Asian Glazed Instant Pot Meatballs

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This Asian glazed Instant Pot meatball recipe is ultra easy to make, taking less than 20 minutes to cook from start to finish!! Glazed in the most amazing sweet and savory Asian inspired glaze, these Instant Pot meatballs are awesome as an appetizer or a main course.

Say goodbye to all that messy splattering and make your meatballs right in the Instant Pot. It's the easiest and cleanest way to make meatballs.

The inside of the meatballs is perfectly moist and tender, as though they've been simmering all day (they haven't...they only cooked for 5 MINUTES).

The Instant Pot does wonders for cooking meat, like this braised oxtail, beef short ribs or these Instant Pot pork ribs.

And let's talk just for a second about the glaze....THAT GLAZE. It's just so finger lickin' good, like the glaze we used on these spicy glazed Asian wings. Ultra savory with just the right amount of sweet and heat, you're actually going to want to use it on everything.

You can double or even triple this recipe if you'd like (believe you will want to after you try it the first time). PLUS, while the recipe calls for ground pork, these are great with beef, turkey or chicken and they are GREAT made ahead of time!

A 6 quart Instant Pot is used for this recipe. 

Don't forget to check out the Instant Pot meatballs story!

Ingredients

Like I said above, I use ground pork for these Instant Pot meatballs, but please feel free to substitute with any ground meat. Note if you use chicken or turkey your results may be just slightly dried than using pork or beef just due to the leanness of the poultry.

As for the rest of the ingredients, don't fret at the long list - after you pull together the ingredients these are incredibly easy to make. I want to explain some of the ingredients you may not be totally familiar with and why we use them:

Shaoxing wine - I LOVE to use this Chinese cooking wine in my recipes. It has a wonderful flavor and also aids in helping to keep the pork tender. You can also substitute a dry sherry for this.

Chili garlic sauce - this sauce is made with chilies, garlic , vinegar and some other seasonings. It has the perfect amount of tang and heat (but not too much heat) and adds great flavor.

Panko bread crumbs - these bread crumbs are much courser than your traditional breadcrumbs and add a much better texture to the meatballs.

Oyster sauce - It's exactly what it sounds like...it's a sauce made from oyster (don't worry - it doesn't actually taste like oysters), salt and sugar.

The full list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. 

Step By Step Instructions

Combine all the meatball ingredients in a bowl and mix with your hands until combined. **Don't overmix or the meatballs could become tough - mix just enough that the ingredients are combined.

Roll the pork mixture into 1 inch balls and place them on a baking sheet (or any flat surface).

Heat the coconut oil in the Instant Pot on the normal sauté setting.

Add the meatballs (you'll need to cook in 2 batches) and brown on both sides (about 2 minutes per side). Remove and cook the next batch.

While the meatballs are cooking, combine the glaze ingredients in a bowl and whisk together.

When the meatballs are done browning, turn the Instant Pot off and add all the meatballs back into the pot with the sauce/glaze.

Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Turn the Instant Pot off and let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Use the quick release to release any remaining pressure.

If you'd like a thicker sauce, turn the Instant Pot to the sauté setting. Mix 2 teaspoons of cornstarch with 2 teaspoon of water and slowly pour in the Instant Pot, stirring until the sauce is glassy and thickened.

How to Serve Instant Pot Meatballs

These meatballs are great served as an appetizer or just over some steamed white rice (learn how to cook the perfect pot of rice), but here are some other great ideas:

• Instead of white rice, try this coconut rice or this Instant Pot wild rice for some added health benefits;
• This spicy mac and cheese goes great (it's got Thai red curry past in it - YUM);
• Baked sweet potato slices (with this incredible honey harissa glaze);
• Honey balsamic brussels sprouts;
• Spicy braised green beans.

We are also pretty huge fans of these air fryer frozen meatballs if you're into meatballs. They have a sticky Korean style glaze and are just incredible!

Expert Tips

1. Don't overmix the pork otherwise your meatballs will be tough. Mix just enough so all the ingredients are fully incorporated.
2. Brown the meatballs in at least 2 batches to avoid 1) overcrowding the pan and steaming instead of browning and, 2) overcrowding the pan making it difficult to get the meatballs out between batches.
3. Substitute ground beef, turkey or chicken for the pork if desired.
4. If you'd like a thicker sauce, turn the Instant Pot to the sauté setting. Mix 2 teaspoons of cornstarch with 2 teaspoon of water and slowly pour in the Instant Pot, stirring until the sauce is glossy and thickened.
5. Be sure to stir the pot gently when cooking in the glaze so the meatballs don't fall apart.

To Freeze Meatballs

These meatballs can be frozen before or after cooking. Either way, place them on a baking sheet directly in the freeze for about 3 hours, until they are frozen through. Store them in a freezer bag until ready to reheat or cook.

To cook from frozen, follow the same cooking instructions.

To reheat from frozen - use the microwave to heat them until they are warmed through. You can also reheat in a 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes (until warmed through).

Did you make these Instant Pot meatballs? Rate the recipe and leave a comment below to let me know how you liked them!