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    Recipes » Recipes

    Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Meatballs

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please see disclosure for more information. Published: Apr 24, 2020 by Dee

    Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Meatballs with pineapple and peppers are super easy to make in the pressure cooker and perfect for a quick dinner or appetizer. via @meamel

    Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Meatballs with pineapple and peppers are super easy to make in the pressure cooker and perfect for a quick dinner or appetizer.

    Jump to Recipe -
    sweet and sour meatballs with pineapple and yellow bell peppers in a white bowl

    These tangy sweet and sour meatballs are one of the easiest Instant Pot recipes you can make and need very little prep work. And, you only need a few pantry staples to make them!

    Usually, I'm cooking both lunch and dinner for the whole family, so I'm all about quick and easy recipes right now. You can relate, right?!

    Not only are these meatballs easy to make, but they only take 5 minutes of active cooking in the Instant Pot. The longest part is waiting for the pot to reach pressure!

    Did I mention how good they are? Serve these sweet and tangy meatballs over Instant Pot Jasmine Rice and maybe a side salad, and you've got a delicious dinner that's definitely kid approved!

    How to Make Sweet & Sour Meatballs in the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

    I love using frozen meatballs for convenience -- Italian style is fine. When I make pasta and meatballs, cranberry orange meatballs or grape jelly meatballs in the Instant Pot, I start out with frozen.

    You can use homemade meatballs if you want. Just be sure to cook them first for this recipe.

    All you do is place the meatballs in the bottom of the Instant Pot. Then, add the rest of the ingredients on top.

    frozen meatballs with pineapple in the instant pot

    Don't stir everything yet. You can stir the ingredients after pressure cooking.

    Frozen food usually takes a little longer to reach pressure in the Instant Pot. But after that, the meatballs take just 5 minutes to cook.

    Add some bell pepper slices and cook on saute mode. This keeps them from getting too soft!

    meatballs with pineapple and peppers in the pressure cooker

    Make a quick cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce. It's not necessary, but it makes the sauce silky smooth and thick enough to stick to the meatballs.

    This recipe is very easy to double. Just add more meatballs and ingredients for the sauce.

     meatballs with pineapple chunks on wooden spoon

    Sweet and Sour Meatballs in the Crock-Pot

    Don't have a pressure cooker? Just add the frozen meatballs and sauce ingredients to your slow cooker.

    Cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4. Add peppers and thicken with a slurry if necessary. Easy peasy.

    meatballs with sweet and sour sauce and pineapple chunks over rice

    Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Meatballs Recipe

    sweet and sour meatballs with pineapple and yellow bell peppers in a white bowl

    Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Meatballs

    Published by Dee
    Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Meatballs with pineapple and peppers are super easy to make in the pressure cooker and perfect for a quick dinner or appetizer.
    5 from 9 votes
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    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 5 mins
    pressure time 15 mins
    Total Time 25 mins
    Course Appetizer, Main
    Cuisine American
    Servings 8
    Calories 251 kcal

    Equipment

    • Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
    • Crock-Pot

    Ingredients
      

    • 36 frozen meatballs
    • 1 20 ounce can pineapple chunks undrained with juice
    • ¼ cup water
    • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
    • ½ cup ketchup
    • ½ cup brown sugar
    • 1 tablespoon dried minced onions
    • 2 bell peppers seeded and sliced

    Cornstarch Slurry

    • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
    • 1 tablespoon water

    Instructions
     

    • Add the frozen meatballs to the Instant Pot, then add the pineapple chunks, water, soy sauce, ketchup, brown sugar and onions. Do not stir
    • Place lid on pressure cooker, make sure valve is at sealing position, and hit PRESSURE COOK for 5 minutes
    • Pot will take a few minutes to pressurize, then count down and cook. When pot beeps, quick release pressure
    • When pin drops, carefully open lid, and stir. Hit CANCEL, then hit SAUTE and stir in pepper chunks
    • Make the slurry by stirring together cornstarch and water. Stir into bubbling liquid, and allow to thicken
    • Hit CANCEL, and serve or hit KEEP WARM until ready to serve

    Notes

    Can use any flavor frozen meatballs, including Italian style. If using fresh homemade meatballs, cook or brown first, then proceed with recipe.
    Recipe was made in 6 quart pressure cooker. For 8 quart, use 1 cup water.

    Nutrition information is estimated. Please do your own calculation to fit special diets.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 251kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 11gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 303mgPotassium: 324mgFiber: 1gSugar: 18gVitamin A: 1008IUVitamin C: 40mgCalcium: 26mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe? Please comment and rate it! Show me your dish on Instagram!Mention @meatloafandmelodrama or tag #meatloafandmelodrama!
    close up of sweet and sour meatballs in white bowl

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    Reader Interactions

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      Recipe Rating




    1. David says

      October 13, 2022 at 10:02 am

      Love this recipe- was simple & delicious!! I used a combo of frozen Trader Joe’s turkey meatballs & homemade beef meatballs. Only change to recipe was I used Sweet Baby Ray’s Hickory BBQ sauce instead of Ketchup & it came out AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS!! Thank you!!5 stars

      Reply
      • Dee says

        October 14, 2022 at 2:07 pm

        Thanks for your review and recipe tips! Glad you liked it!

    2. Betsy “Elizabeth” Heilman says

      April 13, 2021 at 4:30 pm

      Excellent recipie! I used fresh onion and red bell pepper and sautéed them in my cast iron skillet, added those and broccoli (for color and nutrition) at the end, also added lime juice. Plenty for another meal as well!5 stars

      Reply
      • Dee says

        April 13, 2021 at 7:12 pm

        I'm so happy you liked the meatballs! Thanks for the wonderful review!

    3. Teri Head says

      February 18, 2021 at 4:44 pm

      I make large batches of meatballs and keep them in freezer so I’m always looking for ways to use them. This has been a regular in my rotation because it’s easy and I always have these ingredients on hand. Everyone loves it.

      Reply
      • Dee says

        March 02, 2021 at 3:33 pm

        I'm so glad you like the meatballs, Teri. Thank you!

    4. Cyndy says

      December 15, 2020 at 7:08 pm

      Thanks for sharing this, Dee! Second time making and enjoy it very much. Added chunks of onion, peppers, celery, fresh garlic, and vinegar. When cooked, I threw in some cooked broccoli. Also made basmati in the IP. 👍5 stars

      Reply
      • Dee says

        December 16, 2020 at 12:05 pm

        Thanks for sharing, Cyndy -- sounds delicious! So glad you liked it!

    5. Kate says

      May 09, 2020 at 12:31 pm

      Made these for my family and everyone loved them!5 stars

      Reply
      • Dee says

        May 09, 2020 at 2:48 pm

        So happy to hear this, Kate! Thanks!

    6. Suzy says

      April 27, 2020 at 9:54 am

      One of our favorite dishes to make! The kids can not get enough! I love that they cook up in the instant pot too!5 stars

      Reply
      • Dee says

        April 27, 2020 at 9:39 pm

        The Instant Pot makes it so quick and easy. Thanks, Suzy!

    7. Catalina says

      April 26, 2020 at 3:59 am

      These meatballs look so inviting! I must make them asap!5 stars

      Reply
    8. Cathy says

      April 25, 2020 at 7:29 pm

      Using frozen meatballs makes this SO easy!

      Reply
    9. Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says

      April 24, 2020 at 5:42 pm

      These Sweet and Sour Meatballs would disappear in our house!5 stars

      Reply
    10. Dorothy Reinhold says

      April 24, 2020 at 4:58 pm

      I made a big batch of meatballs and they are in the freezer just waiting for the perfect dish... This is perfect!

      Reply
    11. Beth Pierce says

      April 24, 2020 at 4:51 pm

      Yummy!! I can't wait to give these a try. I'm so looking forward to them.5 stars

      Reply
      • Dee says

        April 27, 2020 at 9:35 pm

        I hope you like them, Beth. My family sure did!

    12. Kimberly says

      April 24, 2020 at 4:40 pm

      These look and sound fabulous - on the meal plan for next week!

      Reply
      • Dee says

        April 27, 2020 at 9:35 pm

        Thank you so much! Hope you like them!

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    I’m the blogger, chief cook, recipe developer and photographer behind Meatloaf and Melodrama. I absolutely love to create easy, budget-friendly, homemade meals and treats for my family. I also love to think of new ways to repurpose leftovers so that my family will actually eat them!

    More about me →

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