Name: Turkey Instant Pot Meatballs
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 7 min
Ingredients: 1 pound ground turkey (see notes); 1/3 cup diced onions; 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs (see notes); 1/3 cup parmesan cheese (finely grated or shredded); 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk; 4 garlic cloves (minced); 1 tablespoon milk or non-dairy milk; 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon oregano; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 3 1/2 cups marinara sauce (see notes)

Make these turkey Instant Pot meatballs for a quick weeknight meal for the whole family. They are made with ground turkey, parmesan cheese, and loads of fresh garlic, yum. Make them gluten free with an easy substitution and serve on top of your favorite side.

turkey meatballs on a plate with bucatini pasta and a fork

Why this meatballs recipe works so well

I'm all for being able to throw together a main dish in the Instant Pot and have it ready in just 7 minutes, aren't you??

You can feel free to utilize your favorite pasta sauce, but I love using a really wonderful marinara sauce, vodka sauce, or arrabbiata (a bit spicy, so not a great option if serving to kids.)

There isn't much prep and chopping that needs to be done besides an onion, and there is SO much flavor which is shocking because I'm not utilizing any fresh herbs or anything.

We were all so pleasantly surprised by how incredibly moist these meatballs turned out. Usually, ground turkey can lend itself to creating really dull and dry dishes.

However, the inclusion of the egg and egg yolk, parmesan cheese, and splash of milk really made for a meatball that is anything but dry.

ingredients laid out to make instant pot meatballs: red sauce, eggs, garlic, onion, herbs, parmesan, bread crumbs, milk, and ground turkey.

Ingredients you will need

Ground turkey: I used 90/10 ground turkey. You could alternatively use ground pork or beef of a similar fat content.

Pasta sauce: I highly recommend using a high quality marinara sauce which is what I did here. Vodka sauce would also be delicious or arrabbiata if you are not serving to kids (it's a bit spicy!)

Panko bread crumbs: Feel free to swap with a gluten free breadcrumb to keep this recipe gluten free!

Other ingredients you will need are: Parmesan cheese, non-dairy milk or regular milk, herbs, salt and pepper, eggs, onion, and garlic.

You don't need much but boy are these meatballs super flavorful!

meatball ingredients all together in a ceramic bowl

How to make Instant Pot meatballs

Let's make quick and easy turkey meatballs in the Instant Pot.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients together (except for pasta sauce.)

Divide evenly iinto 16 meatballs, about the size of a golfball.

Spray the bottom of the Instant Pot with some oil. Pour in the pasta sauce. Place the meatballs in the sauce, and if they overlap, that’s completely fine.

Cook on “manual” & “high pressure” for 7 mins. Let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, and then release all of the pressure, serving over your favorite side dish.

meatballs prepped on a parchment lined baking sheet

two plates of instant pot meatballs served with red sauce

Expert Tips & Tricks

This Instant Pot meatballs recipe is incredibly easy to make, and I would say it's very difficult to "mess up." 😉

I think some game changers are using a really high quality pasta sauce you enjoy, fresh Parmesan cheese, and bread crumbs.

To make the recipe completely gluten free, opt in for gluten free bread crumbs.

Other tips:

You can use a cookie scoop to divide these evenly.
They are not sticky but if you find your fingers getting too sticky, quickly dip them in some room temperature water.
I like to transfer them to a parchment lined baking sheet to rest on while I prep the rest. That way, they have room to breathe and aren't sticking to anything.