Delicious Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Name: Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 4 h
Total time: 4 h 5 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 1 pound meatballs; 6 ounces chili sauce; 6 ounces Grape Jelly; 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce; 1 teaspoon Pepper; 1 teaspoon Chili Powder

January 30, 2018

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This recipe for Sweet and Sour Meatballs in the slow cooker is an incredibly easy meatball recipe that is always a big hit!! They make the perfect game day appetizer, easy dinner idea over rice or holiday party food!

Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Meatballs are easy and delicious!

My favorite recipes are ones that require less than 10 minutes of prep work, like these slow cooker Sweet and Sour Meatballs!

We routinely add them to our party menus because they are easy to make and gone by the end of the night.

Easy and tasty are my two main criteria for making appetizers for the upcoming holidays and game days.

We have also made them for just ourselves for an easy dinner idea. When we do so, I normally serve them alongside brown rice and a salad.

With only a few kitchen staples, it’s easy to keep everything on hand in the pantry and freezer.

Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Meatballs is an incredibly easy meatball recipe that is always a big hit!! They make the perfect game day appetizer, party cocktail meatball, or easy dinner idea over rice!

WHY DO WE LOVE THESE SWEET AND SOUR MEATBALLS?

I’ve already told you that these meatballs make it on our party menu often because they are easy and tasty. The first two big wins for us on choosing appetizers.

These meatballs are also made in the slow cooker, making them easy to prep ahead of time for a party and keep them warm throughout the day.

Just make sure to turn the heat down on the slow cooker to warm once your meatballs are cooked thoroughly to avoid the sauce burning.

Honestly, meatball recipes are a favorite in this house! They are versatile with a wide range of flavor options from Honey Sriracha Meatballs to Pineapple Tequila Meatballs or Chicken Parmesan Meatballs!

We tend to have them at least once a month during these colder months which works out well because Liam loves them, too!

Sweet and Sour Meatballs Crock Pot Style with only a few key ingredients - grape jelly, chili sauce, cocktail meatballs and a little seasoning. It’s an easy meatball recipe that is always a party food hit!!

HOW TO MAKE EASY SWEET AND SOUR MEATBALLS IN THE SLOW COOKER:

First, you will need to gather your chili sauce, grape jelly, Worcestershire sauce, pepper and chili powder. Add all of these to your slow cooker and mix thoroughly to make the sauce.

If you are thinking this combination of ingredients for sweet and sour sauce sounds weird, I completely agree with you!

But it does totally work! Chili sauce and grape jelly just work together in an unexpected way.

Then, you will need to choose which meatballs you would prefer to use – homemade meatballs or frozen store bought. See below for more info on this decision.

Cook refrigerated meatballs on high for 1-2 hours and frozen meatballs on high for 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally.

If you need to them keep them warm for a party, move the slow cooker onto warm to prevent any burning.

DO I HAVE TO USE FROZEN MEATBALLS?

When we have the time, I love making a large batch of homemade meatballs that we enjoy eating with pasta, with marinara sauce on a sandwich and even with sweet and sour sauce in the slow cooker!

When time isn’t on our hands, we use frozen meatballs for this cocktail meatball recipe and it’s still delicious!

We usually have at least one bag of frozen meatballs in the freezer easy dinner nights.

Side Note: I always prefer homemade chicken meatballs or homemade turkey meatballs! In fact, one of my favorite meatball recipes is my blue cheese stuffed buffalo chicken meatballs. The frozen bags never seem to have the same flavor or texture.

WHAT IS CHILI SAUCE?

I get a lot of questions about chili sauce, so I thought I would address some of them here.

Chili sauce is not the same thing as ketchup or cocktail sauce, though all are tomato based condiments. Chili sauce is made from chiles, tomatoes and spices, making it similar in consistency to ketchup but spicier.

It is not especially spicy though so don’t be concerned about your guests, especially when combining it with a sweet jelly.

Heinz Chili Sauce is the most common chili sauce to find in grocery stores and works great for this recipe.

HELPFUL ITEMS FOR MAKING COCKTAIL MEATBALLS:

Hamilton Beach Set ‘n Forget Programmable Slow Cooker With Temperature Probe – This has been my slow cooker for over seven years, and I definitely put it to work a lot for our family and for this blog. It’s reliable, easy to use and easy to customize as needed.

Hamilton Beach Travel Case & Carrier Insulated Bag – If you need to take your slow cooker anywhere, you should consider getting an insulated bag.

It just makes it a lot easier to carry and with less risk of a mess or any accidental burnings from transporting a hot slow cooker.

Reynolds Slow Cooker Liners 2 Pack – My husband loves when I remember to throw one of these in because it makes clean up SO much easier!

I often forget when I am just making dinner for us but I never forget during holiday prep.

Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Meatballs is one of the easiest cocktail meatball recipes you can make! With only 6 ingredients needed and under 10 minutes of prep work, these make the perfect holiday app or game day food. Plus we even love them for an easy dinner idea! | THE LOVE NERDS #meatballrecipe #holidayappetizer #gamedayfood

YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY THESE OTHER MEATBALL RECIPES:

Meatball recipes really are a favorite around here, so check out all the flavors we love below! Liam loves them, too, which definitely makes them an easy choice for us to make!

LOOKING FOR MORE EASY APPETIZER RECIPES? CHECK THESE OUT!

TIME TO MIX UP SOME SLOW COOKER SWEET AND SOUR MEATBALLS!

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours

Total Time: 4 hours 5 minutes

Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Meatballs is an incredibly easy meatball recipe that is always a big hit!! They are the perfect game day appetizer or easy dinner idea over rice!

Ingredients

1 pound meatballs
6 ounces chili sauce
6 ounces Grape Jelly
1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 teaspoon Pepper
1 teaspoon Chili Powder

Instructions

Thoroughly mix all the ingredients together other than the meatballs in the slow cooker.
Add meatballs and stir until well coated.
Cook refrigerated meatballs on high for 2 hours and frozen meatballs on high for 3-4 hours. Stir a couple times throughout for even cooking.
If you are cooking a larger batch of meatballs, you will probably need to cook for longer.
Once meatballs are cooked thoroughly, turn the heat down to ensure they stay warm and don't overcook.

Notes

DO WE USE FROZEN MEATBALLS OR FRESH MEATBALLS?

When we have the time, I love making a large batch of homemade meatballs that we enjoy eating with this sweet and sour recipe as well as with pasta, sandwiches and more!

Frozen meatballs work just as well for this cocktail meatball recipe though and it my go to choice when I'm short on time.

If you want to make this with chicken or turkey meatballs, though, I always recommend homemade. I have personally found that frozen poultry meatballs have a weird texture.