These Crock Pot Cranberry Meatballs take only a few minutes of prep and have a delicious sweet and tangy taste with a little bit of spice.
Great Holiday Appetizer
Just about every southern Holiday Party I’ve gone to has had a crock pot full of party meatballs. And there’s always a swarm of people huddled around them. Cocktail Meatballs are an absolute crowd pleaser.
The typical party meatball is made with a jar of grape jelly and those are plenty delicious, but I sometimes like to change things up. I’ve added cranberry sauce and pepper jelly to give the meatballs a holiday flair. The flavor is predominantly sweet, but they are also a little spicy and tangy.
You see so many cocktail meatballs around the holidays for a reason. Not only are they amazingly delicious, they are super easy to make and economical for feeding a huge crowd. I use a bag of Farm Rich frozen meatballs for this Cranberry Cocktail Meatballs recipe.
Equipment Needed
You will need a 6-quart or larger slow cooker for this recipe.
The best way to get the most out of the holidays is to take a few short cuts here and there so that you spend less time in the kitchen and more time making family memories. Each year I try and get a little more efficient during the holidays and I’ve been researching all kinds of Holiday Hacks.
Some of them are pretty creative – others down right crazy!
Did you know that you can boil your potatoes whole with the skins on, shock them in ice water, and the skins will slip right off? I’m going to be trying that one for sure!
Save your empty boxes of plastic wrap and aluminum foil, paint them, and use them as holiday cookie gift boxes. Just be sure to cut off the serrated edge!
If you’re cooking corn for a large crowd, steam it in a cooler. Place the corn in the bottom of the cooler, add boiling water, close the cooler for 30 minutes. Pretty cool.
One of the most off the wall ones I’ve read is to run your potatoes through the dishwasher with no detergent in lieu of scrubbing them. Really???
Do you have any tips or shortcuts for the holiday season? Have you ever tried making Crock Pot Meatballs?
More Holiday Appetizers
- Crispy Cheese Wafers
- Wrapped Brie with Tomato Chutney
- Bacon Wrapped Little Smokies
- Crab Cake Stuffed Shrimp
Crock Pot Cranberry Meatballs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 (12-ounce) jar chili sauce
- 1 (12 ounce) can jellied cranberry sauce
- 1 (10.5-ounce) jar Red Pepper Jelly, I use Braswell’s
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- few shakes hot sauce
- 1 (32-ounce) bag Frozen Meatballs
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients except for meatballs in crock pot.
- Add meatballs and stir to coat them well. Put in crock pot on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 2-2 1/2 hours.
Notes
Nutrition
Want to Save This Recipe?
Note: If you have a newer crock pot, you can probably reduce the cooking time some.
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Originally published December 1, 2014.
Sharing with The Country Cook at The Weekend Potluck.
More Crock Pot Appetizers
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Delicious. It only took 5 mins to prepare. We used turkey meatballs and Cut the jar of jalapeño down to one table spoon.
It’s a big hit in my house!
Hi
I’m going to make my meatballs from scratch and bake them the day before.
Will that affect how long and how I high I cook them in the crockpot the following day?
Thanks!
What kind of chili sauce? I have Thai chili sauce. Will that work?
The secret to this recipe is do NOT use store bought meatballs. Make them from scratch, like a meatloaf mixture with added garlic and Parmesan cheese.
I have made the meatballs with cranberry sauce and a jar of Chili sauce.
You made a chicken breast in the crockpot with cream cheese and Olive Garden Italian dressing but that’s all I can remember
Can these be done in oven? Like to make for 25-30 people as main dish with sides. Suggestions?
I made this recipe numerous times and loved them!!! This time I tried a Montana twist to them. I made 16 oz of Elk Meatballs reduced by half and did them in my dutch oven on low heat. Served them over fried rice as a meal. There were no leftovers….
Oh wow! I’ve never had Elk meatballs!
Made my meatballs tonight used cranberry sauce out of the can then I added a jar of pepper and raspberry preserves and some barbecue sauce and it actually turned out pretty good