Instant Pot Meatloaf is the ultimate quick and easy weeknight dinner. Made with ground beef, breadcrumbs, mustard, ketchup, and brown sugar.
Homemade Meatloaf is classic comfort food for a simple and delicious Dinner Recipe. This Instant Pot Meatloaf brings the cook time down from over an hour to just about a half-hour.
This Instant Pot Meatloaf recipe is a life-saver for busy weeknights. Instead of cooking for an hour, the pressure cooker has the Meatloaf cooked in just 25 minutes. The quicker cooking doesn’t sacrifice any of the tenderness or juicy flavor you’d expect from Meatloaf dinner.
Assembling this Meatloaf takes minimal effort and it’s made with simple ingredients you probably already have on hand. Ground beef, bread crumbs, onion, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar are some of the easy ingredients that make this unbelievably flavorful Meatloaf.
Meatloaves are one of those classic dishes that have plenty of variations to try. The juicy, tender meat makes a good base for lots of other delicious ingredients. For some new ideas, check out these recipes for Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf, Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf, and Loaded Mashed Potato Meatloaf Casserole.
If you want to add some delicious sides for the family meal, you’ll probably want to start prepping them first, since the Meatloaf will probably be done quicker. While the meatloaf cooks, finish up sides like Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Green Beans, or Sweet Potatoes au Gratin. This is a rare case where the main dish will be the easiest thing you’re serving!
More Comforting Dinner Recipes
Ultimate Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Baked Spaghetti and Meatballs
Classic Beef Stew
Ultimate Sloppy Joes
How to Make Meatloaf in the Instant Pot
- Mixture: Start the Meatloaf recipe by whisking together the milk and breadcrumbs. Continue mixing until the bread crumbs have absorbed the milk. Then whisk in the eggs, onion, salt, thyme, and pepper into the mixture. Add the ground beef and use your hands to combine the ingredients. Put on plastic gloves if you don’t want to touch the meat. Form mixture into a loaf shape for cooking that will fit in your pressure cooker.
- Pressure cooker: Put a steam rack in 6-quart electric pressure cooker. Make sure the handles are facing up. Place the meatloaf on the steamer rack. Put the pressure cooker valve in its sealing position and secure lid. Press the manual button or high pressure on the electric pressure cooker. Set the cook time for 25 minutes.
- Pressure release: Instead of a natural release, carefully turn the pressure valve for a quick release. The steam released will be extremely hot so use an oven mitt and do not put your face near valve.
- Bake: To finish the recipe, carefully move the meatloaf to a baking sheet and broil for a couple of minutes. If you’re concerned the meat isn’t done, check that the internal temperature is 160 degrees.
- Glaze: While the meatloaf is in the oven, mix together the ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard. Brush over meatloaf, then pop it in the oven for another 1-2 minutes to caramelize the glaze before serving.
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Variations and Substitutions
- Meat: You can swap out the ground beef in Instant Pot Meatloaf for other ground meats like ground pork or turkey.
- Gluten-free: To make gluten-free Meatloaf, simply replace the breadcrumbs in the recipe. Almond flour makes a good breadcrumb substitute in meatloaf ingredients.
- Add-ins: For some add-ins try mixing different ingredients into the meatloaf recipe before cooking. You can chop up some bell pepper, red onion, or bacon bits to mix in. You could also add toppings right before serving like sour cream, mozzarella, or parmesan cheese.
- Glaze: You can whisk different flavors into the meatloaf glaze with ingredients like chili sauce, tomato sauce, soy sauce, honey, or barbecue sauce. Whisk them in along with the other sauce ingredients before topping the recipe off with the glaze.
- Seasonings: You can also add simple seasonings like onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, rosemary, chili powder, or Italian seasoning.
More Flavorful Meatloaf Recipes
Turkey Meatloaf
Meatloaf Muffins
Philly Cheesesteak Meatloaf
Meatloaf Meatballs
How to Store
- Serve: After pressure cooking meatloaf, it can be kept at room temperature for up to 2 hours or on warm in the pressure cooker for up to 4 hours.
- Store: Store leftover meatloaf sealed in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freeze: To freeze meatloaf, cool completely and wrap tightly in tin foil, then put it in a freezer-safe bag. Freeze meatloaf for up to 4 months and thaw overnight in the refrigerator before warming in oven to serve.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 yellow onion , minced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef , 85/15
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar , packed
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
Instructions
- In a large bowl whisk together the milk and breadcrumbs together until the milk is absorbed.
- Whisk in the eggs, onion, salt, thyme, and pepper.
- Add in the beef and mix with your hands until the ingredients are combined.
- Form the meatloaf into a loaf shape.
- Add the steam rack to your instant pot with the handles facing up.
- Put the meatloaf onto the rack.
- Close, lock lid, and seal vent.
- Cook on high for 25 minutes, then quick release the pressure.
- Turn oven to broil on high.
- Add meatloaf to a baking sheet and broil for 2-3 minutes until browned.
- Mix ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard and spread it over the meatloaf.
- Broil for 1-2 minutes until caramelized.
Nutrition
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Is the Meatloaf recipe cooked in the Instant Pot without
adding water?
yes, no water and then remove as directed to a cookie sheet to finish off and glaze in the oven.