Instant Pot Turkey Meatballs cooked in tomato sauce is the best healthy 30 minute comfort meal! This recipe is easy to make is can be served with a bowl of spaghetti, rice, or other grains of your choice.
When life is getting busy I try to make some quick dinners that don’t take much time. Instant pot recipes are great for meals that need to be cooked fast. Plus, you don’t need to wash multiple pots and pans afterwards.
Also, if you like BEEF MEATBALLS, check out my recipe for Greek Meatballs and Tefteli .
This recipe for Instant Pot Turkey Meatballs became one of our favorites for a few reasons.
- It’s super EASY to make. Mix all the ingredients in one bowl, then cook it in a pressure cooker.
- It’s HEALTHY. Turkey is always popular among people who try to eat lean meat and reduce calories.
- It is perfect for a MEAL PREP. Make these meatballs and put them in lunch boxes with grains and vegetables.
Tips and Tricks:
There are a few tips I have to make the perfect turkey meatballs.
- You can finely chop the onion or grind it. I always like to grind my onion in a mini food processor to make it more like paste. This way it also produces more liquid, which adds more flavor to the dish.
- If you decide to grind your onion like me, your turkey mixture will be a bit more wet than with chopped onion. To balance, just add a bit more breadcrumbs (about ¼ cup).
- In general, the turkey mixture will be more or less wet for everyone, so adjust your breadcrumbs accordingly to get the perfect texture, so your meatballs are not falling apart.
- To make sure your meatballs don’t fall apart while cooking, I like to brown them on both sides. Plus, they taste better this way!
How to Make Instant Pot Turkey Meatballs
This is a really easy recipe that you can make for dinner or a meal prep.
Just put all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl (ground turkey breast, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, onion, garlic, parsley, an egg, milk, breadcrumbs, and parmesan cheese), and using your hands, mix it well until all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
Using your hands, form 12 meatballs, about 2 tablespoons each.
Set Instant Pot to Sauté on high heat and add olive oil.
When the olive oil is hot, brown the meatballs in two batches, so they are in a single layer and don’t touch each other. Brown them for about 1-2 minutes each undisturbed on both sides, until they get brown color. Then remove from the pot.
Add chicken stock and scrape any burned bits from the bottom of the pot. Then add tomato sauce and mix. Bring it to the boil and let it simmer for about 5 minutes.
Transfer the meatballs back to the pot in a single layer.
Cover with a lid and cook on Manual high pressure for 5 minutes. Make sure that the venting knob is turned to “Sealing”!
When it is done, let it naturally release the pressure for 5-7 minutes. Then switch the knob to venting position and release the steam. Make sure the steam is fully released and the valve is completely down before opening the pot!
Serve with pasta, rice, or other grains of your choice.
More Instant Pot recipe you might like:
- Instant Pot Orange Chicken
- Instant Pot Boneless Short Ribs
- Instant Pot Rice Pilaf
- Instant Pot Chicken Wings
- Instant Pot Penne Alfredo
- Instant Pot Pot Roast
- Instant Pot Barley Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Soup
- Instant Pot Pulled Pork
- Instant Pot Beef Stew
- Instant Pot Mac and Cheese Recipe
Instant Pot Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons parsley finely chopped
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- ½ cup parmesan cheese grated
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup chicken stock I prefer to use Homemade Chicken Stock
- 1 can tomato sauce 14oz
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, mix all the ingredients together (ground turkey breast, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, onion, garlic, parsley, an egg, milk, breadcrumbs, and parmesan cheese), and using your hands, mix it well until all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Form the meatballs, about 2 tablespoons each.
- Set Instant Pot to Sauté on high heat and add olive oil.
- When the olive oil is hot, brown the meatballs in two batches, so they are in a single layer and don’t touch each other. Brown them for about 1-2 minutes each undisturbed on both sides, until they get brown color. Then remove from the pot.
- Add chicken broth and scrape any burned bits from the bottom of the pot. Then add tomato sauce and mix. Bring it to the boil and let it simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Transfer the meatballs back to the pot in a single layer.
- Cover with a lid and cook on Manual high pressure for 5 minutes. Make sure that the venting knob is turned to “Sealing”!
- When it is done, let it naturally release the pressure for 5-7 minutes. Then switch the knob to venting position and release the steam. Make sure the steam is fully released and the valve is completely down before opening the pot!
- Serve with pasta, rice, or other grains of your choice.
Video
Notes
- You can finely chop the onion or grind it. I always like to grind my onion in a mini food processor to make it more like paste. This way it also produces more liquid, which adds more flavor to the dish.
- If you decide to grind your onion like me, your turkey mixture will be a bit more wet than with chopped onion. To balance, just add a bit more breadcrumbs (about ¼ cup).
- In general, the turkey mixture will be more or less wet for everyone, so adjust your breadcrumbs accordingly to get the perfect texture, so your meatballs are not falling apart.
- To make sure your meatballs don’t fall apart while cooking, I like to brown them on both sides. Plus, they taste better this way!
These were very good! I did make a few changes. I always squeeze the water out of my onion after pureeing; it becomes almost a paste and adds all the flavor without any of the liquid- I didn’t need to add any milk. I also didn’t brown the meatballs. I just nestled them into marinara sauce and cooked.them. They stayed together beautifully and were moist and tender.
Thank you, Mary! I’m glad that these changes worked for you.
Excellent meatballs!!! Perfect texture and flavour- this will be my go to recipe- I didn’t change a thing and it’s perfect
Thank you so much, Karin! I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe!
I skipped the garlic, onion, pepper, and tomato sauce because a family member is currently suffering with GERD. Even so, the meatballs were delicious! I served with basmati rice, steamed broccoli, and Aldis’ Asian dressing. I did brown the meatballs in a cast iron skillet instead of the IP. Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you, Carolyn! I’m so happy you liked it!
I have not tried this yet, but I gave it 5 stars because I know we will love it! I was wondering if it would work if you double the recipe? I wanted to make enough to freeze half.
Hi Linda! Absolutely! You can double the recipe and freeze for future.
These were great! I subbed fresh basil for the parsley because I had it on hand. They stayed juicy which doesn’t always happen with turkey. Thanks for a tasty and quick supper idea.
Thank you, Adi! I’m so happy you liked the recipe! That’s a great idea to add fresh basil to these meatballs, I’ll try it next time too!)
Love it, Dinner made under 30 minutes in Instant Pot are always welcome in my house. Such a beautiful recipe and your pictures are superb!
My husband loves meatballs and I’m always looking for ways to lighten up the dishes we already love, so this looks perfect! We’re definitely going to have to give this a try.
I had made chicken Parmesan meatballs some time back in instant pot and kids absolutely loved it with spaghetti. Turkey meatballs is such a refreshing variation that I want to try soon. Looks so delicious!
I know some people feel like if meatballs are made from pork, they’re not “real” meatballs – but I personally LOVE turkey meatballs! These look delicious.
I so needed this recipe right now!! I’ve been looking for something I can make ahead that is high in protein that I can eat as a snack, lunch or dinner. I can see myself eating this with spaghetti squash and marinara sauce! Printing this out right now!
I love meatballs and this recipe is a great reminder to use ground Turkey instead of beef more often. Would love these over some zucchini noodles to keep things low carb.
What a perfect, healthy, warming meal for the winter. I like turkey meatballs, still filling but not so heavy like beef meatballs. Also, in my opinion the flavor is more versatile! Thanks for sharing.
Any recipe for dinner that takes less than 30 minutes is a winner in my book! These meatballs are looking fab, love turkey as an alternative to mince!
This sounds delicious! Those turkey meatballs looks so tasty and I love how easy it is to make. I just wish I had an instant pot- It is on my list of things to get soon!
I love any recipe made in the instant pot – such a great way to get dinner on the table in a hurry. These meatballs look delish!
Love the use of turkey here. A nice change from beef. These would be great on pasta, rice, potatoes or stuffed in a sub.
I love substituting out beef with turkey or chicken! Your meatballs and sauce look so delicious! I can’t wait to try this in my instant pot!!