One of the easiest and tastiest meatball recipes you’ll ever try! These crockpot meatballs are full of so much flavor, and perfect for parties. Best of all, they only require 5 minutes of prep work!
Meatballs make the perfect appetizer for parties, showers, and large gatherings! If you like this recipe, you’ll love these other flavors: grape jelly meatballs, sweet and sour meatballs, and buffalo chicken meatballs.
best crockpot meatballs – perfect for parties
Who here loves MEATBALLS?
We recently had some at a New Years party that smelled so stinkin’ delicious I knew I had to give them a try. I did… and I fell in love with these crockpot meatballs! I got the recipe and have made it several times since. Frozen meatballs work perfectly for this, but if you want to try homemade meatballs, you can try our recipe HERE.
My husband is especially fond of the recipe and has requested it a few times since that New Years get together, and I’m glad he does because they are so good! We have really tried to be better about picking easy and delicious recipes when we are entertaining because we know so much work goes into prepping for an event – cleaning, cooking, etc.
We think these are the best because they get rave reviews and they are so easy to throw together! Two thumbs up for simple and quick, especially when you’re running around getting ready for a party! ;D
Simple Ingredients
One of the main ingredients for these slow cooker meatballs is JELLY. We used a red currant jelly, but other jellies work well too. The other ingredients needed for this recipe, include:
- ketchup
- chili sauce
- lemon juice
- brown sugar
- water
- ginger
You may think jelly would be weird with meatballs, but the combination of it with the above ingredients and meatballs, is more savory than sweet and oh-so delicious!
How to Make Crockpot MeatballS:
The best part of this recipe you literally dump everything in the crock pot and let it cook. It only takes 5 minutes of work! I’m all about the dump and go recipes. 🙂 Here is what you’ll need to do to make this crockpot meatball recipe.
- Place brown sugar, chili sauce, jelly, ketchup, ginger, cold water and lemon juice in your crock pot.
- Add frozen meatballs and stir so meatballs are coated in sauce.
- Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 6-8 hours.
And that’s it! AMAZING, right?!
slow cooker meatball Flavor variations
There are so many ways to change up these slow cooker meatballs, but here are a few ways to do it:
- a dab of mustard and a dash of liquid smoke
- Replace meatballs with little smokies
- Add cayenne for a little heat
Tips and FAQ for slow cooker meatballs
Do you have to use red currant jelly for this recipe? No, you can use grape jelly or apple jelly. The red currant jelly isn’t always available at the stores, but if you can find it, it’s the one we like most for this recipe.
How to store meatballs? If you happen to leftovers, allow the meatballs to cool and store in an airtight container. They’ll keep in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months.
How do I reheat meatballs? The easiest way is in the microwave. However, the oven works well and keeps the flavor and texture. Bake at 350 degree F for 8-10 min.
Here are some more meatball recipes we love:
- Barbecue Pineapple Meatballs
- Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
- Asian Meatballs
- Swedish Meatballs
- Sweet and Sour Meatballs
- Meatball Bombs
Crockpot Meatball Recipe
These crockpot meatballs are full of so much flavor, and perfect for parties. Best of all, they only require 5 minutes of prep work!
Ingredients
- 28-32 oz bag frozen meatballs
- 1 c brown sugar
- 1 c chili sauce
- 10 oz jar red currant jelly (can also use grape or huckleberry jelly)
- 14 oz bottle ketchup
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1 1/2 c cold water
- 2 lemons, juice of
Instructions
Place brown sugar, chili sauce, jelly, ketchup, ginger, cold water and lemon juice in your crock pot.
Add frozen meatballs and stir so meatballs are coated in sauce.
Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 6-8 hours. ENJOY!
Recipe Notes
Half the recipe if using a smaller bag of meatballs.
Hey Kristyn these look yummy and so easy. Now these aren’t Swedish meatballs are they? I wasn’t sure!! But regardless I will be making them!! Thanks as usual for all your yum recipes!!
These are just regular frozen meatballs, but any kind will work:) They are super yummy and yes, very easy to make! Hope yo like them as much as we did!!
Do you think i could make my own meatballs freeze them & finish them with your sauce & crockpot them ? Would this work ?
I haven’t tried that, but I don’t see why not:) I’m sure homemade meatballs would be delicious! Good luck!!
Hi Kristyn,
Looks yummy, but my only question would be is how spicy is this considering the chili sauce in the ingredients as we don’t handle spicy too well in this family?
Cheers,
John
They weren’t too spicy. You can always add a little less chili sauce or maybe a little more ketchup. Hope you give them a try!! Thanks for stopping by!
Podria decirme el peso de la bolsa de albondigas
Gracias
No puedo recordar el tamano exacto, pero es una gran bolsa. Creo que la bolsa mas grande es de 60 onzas, asi que tal vez la bolsa que utilice fue cerca de 30 onzas. Espero que ayude!! Gracias!!
These look so good but, how large is a large bag, ounces or pounds?
It is a 20 ounce bag, but I believe they have a bigger bag, too. I hope that helps! Good luck!
These look soooo good. My grandmother used to make the most amazing swedish meatballs and I have been looking for something similar for quite some time. I can’t wait to give this one a try 🙂
Yay..I hope it’s similar!
these meatballs were amazing! they were so easy to make & had great flavor. my family enjoyed them! I served them as an appetizer at a family gathering & they were gone in minutes!
I’ve am eager to make this over recipe the holidays. Do you use fresh ginger or ground?
I used ground ginger 🙂 Hope you like them!
These are the perfect appetizer! I make these for any and every occasion.
These meatballs taste amazing! They had so much flavor. We had them over the holidays & my family loved them! They can’t wait to eat them again!
My husband loves meatball appetizers. These did not Dissapoint and weRe so easy to Make in the crockpot.
Nothing like a delicious meatball and these look beyond perfect!
Thank you so much 🙂
Been making this recipe for years. SO GOOD!!!
I love how easy this is to make! Thank you so much for the sharing!!
I am loving these flavors! I love how easy this is!
Cant beat a recipe thats easy and flavorful! You literally dump everything into a crocKpot and run. You’ll love this recipe.
on the menu for super bowl sunday!! We love Meatballs!! Great recipe. Thanks!!
These make the perfect tasty appetizer!
Made these for the family tonight and they were yummy! Big hit 🙂
Yay!! I am glad to hear that! Thank you so much!
INTERESTING METHOD I’LL TRY IT FOR SURE. THANK YOU FOR RECIPE. 🙂
You are so welcome! Enjoy!!
If I were using the little Smokies instead of the meatballs, like in your suggested variations, how many packs would I use and keep the ingredients the same?
I would use as packs that make it close to the 28 ounces. Really no wrong answer 🙂 Hope you like them!