steak Meatballs
• Porcupine Meatballs
• Cranberry Meatballs
• Meatball Parmesan
• Salisbury Steak Meatballs
• Swedish Meatballs
• Firecracker Chicken Meatballs