Easy Slow Cooker Cranberry Meatballs
Make simple, flavorful cranberry meatballs in your slow cooker for an easy holiday appetizer or party snack.
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 3 hr
- Total Time: 3 hr 5 min
- Yield: About 40 meatballs 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 (32 ounce) bag frozen pre-cooked meatballs
- 1 (12 ounce) jar chili sauce
- 1 (16 ounce) can jellied cranberry sauce
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
Instructions
- Place the frozen meatballs in the slow cooker.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the chili sauce, jellied cranberry sauce, and brown sugar until smooth. This is your bbq cranberry glaze.
- Pour the sauce mixture over the meatballs in the slow cooker.
- Stir gently to coat all the meatballs evenly.
- Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours, or on high for 1.5 to 2 hours, until the meatballs are heated through and the sauce is bubbly.
- Stir occasionally during the last hour of cooking.
- Serve warm directly from the slow cooker using a slotted spoon, or transfer to a serving dish and secure with toothpicks for easy serving.
Notes
- For a make-ahead option, prepare the sauce and store it separately in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When ready to serve, pour the sauce over the frozen meatballs in the slow cooker and adjust cooking time as needed.
- If you prefer a slightly tangier flavor, substitute 1/4 cup of the brown sugar with 1/4 cup of grape jelly.
- To keep the meatballs warm for a long party, set the slow cooker to the ‘Keep Warm’ setting after the cooking time is complete.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 meatballs
- Calories: 210
- Sugar: 22
- Sodium: 450
- Fat: 12
- Saturated Fat: 5
- Unsaturated Fat: 7
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 18
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 10
- Cholesterol: 45