Few things are as satisfying as juicy meatballs. If you’re looking for a tasty and convenient one-pot meal, Instant Pot frozen meatballs are the perfect solution. Transform the frozen meatballs into a quick weeknight meal, appetizer, or weekly meal prep. The 5-minute meatballs are so good, you may never make meatballs any other way again!

Ingredients You’ll Need
- Beef Broth: Use beef broth to add moisture to the Instant Pot to avoid a burn notification. You can also use water, chicken broth, or vegetable broth.
- Teriyaki Sauce: I chose to flavor the Instant Pot meatballs with G Hughes Teriyaki Sauce.
- Frozen Meatballs: Any store-bought bag of fully cooked beef or pork meatballs will work. I often buy Italian-Style Meatballs from Costco. Use turkey, chicken, or elk meatballs for a leaner option.
- Toppings: Garnish the frozen meatballs with freshly chopped scallions and toasted sesame seeds.
Additions and Substitutions
- Cook the meatballs in your favorite sauce. When making frozen meatballs in the Instant Pot, use teriyaki sauce as I do, or try them with traditional pasta sauce, sugo al pomodoro, gochujang, Buffalo sauce, orange marmalade, mushroom cream sauce, homemade beef gravy, grape jelly, honey Sriracha sauce, barbecue sauce, or make homemade BBQ sauce—Cheerwine BBQ sauce, raspberry chipotle BBQ sauce, or Carolina gold BBQ sauce.
How to Make Instant Pot Frozen Meatballs
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Add the beef broth and teriyaki sauce to the Instant Pot. Then, add the meatballs over the top.

Step 2: Secure the lid and set the Instant Pot to manual high pressure for 5 minutes, with a quick release.

What is a quick release on the Instant Pot?
Quick release refers to releasing the steam from the Instant Pot rapidly by turning the steam valve to the venting position. This method is used for foods you want to stop cooking right away, like vegetables or seafood.
Step 3: Remove the lid and transfer the meatballs to a serving dish. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and scallions, and enjoy.

Expert Tips
- Add the beef broth and teriyaki sauce to the Instant Pot before topping it with the frozen meatballs. Leave the sauce on the bottom and don’t stir until they finish cooking to avoid a burn notification.
- Don’t overcrowd the Instant Pot. If you add too many meatballs, they won’t cook evenly.
If you enjoy the Instant Pot meatballs, try more Instant Pot recipes!

Serving Suggestions
- Serve the meatballs on a platter with toothpicks as a tasty appetizer for game day or a potluck with skhug, shatta sauce, or chimichurri with cilantro.
- Complete the meal by serving cauliflower rice, rice, or quinoa on the side.
- Serve the meatballs Bahn mi style on a hoagie with mint, pickled vegetables, and zesty homemade coleslaw.
What To Do With Leftovers
- Refrigerate: Store the leftover meatballs in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Reheat: Warm the meatballs in the microwave or skillet on the stovetop.
- Repurpose: Feature the meatballs with teriyaki sauce in a rice bowl with edamame, pineapple, carrots, pickled onions, chiles, cucumber, and scallions.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do frozen meatballs take to cook?
For fully cooked frozen meatballs, you need to set aside 4-5 minutes under high pressure in the Instant Pot.
How long to cook large meatballs in Instant Pot?
The cooking time for large frozen meatballs in the Instant Pot depends on the size of the meatballs you are using. However, you should cook large meatballs for about 7-9 minutes under high pressure.
Can you cook meatballs from frozen?
Instant Pot: Follow the recipe card for making Instant Pot meatballs.
Oven: Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange the frozen meatballs onto it. Preheat the oven to 350℉ (176℃) and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Stovetop: Warm one tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the frozen meatballs and cook for 10-15 minutes or until they cook through, turning them occasionally for even cooking.
Air fryer: Preheat the air fryer to 320℉ (160℃). Add the frozen meatballs to the air fryer basket in a single layer and cook for 10-12 minutes.
More Meatball Recipes:
For more ideas for what to make with ground beef, try one of these ground beef recipes!

Instant Pot Frozen Meatballs
- Serving Dish
- ¼ cup beef broth
- 1 cup teriyaki sauce
- 24 ounces frozen meatballs, fully cooked
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, for garnish
- Add the beef broth and teriyaki sauce to the Instant Pot. Then, add the meatballs over the top.
- Secure the lid and set the Instant Pot to manual high pressure for 5 minutes, with a quick release.
- Remove the lid and transfer the meatballs to a serving dish. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and scallions, and enjoy.
- Add the beef broth and teriyaki sauce to the Instant Pot before topping it with the frozen meatballs. Leave the sauce on the bottom and don’t stir until they finish cooking to avoid a burn notification.
- Don’t overcrowd the Instant Pot. If you add too many meatballs, they won’t cook evenly.