Slow Cooker Cocktail Meatballs
These are the ultimate party meatballs. Make-ahead, freezer-friendly and so effortlessly made right in the crockpot! EASY!
I could not be more excited about Christmas. Not because of the the ugly Christmas sweaters. Or the presents. But because of this.
This glorious pot of slow cooked turkey meatballs, smothered in a heavenly cranberry BBQ maple sauce. You can serve this over rice and veggies, or simply as an hors d’oeuvre at your next holiday party with some fancy toothpicks.
The ingredient list is also super short if you decide to use pre-packaged frozen meatballs. I used homemade frozen meatballs I had previously made before, which becomes a real time-saver here.
But as always, you can use your favorite kind of meatballs because the true star is that BBQ sauce – it’s perfectly sweet, savory and smoky.
See, even the baby corgs can’t resist!
Slow Cooker Cocktail Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 cup cranberry sauce, homemade or store-bought
- ½ cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 32-ounce package frozen, fully cooked, meatballs,
homemade or store-bought - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together cranberry sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, Dijon, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire and cinnamon; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Place meatballs into a 3-qt slow cooker. Stir in cranberry mixture.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 3-4 hours, or until bubbly and the meatballs are heated through.
- Serve immediately, garnished with chives, if desired.
Did you make this recipe?
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Thought this would be sickeningly sweet, but my wife wanted to give it a go. Amazingly tasty (although I did leave out the brown sugar). Used some store-bought beef/pork meatballs, and basic jellied cranberry sauce. Possibly could back off the Dijon slightly, but I like the note it brings along. Definitely can see why the high rating.
Can I double this recipe and use a large crockpot? Is the cooking time the same? Thank you!
I’d like to try, but without the mustard. These should still be good if I skip that step, huh?
Anyone know what the cooking time will be if I double the recipe?
I just whipped this sauce up on a cold and dreary NY day. I substituted cranberries for marmalade, and used honey in place of brown sugar (that was rock solid in my cupboard). Next time, I’d cut back a bit on ketsup, but this sauce is fantastic to pour over precooked (in my oven) meatballs. I use your recipes ALL the time!
Can I make the sauce ahead of time and freeze it with the cooked meatballs? So then all I have to do is thaw everything together and throw it in the crockpot?
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself. Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
I used jellied cranberry sauce bc that’s all they had. Hope that’s ok!!
Thank you for this recipe. They were absolutely AMAZING!!!!! I did everything except the cinnamon bc I didn’t have any and also no chives. My family LOVED them.
Hi! If want to do half the the amount of meatballs, do I half the whole recipe or keep it all the same?
Thank you!
You can halve the entire recipe.
I made these for a New Year’s Eve party last month. I was a bit skeptical because I do not like cranberries, but they were delicious! I used frozen meatballs, didn’t want to bother with real ones. Definitely will be using this recipe again.
Hi! I’m going to make these for a party this weekend. Do I defrost the meatballs or stick them right into the crockpot frozen?
You can stick them right in! 🙂
Question: Can I substitute something for the maple syrup? I live in bush Alaska, so it’s kind of difficult to get ingredients on short notice, and I’m looking to make this for a potluck tomorrow.
I have butter-flavored pancake syrup, light Karo syrup, honey, and molasses–do you think one of those would work?
Thank you!
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Can I follow this recipe with non frozen fresh meatballs and out in the crockpot as instructed when using frozen meatballs. Do I brown them first and than put them in crockpot for how long since they are not frozen. Thank you
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Are these super sweet? I’m looking for something moderately sweet.
This is moderately sweet.
Hi,
I made these mini cocktail meatballs for Thanksgiving and they were damn delicious! Super easy! I made the sauce the night before, then on Thanksgiving morning I just put my frozen meatballs in a crockpot, added the sauce and forgot about it while we prepared everything else. Thank you for a great easy recipe.
Very easy. Very well liked. Will definitely make again. A bonus that it doesn’t take up a space on the stove or in the oven.
I keep finding things that I want to try so I keep pressing PRINT because everything you make looks amazing. Thank you for sharing with us, you should have a cook book or link to add favorites to a file to print together (:
Do what I do and save everything that interests you to Pinterest!
Hi! Wondering if I am making the meatballs the same day, can I just throw the not-precooked meatballs in the crockpot with the sauce? Do I need to cook them separately first?
Thanks!
I recommend cooking the meatballs first.
Question. first have to say your recipes have changed my life! love them. anyway if I’m making homemade meatballs, do I have to cook them before I freeze them? it seems like added work.
Yes, I recommend cooking first, then freezing.
I adapted this from party food into a dinner! For 4, I browned 16 raw meatballs in a skillet, added 1/4 of your sauce recipe, added a splash of water to loosen the sauce a bit, and simmered until cooked through. Then I stirred in cooked spaghetti noodles. Yum yum–we all loved it!