Think of these Cranberry Sauce Meatballs as a flavorful holiday upgrade on classic grape jelly cocktail meatballs.
These holiday appetizer meatballs are a little bit tart, a little bit sweet and pack in a little heat that you can control with adjusting the amount of cayenne pepper.
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This appetizer recipe is incredibly simple to make in the slow cooker. Simply add all the ingredients for these party meatballs into the slow cooker, and they'll be ready in a few hours. Keep it on warm until you’re ready to serve!
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📋Ingredients
If the ingredient list and flavor profile sounds familiar to you then you probably have noticed, I'm using the same base ingredients that I use in my Cranberry Chicken Wings Recipes!
- Meatballs - Frozen party size meatballs. Be sure you aren't using Italian seasoned meatballs.
- Pantry items - Chili sauce and canned cranberry sauce (whole berry or jellied)
- Seasonings/Spices - Brown sugar, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper
A quick note about the chili sauce. This is a sauce that is sold near the ketchup, this is not the Asian style chili sauce.
Yes, these make great party meatballs but you can also use them as a meal. Pair with some rice. You could even use your leftover Thanksgiving cranberry sauce instead of the canned stuff!
🔪Instructions
- Spray slow cooker with non-stick spray.
2. Place frozen meatballs in slow cooker and add seasonings.
3. Combine chili sauce and cranberry sauce in a bowl and then stir into meatballs.
4. Set the slow cooker to low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours.
Once the meatballs are finished cooking, give them a good stir. If you like, top with a little fresh chopped parsley. I like to just for the pop of color but it is not necessary.
🍽️Serving Suggestion
Keep the meatballs warm until ready to serve.
You can transfer the meatballs to a serving bowl when ready to serve or keep them in the slow cooker for a more casual serving style.
Something else I like to do if I'm serving more two to three warm appetizers is to transfer into an electric triple buffet slow cooker. My mom bought me one of these years ago and it is great for holidays or parties.
You can place the cranberry sauce meatballs in one, my high protein buffalo chicken dip in another and my cottage cheese spinach dip in the third! Boom, holiday appetizers done!
Buy now on Amazon! They make great gifts for friends and family who love to entertain!
Variations
Try swapping out the meatballs for lil smokies or sliced kielbasa!
More holiday recipes featuring cranberry
Printable Recipe Card
Cranberry Sauce Meatballs (slow cooker)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 32 Ounces Frozen party style meatballs
- 1 Teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 Teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ Teaspoon cracked black pepper
- ½ Teaspoon ground cayenne pepper more or less to taste
- 1 Tablespoon light brown sugar
- 12 Ounces chili Sauce
- 14 Ounces cranberry sauce jellied, whole berry or homemade
- non-stick spray
Instructions
- Spray the inside of the slow cooker with a non-stick spray or rub with a little oil to prevent sticking.
- Place the frozen meatballs in prepared slow cooker. Sprinkle all the seasonings, spices and sugar over the meatballs. In a small bowl stir together the cranberry sauce and chili sauce. Pour mixture over the meatballs and stir well to coat everything.
- Place cover on slow cooker and set to high for 2 hours or low for 4 hours - See note 1.
- Serve warm. If desired, garnish with fresh chopped parsley.
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