Grape Jelly Meatballs | 3-ingredient, easy recipe
These Grape Jelly Meatballs make the perfect hassle-free party appetizer—no thawing required, just three simple ingredients, and a quick 5-minute cook time in the Instant Pot. They’re juicy, flavorful, and the ultimate crowd-pleaser for any gathering.
Why you’ll love this recipe: These meatballs lower the stress of party prep by using pantry-friendly ingredients to create a luscious, sweet-and-savory sauce.
Based on a back-of-the-bottle slow cooker recipe that we’ve been making for decades, we’ve converted this classic party appetizer to a pressure cooker recipe.
Using your Instant Pot, you can cut down the traditional 2 to 6-hour time for crockpot meatballs to about 25 minutes from start to finish.
After you see how easy it is to make them this way, you’ll never make them any other way!
How to Make Instant Pot Grape Jelly BBQ Meatballs
✅ This easy recipe will work in any brand of electric pressure cooker, including the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, Cosori, or Power Pressure Cooker XL.
This is a simple, one-pot, dump-and-go dish perfect for holiday parties and game days.
Choose High-Quality Ingredients
Since this recipe is simple, use your favorite brands with flavors you love.
We choose Sweet Baby Ray’s Original for the BBQ sauce.
For the jelly, I like Welch’s Concord Grape or Smucker’s Natural Concord Grape Jam.
The meatballs you choose make a HUGE difference in the way this dish turns out. I strongly prefer 100% beef meatballs in this recipe. (I’ve found that chicken and turkey meatballs don’t hold their shape as well.)
As for the size of meatball, you can use 1/2 ounce or 1 ounce meatballs with no change to the cook time.
Can I Use Fresh or Homemade Meatballs?
You can use homemade, store-bought fresh, or frozen meatballs in this recipe!
I strongly prefer the ease of frozen, since this is such a basic recipe.
However, if you’d like to use a homemade meatball recipe, make sure to chill them at least 30 minutes before cooking to keep them firm under pressure.
Why Use a Steamer Basket?
We highly recommend using a steamer basket to cook the meatballs. This helps the meat balls hold together. In a pinch, you can stack them on the trivet that came with your pressure cooker.
If you submerge the meatballs directly in the pot, they’re much less likely to hold their shape when served. (The flavor will still be delicious if you’re not trying to impress anyone.)
What to Serve with Grape Jelly Meatballs?
Usually, I’ll serve these meatballs directly out of the pressure cooker, garnished with fresh green onions. Place a slotted serving spoon or tongs and lots of sturdy toothpicks nearby for easy snacking.
If I’m serving this as a main dish, I’ll whip on a batch of white rice and steamed veggies or on toasted sub rolls with carrot sticks.
To store, allow leftovers to cool to room temperature, then place in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freeze for up to 4 months. (Keep in mind the sauce defrosts in a slightly different texture than when it’s fresh. The flavor remains the same.)
Leftovers reheat well in the microwave or stovetop
Recipe Variations
This recipe adapts well to your family’s favorite flavors!
For cocktail meatballs (aka sweet and sour meatballs), swap the barbecue sauce for chili sauce, with no other changes to the recipe.
You can use this method to make other flavors of meatballs: Try swapping the grape jelly for cranberry jelly or honey.
You can also add a dash of garlic powder, ketchup, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, or Worcestershire sauce into the mixture, as desired.
Do you LOVE this recipe?
Leave us a review below to tell us why!
Grape Jelly BBQ Meatballs | Easy Instant Pot Method
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 bag frozen fully cooked beef meatballs (large bag, about 48 ounces)
- 18 ounces barbecue Sauce
- 18 ounces grape jelly
Instructions
- Add 1 cup water to the pressure cooking pot. Place a steamer basket in the bottom and distribute the frozen meatballs.
- Lock the lid in place. Select High Pressure and set the cook time for 5 minutes.*
- When the cook time ends, use a quick pressure release. When the valve drops, carefully remove the lid. Remove the steamer basket and meatballs from the cooking pot. Set aside.
- Discard the cooking water and add barbecue sauce and grape jelly to the cooking pot. Select Sauté and cook, stirring frequently, until the jelly is melted and the sauce is smooth. Add the cooked meatballs and stir to combine.
- Switch to the keep warm setting until ready to serve, stirring occasionally.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Love meatballs? Here are some other great Instant Pot meatballs:
Our Swedish Meatballs are an Ikea copycat! Plus, it’s a dump-and-go recipe that starts from frozen.
Hawaiian Meatballs use frozen turkey meatballs, store-bought teriyaki sauce, and pineapple to create a memorable appetizer (or dinner).
These Balsamic Cranberry Meatballs are a perfect appetizer filled with holiday flavors: cranberry, rosemary, and balsamic vinegar packed into one savory bite.
If you’re looking for an easy meatball recipe, these Chicken Parmesan Meatballs in Creamy Ranch Sauce are quick and easy, and they cook up really quickly in your Instant Pot.
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We do this often because the family loves them but this time I added creamy peanut butter! Yummmmm. I did two heaping tablespoons but add more or less as you prefer. I also sometimes add red pepper flakes for those of us that like a little heat. Very delish!
Sing with me, “ It’s peanut butter jelly time, yeah it is, there ya go” lol
Love it – now whenever I make them I’m going to think about you and peanut butter jelly time. Thanks for sharing Peggy!
I followed the recipe but before my Instant Pot made it to five minutes it started giving me burn warnings. Next time I will use a lot more water. Had to finish them off a different way while I tended to the burned pot.
Hi Laura – sorry you had trouble. Did you use a 6 quart pressure cooker? Did you see steam coming out around the edges of the pot.
Can This recipe be doubled? Would it be better to make 2 batches of meatballs if you wanted to use 6 lbs?
Hi Carol – you can fill the inner pot 2/3’s full and if the meatballs fit under that mark, then you can double it.
If doubled, do we have to increase cook time?
No, the cook time is the same when you double this recipe. Generally, the cook time is the same unless the meat is twice as thick.
Can you freeze any leftovers meatballs?
Hi Dennis – yes, you should be able to freeze leftover meatballs. Here’s the USDA guidelines https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/safe-food-handling/freezing-and-food-safety/
Wonderful recipe, because of you, I fell in love cooking with my instant pressure cooker a number of years ago. Thank you for all the wonderful recipes, and I especially thank you for publishing your cookbook, bought it as soon as it came out and I use it often,
Thanks so much for the sweet comment Delona! It’s so fun to share my love of pressure cooking with you and so many others. It’s great to hear you’re loving my cookbook too!
These are such a holiday favorite for us!
I love this recipe! They are the first thing to get gobbled up over here!
My husband loves these cocktail meatballs and having your pressure cooker recipe makes it SO quick and easy!
These are a family favorite for the holidays. Delicious!
I use chili sauce and jellied cranberry sauce. Yum! I can’t wait to try this recipe 🙂
Hi Sherri – sounds like a delicious way to change it up. Enjoy!
How can I make the frozen turkey meatballs without a basket .. what setting please
Hi Cindey – yes, just cook them in the 1 cup water without the basket on high pressure for 5 minutes. Use the Pressure Cook or Manual setting or if you don’t have those, use one of the pre-set buttons with a cook time closet to 5 minutes and adjust it to 5 minutes.
My husband likes to make any thing that is easy so I handed him this recipe. It is indeed simple to make and turned out delicious. In Canada I could not find Masterpiece BBQ sauce so we used Stubb’s original as it had a low sugar content and we felt it would be best so the meatballs would not be too sweet. They are awesome! Will become part of our repertoire going forward.
Do you have a name/link to the steamer basket you used? Also, are you using a 6 or 8 qt? Thank you!
Hi Jessica – I love the OXO steamer. Here’s a link to my Amazon store https://www.amazon.com/shop/pressurecookingtoday All my recipes are created using a 6 quart pressure cooker, but the OXO will work in your 8 quart as well.
I use the regular (beef) meatballs from Costco which are fabulous in any kind of sauce.
Thanks Karen – gotta love Costco.
I have made these using cranberry sauce instead of the grape jelly. Very good!
Great idea – thanks for sharing Judy!
Don’t get me wrong folks, I do understand the draw of the Instant Pot (& do own one), but sometimes I think some of the recipes popping up for it seem to be grasping at straws for ways to it.
I purchase frozen turkey meatballs all the time, & it takes no more than 5 minutes to defrost them in the microwave, & then maybe another ten minutes to heat them thru on the stovetop in whatever sauce or gravy I’m using for them at the time.
Not at all understanding how the Instant Pot saves one any time at all in this instance.
Cooking in the Instant Pot isn’t always about saving time. The great thing about this recipe is how hands off it is and when the meatballs are finished, you can just leave them on the Keep Warm setting until you’re ready to serve, or take them in the Instant Pot to the neighbors house for the Super Bowl party and plug it in over there and until game time.
And I find way less dishes for so many recipes!! It’s the big picture of ease, convenience, time saving and love the one pot clean up with many recipes!
I use my instant pot, often. My favorite is being able to come in and cook, using, frozen meat. That, to me, is a game changer. Yes, I know that I can defrost in the microwave, but why take the time? I love being able to set it and go sit down. I don’t have to stand over a pot and stir. I lead a small group on Cooking in the Instant Pot. We zoomed and I shared recipes. Everyone has different likes and dislikes. The Instant Pot has changed how I cook. The meatball recipe is so much better than waiting hours for a crock pot to cook. So, instead of prepping a crock pot, in the morning, leaving it on low all day, I can grab that cup of coffee and sit on the couch for a little while. When I come in, I can toss something in my IP, set it, and wait for the timer to sound. Yep, I sit on the couch, again. To me, that is best!
Agreed – thanks for sharing Randy!
Well as far as saving time goes, one of the beautiful things about using the Instant pot is the cleanup time that it saves. For example, to make this recipe the normal way one would have to use a plate or bowl to first defrost them in the microwave, (one dish) and then use a pan to heat them through on the stove. (two dishes) Then mix up the Jelly and BQ sauce together in a bowl. (3 dishes) Then possibly to serve them put them into a serving dish or maybe a crock pot to keep them warm while serving. (4 dishes) Instant Pot method you have one bowl/insert to clean and nothing more, unless you choose to put them in a serving dish but a recipe such as this I would want to keep them warm as an appetizer. Also if you have leftovers you could just leave them in the insert, cover and put in your fridge if you have room. (saving another dish to wash) To reheat simply plop the insert back in IP.
Bottom line- My experience is that IP saves a lot of cleanup time in my kitchen. (also keeps the stove clean so I don’t have to be cleaning that all the time) I use 2 of them almost every night for dinner and cleanup time is incredibly fast when compared to doing all the cooking on the stove. We typically serve right out of the pots, so no serving dishes to clean up either, and the pots keep the food warm if anyone wants seconds.
Great points – thanks for sharing Mona!
I’ve made these in crock pot before using just the crock pot. Yes it takes longer so this definitely saves time but it can be done with just one dish if your not looking to save time. But I definitely prefer using instant pot or crock pot rather than stove for this reason as well.
And the fat from meatballs ends up in the water… which gets removed from the pot!! One of my favorite reasons to use the Instant Pot!!!
I love that too – thanks for sharing!
I used to do this with cocktail weenies in a crockpot, but I would add mustard as well. Gives it a little tangy flavor without being overpowering. I’ll be making them for my Super Bowl watching party tomorrow, however this time I’m trying the pressure cooker! The jelly does very well for keeping everything “together”. Sounds a little funny to some I’m sure but it turns out amazing every time.
Thanks for sharing Justin.
Could you just cook them in the BBQ sauce and omit the jelly or chili sauce?
Hi Mary – yes, you could just use BBQ sauce if you prefer.
I have made them this way but use chili sauce instead of bbq and they were amazing!!!! Give it a shot!
Thanks Brandon – subbing chili sauce is a great idea.
Absolutely. Chili sauce adds zing. I have added chipotle chili to add extra zing. Canned chipotle is a staple for me. I open can, put in blender then in glass bowl with lid and keep in freezer. Just need to slice off frozen chipotle for seasoning.
I really want to make this tonight but I just realize I don’t have the steam basket but I have a steam tray. Is there any other way I can make this without the basket?
Hi Kristie – you can make them without the basket, it just makes it easier to get them out of the pressure cooker. You could just dump them in a colander and drain them too. Enjoy!
Such a pretty presentation! And meatballs makes for a nice appetizer. Thanks so much for the idea!
Thanks so much Mary! And so easy to make too.
I wanted the sauce to be thicker and stick to the meatballs more, any suggestions?
Hi April – you could make a cornstarch slurry and thicken it using the saute function. I’d start with 1 tablespoon of water and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch.
Where did you get those toothpicks???
Hi Jordan – I think I picked them up at Zurchers. I bought them last year for my New Years Eve appetizers http://www.barbarabakes.com/no-bake-strawberry-margarita-cheesecake-bites/
Of course they’re new years’ decorations, I should’ve known. Thank you so much!
meat/stew