The modern American meatloaf — made with raw meat — became an established meal in the 1950s. It was usually paired with mashed potatoes, gravy and canned green beans. Cooking meatloaf in a pressure cooker cuts the time in half, and the result tastes the same as oven-baked. Cooking meatloaf in a pressure cooker can provide your family with a nutritious meal quickly.

Things You'll Need

Combine all ingredients. Shape into a loaf. Smother with ketchup.

Apply cooking spray to the bottom of the pressure cooker. Place meatloaf in the pressure cooker and brown for two minutes on high heat. Flip and repeat for the other side.

Add a cup of water. Close the pressure cooker, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Set the cooker to 15 pounds pressure, or turn the stove to high heat until the gauge starts to vibrate. Then, turn it down to medium. The gauge should make a consistent noise. If it gets erratic, reduce the heat and/or briefly remove from stove. Cook for 15 minutes.

Remove the pressure cooker from the heat and wait about 15 minutes for it to cool. To be safe, run tap water over the lid and under the bottom of the cooker. If you do not hear hissing noises, nudge the gauge to make sure no steam is escaping. Open the pressure cooker according to the manufacturer’s instructions, keeping your face away from the cooker. Use a potholder to remove the lid. Extract meatloaf. Serve.


  • You can cook more than one meatloaf, depending on the size of the pressure cooker. Add another ten minutes for each additional r meatloaf.

  • Cooking in a pressure cooker will not keep the meatloaf form falling apart. Use binders such as eggs and breadcrumbs to keep the meatloaf together.

  • You can use stock instead of water in the pressure cooker. Stock adds more flavor.

  • You can use the pressure cooker’s rack or not. The rack gets the meatloaf off the bottom of the cooker.