Slow Cooker Grape Jelly Meatballs

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Crockpot Grape Jelly Meatballs — The EASIEST holiday appetizer that’s made with just 3 INGREDIENTS! People adore these saucy meatballs loaded with FLAVOR! A perfect appetizer for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s celebrations and holiday parties. Or make them for your next tailgating or game day party!

Slow Cooker Grape Jelly Meatballs - The EASIEST holiday appetizer that's made with just 3 INGREDIENTS! People adore these saucy meatballs loaded with FLAVOR! A perfect appetizer for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's celebrations and holiday parties. Or make them for your next tailgating or game day party!

3-Ingredient Crockpot Jelly Meatballs 

If you’re looking for the easiest, no-brainer holiday appetizer that every loves, then put these grape jelly meatballs with just 3 main ingredients on your list!

Nothing fancy or complicated, but it’s amazing how much flavor these meatballs have. They’ve been a classic since the 1960’s for a reason. It’s because people just adore them.

There’s some magic that happens in the slow cooker when you combine the meatballs with the bbq sauce and jelly, and let them slow cook for hours. The depth of flavor is just incredible!

Slow Cooker Grape Jelly Meatballs - The EASIEST holiday appetizer that's made with just 3 INGREDIENTS! People adore these saucy meatballs loaded with FLAVOR! A perfect appetizer for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's celebrations and holiday parties. Or make them for your next tailgating or game day party!

They’re not too sweet, despite using jelly, and they have much more flavor than just a standard barbecue meatball.

These meatballs in the Crockpot with grape jelly are perfect for for all your holiday season parties and get-togethers, including Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve celebrations. 

They’re also great for tailgating, game day parties, and Super Bowl.

Best of all, you just plop everything in your slow cooker and let it do the work and make the meatball magic happen.

Slow Cooker Grape Jelly Meatballs - The EASIEST holiday appetizer that's made with just 3 INGREDIENTS! People adore these saucy meatballs loaded with FLAVOR! A perfect appetizer for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's celebrations and holiday parties. Or make them for your next tailgating or game day party!

Ingredients for Crockpot Jelly Meatballs

It’s hard to believe all the flavor that these little meatballs have when there are only three main ingredients!

But yes, you will just need the following 3 ingredients to make grape jelly meatballs in a Crockpot:

Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.

Slow Cooker Grape Jelly Meatballs - The EASIEST holiday appetizer that's made with just 3 INGREDIENTS! People adore these saucy meatballs loaded with FLAVOR! A perfect appetizer for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's celebrations and holiday parties. Or make them for your next tailgating or game day party!

How to Make Grape Jelly Meatballs in a Crockpot

Preparing the frozen meatballs in your slow cooker couldn’t be simpler! It really doesn’t get any easier than these Crockpot meatballs with jelly. 

  1. Add the meatballs, barbecue sauce, and grape jelly to your slow cooker and stir to combine.
  2. Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours, stirring every hour or so.
Slow Cooker Grape Jelly Meatballs - The EASIEST holiday appetizer that's made with just 3 INGREDIENTS! People adore these saucy meatballs loaded with FLAVOR! A perfect appetizer for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's celebrations and holiday parties. Or make them for your next tailgating or game day party!

Recipe FAQs

What Are the Best Frozen Meatballs for Crockpot Meatballs? 

I strongly suggest using pre-cooked frozen meatballs. Thaw them before you add them to the slow cooker. You’ll need a 48-ounce bag. I get them from Costco or my regular supermarket if they’re on sale. I use beef meatballs, although you could use a beef and pork combination, or just pork.

Can I Use Homemade Meatballs? 

While you could make your own meatballs, it’s more work and really not my preferred option for this easy holiday appetizer.

Can I Use Plant-Based Meatballs? 

I’ve never tried this recipe using plant-based meatballs so it’s hard to say what would happen and if they would stand up to hours on end in the slow cooker without falling apart. If anyone tries jelly Crockpot meatballs with plant-based meatballs, let me know how it goes.

Should I Slow Cook Meatballs on Low or High?

You can cook on high, and the jelly meatballs will be ready in 2 to 3 hours. However, I recommend cooking them on low so the meatballs really have a chance to absorb all the flavors of the barbecue sauce and jelly.Slow Cooker Grape Jelly Meatballs - The EASIEST holiday appetizer that's made with just 3 INGREDIENTS! People adore these saucy meatballs loaded with FLAVOR! A perfect appetizer for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's celebrations and holiday parties. Or make them for your next tailgating or game day party!

What Kind of BBQ Sauce Is Best for Jelly Meatballs?

I like to use Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue Sauce when preparing this meatball recipe with jelly. It’s just a nice classic bbq sauce that my family really enjoys. However, feel free to customize the flavor of your slow cooker meatballs by using a a spicier barbecue sauce or a sweeter sauce like a honey barbecue sauce.

Can I Use Other Flavors of Jelly?

Yes, you can! Instead of the grape jelly I used, in my opinion, some good jelly variations include peach or apricot preserves, orange marmalade, or try hot pepper jelly. 

If using hot pepper jelly, I wouldn’t use 30 ounces of it! I would replace some of the grape jelly with hot pepper jelly, maybe up to about 8 ounces, or more if you’re looking for some kick and spice.

If you have extra on hand, I bet that cranberry sauce would also be nice. Again, don’t use 30 ounces of it, but throw in a cupful and then add the remainder with regular jelly to balance it out.

Slow Cooker Grape Jelly Meatballs - The EASIEST holiday appetizer that's made with just 3 INGREDIENTS! People adore these saucy meatballs loaded with FLAVOR! A perfect appetizer for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's celebrations and holiday parties. Or make them for your next tailgating or game day party!

How to Serve the Crockpot Jelly Meatballs 

These little gems are so scrumptious warm and fresh out of the slow cooker and are best served that way. Tender, juicy, and just pop-able!

Make them for your next holiday party and set out The Best Cheese Board, Ham and Cheese Sliders or some Cheddar Pigs In A Blanket and everyone will be thrilled.

If you want to make these for more of a meal rather than an appetizer, I recommend serving them with rice which soaks up the extra barbecue sauce and jelly mixture just beautifully.

Storage Instructions

The grape jelly meatballs will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or up to 3 months in the freezer.

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5 from 7 votes

Crockpot Grape Jelly Meatballs

By Averie Sunshine
The EASIEST holiday appetizer that's made with just 3 INGREDIENTS! People adore these saucy meatballs loaded with FLAVOR! A perfect appetizer for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's celebrations and holiday parties. Or make them for your next tailgating or game day party!
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours
Total Time: 6 hours 5 minutes
Servings: 96
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Ingredients  

  • 48- ounces frozen precooked meatballs, thawed
  • 40- ounces barbecue sauce
  • 30- ounces grape jelly

Instructions 

  • To a 7-quart slow cooker (or similar sized such as 6 to 8 quarts) add the meatballs, barbecue sauce, grape jelly, stir to coat evenly, and cover.
  • Cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or on high for 2 to 3 hours* (See Notes), stirring every hour or so.
  • Serve warm and fresh. Extra meatballs will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months.** (See Notes)

Notes

*You can cook on high, and the meatballs will be ready in 2 to 3 hours. However, I recommend cooking them on low so the meatballs really have a chance to absorb all the flavors of the barbecue sauce and jelly.
**Regarding serving size and the nutritional stats provided as a courtesy only, but assuming that each meatball weighs 1/2 ounce, in a 48 ounce bag, there will be approximately 96 meatballs. Assuming that as an appetizer, a serving is 4 meatballs per person, that makes 24 servings overall. This is how the stats are calculated, but your mileage may vary. Also, not every drop of sauce will be consumed, so the stats are a bit artificially elevated.

Nutrition

Serving: 4, Calories: 338kcal, Carbohydrates: 49g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 37mg, Sodium: 873mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 36g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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5 from 7 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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Please note: I have only made the recipe as written, and cannot give advice or predict what will happen if you change something. If you have a question regarding changing, altering, or making substitutions to the recipe, please check out the FAQ page for more info.

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Best meatballs Iโ€™ve ever made! Why did I wait so long to bake them? I was short on breadcrumbs so I put French Fried Onions in the food processor and added to the breadcrumbs! Turned out marvelous! Going to start another batch to freeze tomorrow

  2. 5 stars
    Averie, your recipes are always a hit! I’d tell people not to be fooled by the simple ingredients because these meatballs are spectacular! I also used Sweet Baby Rays as well as Welch’s Concord Grape Jam because it’s tangy. These are the first to disappear off of the party table!

    1. I really don’t know as this is one of those recipes that is intended solely for a slow cooker. You would have to research grape jelly meatballs without a slow cooker.