Easy & Irresistible Slow Cooker Meatball Appetizer for a Crowd

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Looking for an easy slowcooker appetizer recipe to feed a crowd? Look no further, these delicious Crockpot meatballs are a cinch to make, have only 4 ingredients, and get rave reviews each time.

If you’re searching for the best appetizers for a party, check out our popular Teriyaki Chicken Wings and Game Day Pull-Apart Pepperoni Cheese Bread recipes too!

I’m all about finding the easy button when it comes to feeding party guests. As much as I love entertaining in our home, sometimes I get stressed about what to make– but this is one recipe that never lets me down, uses only 4 ingredients, and gets rave reviews. I’ve been making it for almost 20 years now and it’s become a Christmas Eve and Superbowl party staple– throw the ingredients in the slowcooker, stir, and a few hours later you’ll have a crockpot full of cocktail meatballs that will be GONE by the time people leave. Which is pretty much perfection.

crockpot meatballs

You can adjust them for the size of the crowd, too. Fill up your slowcooker or make a smaller batch for dinner; it’s yours to decide, just vary the recipe as needed.

slowcooker with meatballs at party

I like to add everything into the crockpot– a 6 qt sized crockpot works great— several hours ahead of time so the meatballs soak up all that sauce. It also works well because I’ll dump everything in and it cooks itself while I prep the rest of the party food and get ready, so easy!

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How to Make Slowcooker Meatballs Video

How do I cook meatballs in the slowcooker?

The secret here is using frozen meatballs! Yup, you can throw them right in after mixing up the liquid ingredients. As long as you cook them fully, you can start from frozen and they’ll soak up all that yummy sauce.

What are the ingredients in the slowcooker meatballs?

It’s literally just FOUR ingredients, though they may be a bit surprising… grape jelly, chili sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and frozen meatballs! Okay, and a dash of black pepper, does that count as an ingredient or does pepper get a free pass?

slowcooker meatball ingredients

Give it to me– how do I make the best slowcooker meatballs?

You’ve got it… here you go:

Easy Crockpot Meatball Recipe

This easy crockpot meatball recipe is a huge hit with the party crowd, and it’s easy and delicious too!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time6 hours
Total Time6 hours 5 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Author: Carrie

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Put the first 4 ingredients (Chili Sauce through black pepper) into the slowcooker and stir until combined.
  • Add the frozen meatballs, and gently fold into the sauce until completely covered.
  • Turn on the slowcooker and cook either 6-7 hours on the LOW setting or 3-4 hours on the HIGH setting. Stir occasionally during cooking to make sure they’re evenly coated.
  • When serving, turn slowcooker to the WARM setting. I place a large spoon on a spoon rest beside the slowcooker along with toothpicks so people can choose the best way to eat ’em! You can even put out a basket of rolls and let people make sandwiches for a heartier dish.

It really is that easy. Add liquids, whisk, add meatballs, stir, turn the dial to HIGH or LOW, and go off and live your best life while they cook.

slowcooker meatballs in crockpot
grape jelly meatball sauce in slowcooker

People who are trying these for the first time CAN NOT believe they’re made with just four ingredients (and that those ingredients are grape jelly and chili sauce, ha!) But this is one of those old church cookbook recipes that still works all these years later.

crockpot meatball appetizer

These easy crockpot meatballs are perfect for football watching, Superbowl cheering, holiday partying. Let me know if you make them, and enjoy!

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