How to make Instant Pot meatloaf and potatoes at the same time. Easy, one pot, ground beef dinner recipe, served with the best mashed potatoes!
I've mentioned before that my meatloaf recipe with oatmeal is one of my family's favorite meals, especially our oldest son. It's a hearty meal and one that usually leaves us with plenty of leftovers for the next day.
With that in mind, I decided to tweak my recipe just a bit and make it a pressure cooker meatloaf, using my 8-quart Instant Pot.
Not only that, but I thought it might make it even easier if I cooked the potatoes right in the same pot with the meatloaf. One pot meal for the win (well, besides veggies, of course).
Oh my goodness, how flavorful and moist meatloaf is when you pressure cook it. And the potatoes were infused with so much flavor from the meat cooking right above them in the same pot.
I love how simple this recipe really is. Instant Pot meatloaf and mashed potatoes has been added to our list of favorite dinner time recipes.
My crew loves a more classic meatloaf recipe (the one with the sauce) too. Next I want to try my friend Kristy's one-pot Ninja Foodi meatloaf and potatoes.
WHERE CAN I FIND THE ACTUAL RECIPE CARD?
If you’d rather skip all of my cooking tips, important cooking info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the Instant Pot meatloaf recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card.
INGREDIENTS YOU'LL NEED:
- Ground beef
- Large eggs
- Yellow onion
- Ketchup
- BBQ sauce
- Oatmeal – We'll talk about which kind of oats below.
- Seasoned salt
- Fresh potatoes
- Water
- Salted butter
- Heavy whipping cream (or whole milk)
- Salt and pepper
Remember, all of the ingredient amounts you’ll need are in the printable recipe card below.
KITCHEN TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT YOU'LL NEED:
Large mixing bowl – This makes it easy to just dump in all the ingredients and start mixing.
Round 7-inch springform pan – Or a similar pan that will fit down into your Instant Pot.
8-Quart Instant Pot and Trivet
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HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT MEATLOAF AND POTATOES
Start by prepping your ingredients, and also be sure to grease the inside of your springform pan (I use a 7-inch springform pan) with cooking spray.
HOW TO MIX AND SHAPE MEATLOAF:
- Add the ground beef, eggs, minced onion, ketchup, BBQ sauce, and seasoned salt to a large mixing bowl. Mix well using a large fork.
- Add the oatmeal in and mix well. You can use the fork or just dig in with your hands, which is sometimes easier.
- Once everything’s been mixed together well, transfer the meat mixture to the greased springform pan, forming and shaping the meat into the round pan.
- Drizzle the top with ketchup.
COOKING MEATLOAF IN THE INSTANT POT:
- Add the potatoes and water to the bottom of the Instant Pot.
- Place the trivet in the Instant Pot next.
- Then place the meatloaf on top of the trivet.
- Secure the lid in place and close the valve on your Instant Pot. Select Manual or Pressure Cook, and set to cook for 30 minutes.
When your meatloaf is done (a meat thermometer is definitely something I recommend to make sure the meat has come to temp and is fully cooked), just allow the Instant Pot to do a natural release.
Then once you've carefully removed the meatloaf and trivet from the Instant Pot, you can mash the potatoes right in the pot.
Just drain the water off the potatoes, and place the Instant Pot on “Keep Warm.” Add the butter, whipping cream, salt, and pepper to the potatoes, and mash with an immersion blender or hand mixer.
And that's it! All you need is a good vegetable to serve with your main course.
SHOULD I COVER MY MEATLOAF WHILE COOKING?
While you can cover the meatloaf with aluminum foil, it's really not necessary. In fact, that might take away from the flavors you'll get by cooking everything in one pot.
HANDY TIP FOR REMOVING THE MEATLOAF FROM THE INSTANT POT
One question that comes up is whether or not you can use aluminum foil in the Instant Pot. While there's no need to cover your meatloaf, you can use foil to create a sort of sling or lifter for your pan.
Just tear off a large piece of foil that will fit all the way around your pan, along with maybe 6 to 8 extra inches. Then fold the foil into a long strip (maybe 3-4 inches wide), and place that strip under the pan, bringing the excess ends of the strip up over each side of the pan to act as lifting handles.
This way it's easy to remove the hot pan from the pressure cooker once your meatloaf is cooked and ready to serve.
WHAT IS THE BEST GROUND BEEF FOR MEATLOAF?
We prefer to use 90/10 ground beef when we're mixing up a meatloaf. In fact, we use 90/10 for pretty much everything.
Our reasons are that it's leaner, there's less fat, and there will be less grease around your meatloaf.
Don't worry about flavor… You'll still get really good flavor from a leaner ground beef. And you'll also be eating a bit healthier, as well.
Note: You can use ground turkey for this recipe in place of ground beef. However, it will change the look, texture, and flavor of your finished meatloaf.
CAN YOU SUBSTITUTE OLD-FASHIONED OATS FOR QUICK OATS?
Yes, you can. I've used both old-fashioned oats and quick oats for this meatloaf.
I've even used gluten-free quick oats more recently, so if you want a gluten-free meatloaf, this is the way to go (although you should also check ingredient labels on your other ingredients just to be safe).
WHAT GOES GOOD WITH MEATLOAF AND MASHED POTATOES?
You can serve meatloaf with sides like Instant Pot green beans, corn on the cob, honey glazed carrots, or a good broccoli cauliflower salad.
MORE FAVORITE MEAT LOVERS' RECIPES:
- Easy Oatmeal Meatloaf Recipe (oven baked)
- Low Carb Meatloaf
- The Ultimate Bacon Cheeseburger
- Baked Italian Cauliflower Meatballs
GET THE PRINTABLE RECIPE
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2-in-1 Instant Pot Meatloaf and Potatoes
Equipment
- Fayy 7 Inch Springform Pan Compatible for Instant Pot Accessories and Pressure Cooker 6, 8 Quart
- Instant Pot DUO80 8 Qt 7-in-1 Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Sauté, Yogurt Maker and Warmer
- Stainless Steel Steaming Rack Stand Cooking Ware Steamer Rack Trivet for Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 large yellow onion minced
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup bbq sauce
- 1 1/2 cups oatmeal*
- 1 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt
- 4 tablespoons ketchup for top of meatloaf
- 4 to 6 medium potatoes
- 1 cup water
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream**
- 1 teaspoon salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Grease the inside of your springform pan (I use a 7-inch springform pan) with cooking spray.
- Add the ground beef, eggs, minced onion, ketchup, bbq sauce, and seasoned salt to a large mixing bowl. Mix well using a large fork.
- Add the oatmeal in and mix well. You can use the fork or just dig in with your hands, which is sometimes easier.
- Once everything’s been mixed together well, transfer the meat mixture to the greased springform pan, forming and shaping the meat into the round pan.
- Drizzle the top with ketchup.
- Add the potatoes and water to the bottom of the Instant Pot.
- Place the trivet in the Instant Pot next.
- Then place the meatloaf on top of the trivet.
- Secure the lid in place and close the valve on your Instant Pot. Select Manual or Pressure Cook, and set to cook for 30 minutes.
- When your meatloaf is done (a meat thermometer is definitely something I recommend to make sure the meat has come to temp and is fully cooked), just allow the Instant Pot to do a natural release.
- Then once you've carefully removed the meatloaf and trivet from the Instant Pot, you can mash the potatoes right in the pot. Just drain the water off the potatoes, and place the Instant Pot on “Keep Warm.”
- Add the butter, whipping cream, salt, and pepper to the potatoes, and mash with an immersion blender or hand mixer.
- And that's it! All you need is a good vegetable to serve with your main course.
Can this recipe be doubled, as in “more meat”? 1-1/2 lb. won’t go far in this family. And the cooking time is still 25 minutes? I have 2 of the older stovetop pressure cookers and I’ve noticed that the quantity of meat does not change the cooking time. Its the pressure. Once it comes up to pressure you can cook 2 lbs. or 10 lbs. in the same amount of time.
I have made this two times in the last two weeks. Before that I have only made meatloaf one time in five years. My husband rants and raves about this meatloaf. I love how a little bit of the fat from the meatloaf made the potatoes taste better. There was a little bit of orange in the water which I am sure came from the fat/bbq/and ketchup mixing together. If that sounds unhealthy to anyone, realize that you are pouring the water off and just a little bit remains, enough to make the potatoes taste better.
The only changes I make is I use 1/2 pound of ground turkey and a pound of ground beef. I also used one cup of oats, and for the other 1/2 cup I crush up saltine crackers or Ritz crackers. I poured about 3 tablespoons of water on the cracker crumbs to make them moist which helps to make the meatloaf nice and moist. I also added about 2 tablespoons of unsweetened applesauce, again to make it moist since the turkey can be on the drier side than ground beef. I think I would add the milk to the cracker crumbs either way.
I just made a side of broccoli and cauliflower w carrots in the microwave. I also served this with beets (pickled beets ? – the kind you find in the refrigerated section. My husband said this was the BEST combination. He said something about the beets and potatoes going together.
I LOVE this recipe because you get two dishes in no time at all. The fact I can scrub the potatoes real good, cut them and toss them in the bottom in just 3-4 minutes makes it so easy. I hardly ever used to make mashed potatoes before because I had to stand there and watch them to make sure they did not boil over, or cook too long. Plus as mentioned above the flavor of the meatloaf make them have a little something extra special.
Husband does not do much in the kitchen, but he will get the ingredients for this meatloaf out for me, measure them, and put them in the bowl. He will wash/peel/cut the potatoes for me if we are in a time crunch, which means I mix up the meatloaf, drop it in, and start the instant pot.
It is so easy, dinner practically makes itself ! This recipe is a keeper !
Thank you so much for the feedback, Carol! This recipe is one of our favorites. My oldest son asks for it every week.
Could I use beef broth instead of the water and then use that broth to make gravy? Gotta have me some gravy with mashed potatoes.
Tami, this would probably work great, although I would expect it to somewhat alter the flavor of the meatloaf. Make sure to report back the results!
Will this work if you only have the 6 quart Instant Pot?
Michelle, yes, it will work.
Thank you for the great detail, and walking readers through the steps! I’m new to the Instant Pot and found this very helpful. This will be on the menu for this weekend. Diane
Diane, you’re very welcome. Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy.