Description

Delicious and easy Instant Pot Cranberry Meatballs combine ground beef meatballs with a sweet and tangy cranberry-based sauce. Perfect for holiday appetizers or a savory snack, these meatballs cook quickly under pressure, resulting in juicy, flavorful bites with minimal cleanup. This recipe offers a balance of sweet and savory flavors with simple ingredients and convenient preparation.

Ingredients

Scale

Meatballs

1 ½ pounds ground beef
½ cup breadcrumbs
¼ cup milk
1 large egg
½ small onion, finely grated
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground allspice (optional)

Sauce

1 (14-ounce) can jellied cranberry sauce
½ cup chili sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Prepare Meatball Mixture: In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, breadcrumbs, milk, egg, grated onion, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and allspice. Mix gently just until combined to avoid tough meatballs.
Shape Meatballs: Form the mixture into 1-inch meatballs and set aside on a plate or tray.
Make Sauce: In a separate bowl, whisk together the jellied cranberry sauce, chili sauce, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce until the sauce is smooth and well combined.
Add Sauce to Instant Pot: Pour half of the sauce into the bottom of the Instant Pot, spreading it evenly to prevent sticking.
Add Meatballs: Arrange the meatballs in a single layer inside the pot; stacking is okay if necessary.
Top with Remaining Sauce: Pour the remaining cranberry sauce mixture gently over the meatballs, ensuring they are coated.
Pressure Cook: Secure the lid, set the valve to the sealing position, and cook on Manual or Pressure Cook mode for 7 minutes.
Release Pressure: Once cooking ends, allow a natural pressure release for 5 minutes, then quickly release any remaining pressure manually.
Finish and Serve: Carefully open the lid and gently stir the meatballs to coat them evenly in the sauce. Serve warm as an appetizer or over rice.

Notes

For easier cleanup, place a trivet or steamer basket inside the Instant Pot before cooking.
These meatballs can be prepared ahead of time and frozen before or after cooking for convenience.
For a leaner alternative, substitute ground turkey or chicken instead of beef.
Use gluten-free breadcrumbs and sauces to make this recipe gluten-free.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 7 minutes (plus pressure build and release time)
Category: Appetizer
Method: Instant Pot
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Serving Size: 4–5 meatballs
Calories: 310
Sugar: 12g
Sodium: 540mg
Fat: 18g
Saturated Fat: 7g
Unsaturated Fat: 9g
Trans Fat: 0g
Carbohydrates: 18g
Fiber: 1g
Protein: 19g
Cholesterol: 85mg