Name: Instant Pot Cranberry Barbecue Meatballs
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Continental
Ingredients: 1 lb ground beef; 1/2 lb ground pork; 1/4 red onion, finely chopped; 1 tsp dried thyme; 1 tsp smoked paprika; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp pepper; 3/4 cup plan bread crumbs; 1 egg; 1 cup bbq sauce; 1 cup cranberry sauce (also known as whole cranberry sauce)

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Not only are these Instant Pot Cranberry Barbecue Meatballs easy to make, they also have amazing flavor that comes from a simple two-ingredient sauce. Definitely a hit at any gathering this season.

BBQ Meatballs are Great for Any Occasion

Appetizer recipes become quite popular during the holiday season. And in my mind, I think meatballs are a requirement for any of these holiday parties or special gatherings. I consider them a perfect appetizer for most any occasion because they’re such tasty little bites and there are so many ways they can be prepared.

And, for me, it’s all about the sauce. I have some Orange Chicken Meatballs using orange juice that I love serving my guests and straight-up barbecue meatballs are a classic party appetizer in their own right.

For these meatballs, I wanted to do something a little different but still have a nod back to the traditional BBQ meatball appetizer. I thought a mash-up of cranberry sauce and BBQ sauce would be a great combination. These Instant Pot meatballs will not disappoint and they are such an easy appetizer to make.

Just Two Ingredients for the Delicious BBQ Sauce

Let’s talk about that sauce for a minute. We are talking simple ingredients – like literally two sauce ingredients.

You simply mix together a can of cranberry sauce and your favorite barbecue sauce. That’s it. You now have successfully created your own homemade cranberry barbecue sauce!

It’s a great use for cranberry sauce you may have leftover from Thanksgiving, but you can use any canned cranberry sauce. Just make sure it’s cranberry sauce, not cranberry jelly.

If you have a hankering for fresh cranberries, you can certainly make your own homemade cranberry sauce (here is a great recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction). But, I’m hitting the “Easy Button” because I like simple recipes when we’re talking appetizers. Anytime I can reduce the amount of time to make a recipe and get the same results, I’m happy!

I know the sauce sounds incredibly simple, but it’s so tasty. It’s one of those things where less is definitely more.

Make Your Own Meatballs

For this recipe, I make my own homemade meatballs. One, they’re not hard to make and two, they are going to be cooking while you’re making this recipe.

That’s why I don’t use already-cooked, store-bought meatballs. Those meatballs would get over-cooked in this recipe.

However, if you wanted to make the meatballs ahead of time and freeze for when you are ready to bring everything together, that would work. Just make sure the frozen meatballs (uncooked) are thawed before putting into the Instant Pot.

Putting It All Together

The great thing about these meatballs, it that there’s no browning required. You mix the meatball ingredients together and form into small balls. Put them directly into the bottom of the pot and cover them up with that delicious sauce.

Something magical happens when you mix the two sauce ingredients together and cook it with the meatballs. It just does.

After their time in the Instant Pot, these meatballs come out perfect. They’re soft and tender and the sauce tastes absolutely amazing. I promise your guests will go crazy for them.

You can serve them “as is” for appetizers. Or, they would also be a great main dish for a family dinner by serving them over a bed of rice. The best part of this recipe is you really can’t go wrong in how you serve them!

After you serve these to your family and friends they are going to request that you make them for every party, guaranteed. It’s also unlikely there will be any leftover after the party, they’re that good.

Can You Freeze These Meatballs?

Yes, you can! Simply make up a batch of these meatballs, let them cool a bit and then put into an airtight container. You can freeze them safely for at least three months.

This is great to do if you know you are going to serve a lot of people and want to make an extra batch or two. Freezing is a perfect way to make things easier on the day of your event.

On game day (or whatever time of year these are coming out!) take them out of the freezer and let them thaw. My go-to is to then put them in a pan on the stovetop and heat them up over medium-low to medium heat. You can then transfer to a crock pot on a warm setting for when they are being served.

Tips and Tricks

Make sure you use both ground beef and ground pork. Together they give the meatballs a nice rich flavor.
The onion should be finely chopped for the best results. This will ensure that the onion is well distributed in the meatballs and you’re not biting into a big chunk of onion.
It’s important that you use cranberry sauce rather than cranberry jelly. Cranberry jelly will not create the right consistency for the sauce.

Ingredients Needed to Make Instant Pot Cranberry Barbecue Meatballs

Full instructions can be found below in the printable recipe card

Ground beef and ground pork – The combination of beef and pork give the meatballs a richer flavor. Since ground pork is generally 80-85% lean, I suggest using 93% lean ground beef to balance out the fat content of the meatballs.
Onion – Red onion is recommend, but yellow onion would be a good substitution.
Thyme – Dried thyme is recommended.
Smoked paprika
Bread crumbs – Plain bread crumbs work best for this recipe.
Egg
Cranberry sauce – Cranberry jelly is not recommended for this recipe.
BBQ sauce – Any brand you like will work.

How to Make Instant Pot Cranberry Barbecue Meatballs

With your hands mix together beef, pork, onion, spices, bread crumbs and egg until well-combined.
Form into 36 meatballs, each about 1-1/2 inches.
Gently place in the Instant Pot.
Stir together barbecue and cranberry sauces.
Pour over meatballs.
Using the manual function, set timer for 10 minutes.
Allow steam to slow release for 5 minutes, then quick release.

More Delicious Meatball Recipes to Try

Yield: 8 servings