Instant Pot Swedish Meatballs

Getting reviews...
  • Level: Easy
  • Total: 50 min
  • Active: 30 min
  • Yield: 6 servings
This speedier version of Swedish meatballs is streamlined and made in an Instant Pot®, but loses nothing that we love about the classic recipe. Gone is the step of chilling and resting the subtly spiced meatballs; we brown them as soon as they’re formed. We also bypass the tedious process of making a roux and whisking in broth to form the rich, creamy gravy. Instead, we simply pour the broth over the meatballs, dot it with pieces of beurre manie and let the Instant Pot® do the work. After the steam is released, all that’s left to do is stir in some heavy cream.

Ingredients

Gravy:

Meatballs:

Directions

Special equipment:
a 6-quart Instant Pot® multi-cooker
  1. For the gravy: Knead together the butter and flour in a medium bowl until there are no streaks of unmixed flour and the mixture resembles a very soft, paste-like sugar cookie dough. Set aside the beurre manie until ready to use. In a large bowl or a 2-cup measuring cup, whisk together the broth, Worcestershire, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper and set aside.
  2. For the meatballs: Place the beef, pork, breadcrumbs, onions, garlic, eggs, Worcestershire, allspice, white pepper and 2 teaspoons salt in a large bowl. Mix with your hands until combined. Scoop a heaping tablespoon (1 ounce) of the mixture, form into a meatball and place on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining mixture; you should end up with about 35 meatballs. 
  3. Set the Instant Pot® to saute on high (see Cook’s Note). When the pot registers hot, add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Working in three batches, add the meatballs and cook in a single layer, undisturbed, until golden brown on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Gently stir and move around the meatballs to turn them on another side. Cook, undisturbed, until golden brown on the second side, about 3 minutes more. Transfer the meatballs to a plate and repeat with the rest of the meatballs. (You may need to add more oil for each batch.)  
  4. When there’s 1 minute left in browning the last batch of meatballs, turn off the saute mode. Add the other two batches of browned meatballs to the pot and the reserved broth mixture. Tear off dime-size pieces of the beurre manie and distribute them evenly over the meatballs.  
  5. Follow the manufacturer’s guide for locking the lid and set to pressure cook on high for 4 minutes. After the pressure cycle is complete, set the timer for 7 minutes to natural release. Follow the manufacturer’s guide for quick release and wait until it is complete. Be careful of any remaining steam when unlocking and removing the lid.  
  6. Stir in the heavy cream and make sure all the beurre manie pieces are dissolved into the gravy. Set the pot to saute on high and let boil for 1 minute. Top with the parsley and serve with mashed potatoes or egg noodles. 

Cook’s Note

Settings may vary on your Instant Pot® depending on the model. Please refer to the manufacturer's guide.