Instant Pot turkey meatballs are easy to make with only 9 ingredients! Cooked to juicy perfection in marinara sauce, this meatball recipe is simple and super kid-friendly. Quick to make in one pot in less than 30 minutes!
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Meatballs are one of those things that are just such a classic fave they find their way to our meal plan at least a few times per month. My family loves meatballs, but especially classic Italian meatballs, Swedish meatballs and even buffalo chicken meatballs!
Buying frozen meatballs is always a good call when you are short on time. However, making homemade meatballs is actually a lot more simple than you might think. Plus you can make it 100% customized to your family's tastes and dietary needs.
This Instant Pot turkey meatballs recipe gives you all of the classic Italian flavors while using simple ingredients. It's super kid-friendly and even made with no egg!
⭐ Why You'll Love This Recipe
- The best easy weeknight dinner you can make in less than 30 minutes.
- A simple, healthy and delicious ground turkey recipe you can make in your instant pot.
- Made with no egg and no onion making it perfect for picky eaters or allergies. Feel free to make with no parsley if your picky eaters are questioning "the green stuff."
- Super versatile and can be served a number of ways: with spaghetti, pasta or rice, with spaghetti squash for a low carb twist, or with a veggie like green beans or broccoli.
- Naturally gluten free and grain free - also high in protein and low in carbohydrates. Also Whole30 and paleo friendly if you make with no cheese.
- Instant Pot turkey meatballs are a healthy comfort food that keeps bellies full!
🥘 Ingredients & Substitutions
Here are the ingredients you need to make this recipe. Reference the recipe card at the bottom for exact measurements and the notes below for substitution ideas.
- Ground Turkey: I personally like to use ground turkey or ground chicken when making meatballs. Ground beef also works well.
- Olive Oil: Coconut oil or avocado oil will also work well as a substitute in this recipe.
- Garlic: Four cloves of minced garlic or use two garlic cloves that have been grated. You can also use garlic powder if desired.
- Jarred Sauce: Rao's Homemade is one of my favorite sauces. For a low carb or keto version, look for a no sugar or low sugar sauce.
🔪 How to Make This Recipe
Below are step-by-step instructions for how to cook this recipe. The recipe card at the bottom shows the exact cooking time and temperatures.
- In a large bowl, combine almond flour, parmesan cheese, garlic, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon olive oil, parsley and sea salt. Add in ground turkey and mix until just combined. Do not over mix.
- Using a small ice cream scooper, scoop out about 12 medium meatballs.
- Set Instant Pot to saute setting and heat up 2 tablespoon olive oil. Once the oil is heated, add meatballs to pot with a space between each. Brown meatballs on all sides, for about 2-3 minutes per side. The meatballs should flip easily (not stick) once they are browned enough on that side. See notes for tips on how to prevent sticking.
- Once browned, hit cancel on saute mode. Pour sauce over browned meatballs. Put lid on Instant Pot, set pressure valve to "sealing" and set to "manual" setting for 15 minutes or until cooked through. Once done, click "cancel" and carefully release pressure value. Serve immediately.
💭 Helpful Tips & Tricks
- How to avoid meatballs sticking to the pot: When making instant pot turkey meatballs it is important to give them a good sear. To avoid each meatball sticking to the instant pot make sure you use enough olive oil when you are searing them. Also, allow them to cook about 2-3 minutes per side to allow them to easily release.
- How to avoid meatballs sticking together: Give each meatball ample space when searing. You will likely have to sear the meatballs in two batches, however, you can cook them in the sauce all together if they have been seared.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Reheat: Reheat leftovers on the stove over medium heat or in the microwave until heated through.
- Freezer: You can meal prep these and store them uncooked and frozen in the freezer for up to 3 months in a freezer safe container. Follow instructions up through preparation and then place each meatball on a sheet pan and put the sheet pan in the freezer for one hour before moving to a freezer-safe container. Cooked leftovers may also be frozen and stored.
📖 Recipe FAQs
To make sure they maintain their shape in the pressure cooker, do not skip the searing process. This will help to make sure that the meatballs stay together and seal in all of the juices.
They can get rubbery due to overworking the meat. Mix all of the ingredients together prior to adding in the turkey meat to avoid overworking the meat.
Yes, this recipe cooks the meatballs in the sauce. Once they are seared they can retain their moisture by cooking in the sauce. This cooking method helps meatballs to avoid getting hard and keeping their moisture.
Yes! These meatballs are so easy to make in the crockpot. Check out my recipe for Crockpot Meatballs. You can also bake them in the oven - try my Eggless meatballs for that recipe.
I like to serve meatballs with a whole grain pasta, zucchini noodles aka zoodles, salad, or a veggie side dish like blistered garlic green beans. Or, serve them in turkey meatball subs.
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Instant Pot Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
- ⅓ cup almond flour
- ¼ cup parsley chopped
- 3 tablespoon olive oil divided
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 28 oz jar of marinara sauce
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine almond flour, parmesan cheese, garlic, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon olive oil, parsley and sea salt. Add in ground turkey and mix until just combined. Do not over mix.
- Using a small ice cream scooper, scoop out about 12 medium meatballs.
- Set Instant Pot to saute setting and heat up 2 tablespoon olive oil. Once the oil is heated, add meatballs to pot with a space between each. Brown meatballs on all sides, for about 2-3 minutes per side. The meatballs should flip easily (not stick) once they are browned enough on that side. See notes for tips on how to prevent sticking.
- Once browned, hit cancel on saute mode. Pour sauce over browned meatballs. Put lid on Instant Pot, set pressure valve to "sealing" and set to "manual" setting for 15 minutes or until cooked through. Once done, click "cancel" and carefully release pressure value. Serve immediately.
Notes
- How to avoid meatballs sticking to the pot: When making instant pot turkey meatballs it is important to give them a good sear. To avoid each meatball sticking to the instant pot make sure you use enough olive oil when you are searing them. Also, allow them to cook about 2-3 minutes per side to allow them to easily release.
- How to avoid meatballs sticking together: Give each meatball ample space when searing. You will likely have to sear the meatballs in two batches, however, you can cook them in the sauce all together if they have been seared.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Reheat: Reheat leftovers on the stove over medium heat or in the microwave until heated through.
- Freezer: You can meal prep these and store them uncooked and frozen in the freezer for up to 3 months in a freezer safe container. Follow instructions up through preparation and then place each meatball on a sheet pan and put the sheet pan in the freezer for one hour before moving to a freezer-safe container. Cooked leftovers may also be frozen and stored.
Paige Westley
These look so good! Definitely going to make these! I am a big fan of pasta and meatballs! Seems like a pretty quick and easy recipe as well! Thank you for sharing!
Lyndsey
Enjoy!!
Kelly
Soooo easy and delicious! Took a little while to get the browning technique down so they wouldn’t stick to the pot, but your tip to make sure there was enough oil was great. Can’t wait to make these again.
Lyndsey
So glad you tried them Kelly! I agree the turning technique can be tricky but glad it worked out for you! Thank you for the comment and rating!
Natasha
Quick, easy and delicious. Making it today for the second time this month.
Lyndsey
Thank you so much Natasha! I'm glad it was a hit.