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Sweet & Tangy Appetizer Meatballs are the best made-from-scratch homemade meatballs in a delicious sweet and savory honey jam bbq sauce! They are perfect for your next holiday or game day party! Kept warm in a crockpot, they are a great appetizer or a main course anchor for any grazing menu!
The best part, these are just really good basic homemade meatballs, perfect for meatball meal prep! Super versatile, you can double the recipe and freeze the extra meatballs to use with different sauces!
Why We Love Them!
- Homemade Meatballs Beat Store-Bought Frozen Meatballs by a Mile! - Yep, homemade meatballs are just that amazing! The flavor, the texture, there is just nothing like it, these babies are delicious!! And similar to the standard bbq meatballs with grape jelly, this homemade sauce is delicious! Sweet and tangy with 4 simple ingredients, ketchup, bbq sauce, jam, and honey, they are the perfect crockpot party meatballs!
- Really Amazing Basic Meatballs, Versatile with Different Sauces! - You are going to want to double the recipe and do some meatball meal prep! These meatballs are classic in flavor, and freezing meatballs is a great way to stretch your efforts! Freezing the meatballs raw or cooked without sauce means you can use them in different ways! Try them as Norwegian Meatballs with Lefse in a simple gravy sauce or Meatball Subs or in Grandpa's Spaghetti & Meatballs in a tomato marinara sauce! Homemade meatballs, lots of different ways!
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Ingredients & Substitutions
For the Meatballs
- Onion - The onion is caramelized, slowly cooked over low heat until golden brown, bringing out its natural sugars and flavor before getting mixed in with the meatballs. This process is slow but easy and really adds incredible flavor!
- Ground Beef and Pork - A combination of ground beef and ground pork is a great mix. You can also use ground Italian sausage in place of the pork.
- Eggs - Serve as a binder for the meatballs, holding their shape.
- Breadcrumbs - Helps the texture of the meatballs, making them not too dense.
- Worcestershire Sauce - Adds flavor.
- Milk - Provides moisture for the meatballs, soaking into the breadcrumbs.
- Garlic - A big flavor booster, use fresh garlic if you can, but a teaspoon of garlic powder can be substituted.
- Salt and Pepper - Enhances the flavor of all ingredients, do not skip!
- Parmesan Cheese - Really important for texture! The parmesan cheese gives the meatballs a soft delicate bite, making them juicy and delicious! Without it, your meatballs will be dense and tough.
For the Sauce
- Ketchup - The tomatoey base, but the finished sauce doesn't taste ketchup-y at all.
- Jam - Any dark colored jam or jelly will do such as blackberry, blueberry, grape, or a mixed berry. Or try making this Mulberry Freezer Jam in the summer, it can be made with any berries!
- BBQ Sauce - Adds the tangy component, use your favorite brand and go as spicy or mild as you like!
- Honey - Adds the sweet component!
- Water - Thins and stretches the sauce. If your meatballs have been in the crockpot awhile and the sauce is getting too thick, you can add a touch more water.
Instructions
Step 1 - Caramelize the onion. In a large pan over medium low heat, add olive oil and lightly saute the onion until golden brown, bringing out its natural sugars and flavors.
Don't rush this process! Let the onions slowly soften and lightly brown while you prepare your other ingredients.
Step 2 - Add all ingredients for the meatballs to a large bowl, including the onions when they are done. Mix very well to combine, clean hands are the best mixing tool!
Step 3 - Portion the meatballs into ping-pong size balls using a portion scoop or an ice cream scoop to get them all the same size. Roll them in your hands and place on a sheet pan.
You will get about 30 to 36 meatballs, depending on the size. At this point you can freeze any meatballs you don't plan to use, or cover and refrigerate a day in advance.
Step 4 - Preheat the oven and reheat the pan from the onions with olive oil. Brown the meatballs on one side, then flip and brown the other side. A metal or wooden spatula works best to flip them.
Don't try to move them around in the pan while they are searing, let them sit 2 minutes to get a nice brown crust before flipping. Trying to flip them sooner will break them.
Cook about 8 to 10 at a time in batches so you don't crowd the pan. When done browning the outside, you can return them to the sheet pan.
They are not fully cooked at this point so don’t worry about putting them back on the raw meatball pan, you will be baking the whole thing.
Step 5 - Bake the seared meatballs in the oven for 10 to 20 minutes to finish cooking them through. Cut one open to make sure it's done!
Step 6 - To make the sauce, add all ingredients to a crockpot and stir to combine. Warm the sauce on low and add the meatballs when they are ready.
Your meatballs are ready to serve or can stay warmed in the crockpot throughout the party!
Storage and Make Ahead Instructions
- Make Ahead Instructions - If you are having a big party, you have plenty of work to do! There are a handful of options for making these jelly bbq meatballs ahead of time.
- First, consider doubling the recipe, extra meatballs to freeze can be used in different sauces like Norwegian Meatballs with Lefse or Meatball Subs or Spaghetti with Marinara.
- You can freeze meatballs when they are raw, or store the raw meatballs in the fridge a day or two ahead of your party.
- Second, you can sear and bake the meatballs, and then freeze or store the cooked meatballs in the fridge a day or two in advance.
- You can also make the sweet and tangy sauce up to 3 days ahead of time and store it in the fridge in a container or jar.
- Finally, you can assemble the cooked meatballs in the sauce and store that in the fridge a day or two ahead of your party. Warm the meatballs with the sauce in the crockpot before the party.
- Leftover meatballs in their sauce can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or frozen in the sauce. Just thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat.
What to Serve with Appetizer Meatballs
Use these Crockpot Meatballs to anchor your next party! Sweet & Tangy Party Meatballs are a staple at our little New Year's Eve party.
We always have a grazing menu with crockpot party meatballs and a few other appetizers like this Honey Nut Brie or Raisin Pine Nut Goat Cheese Appetizer, often on platters with other meats, cheeses, fruit, nuts, crackers, pretzels and salty snacks.
You can also add these Baked Goat Cheese Artichoke Dip, Mediterranean Hummus with Olives and Feta, Cranberry Honey Baked Brie, or White Bean Bruschetta.
The meatballs work perfectly, they are hearty enough to make it a meal, but can be eaten a few at a time over the course of the night. Great for game day, backyard birthday parties, or family get togethers!
Recipe FAQs
Yes, and you should! Homemade meatballs are a bit of work, but so much better than the frozen store-bought kind. I always double the recipe and freeze extras, raw or cooked, to use in any meatball recipe with any type of sauce. They are a great meal-prep recipe for easy weeknight dinners, and are a great freezer meal for new moms! Thaw them overnight in the fridge and use them in any way!
Yes! Meatballs can be frozen raw or cooked! If freezing them cooked, all you need to do is thaw them overnight in the fridge and warm them through in your choice of sauce.
Yes! To make these bbq crockpot meatballs gluten-free, simply substitute gluten-free breadcrumbs or make your own by pulsing gluten-free bread in a food processor. You can also replace the breadcrumbs with regular rolled oats pulsed a few times in a food processor.
More Favorite Party Appetizers!
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Sweet and Tangy Appetizer Meatballs
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Print Pin RateIngredients
For the Meatballs
- 1 small onion small dice, olive oil, salt and pepper
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup breadcrumbs panko or homemade
- 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup milk
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 grinds fresh black pepper
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese grated
For the Sauce
- ½ cup ketchup
- ½ cup jam blackberry, mulberry, or grape
- ¼ cup bbq sauce
- ¼ cup honey
- ½ cup water
Instructions
For the Meatballs
- In a large saute pan over medium low heat, add 2 teaspoons of olive oil and caramelize the onion with a pinch of salt and pepper until golden brown, stir occasionally, about 20 minutes. Let the onion cook slowly, bringing out its natural sugars.
- Meanwhile, mix all other meatball ingredients in a large bowl, including the onions when they are done. Your hands are the best tool, really mix well so all ingredients are incorporated.
- Form into meatballs and set on a sheet pan. They should be about ping pong ball size, use an ice cream scoop to portion and then roll them with your hands. Makes 30 to 36 meatballs, depending on size. (At this point you can freeze or refrigerate the meatballs, some or all, for later use, or try doubling the meatball recipe to really stock the freezer!)
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Over medium high heat, reheat the pan from the onions or use a clean large skillet, and add 1 Tablespoon olive oil. Brown the meatballs on one side, then flip and brown the other side (about 2 minutes per side). Cook about 8 to 10 at a time in batches so you do not crowd the pan. When done browning the outside, return them to the sheet pan (don’t worry that it had the raw meatballs on them, you will be baking the whole thing).
- Bake in the oven for about 10-20 minutes to finish cooking the meatballs through, cut one open to check.
- At this point you can store the cooked meatballs in the freezer or fridge or put them into the sauce.
For the Sauce
- Mix all ingredients for the sauce in a crock pot on low. When heated through, add the meatballs and keep warm on the low or warm setting until ready to eat!
Notes
- Double the recipe to meal prep meatballs for the freezer. Meatballs can be frozen raw, cooked, or cooked and in the sauce. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before cooking or reheating.
- Use a metal or wooden spatula when flipping the searing meatballs, be careful not to break them.
- Browning the meatballs in the pan just adds flavor, it does not cook the meatballs all the way through. Finish them in the oven. To save time, you can skip the sear and just bake them directly in the oven, about 20 minutes but cut one open to be sure they are cooked through before adding them to your sauce.
- These basic homemade meatballs are versatile and can be used in different sauces like Spaghetti and Meatballs, Meatball Subs, or Norwegian Meatballs with Lefse!
- Nutrition information is for 1 meatball when formed into 30 meatballs.
Briana Smalley says
Can these be made in the crockpot? Super excited to try!!
Meryl Downing says
They really need to be baked in the oven and then kept warm in the crockpot!