When I want to serve an easy appetizer that’s guaranteed to be wildly popular, I make a batch of these cranberry barbecue meatballs. They have a sweet, tangy, smoky flavor everyone loves.
Best of all, the recipe comes together in just a few minutes. The meatballs and sauce simmer away in the slow cooker for a few hours, and if you time it right they’ll be hot and ready to serve when your guests arrive. So simple!
If you have leftover cranberry sauce after Thanksgiving or a holiday, this recipe is a perfect way to make good use of it. But these meatball appetizers are good year-round, from potlucks to game day to Super Bowl parties.
For more easy appetizer recipes, check out our Mini BLT Cups, Artichoke Wontons and Pickle Pastrami Roll Ups.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Sweet-Savory Flavor: The combination of tangy cranberry sauce and sweet, smoky barbecue sauce is unbeatable!
Prepare in Advance: The meatballs simmer in the slow cooker, for 4 hours, so you can get them started long before the party begins!
Easy to Make: This simple bbq meatballs recipe takes just minutes to put together.
Ingredients Notes
Here’s a picture of what you’ll need to make this recipe:
24 large cooked meatballs – I love to make this recipe with homemade Italian sausage and ground beef meatballs. You can also use cooked frozen meatballs, which is what I did for this photo.
I used the larger size (about 24 in a 24-ounce bag), but you can also make this recipe with smaller size meatballs if you like.
Whether you use pork, beef, chicken, or turkey meatballs, make sure they are fully cooked and warm before proceeding with the recipe.
Honey Barbecue Sauce (2 cups) – I used Sweet Baby Ray’s because that’s what we had on hand, but you can use your favorite barbecue sauce.
Cranberry Sauce (1/2 cup) – I used homemade whole berry cranberry sauce for this recipe. You can also use canned sauce like Ocean Spray whole berry or jellied cranberry sauce, and either will work fine.
Seasonings: Garlic powder (1/4 teaspoon), Freshly ground black pepper (1/4 teaspoon), and Fine sea salt (1/8 teaspoon). Feel free to adjust these seasonings to suit your tastebuds!
Equipment Needed
You don’t need any fancy kitchen equipment to make this recipe!
- Medium saucepan
- Crock pot
- Large spoon
- Toothpicks
Step by Step Instructions
STEP ONE: Stir together the barbecue sauce, cranberry sauce, and seasonings in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture bubbles.
STEP TWO: Turn the slow cooker to Low, and arrange the meatballs in the bottom. Pour the sauce over the meatballs.
STEP THREE: Cook for 4 hours. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the meatballs to a serving dish. Serve with toothpicks.
How easy was that?
Storing and Reheating
To store any leftover meatballs and sauce, let them cool completely to room temperature. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
To reheat, pour the meatballs and sauce into a medium saucepan. Cook, stirring often, over medium heat until meatballs are heated through, about 10 minutes.
Recipe Variations
Add a Garnish – To add a pop of color, you can sprinkle snipped chives, chopped flat leaf parsley, or finely chopped scallions on the meatballs before serving. The red and green colors are perfect for holiday parties!
Spicy Cranberry Meatballs – Substitute spicy BBQ sauce for the honey sauce. Substitute 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper for the ground black pepper.
Want to serve these meatballs for dinner? We’ve got more than 30 recipes for what to serve with meatballs, including pasta, salad, sides and breads.
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BBQ Cranberry Sauce Meatballs
Equipment
- medium saucepan
- Crock pot
- large spoon
- Toothpicks
Ingredients
- 24 large meatballs cooked
- 2 cups honey barbecue sauce
- 1/2 cup cranberry sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Stir together the barbecue sauce, cranberry sauce, garlic powder, pepper, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture bubbles.
- Turn the slow cooker to Low, and arrange the meatballs in the bottom. Pour the sauce over the meatballs.
- Cook for 4 hours. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the meatballs to a serving dish. Serve with toothpicks.
Notes
Nutrition
Save for Later
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Eliza Cross is the creator of Happy Simple Living, where she shares ideas to help busy people simplify cooking, gardening, holidays, home, and money. She is also the award-winning author of 17 cookbooks, including Small Bites and 101 Things To Do With Bacon.
I make these too, and they are a huge win for hardly any effort!
So glad you like the recipe! I agree – the easy preparation is so welcome at this time of year! ~Eliza