Only 5 minutes of prep and you can let the crockpot do all the work to make these perfectly sweet and spicy crockpot meatballs! Perfect as an appetizer for Game Day. Or serve up with mashed potatoes for an easy weekday meal.
Are you looking for a homemade meatball recipe? Try my Swedish meatballs. An authentic recipe straight from Sweden.
I’m always on the hunt for easy and tasty appetizers that utilize prepared ingredients. These are perfect for Game Day’s or parties when I have other preparations to make.
My newest love: Crockpot Meatballs
Utilizing frozen meatballs keeps this appetizer easy, approachable, and great beginning cooks. And making your own sauce (srsly, though, if it takes 5 min does it even count?) gives you bragging rights!
The key ingredients:
- Frozen beef meatballs. Use your favorite brand of meatballs for this recipe. Be sure not to use flavored meatballs, however. Skip the Italian and Swedish meatballs if you can.
- Ketchup, Sriracha, and Soy sauce. This recipe blends these key sauces together with chopped jalapeño’s for that easy spicy note. If you don’t have sriracha go ahead and try your favorite hot sauce.
- Jalapeño’s. If you prefer a different hot pepper to jalapeño’s go ahead and use them. Just be sure to seed them and chop them finely so each bite has a nice blend of the sweet and spicy.
- Brown sugar. Brown sugar adds the sweetness that balances out the spicy. Using brown sugar also gives a caramelization to the meatballs. Although you can sub white sugar for a similar flavor, use brown for a great texture.
- Honey. Using honey reduces the need for more refined sugars, gives the meatballs a great texture, and adds even more flavor. Go ahead and sub additional brown sugar, if you need to.
How to Make Crockpot Meatballs:
- Add the frozen meatballs to your crockpot.
- Stir all the remaining ingredients together.
- Pour the sauce over the meatballs.
- Cook on high for 3 hours or low for 5 hours.
Questions & answers for making crockpot meatballs:
How long do you cook already cooked meatballs in the crockpot?
Because they are already cooked you simply need to heat them. This usually takes about 3 hours on high and 5 hours on low.
Can you overcook meatballs in crockpot?
Yes, you can. They do start to get tough and dry when they are overcooked. Especially if they haven’t been well coated in sauce. To avoid that, be sure to cover every meatball with sauce and choose the correct cooking time.
Should I thaw meatballs before putting in crockpot?
There is absolutely no need to do so! Put them into the crockpot while frozen and let the crockpot do all the work.
Can I sub chicken or turkey meatballs?
For sure! This recipe tastes great with both. Be sure that the meatballs are well coated with the sauce to avoid any drying out.
Can you reheat frozen meatballs twice?
It’s generally not recommended to reheat meatballs twice. However, if you store them correctly and reheat them properly they should be great.
Sweet & Spicy Crockpot Meatballs
Ingredients
- 2 pounds frozen fully cooked beef meatballs
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 cup ketchup
- 3 tablespoons sriracha sauce
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 jalapeño's seeded and finely chopped
Instructions
- Place meatballs in a 4 quart slow cooker
- In a bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, honey, ketchup, sriracha, soy sauce, garlic, and jalsapeño's until combined.
- Pour the sauce over the frozen meatballs and toss to fully coat the meatballs.
- Cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 2-3 hours.
- Serve garnished with sliced green onions, chopped cilantro, and sesame seeds.
