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The easiest party appetizer on the planet is also the most delicious. Crockpot Meatballs with Grape Jelly Sauce is a lifesaver for hungry crowds and cocktail parties, so make a double batch!
To those who’ve never tasted the miracle of crockpot meatballs, the ingredients might sound unusual, but trust the recipe and the generations of hostesses who adore it. Plain old-fashioned grape jelly and Heinz chili sauce are the secret to tangy, smoky, unstoppable meatballs.
All you have to do is throw everything together and turn on the slow cooker. If you’re using frozen meatballs, add them to the crockpot right out of the freezer. And if you’re making your own, (bless you) there’s a great recipe down below for you to follow.
Table of Contents
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
The all important sauce:
The two ingredients for this genius meatball sauce are super easy to find in most grocery stores.
- Chili sauce. Heinz chili sauce is what you want for this recipe. It’s not spicy, and in fact there’s not much difference between ketchup and chili sauce. You can also use sweet chili sauce, in a pinch.
If you don’t have it or can’t find chili sauce, use ketchup with a little chili powder, or use your favorite tomato-based barbecue sauce for meatballs. - Grape jelly. Smuckers, Welch’s, or generic jam or jelly is ideal. If you’re in a country where grape jelly isn’t readily available, look for some kind of fruit jam that has a smooth consistency that will melt down and sweeten the meatballs.
Let’s talk meatballs:
The real truth of the matter is this: frozen meatballs work just as fabulously as from scratch in this recipe. No judgement. However, making homemade meatballs is a great option, especially if you’re trying to avoid processed food. You can also keep things lean and try this recipe with turkey meatballs.
If you’re looking for the best frozen meatball to buy, well, maybe it’s time to do some taste testing. Costco, Farm Rich, Pineland Farms, or Trader Joe’s sells bags of frozen meatballs that taste pretty darn good, according to the reviews. Stow a couple extra bags in the freezer when you’re short on dinner ideas; meatballs always come in handy.
How to make homemade meatballs:
- In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, ground pork, bread crumbs, onion, milk, Worcestershire, and egg. Then add the salt and pepper. A big wooden spoon or spatula does the trick, but you can use your hands, too.
- Then roll the meatballs by hand into 1-inch balls. The goal is to make them bite-sized, but they will shrink a little when they cook.
- You need to cook the meatballs before adding them to the crockpot. You can do this by pan-frying them or baking them in the oven.
To fry the meatballs, heat some vegetable shortening in a large shallow skillet over medium-high heat.
Fry the meatballs in batches, being careful not to crowd them. This should take about 5 to 7 minutes per batch; they should be browned on all sides. Double-check their internal temperature before removing them from the pan; they should be 165 degrees on the inside when a food thermometer is inserted inside the meatball.
Baking meatballs is easy and requires less stove time. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
First, line a rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment. Set a baking rack over the sheet pan and arrange the meatballs on the rack.
Bake the meatballs until they’re browned and have crispy edges—about 20 minutes. Use a thermometer to double-check their internal temperature before removing them from the pan; the thermometer should read 165 degrees for 15 seconds.
How to make Grape Jelly Meatballs
- Once you browned all the meatballs you made, add them to the crockpot with a jar of chili sauce and a jar of grape jelly. Give everything a gentle stir. If you’re using frozen meatballs, just add the frozen meatballs directly to the crockpot. There is no need to thaw them out beforehand. That’s it!
- Cover the crockpot and cook on LOW for 4 to 6 hours, or HIGH for 2 to 3 hours. The sauce should be hot.
How to make Sweet Meatballs on the stove
Cooking up some stovetop meatballs is easy, too! Add the meatballs to a saucepan that’s large enough to accommodate everything. Stir in the chili sauce and grape jelly. Cover the pot and simmer over medium heat until the sauce is hot, about 10 minutes.
Make ahead crockpot meatballs:
If you just want to make the meatballs the night before, you can make these easy Crockpot Meatballs ahead, too! Just reheat them on the stove and transfer them to a slow cooker to keep warm.
Slow Cooker Meatball Variations:
- Cranberry sauce. Some meatball devotées use canned cranberry sauce (yes, the smooth type!) in their party meatballs. It ups the tangy factor a little and tastes just as good.
- Grape jelly and BBQ sauce. Barbecue sauce is a great substitute for chili sauce. Instead of chili sauce, your favorite tomato-based barbecue sauce gives a little extra smoky taste to every bite.
- Meatballs with grape jelly and mustard. Basic yellow mustard and grape jelly, which some people use as baked ham sauce, is pretty wonderful on crockpot meatballs.
- Swedish meatballs. The Best Swedish Meatballs are delicious, creamy sauce and all.
- Other fruit jelly for meatballs. Some cooks like using apple jelly or even elderberry jelly as a grape jelly substitute. That’s fine! They will be delicious with either.
Freezing meatballs:
To make meatballs from scratch and freeze for later, let the cooked meatballs cool completely before putting them in the freezer.
Once cool, arrange the meatballs on a sheet tray and pop the tray in the freezer. When the meatballs are frozen solid in a few hours, you can transfer the meatballs to a freezer-safe bag and store them.
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Sweet Meatballs
Equipment
- Slow cooker (I use the Crock-Pot 6-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker, which recently got an upgraded look!)
Ingredients
- 1 (32 ounce) bag frozen fully-cooked meatballs (see notes to make meatballs from scratch)
- 12 ounces chili sauce
- 10 ounces grape jelly
Instructions
To sauce the meatballs in a slow cooker:
- Add frozen meatballs to crockpot. Add chili sauce and grape jelly. Cover and cook for 2 to 3 hours on HIGH or 4 to 6 hours on LOW, until the sauce is hot. Serve directly from the crockpot with a serving spoon or toothpicks, or transfer to a serving dish.
To sauce the meatballs on the stovetop:
- Add meatballs to saucepan. Add chili sauce and grape jelly. Cover and simmer over medium heat until the sauce is hot, about 10 minutes.
Recipe Video
Notes
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- 2/3 cup finely minced onion
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening (for frying the meatballs)
- In a large bowl, combine beef, pork, bread crumbs, onion, milk, egg, Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper.
- Using a strong spatula or your hands (I like to wear latex gloves), mix well. Shape the mixture into 1-inch balls (you should have around 48 total).
- Heat vegetable shortening in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the meatballs in batches until browned on all sides and the meatballs are cooked, about 5 to 7 minutes per batch (an internal thermometer should read 165 degrees for 15 seconds). Add more shortening between batches if the skillet looks dry.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and set a rack on top. Arrange meatballs on rack and bake until browned with crispy edges, about 20 minutes (an internal thermometer should read 165 degrees for 15 seconds).
Additional notes:
- Sweet chili sauce or barbecue sauce may be substituted for regular chili sauce. The flavor will be a little different but still delicious!
- Adapted from “Appetizer Meat Balls” in the Calico Capers Go To Cookbook.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Any suggestions on how to use the leftover sauce?? The meatballs are always gobbled up, no problem. But there’s always a lot of sauce left and it seems so wasteful to just pour it down the drain. ๐
Thanks much!
Hi Deborah, I think the sauce would be great over some steamed vegetables and rice. Just make sure to reheat the sauce to 165 degrees. – Meggan
I’m going make and bake the meatballs, but is the directions after it comes out oven the same, put in crockpot for 2 to 3 hours on low?
Thank you!
Hi Vee, you’ll want to do 2 to 3 hours on high after baking the meatballs. – Meggan
Can this recipe be doubled in a larger crockpot?
Hi Tanya, yes! It doubles well! – Meggan
Is there a substitute for the can of beer in the turkey sandwich recipe?
Hi Carol, you can use chicken, turkey, or vegetable broth. Hope you love it! – Meggan
Whenever I go to a potluck I make cocktail sausages cooked in mustard and grape jelly in my crockpot. It’s so fast and easy and no mess to clean. They go fast and I never have leftovers.
I can’t wait to try your turkey meatball recipe. I’ve been missing meatballs since I stopped eating beef.
Hope you love them! Thanks for sharing. Take care! – Meggan