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This easy crockpot BBQ Meatballs recipe could not be more simple with homemade or store-bought meatballs, cooked in a simple BBQ cranberry sauce. They are sweet, tangy, and the ultimate crowd-pleasing appetizer!
Crockpot BBQ Meatballs prepped in 5 minutes.
Crockpot BBQ Meatballs prepped in 5 minutes.Everyone loves an appetizer of warm meatballs and I love a crockpot appetizer I can prep ahead and forget! This has got to be the easiest appetizer out there since you just toss everything in the slow cooker and walk away. You can use frozen store-bought meatballs (I recommend the Costco brand) or make and freeze homemade meatballs. It takes just 5 minutes to throw everything in, then come back when it's time to enjoy them.
Don't miss my other appetizer recipes, like Buffalo Chicken Meatballs, Pizza Sliders, Toasted Ravioli, and Air Fryer Chicken Wings! If you're hosting Game Day, check out the Top 5 Superbowl Foods.
How to make BBQ meatballs:
Make Sauce: Pour frozen meatballs in slow cooker and mix together cranberry sauce, cocktail sauce, brown sugar, water, and bbq sauce.
Cook: Pour sauce over meatballs and cook on low for 4-6 hours or high for 2-3 hours. Serve and enjoy!
Storing and Reheating Instructions:
Store leftover crockpot bbq meatball leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
To Reheat: Add meatballs and sauce to a saucepan and reheat on the stove until warm.
Recipe Variations:
- Stovetop Instructions: Pour bbq meatball sauce ingredients into a saucepan, stirring until smooth. Add the meatballs and toss them in the sauce. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes if the meatballs are thawed, 14-16 minutes for frozen meatballs.
- Meatballs: I recommend pre-cooked frozen meatballs for this recipe. I like to make a big batch of my homemade meatballs and keep in the freezer to make this recipe anytime. If you want to use fresh uncooked meatballs, I recommend using a lean meat or else it will add extra grease to the sauce.
More Recipes with Meatballs:
- Hawaiian Meatballs
- Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
- Instant Pot Pasta and Meatballs
- One Pan Meatball Casserole
- Meatball Subs
- Swedish Meatballs
- Air Fryer Meatballs
- Meatballs Arrabbiata
- Mediterranean Meatball Bowl
- Green Curry Meatballs
BBQ Meatballs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 50-60 frozen meatballs, (store bought or homemade)*
- 14 ounce whole cranberry sauce
- 12 ounces cocktail sauce, , or homemade
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup BBQ sauce
- green onion, , finely chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Spray the bottom of your slow cooker lightly with cooking spray. Add frozen meatballs to the bottom of pot.
- In a large bowl, stir together cranberry sauce, cocktail sauce, brown sugar, water, and barbecue sauce then pour over meatballs.
- Cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or HIGH for 2-3 hours.
- Serve warm garnished with chopped green onions, if desired. You could also serve over rice.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I originally shared this recipe October 2016. Updated October 2020 and January 2025.
I’m going to try this recipe for my family on Christmas day….. sounds delicious I’m really excited about it ?
Thanks Kim! I would love to hear what you think!
After reading all the comments and suggestions I’m excited to be making these for our guests today! ☺️
Thanks Catherine! I’d love to hear how you like them!
Verdict: They were very tasty! The slight kick from the cocktail sauce was well balanced by the sweetness of the cranberry and bbq sauce.
When you say whole cranberry sauce do you mean whole berry cranberry sauce or jellied cranberry sauce?
Hi Lisa, either one should work fine. I use the Ocean Spray berry cranberry sauce! I hope you love it.
Hi, so you used the Ocean Spray Whole Berry sauce. Not the jellied?
Yes, that’s right. Ocean Spray Whole Berry Sauce.
I found these good, but they taste overly of cocktail sauce. I would make them again, perhaps with different ratios?
Hi Vanessa, next time you could cut back half the cocktail sauce and use a little more BBQ. You may also try using a different brand of cocktail sauce if you found it was too strong.
Hi! I don’t have time to make BBQ sauce, so what is your recommendation for a store bought sauce?
Cassandra, I love Sweet Baby Rays Original BBQ Sauce! Best of luck and I hope everyone loves them! I would love to hear how they turn out!
I’m shocked that people still use Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce. The first ingredient is HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP….SO bad for you. “Newman’s Own” Original BBQ sauce is AWESOME and has NO HFCS or any artificial flavors. I only use that brand, and it is SOOO good!
Noooo….high fructose corn syrup is first ingredient. Try Paul Newman’s Original BBQ sauce. NO artificial ingredients. Lower in sugar too.
Hello,
I want to make this recipe this year.
Which brand of cocktail sauce and bbq sauce did you use and reccommend?
I’m assuming you used the ocean spray can cranberry sauce, right?
Thanks in advance,
Marie
Hi Marie, I used the ocean spray cranberry sauce, sweet baby rays bbq sauce and heinz or kraft cocktail sauce, although any generic brand would be fine 🙂 . Hope you enjoy them! I’d love to hear what you think.
Hello,
If I want to make double the amount, do I just double up on the recipe or do you recommend something done different?
Thank You =)
Yep! Just double the amount of everything 🙂 Sounds like a party! Hope you enjoy them.
This recipe is DELICIOUS & very easy to make.
Thank you so much! Happy you enjoyed them.
Is this made in a full size crockpot or in a smaller one usually used for apps and dips? I probably just want the smaller size portion for a small family gathering. Wondering if I should halve the recipe. Thanks!
Hi Laurie, I used my 6qt crockpot, since I was making about 60 meatballs. You can definitely cut the recipe in half for a smaller crockpot. Enjoy!
When you say cocktail sauce, do you mean as in shrimp cocktail sauce?
Yes, that’s it 🙂