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Our favorite sweet and savory crockpot meatballs are prepped in only 5 minutes for the perfect no-fuss party appetizer!
Who here loves MEATBALLS?
We do!! We first had these crockpot meatballs at a New Year’s party decades ago and now we make this sweet and spicy appetizer ALL of the time! The best part is that you literally dump everything in the crock pot and let it cook – only 5 minutes of work!
Frozen meatballs keep it extra simple. We store a few bags in our freezer so we can make these anytime we decide to host a party, need something for a potluck, or just want some meatballs!
If you like these crockpot meatballs, you’ll love Grape Jelly Meatballs, Sweet and Sour Meatballs, and Buffalo Chicken Meatballs.
WHY WE LOVE IT:
- Favorite app. Meatballs make the perfect crockpot appetizer for parties, showers, and large gatherings!
- Taste amazing. They get rave reviews and the entire crock pot is always empty by the end of the event.
- Just dump and cook! Two thumbs up for simple and quick to throw together, especially when you’re running around getting ready for a party!
Ingredients
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOK TIME: 4 hours
- 1 (14-ounce) bottle ketchup
- 1½ cups cold water
- 1 cup brown sugar – light or dark brown sugar
- 1 cup chili sauce
- 1 cup red currant jelly – or huckleberry jam, grape jelly, or apple jelly
- juice from 2 lemons – about 5 tablespoons, or bottled lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 (32-ounce) bag frozen meatballs – Use pork, chicken, or turkey meatballs. If using homemade Easy Meatball Recipe, lightly brown in a skillet with oil before adding them to the crockpot.
- optional flavor additions – Add a dab of mustard and a dash of liquid smoke. Add cayenne or red pepper flakes for a little heat.
How to Make CrockPot Meatballs
- COMBINE. Place 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup chili sauce, 1 cup jelly, 14 ounces ketchup, ½ teaspoon ginger, 1½ cups cold water, and lemon juice from 2 lemons in your crock pot. Add 32 ounces of frozen meatballs and stir to coat.
- HEAT. Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 6-8 hours. Turn the setting to warm for up to 4 hours.
PRO TIP: How Many to MAke?
- Appetizer or hors d’oeuvre: 3 per guest
- Main dish: 6-8 per guest
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Crockpot Meatballs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 (14-ounce) bottle ketchup
- 1½ cups cold water
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 cup chili sauce
- 1 cup red currant jelly, or grape or huckleberry jelly
- juice of 2 lemons
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 (32-ounce) bag frozen meatballs
Instructions
- Combine ketchup, cold water, brown sugar, chili sauce, jelly, lemon juice, and ginger in your slow cooker. Add frozen meatballs and stir to coat.
- Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6–8 hours. Turn the setting to warm for up to 4 hours.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months.
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!
These are the perfect appetizer! I make these for any and every occasion.
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 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!
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 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!
Can I make them, then refrigerate and reheat in crockpot?
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!!
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!
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!!
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!!