Quick And Easy Instant Pot Cocktail Meatballs

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Whether it’s a birthday party or a 4th of July party, these Instant Pot Cocktail meatballs are just what you need. I mean you can’t really have a party without some food. But, who wants to do the clean up after a big party? Not me! These Instant pot party meatballs make your life easy all the way around. With minimal cleanup, these finger foods are totally worth it!

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Why These Are the Best Party Meatballs?

There are a lot of things that go into making the best party meatballs.

First, they need to be made with high-quality, lean ground beef. This ensures that they’re delicious and juicy, without being greasy.

Second, they need to be well-seasoned. The perfect blend of spices will give them just the right amount of flavor.

Third, these cocktail meatballs need to be cooked to perfection. They should be slightly browned on the outside and cooked all the way through on the inside.

Finally, they need to be served hot, right out of the Instant Pot. These are the best party meatballs because they’re guaranteed to be delicious and satisfying.

Instant Pot COCKTAIL Meatballs Ingredients

For a sweet and tangy finger food, you won’t need much for this recipe! Here’s what you need:

• Frozen meatballs: Grab 2 pounds of frozen, unseasoned meatballs from your local grocery store.
• BBQ sauce: I prefer Sweet Baby Ray’s Hickory and Brown Sugar BBQ sauce. However, you can use your favorite sauce with these.
• Grape Jelly: To get that sweet glaze, you’ll want to add in a cup of grape jelly. I use Smucker’s Squeeze grape jelly, but you can use whatever you prefer.

Scroll down to the bottom for the recipe card with exact ingredients!

Can I Make My Own Meatballs?

Absolutely! If you want to add more flavor to your meatballs, you can use ground beef to roll your own. Make small meatballs using your ground beef. Then, you will follow the directions below, but set the time for 7 minutes instead of 5.

Do I Have to Use Grape Jelly?

We use grape jelly with our BBQ sauce because it gives the meatballs a sweeter taste. It also helps to make a thicker sauce that covers the meatballs perfectly. However, you can skip the grape jelly and just use BBQ sauce instead.

How to Make Instant Pot Party Meatballs

You won’t spend a lot of time prepping or cooking these party meatballs. Just follow the steps below!

Step 1: Combine Ingredients

Throw your meatballs, BBQ sauce, and grape jelly into the inner pot. Stir to combine making sure the meatballs are fully covered.

Step 2: Prep and seal the Instant Pot

Next, put the lid on your Instant Pot and make sure its secure. Set your steam release valve on the lid to the “sealing” position.

Step 3: Pressure Cook your cocktail meatballs

Press the manual or pressure cook button your Instant Pot and set it to 5 minutes.

Step 4: Quick Release your instant pot

After the pot beeps, do a quick release by flipping the valve on the lid to the “venting” position.

Step 5: Stir your party meatballs and Enjoy

Open the lid and stir the meatballs well in the sauce to completely coat them. Serve and enjoy!

Tips and Tricks for making cocktail meatballs

Along the way, I have found some tips and tricks to make this recipe even smoother.

1. Combine BBQ sauce and grape jelly first. I have found that mixing the BBQ sauce and grape jelly together in a bowl first makes it easy to coat the meatballs evenly.
2. Add a little water. Most of the time the BBQ sauce and grape jelly is enough “liquid” to prevent a burn notice, but sometimes it gets stuck on the bottom as it heats up. To avoid a burn notice, add 1/2 cup of water to the inner pot before you pressure cook.
3. Don’t panic. If you do get a burn notice, don’t panic. Simply release the pressure, open the Instant Pot and add in another 1/2 cup of water, deglaze the bottom of the inner pot, and try again.
4. Add toothpicks. To make these meatballs true party meatballs, add a toothpick to each meatball so your guests can easily grab them.

Can I Use Frozen Meatballs In The Instant Pot?

Yes, you sure can. If you wis to cook instant pot frozen meatballs then you’ll just need to add an extra 4 minutes to the cook time when pressure cooking in the instant pot.

Other Party Foods to Make

Whenever I have a party, I like to make quick and easy finger foods that everyone can enjoy! Here are some of my other favorite party foods:

• BBQ Chicken Sliders
• Instant Pot Meatloaf Bites
• Instant Pot Jalapeno Jelly Wings
• Vegetable Train Party Food
• Chocolate Dipped Pretzel Rods

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