Why you’ll love this beet bbq meatballs:
If you’re looking for a satisfying, 30-minute dinner for the whole family, these BBQ meatballs are it!
I took this beer and BBQ meatball appetizer recipe and transformed it into a complete Instant Pot meal. The beer BBQ sauce is so addicting that I needed to repurpose it into a new and even more flavorful dinner recipe!
- Flavor – The meatballs are smothered in a sticky-sweet, tangy beer BBQ sauce. Then, I serve them over fluffy long-grain white rice, which is the perfect vehicle for delivering all that yummy sauce!
- Ease – Everything cooks in the Instant Pot, saving you time both on cooking and cleanup.
- Quick – You’re welcome to use all homemade ingredients if you’d like. However, I wrote this recipe using store-bought frozen meatballs and bottled BBQ sauce for the ultimate no-fuss, busy weeknight dinner.
This BBQ meatball recipe is so comforting and delicious that it really doesn’t need any additional sides. However, air fryer brussels sprouts or oven roasted mixed vegetables are the perfect options to round out the meal.
Key Ingredient Notes:
- Long-grain white rice – Long-grain rice is lighter and fluffier than short-grain. Using white rice is essential because brown rice takes significantly longer to cook in the Instant Pot. I like to use jasmine or basmati!
- Olive oil – This helps prevent the rice from sticking and clumping up as it cooks.
- Homestyle meatballs – You can use your favorite store-bought variety or your own homemade meatballs. As long as they’re frozen and fully cooked, they’ll work for this Instant Pot BBQ meatballs recipe.
- Beer – Choose your favorite light to medium-bodied beer, and avoid anything citrusy or fruity-flavored. I’d also steer clear of hoppy beers, as they can have a bitter taste. I like to use golden ale.
- BBQ sauce – Again, use your favorite BBQ sauce here. Just remember that the flavor of your BBQ sauce will affect the flavor of the sauce in the recipe.
- Cornstarch – Used to make a cornstarch slurry to thicken the beer BBQ sauce.
How to make meatballs and rice in Instant Pot:
1. Assemble the meatballs and rice in the Instant Pot
- Place the dry rice in an oven-safe bowl large enough for the rice to expand.
- Add 1 cup of water, and stir in the olive oil and salt.
- Place the frozen meatballs in the Instant Pot’s inner pot.
- Pour the beer and BBQ sauce over the meatballs.
- Place a trivet over the meatballs, and set the bowl of rice on top.
2. Pressure cook the meatballs and rice
- Close the lid, and make sure the valve is set to “sealing.”
- Set the IP to pressure cook/manual for 5 minutes on high. Note – It took 15 minutes for my IP to come to pressure!
- Once the time is up, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes. Then, carefully turn the valve to venting. Once the pin drops, carefully open the lid.
3. Thicken the BBQ sauce
- Use silicone mitts to remove the bowl of rice and trivet. Then, fluff the rice with a fork.
- Set the Instant Pot to sauté.
- Mix the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl to make a cornstarch slurry.
- Once the meatball sauce is bubbling, stir in the cornstarch slurry, and cook until the sauce has thickened.
4. Serve the BBQ meatballs over rice
- Scoop the rice onto plates and top with meatballs and sauce. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired.
- Serve BBQ meatballs with any of your favorite sides, such as steamed broccoli, fresh green beans, or a garden salad.
Time-Saving Tips:
- Store-bought frozen meatballs are a huge time saver. I keep a bag in my freezer for a quick and easy dinner on nights when I’m tempted to order takeout.
- Even though homemade BBQ sauce isn’t hard to make, bottled saves so much time and effort. Keep a few on hand so you can always whip up this BBQ meatballs recipe, BBQ chicken sliders, or Instant Pot BBQ chicken.
- Feel free to use a microwavable pouch of cooked rice instead of cooking rice from scratch in the Instant Pot.
Recipe Notes:
- Use small to medium-sized meatballs. Most store-bought frozen meatballs are slightly smaller than a golf ball. If you’re using homemade frozen meatballs, make sure they’re about the same size as store-bought. They’ll take longer to cook if they’re on the larger side.
- Feel free to get creative with your beer and BBQ sauce choices! Try these BBQ meatballs with hickory-smoked BBQ sauce and pale ale one week and sweet heat BBQ sauce with amber ale the next week.
- Reserve about 15 minutes for your Instant Pot to come to pressure. Even with this extra time, this BBQ meatballs recipe will still only take about 30 minutes to make.
- Be careful when releasing pressure or opening the lid of your Instant Pot. Keep your hands and face away from the steam holes on the valve, and open the lid away from yourself.
- The cornstarch is added at the end of the recipe for a reason. The pressure cooker needs the liquid from the BBQ sauce and beer to form steam. If cornstarch was added at the start of the recipe, it would absorb a lot of the liquid and prevent steam from forming.
- If you get the dreaded Instant Pot burn message, here are 4 mistakes that may cause the burn message and how to fix it.
Storing Tips:
Store leftover BBQ meatballs and rice in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, gently warm on the stove over low heat or in the microwave until warmed through. Add a splash of water to freshen the rice back up if it has become a little dry.
FAQs:
According to the USDA, it is safe to refreeze previously frozen meatballs as long as they have not sat out at room temperature for more than 2 hours. However, keep in mind that refreezing previously frozen foods can negatively impact the flavor and texture after they’re thawed and served again. To freeze, transfer leftover BBQ meatballs, sauce, and rice to a ziplock plastic bag, and freeze for up to 1 month.
With this Instant Pot BBQ meatballs recipe, the beer and steam from the Instant Pot will thin out the BBQ sauce. The best way to thicken it is using a cornstarch slurry. To make a cornstarch slurry, combine 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water. Then, stir it into the warm liquid that needs to be thickened.
This BBQ meatballs recipe is served over long-grain white rice, cooked right in the Instant Pot with the meatballs! However, you could skip the rice and serve BBQ meatballs over Instant Pot mashed potatoes, Instant Pot pasta, or skillet mac and cheese.
More Instant Pot Dinner Recipes:
Instant Pot Beer BBQ Meatballs and Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup long grain white rice
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 28 oz homestyle meatballs frozen and fully-cooked
- 1 cup beer I use golden ale
- 1 cup BBQ sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Fresh parsley for garnish optional
Instructions
- Place the rice in an oven-safe bowl. (Make sure the bowl is big enough for rice to expand.)1 cup long grain white rice
- Add 1 cup of water and stir in olive oil and salt.½ tablespoon olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt
- Place the frozen meatballs in inner pot of Instant Pot.28 oz homestyle meatballs
- Pour in the beer and bbq sauce.1 cup beer, 1 cup BBQ sauce
- Put a trivet over the meatballs and place the bowl with rice on top.
- Close the lid and make sure the valve is set to “sealing”.
- Set the Instant Pot to Pressure Cook/Manual for 5 minutes on high. (NOTE: It took 15 minutes for my IP to come to pressure.)
- Once the time is up, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, and then carefully turn the valve to venting. Once the pin drops, carefully open the lid.
- Using silicone mitts, carefully take the bowl with rice out. Fluff it with a fork. Remove trivet.
- Set the Instant Pot to sauté.
- In a small dish, mix together cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water.1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Once the meatball sauce start bubbling, stir in cornstarch slurry, and cook until the sauce is thickened.
- Serve the meatballs over rice. Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.If you tried this recipe, I’d love to read your feedback. Please leave your comment and rating below, or share on Instagram with #busycooks and tag us @busy_cooks. Thank you!!Fresh parsley for garnish
Share your thoughts! If you make this please leave a review letting me know how it was!
Notes
– Store leftover meatballs and rice in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
– Freeze leftover meatballs and sauce in an airtight container for up to 1 month.
– Thaw frozen meatballs in the fridge overnight, and reheat in over low heat on the stove or in the microwave. Add a splash of water as needed if your rice becomes a little dry.
Nutrition
* Disclaimer: All nutrition information are estimates only. Read full nutrition disclosure.
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Reader's Reviews
Jodi says
This is delicious. So easy! Cooked perfectly. 2nd time making it tonight. I am from Michigan and used a Bell’s Tropical Oberon as the beer and Original Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Sauce. Will be using this recipe as a go to many more times. I was nervous about glass inside the pot. But turned out well.
Jodi says
Adding this comment- 1st time making it i mixed the salt and olive oil with the rice first( which was an accident) this time I made it by the recipe and put the water over the rice and then stirred in the oil and salt. The rice cooked better the 1st time by stirring the oil and salt with the dry rice.
Shinee says
So happy you tried and loved this recipe, Jodi! Thank you so much for sharing your feedback and experience.
Logan says
I’m no chef, nor do I drink, so I didn’t have any alcohol on hand to make this late on a Sunday evening. I ended up substituting out the alcohol for a cup of Sprite, and I think it tastes great! It was definitely easy to put together, especially since I was able to do it. I’ve also never seen the trivet placed on top of meat like that, nor have I ever thought to cook something above it at the same time like that. All in all a wonderful recipe, one I will definitely continue to make on sundays to meal prep for the week.
Shinee says
Hi, Logan. So glad you tried and loved the recipe. And thank you for sharing your tweaks!!
Amy says
It was quite delicious. The rice was slightly undercooked. I will probably cook it 8 minutes next time. I did cut the BBQ sauce with 1/4 cup of ketchup. I don’t typically like a lot of BBQ sauces. I think it would have been good without the ketchup.
Shinee says
Hi, Amy. So happy you tried and liked the recipe. Thank you for your feedback!
Autumn says
Hi there, could I use fresh (uncooked) meat balls rather than frozen and cooked ones? adjusting the time to maybe 8-10 minutes?
thank you in advance if I get a response
Shinee says
Hi, Autumn. Yes, you can totally use uncooked fresh meatballs. I think 5 minutes would be sufficient, but just to be sure, do 8 minutes, followed by 10-minute NPR. Let me know how they turn out. Thanks!
Corrie says
This sounds amazing! What are your thoughts about the alcohol boiling off (or not) if we are going to serve the dish to kiddos?
Shinee says
So, I’ve read that alcohol doesn’t boil off completely during cooking. Longer you cook it, more alcohol burns off. In this case, I imagine there’s still some alcohol left, but it’d be very little amount. But ultimately, it’d be up to you. I, personally, wouldn’t mind serving it to my kid, but he doesn’t like saucy food, so he didn’t eat it.