These Grape Jelly BBQ Meatballs are easy to make in the crock pot. This recipe only takes 3 ingredients and 5 minutes to prep! Doesn’t get better than that.
These meatballs are a tried and true appetizer recipe of mine. They literally couldn’t be easier to make and everyone always loves them. Other easy go-to’s are little smokies, meatball sliders and pigs in a blanket.
Table of Contents
The Perfect Appetizer
These crockpot BBQ grape jelly meatballs are one of my family’s favorite meatball recipes. They are seriously so good and the perfect appetizer for game day! They almost remind me of sweet and sour meatballs but taste better.
My Grandpa has been making these crockpot meatballs for years and we always loved them growing up. My sister even talked him into making them as an appetizer at her wedding. Everyone loved them! Now of course my family has their actual “homemade meatballs recipe,” which are just as amazing.
The best part about BBQ meatballs is that no one would ever know how simple they are to make. Turn them into a main dish and serve them over sticky rice like I do with honey garlic meatballs. YUM!
3 simple ingredients!
These slow cooker grape jelly meatballs are so easy to make. You just need the 3 ingredients below to get started:
- Meatballs: I love getting the frozen meatballs from Costco or Kroger. They taste the best in my opinion. Homemade meatballs taste great as well if you have the time.
- Grape jelly: I keep it simple and use Smucker’s grape jelly.
- BBQ Sauce: Sweet baby ray’s BBQ sauce is my personal favorite. :) You can also make a homemade BBQ sauce if preferred.
How to Make Crockpot BBQ Meatballs
- Add ingredients to crockpot. Pour grape jelly and BBQ sauce in the bottom of your crockpot. Add in the meatballs and stir until fully coated.
- Cook meatballs in crockpot. Cook frozen meatballs in crockpot for 2 to 3 hours on high, or until warm. Make sure to stir a few times throughout.
- Serve and enjoy! Garnish with sliced green onions if desired and serve as an appetizer or main dish.
Variations
There are plenty of ways to easily mix up the flavors in this recipe. Check out some other yummy variations below:
- Sub Heinz chili sauce for BBQ sauce for an extra kick, like I did with these chili sauce meatballs.
- Replace grape jelly with 16 ounces sliced or diced pineapple for Hawaiian meatballs.
- Use 1/4 cup honey instead of jelly for a a little healthier alternative (add more or less to to taste).
- Make cranberry meatballs with leftover cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving. Sub an equal amount of cranberry sauce for grape jelly.
- Use 2 packages of little smokies instead of meatballs.
FAQ
We love to serve them with coconut rice, green beans and fresh cut pineapple.
If you’d like to thicken your sauce, you can mix together a cornstarch slurry (about 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 Tablespoon of water) and stir it into the sauce and allow it to simmer.
This is the base of the sauce (which helps thicken it) and brings the best flavor. I promise you won’t taste the grape flavor.
More Easy Appetizers:
- Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Ham and Cheese Sliders
- 4-Ingredient Cheese Ball
- Easy 7-Layer Dip
- Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
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Crockpot Bbq Meatballs
Video
Ingredients
- 1 (18-ounce) jar jar grape jelly
- 1 (18-ounce) jar BBQ sauce
- 1 (32-ounce) bag frozen fully cooked meatballs (about 50)
Optional: Cooked rice, Sliced green onions
Instructions
- In a medium bowl or the base of a slow cooker, combine the grape jelly and BBQ sauce. Add meatballs and stir until coated in sauce.
- Cook on high 2 to 3 hours or low 3 to 4 hours. Turn the slow cooker to warm until ready to serve.
- Enjoy as an appetizer or serve over rice and top with green onions for a main dish.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: American, Appetizers, Crockpot, Crockpot, Dairy-Free, Mini appetizers, Reader Favorites, Super Bowl
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
Looking so Yummy really tasty meatballs
i will try your new recipe and give feedback about the taste
Hope you enjoy! :)
Made these last night for a party and they were a hit. Can i freeze the leftovers? SO EASY, thank you!
So glad they were a hit! You definitely could freeze these! :)
Do you think I could do half jelly and half cranberry sauce?
I haven’t tried using cranberry sauce in this recipe, but I think it should work! :)
I made these today and I hope they are good. The pinterest information you see first, lists the ingredients as 32 oz of bbq sauce, but when you click make it and it takes you to the directions it says 18 oz bbq. I had already added all the 32 oz bbq and jelly together. Could you please fix that so no one else makes the same mistake.
Thank you for letting me know! I will look into that. You will just have more sauce. Feel free to add more meatballs later on! :)
This is so easy and so delicious! Thanks!
These are seriously the best thing ever, I made them before… and they are super yummy!!
I’m so glad you enjoy these! They are a favorite in my home!
I used to make these with turkey meatballs…has anyone tried them with meatless meatballs? Curious as to how they taste!
I haven’t, but I’m sure it would still be great! :)
These are very TASTY!
I’m so glad you enjoy them! Thanks for your comment and review! :)
I made these for a potluck at work. Everyone loved them!
I’m so glad they were a hit! Thanks for your comment and review. :)
If you want something a little more tangy substitute jellied cranberry sauce for grape jelly
Sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing!
has anybody used cube chicken ?
What herb did you sprinkle to garnish these meatballs?
Thank you!
Chives from green onions! :)
I’m having a large party and plan on making the entire bag of Costco meatballs which is 6lbs. How much jelly and bbq sauce should I use?
I would triple the recipe, so three 18 oz jars of grape jelly and three 18 oz bottles of BBQ sauce. You’ll definitely need to split these up into multiple crock pots. :)
My whole family loves these super easy meatballs!
Everybody loves these! Everywhere I take them people just Rave about how good they are.
I’m so glad they have been a hit! Thank you for your comment and review Helen! :)
Just made these for a party and they were a hit. So easy and so good. I can’t wait to make them again.
So glad they were a hit! We love these!
If I cut the recipe in half, do i change the time also?
Hi Kim! I would just cook using the lesser time…2 hours. :)
These are my favorite one’s, easy to make, party pleaser
I’m glad you like them! :)