Instant Pot Recipe: Pressure Cooker Meatloaf

A complete meatloaf dinner and sides ready in just 20-minutes. If you have a traditional pressure cooker, you can use this recipe as well!

A platter of instant Pot Pressure Cooker Meatloaf dinner on a white table with dishes and blue polka dotted napkins.

What are the Differences Between a Traditional Pressure Cooker vs. an Instant Pot?

  1. For a traditional pressure cooker because of it’s higher pressure, the cook time will be slightly less.
  2. The time difference for meatloaf cooked in the instant pot [paid link] (11 psi) vs a traditional pressure cooker (15 psi) is nominal.
  3. Cooking times you see on recipes are usually after the instant pot [paid link] has been pressurized. This is because the time to become pressurized and de-pressurized is not the same for all recipes. They depend on the amount of liquid, amount of food in the pot, fat content, and altitude. I have made a note on the recipe to add an additional 20 minutes for pressurization to occur.
  4. At sea level with a 1.5-pound meatloaf and 3 pounds of vegetables, my instant pot [paid link] took 15 minutes to pressurize.

A table of ingredients for Instant Pot meatloaf: minced beef, baby potatoes, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper, chopped parsley, garlic, carrots, egg, celery, onions, milk, and carrots.

What Ingredients are in Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Meatloaf?

For the Meatloaf:

  • Milk – this can be replaced with water or soy milk. This is just to wet the breadcrumbs for moisture.
  • Egg – this is used as a binder to hold the meatloaf together.
  • Panko Breadcrumbs – This is another binder to hold the meatloaf together. Regular breadcrumbs may also be used
  • Onion – I use Vidalia onions. The onions may be omitted without substitution.
  • Garlic – I used freshly minced garlic cloves. Fresh garlic is the best and most flavorful!
  • Carrot – I grate half a carrot just for sweetness and moisture.
  • Celery – Minced celery adds flavor and keeps the meatloaf moist and juicy.
  • Parsley – freshly chopped parsley adds a bright, fresh flavor!
  • Lean ground beef – I use 93% lean. Up to 80% lean is okay but will result in excess fat drippings that will need to be drained from the packet.
  • Ground Pork – it’s possible to get lean ground pork, which is what I use. Regular ground pork may be used but will have added fat.
  • Salt and black pepper – to taste. The nutritional value was calculated using 1 teaspoon of salt.
  • Ketchup – I have listed other serving suggestions below but since ketchup is used often, I have included it here to calculate nutritional information you see on the recipe card.

For the Vegetables:

  • Carrots – I used whole carrots that I cut into large chunks but baby carrots work well, too. If you cook a meatloaf larger than 1.5-pounds, omit the carrots of they will be mushy from the extended cooking time.
  • Water – use 1 cup or the minimum liquid requirement for your machine.
  • Small red potatoes or Gold Potatoes – I like both. If they are petty small leave them whole and halve only the larger ones. A photo of a baby of Baby Dutch Yellow potatoes.

Other Options for the Meatloaf glaze or Sauce:

  • Brown gravy
  • Tomato sauce
  • Barbecue Sauce

How Do I Prepare Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Meatloaf?

  1. In a large bowl, whisk [paid link] together the milk and egg; add the Panko breadcrumbs and stir to combine; set aside until all the milk has been absorbed.
  2. Meanwhile, mince the onion, garlic, carrot, celery, and parsley together.
  3. Into the same large bowl, add the ground beef, salt, and black pepper along with the minced onion, garlic, carrot, celery, and parsley and mix together completely.A large mixing bowl with the ingredients for meatloaf: minced beef, chopped parsley, minced garlic, diced onions, grated carrot, diced celery, breadcrumbs, milk, egg. salt. and pepper.
  4. Once combined, form the mixture into a loaf and place on a sheet of aluminum foil making sure the meatloaf fits into your pressure cooker.Meatloaf mixture shaped into a round loaf for the instant pot pressure cooker on aluminum foil to make a packet.
  5. Fold the sheet of aluminum foil up and around the meatloaf to form a packet.
  6. To prevent potatoes from splitting during cooking, pierce with a fork so steam can escape.A photo of baby Dutch yellow potatoes being pierced with a fork.
  7. Add the potatoes and carrots into the bottom of the pressure cooker and add the water. Place an inverted steamer basket, small roasting rack or the steaming rack that may have come with the instant pot [paid link] onto the vegetables.Baby potatoes and carrots loaded into the Instant Pot. A steam rack has been placed on top of the vegetables to support the meatloaf packet.
  8. Place the meatloaf in its aluminum foil packet on top of the rack; be sure to leave room around the edge to allow steam to rise to the top of the pot (to close the pressure valve).the meatloaf packet loaded into the Instant Pot in an aluminum foil packet.
  9. Cover with the lid and twist the handle to lock the pressure cooker. Be sure to make sure the pressure release valve is set to sealing.
  10. Select Manual [See Recipe Note 6] and cook at High Pressure for 20 minutes. Allow 15 to 20 minutes for the pot to pressurize before the cook cycle begins. [See Recipe Note 5].
  11. Turn off the pressure cooker off and release the steam valve by quick release being careful of the steam. Once the pot has released the pressure, carefully open the lid.
  12. Confirm the meatloaf’s internal temperature is at least 145 degrees F, the center is cooked and the juices run clear.
  13. Serve immediately with or without the optional glaze.

An up close photo of instant pot meatloaf on a platter with steamed potatoes and carrots.

My Electric Pressure Cooker Doesn’t Have A “Manual” Button, what should I do?

The manual button is an all-purpose button. Use the manual button if a recipe says to pressure cook on high pressure for a specific number of minutes. Use the “+” and “-” buttons to increase or decrease the cooking time.

Many Instant Pot [paid link] recipes mention the Manual button.  The Manual button was replaced by the Pressure Cook button on newer models of the Instant Pot [paid link].

For the CrockPot Instant Pot [paid link], the manufacturer recommends using the Beans/Chili function when using a recipe that calls for “manual” adjustments. This function allows you to adjust the pressure to LOW or HIGH and set cook times from 5 minutes to 2 hours. [See Recipe Note 6].

How Long do I Cook the Meatloaf in the Instant Pot if I want to Double the Recipe?

To double this recipe, you can make two smaller loaves and place them side by side on the rack or create one larger 2-pound meatloaf. Increasing the loaf size and subsequent cook time will have adverse effects on the potatoes and carrots. Carrots will be mushy and overdone, it is best to omit them. Potatoes have a little more tolerance to the longer cook time.

A 2-pound loaf will need 25 to 30 minutes of pressurized cooking time.

A platter of sliced meatloaf and steamed vegetables from the instant pot.

After you’re done with dinner, head over to Corrie Cooks and check out his amazing Instant Pot Lava Cake. Doesn’t that sound amazing? The perfect end to a perfect meal.

Want to try this Instant Pot Meatloaf Recipe?

Pin it to your INSTANT POT [paid link], BEEF, or DINNER board & SAVE it for later!

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©Kitchen Dreaming by KitchenDreaming.com

Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Meatloaf sliced meatloaf

Instant Pot Recipe: Pressure Cooker Meatloaf

Ronda Eagle | Kitchen Dreaming
A complete Meatloaf dinner and sides ready in just 20-minutes after pressurization [See Recipe Note 5]. If you have a traditional pressure cooker, you can use this recipe as well. 
4.96 from 24 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Pressurize Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings
Calories 321 kcal

Ingredients
  

For the Meatloaf

  • 2 tbsp Milk
  • 1 Egg
  • cup Breadcrumbs, Panko or plain
  • ½ cup Onion, minced
  • 2 cloves Garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp Carrot, grated
  • 2 tbsp Celery, minced
  • 2 tbsp Fresh Parsley, minced
  • ½ lb Lean ground beef
  • ½ lb Lean ground pork
  • 1 tsp Salt, more or less to taste
  • 1/2 tsp Black pepper

For the Vegetables:

  • 1.5 pounds Small Red or Yukon Gold Potatoes
  • 1.5 pound Baby Carrots
  • 1 cup water [See Note 2]

Options for the Meatloaf glaze:

  • Brown gravy
  • Tomato sauce
  • Barbecue Sauce
  • 4 tbsp Ketchup, For glaze [See Note 3]

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl, whisk [paid link] together the milk and egg; add the Panko breadcrumbs and stir to combine; set aside until all the milk has been absorbed.
  • Meanwhile, mince the onion, garlic, carrot, celery, and parsley together.
  • Into the same large bowl, add the ground beef, salt, and black pepper along with the minced onion, garlic, carrot, celery, and parsley and mix together completely.
  • Once combined, form the mixture into a loaf and place on a sheet of aluminum foil making sure the meatloaf fits into your pressure cooker.
  • Fold the sheet of aluminum foil up and around the meatloaf to form a packet.
  • To prevent potatoes from splitting during cooking, pierce with a fork so steam can escape.
  • Add the potatoes and carrots into the bottom of the pressure cooker and add the water. Place an inverted steamer basket, small roasting rack or the steaming rack that may have come with the instant pot [paid link] (affiliate link) onto the vegetables.
  • Place the meatloaf in its aluminum foil packet on top of the rack; be sure to leave room around the edge to allow steam to rise to the top of the pot (to close the pressure valve).
  • Cover with the lid and twist the handle to lock the pressure cooker. Be sure to make sure the pressure release valve is set to sealing.
  • Select Manual and cook at High Pressure for 20 minutes. Allow 15 to 20 minutes for the pot to pressurize before the cook cycle begins.
  • Turn off the pressure cooker off and release the steam valve by quick release being careful of the steam. Once the pot has released the pressure, carefully open the lid.
  • Confirm the meatloaf’s internal temperature is at least 145 degrees F, the center is cooked and the juices run clear.
  • Serve immediately with or without the optional glaze.

Notes

  1. Traditional vs. Instant Pot [paid link]. The time difference for meatloaf cooked in the instant pot [paid link] (11 psi) vs a traditional pressure cooker (15 psi) is nominal. Since the higher pressure cooks faster, if you adapt this for a conventional pressure cooker, shorten your cook time by 2-3 minutes (17-18 minutes cook time).
  2. Water - use 1 cup or the minimum liquid requirement for your machine.
  3. Ketchup Glaze. Nutrition is calculated based on the recipe as written including the potatoes and carrots. The addition or omission of ingredients will alter the nutritional information.
  4. Double the Recipe. To double this you can make two smaller smaller loaves side by side on the rack or create one larger 2-pound meatloaf. If you choose the latter, increase the cook time to 30 minutes on high pressure. When the timer is up you can do a quick release of the steam button. After all the steam has released, carefully remove the lid and check to make sure your meatloaf is done. The internal temperature should be 145 degrees F and the juices should run clear.
  5. Cooking times you see on recipes are usually after the instant pot [paid link] has been pressurized. This is because the time to become pressurized and de-pressurized is not the same for all recipes. Pressurization time depend on the amount of liquid, volume of food in the pot, fat content, and altitude.
    1. I have made a note on the recipe to add an additional 20 minutes for pressurization to occur.
    2. At sea level with a 1.5-pound meatloaf and 3 pounds of vegetables, my instant pot [paid link] took 15 minutes to pressurize.
  6. The manual button is an all-purpose button. Use the manual button if a recipe says to pressure cook on high pressure for a specific number of minutes. Use the “+” and “-” buttons to increase or decrease the cooking time.
    1. Many Instant Pot [paid link] recipes mention the Manual button.  The Manual button was replaced by the Pressure Cook button on newer models of the Instant Pot [paid link].
    2. For the CrockPot Instant Pot [paid link], the manufacturer recommends using the "Beans/Chili" function when using a recipe that calls for “manual” adjustments. This function allows you to adjust the pressure to LOW or HIGH and set cook times from 5 minutes to 2 hours.
Nutrition is calculated based on the recipe as written. Additions, omissions, or substitutions will change the calculated values shown. The addition, omission, or substitution of ingredients will alter the nutritional information shown. Nutrition percentages are based on a 2000-calorie diet. The FDA recommends 80 micrograms of vitamin K.

Nutrition

Serving: 6oz meatloaf plus 1/4 of potatoes and carrotsCalories: 321kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 24gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 117mgSodium: 815mgPotassium: 860mgFiber: 5gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 24945IUVitamin C: 9.7mgCalcium: 92mgIron: 3.7mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

81 thoughts on “Instant Pot Recipe: Pressure Cooker Meatloaf”

    • Mary,
      This recipe is written for the pressure cooker portion of your Crockpot insta.

      When I looked on Amazon, I found someone had asked this same question and this is what the manufacturer suggested: “The Express Crock does not have a manual function setting. However, we recommend using the Beans/Chili function when using a recipe that calls for “manual” adjustments. This function allows you to adjust the pressure to LOW or HIGH and set cook times from 5 minutes to 2 hours. Thank you.”

      Reply
  1. I made this tonight and it turned out great! Everything was cooked perfectly! I did the potatoes in the bottom and the carrots in their own foil pouch. I mashed the potatoes in the IP and made a a quick gravy. Yum!! Such a great weeknight meal!!!

    Reply
    • Hi Tonia,
      You can use a round wire rack or a steamer basket spread open and placed upside down over the potatoes. When you set the meatloaf packet on top, just be sure to leave room around the sides of the IP for the steam to get to the top of the pot.

      Reply
  2. Looks delicious!! Could I do a two pound loaf and double the rest of the ingredients? How much longer do you think i would need to cook it? A one pound meatloaf won’t last long around here!

    Reply
    • Hi Bill,

      In the case of a larger meatloaf, I’d omit cooking the potatoes and carrots at the same time for the risk of them being overcooked. A two-pound meatloaf should only take about 10 minutes more depending on thickness.

      Place the steam rack inside with the handles up. Place the meatloaf on top of the rack. Close and lock the lid; seal the vent. Select high pressure according to manufacturer’s instructions; set timer for 30 minutes. Allow 10 to 15 minutes for the pressure to build. Use quick release. Optional to broil for a couple of minutes for color and caramelization of the sauce you add to tthe top.

      Reply
  3. Just made this today. Delicious! Cooked perfectly … I put my meatloaf under the broiler for 3 minutes with a little bbq sauce on it when it was done .. while that was happening I mashed the potatoes with a little butter right in the pot! YUM!

    Reply
  4. Hi! I just purchased a mini 3 quart Instant Pot and was wondering if I could just halve the cook time and ingredients to fit? Thank you!

    Reply
  5. Hi, I was wondering if plain breadcrumbs could be used with good results. Is there a measurable difference between Panko and other breadcrumbs?

    Reply
  6. I used ground turkey and other ingredients I found in another recipe meant to be cooked in the microwave. I used the carrots from your recipe. My meatloaf came out soggy. Next time I would punch holes in the foil so it could drain and probably omit the carrots.

    Reply
    • Hi Andrea – I can’t speak to the recipe you used or how it came out in the instant pot since the recipe you used is completely different recipe than what was written for this instant pot recipe. Turkey can sometimes contain a lot of water when you cook it and would need some extra binder in the mix – either more eggs or breadcrumbs or both. I did not wind up with a mushy meatloaf and as you can see in my photos, which were from my first trial of the recipe, the meatloaf is held together and very tender. The carrots are meant to keep the meatloaf moist and not necissarily for a crunchy texture. That being said, I’m sorry you didnt care for the carrots in your meatloaf. Also, since I semi folded the foil over my meatloaf, I did not end up with a lot of water inside the foil that needed to be drained but I can see where punching holes in the foil may have some added value to the recipe.

      Reply
  7. I loved this posts! I read your blog fairly often and you’re always coming out with some great stuff!
    Keep up the good work!:)

    Reply
    • Sure – layer the veggies on the bottom and the meatloaf on top (I would use foil to make a tray for it). Then cook on high for 4 hours OR low for 7-8 hours or until veggies are cooked through and meatloaf’s internal temperature is 165 degrees F.

      Reply
  8. Can’t believe that meatloaf came from my Instant Pot. So tender, so juicy – so flavorful! Used BBQ sauce on mine and did corn instead of potatoes. Yumm.

    Reply
  9. I absolutely LOVED this recipe! I wanted to eat the entire meatloaf and all the veggies! I had NO IDEA the pork and hamburger combination would be such a game changer! I did put a small amount of sauce on the top while it cooked (1/3 cup ketchup, 2 Tbs. mustard, 2 Tbs. brown sugar). It also made me so happy not to have to wash 3 pots by steaming it all in my 8Qt IP! So quick and delicious! Thank you for this outstanding recipe!

    Reply
  10. Howdy! I simply would like to offer you a big thumbs up for the great information you’ve got here on this post.
    I will be returning to your website for more soon.

    Reply
    • Hi Julie,
      I have not doubled the recipe myself but the cook time depends on the thickness of the meatloaf. So, if you made two smaller loaves, the time would be the same. However, if you made on super thick loaf it would certainly add some time onto the cooking for the center to be cooked through. Doubling the vegetables would not have the same effect on time & doneness so that they may no longer be able to be cooked together in one pot if only one thick meatloaf was formed instead of two smaller loaves.

      Reply
  11. We had this meatloaf tonight and I added some chopped mushrooms that needed to be used. It was delicious and we certainly will cook this again. So quick to prepare and cook!

    Reply
  12. Tried this out tonight, my first real “recipe” (after eggs, beans, rice). The potatoes cooked well in the 20 minutes of high pressure and then natural release. Unfortunately my 3″ tall meatloaf was underdone – not quite 120 degrees on my thermometer. I ended up microwaving it for several minutes until it got up to temperature (thank you for including that detail!). Might I have done something incorrectly?

    Reply
  13. Tһis is a really great recipe for my instant pot!
    I’ᴠe joined your newsletter and look forward to seekіng more οf your great post.

    Reply
  14. I don’t understand. Your column describes making meatloaf and vegetables in the Instant Pot, but the recipe is for meatloaf that is baked in the oven.

    I would very much like to try the meatloaf in my new Instant Pot. (Meatloaf is not my favorite entree either, but hubby likes it.)

    Reply
    • Hi Cheryl! I accidentally published it before I got it fully edited – so sorry for the confusion. This meatloaf recipe is my favorite – if I had one. this time, I’ve adapted it for my Instant Pot and we thought it was quite tasty. It uses the pot-in-pot method for the instant pot. I used aluminum foil instead of a pot so I could also cook the vegetables along the side. I hope you try it. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and let me know the post had published incorrectly. I appreciate it!

      Reply

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