Description
Cranberry BBQ Crockpot Meatballs – Tender meatballs simmered in sweet and tangy cranberry BBQ sauce, perfect for any crowd-pleasing occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 lbs (907g) frozen fully-cooked meatballs
- 1 can (14 oz/398ml) whole berry cranberry sauce
- 1 cup (240ml) BBQ sauce (sweet or smoky variety)
- 3 tablespoons (45ml) brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) Dijon mustard
- 1 small onion, finely diced (about ½ cup/80g)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons/10g)
- ¼ teaspoon (1.25ml) red pepper flakes (optional, for heat)
- Fresh parsley for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Step 1: Prepare The Sauce In a medium bowl, combine the cranberry sauce, BBQ sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, diced onion, minced garlic, and red pepper flakes (if using). Stir thoroughly until all ingredients are well incorporated. The mixture should have a thick, slightly chunky consistency with visible cranberry pieces throughout.
- Step 2: Arrange Meatballs In Crockpot Place the frozen meatballs in an even layer in your slow cooker. There’s no need to thaw them beforehand—they’ll cook perfectly from frozen. If you’re using homemade meatballs, make sure they’re fully cooked before adding them to the crockpot.
- Step 3: Combine And Begin Cooking Pour the cranberry BBQ sauce mixture evenly over the meatballs. Using a large spoon, gently toss to ensure all meatballs are coated. Cover the slow cooker with its lid and set to LOW heat for 3-4 hours or HIGH for 2-3 hours. The longer cooking time on low heat develops a more complex flavor profile for your Cranberry BBQ Crockpot Meatballs.
- Step 4: Stir Occasionally About once every hour, gently stir the meatballs to ensure even coating and prevent any sauce from burning around the edges. Be careful not to break the meatballs as you stir.
- Step 5: Reduce And Thicken During the final 30 minutes of cooking, remove the lid to allow some moisture to evaporate, which will help thicken the sauce to a glossy glaze. If you prefer an even thicker sauce, you can mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of cold water and stir it into the crockpot at this point.
- Step 6: Serve And Garnish Once the sauce has thickened to your liking and the meatballs are heated through, transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley if desired. Serve your Cranberry BBQ Crockpot Meatballs warm with toothpicks for an appetizer or over rice for a main dish.
Notes
Fresh ingredients will always yield the best flavor results.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 meatballs
- Calories: 350 calories per serving
- Sugar: 20 grams of sugar
- Sodium: 800 mg of sodium
- Fat: 15 grams of total fat
- Saturated Fat: 5 grams of saturated fat
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 grams of unsaturated fat
- Trans Fat: 0 grams of trans fat
- Carbohydrates: 30 grams of total carbs
- Fiber: 2 grams of fiber
- Protein: 20 grams of protein
- Cholesterol: 75 mg of cholesterol