Instant Pot Kofta Meatballs

Instant Pot Kofta Meatballs Pressure cooking is a quick way to get tender meatballs, and these Kofta meatballs have a fantastic flavor profile from the Middle East. Mix the meatballs and pressure cook for 15 minutes with a natural release, and you have a great side dish or dinner.

Jump to:

• What is Kofta
• Ingredients
• How to make Instant Pot Kofta
• Substitutions
• Why add baking soda to meatballs?
• Why add gelatin to meatballs?
• Shaping Kofta meatballs
• What to serve with Kofta Meatballs
• Storing Kofta meatballs
• Instant Pot Kofta Meatballs
• Related Posts
• 💬 Comments

This recipe was a challenge from reader Sigrid. When I updated my Grilled Kofta Kebab recipe a few weeks ago, they asked, "Can I do this in my Instant Pot"? Yes, you can!

What is Kofta

Kofta is a mix of ground meat and spices, usually formed into a meatball or meatloaf. It is widely popular - from the shores of the Eastern Mediterranean, through the Middle East, to the coast of the Indian Ocean, there are many different varieties of Kofta. My recipe is inspired by the Kofta from my local Lebanese restaurants.

Ingredients

• 1.5 pounds 80/20 ground beef
• 1 small onion, grated or finely minced
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1.5 teaspoons fine sea salt (or 2 teaspoons kosher salt)
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda (optional)
• 1 packet (about 2 ½ teaspoons) unflavored gelatin (optional)
• 1 cup water (or beef broth or chicken broth)

How to make Instant Pot Kofta

Shape the meatballs

Put the ground beef in a large bowl. Sprinkle the grated onion, garlic, sea salt, ground pepper, paprika, red pepper flakes, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, and (optional) baking soda and (optional) gelatin over the meat. Work the ingredients into the beef. Once everything is evenly mixed, form the beef mix into 12 golf-ball-sized meatballs, each about 2 inches in diameter.

Meatballs in the pot

Add the meatballs to the pot, trying for a single layer. (I occasionally end up with one that has to sit on top of the others.) Pour the water (or broth) over the meatballs.

Pressure Cook for 15 minutes with a Natural Release

Lock the lid and pressure cook at high pressure for 15 minutes (Use "Manual" or "Pressure Cook" mode in an Instant Pot) or for 13 minutes if using a stovetop pressure cooker. Let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 minutes. (If you're in a hurry, let the pressure come down for 15 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure.)

Serve

Scoop the meatballs out of the pot with a slotted spoon. Serve and enjoy!

Substitutions

• Lamb and Beef: I usually make beef meatballs because beef is easy to find at my local grocery store. But ground lamb is also great in this recipe, or have the best of both with a 50/50 mix of ground beef and lamb.
• Lean beef: The leaner the beef, the dryer the meatballs; that's why I recommend the 80/20 beef in the recipe. That said, you can use leaner beef, and the meatballs will still be good, especially if you include the optional gelatin in the recipe.
• Other meat: You could make these meatballs with almost any ground meat; ground turkey will also work, as would ground pork - but pork would not be used in the Middle Eastern version of this recipe for religious reasons.

Why add baking soda to meatballs?

Adding baking soda to meatballs helps them brown, especially in a pressure cooker recipe like this. The geeky food science explanation is that baking soda increases the meat's pH, lowering the browning temperature. So, you get browned meatballs out of the pressure cooker without the pesky browning step. You can skip the baking soda, and you'll still get great meatballs.

Why add gelatin to meatballs?

This is a trick I learned from Kenji Alt: If you add a packet of unflavored gelatin to meatballs, they become even moister and juicy. You can skip this if you want, and the meatballs will still be fantastic, but they are even juicier with the added gelatin.

Shaping Kofta meatballs

A quick way to shape meatballs is with a cookie scoop. My large cookie scoop makes 2-inch diameter meatballs, the size I want for this recipe.

What to serve with Kofta Meatballs

I love a mezze platter at my local Lebanese restaurant, so I try to duplicate that here. I'll serve these meatballs with hummus, pita bread, a Mediterranean salad, or tabbouleh. You can also make shawarma by wrapping these meatballs in pita bread with your favorite ingredients.

Storing Kofta meatballs

If you want to make the meatballs ahead and freeze them, they still come out great; just add 5 minutes to the pressure cooking time—20 minutes at high pressure. I usually make a double batch and freeze the second batch for later.

Leftover cooked meatballs can be stored in an airtight container for a few days or frozen for a few months, and they taste great even after reheating.

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