Description

This Instant Pot Cranberry Meatballs recipe offers a deliciously tangy and sweet twist on classic meatballs, perfect for holiday gatherings or any day you want a flavorful appetizer or main dish. Made with tender ground beef and a vibrant cranberry chili sauce, these meatballs are cooked quickly and easily using the Instant Pot, resulting in juicy, tender meatballs infused with savory and sweet flavors.

Ingredients

Scale

Meatballs

1/3 cup breadcrumbs (panko or regular)
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
3 tbsp minced onion
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp coarse kosher sea salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 lb ground beef
1 tbsp olive oil (canola, vegetable, or avocado)

Sauce

7 oz jellied cranberry sauce
6 oz Heinz Chili Sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup water or orange juice

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Instructions

Prepare Meatball Mixture: In a medium mixing bowl, combine breadcrumbs, milk, and egg. Let the mixture stand for 3 minutes to allow the breadcrumbs to absorb the moisture. Then add minced onion, dried parsley, garlic powder, kosher salt, and black pepper. Mix in the ground beef thoroughly until well combined.
Form Meatballs: Use a cookie scoop for consistent dinner-sized meatballs or teaspoons for smaller appetizer-sized meatballs. Shape the ground beef mixture into meatballs accordingly.
Brown Meatballs: Set the Instant Pot to SAUTE mode and heat the olive oil. Brown the meatballs in batches until all sides are nicely seared. This step locks in flavor and improves texture.
Prepare Sauce: In a separate bowl, whisk together the jellied cranberry sauce, Heinz Chili Sauce, brown sugar, and water (or orange juice) until well combined.
Pressure Cook: Pour the prepared sauce over the browned meatballs in the Instant Pot. Close the lid, seal the valve, and set the Instant Pot to MANUAL pressure cook for 12 minutes.
Release and Serve: Once cooking is complete, allow the Instant Pot to naturally release pressure. Open the lid, gently stir the meatballs in the sauce to coat well, and serve immediately. Alternatively, keep warm in the Instant Pot for up to 3 hours.

Notes

Using panko breadcrumbs will give a lighter texture to the meatballs compared to regular breadcrumbs.
For a citrus twist, substitute water with orange juice in the sauce.
Make sure not to overcrowd the Instant Pot while browning meatballs to ensure even searing.
You can double the sauce ingredients if you prefer meatballs with extra sauce for dipping or serving over mashed potatoes.
Leftover meatballs can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.