Grape Jelly Meatballs in the crockpot are a flavor explosion in every bite and are not only a family favorite but also the ultimate crowd-pleaser. Make these for your next cookout appetizers, game day, or potluck picnic.
Suitable for Gluten Free Diets. Post includes Weight Watchers Points.
Need an easy appetizer that the whole family will love for parties, game days, barbeques, potlucks, baby showers, and cocktail parties? Then look no further than these really easy-to-make juicy Slow Cooker Meatballs in a grape jelly sauce.
These crockpot meatballs with grape jelly require only 3 pantry staple ingredients and 2 minutes of effort to whip up. Yes, you pretty much dump everything in the crock pot, press start, and a few hours later, you have the perfect meatball appetizer.
However, you can easily transform these smoky, sweet, and tangy party meatballs into a hearty comfort food dinner by serving them over some rice or mashed potatoes or in a meatball sandwich— #onerecipealltheways.
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If you need more appetizers for a BBQ, you must try these easy Air Fryer Frozen Meatballs and Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs.
And if you are feeling extra handy in the kitchen, roll up your sleeves and craft your very own Homemade Meatballs from scratch. We absolutely love meatball recipes.
Why Make These Crockpot Meatballs With Grape Jelly
- Easy to make – just 3 ingredients and 2 minutes of prep are all that’s needed to whip up this tasty and easy grape jelly meatballs appetizer.
- Versatile – serve these grape jelly meatballs as an appetizer or easily transform them into a main dish.
- A Family Favorite – flavorful and fun to eat, kids and adults love ’em!
Ready to take your Slow Cooker skills to the next level? Explore this collection of Crockpot Tips, Tricks, and Hacks tailored to make your cooking experience with your trusty Crockpot even more effortless and rewarding.
Ingredient Notes
Just three simple ingredients to make this easy recipe for slow-cooker grape jelly meatballs;
- Meatballs – This recipe starts with frozen meatballs that are already cooked, which you can get from Costco, Trader Joe’s, or your favorite local grocery store. But if you want to start with cooked frozen homemade meatballs, then you can totally do that, too. Depending on your preference, you can choose plain ground beef or pork meatballs, turkey meatballs, or even Italian meatballs.
- BBQ meatballs sauce – Feel free to get your favorite store-bought BBQ sauce or make your own homemade BBQ sauce. Consider adding chili sauce like Heinz chili sauce if you want to spice things up. You can find chili sauce in the condiments section of your local grocery store. You can even try garlic chili sauce.
- Grape jelly – The addition of grape jelly is what makes these grape jelly meatballs really awesome. I used Welch’s Grape Jelly, and Smucker’s Grape Jelly is a good second option.
- Onion powder (optional) – If you want to add an extra layer of savory flavor, a dash of onion powder can do wonders.
Ps if you like meatballs then check out this Crockpot Meatballs and Spaghetti post.
Ready to learn how to make this Crockpot Grape Jelly Meatballs recipe? Gather up those meatballs and other ingredients, and I will show you…..
Handy Tip: Use Good Kitchen Tools!
For the best tools to help make your recipe even easier and more successful, check out my collection of the Best Kitchen Tools on Amazon.
How To Make Slow Cooker Meatballs
Get the complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.
- Add meatballs to the crockpot.
- Then pour in grape jelly, BBQ sauce and onion powder (if using), stirring to mix.
- Place the lid on the crockpot and cook for 2-3 hours on high (mine were ready in 2 hours and 15 minutes).
- Transfer the meatballs to a plate or bowl and add cocktail sticks before serving. Then, enjoy your grape jelly meatballs.
Make Meatballs With Grape Jelly On The Stovetop
- Add your own meatballs or store bought frozen meatballs to a saucepan.
- Pour in grape jelly, BBQ sauce, and onion powder (if using) and mix.
- Cover the saucepan and simmer over medium-low until the meatballs are defrosted and warmed through and the grape jelly sauce is nice and hot. Then, serve the BBQ grape jelly meatballs warm.
Make These In The Oven
- Mix together all the ingredients with the frozen meatballs and barbecue sauce in an oven-safe dish.
- Bake at 350 degrees F / 180 degrees C for 50-60 minutes. Then, remove from the oven and serve your BBQ grape jelly meatballs. Garnish it with some green onions.
Pro Tips
- You can easily double this for a crowd. Just make sure your crockpot is big enough to fit everything in. These are the best baby shower meatballs.
- You can also cut the recipe in half to serve a smaller group.
- Choose your favorite BBQ sauce flavor profile that suits your taste, whether you prefer it smokier, sharper, sweeter, spicer, etc. I like using Rays BBQ sauce.
- You can replace a little bit of the grape jelly with some honey.
- Toasted sesame seeds make a great garnish for meatballs.
- To thicken sauce, you can create a cornstarch slurry mixture. However, it’s worth noting that the sauce thickens naturally in the recipe, so the cornstarch slurry is optional.
Delicious Variations
These 3 ingredient grape jelly meatballs are a super versatile and delicious recipe! Try some of these easy variations;
- Swap the jelly – Use leftover cranberry sauce, apple jelly, strawberry jelly, orange marmalade, or even apricot preserves in this meatball sauce recipe. Alternatively, add pineapple that’s sliced or diced for Hawaiian meatballs, or if you have leftover cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving, you can add it instead.
- Vary the sauce – swap the barbecue sauce for tomato or salsa sauce. You can also make grape jelly meatballs with chili sauce. So go on and add chili sauce to the recipe to spice things up. You can add about 2 tablespoons, depending on how hot you like it. Heinz chili sauce is our go-to, but you can use another hot sauce or chili powder.
- Vary the grape jelly meatballs – feel free to use turkey or Italian meatballs in the slow cooker. Replace the frozen meatballs with little smokies, chicken wings, or sliced sausages.
Prep And Storage
This easy crockpot recipe is really easy to make, but there are a few things you can do to prep ahead.
- Make Ahead – Prepare your meatballs and fry or bake them. Let them cool down, then freeze on a baking tray before transferring to an airtight container for freezing.
- Reheat – Reheat your meatballs with grape jelly and bbq sauce by placing them back into the slow cooker or in a saucepan on the stovetop before serving.
- Store – Store any cooked leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freeze – Cool and portion them, then pack them in airtight containers, labeling them with the date. Freeze for 2-3 months.
- Meal prep – Simply double or triple the crockpot BBQ meatballs ingredients to prepare extra servings for future meals, appetizers for BBQ, or convenient freezing in a freezer-safe container.
FAQs
Yes, you can certainly make it on your stove or oven. Just scroll a little further back up in the post to get my stovetop or oven cooking instructions.
No, you don’t need to thaw the frozen meatballs before cooking. This really is the best crockpot meatballs recipe as it is super simple in that you add the frozen meatballs directly into the slow cooker.
You can use meatballs that are freshly cooked or thawed, but you will need to cook them for less time.
Grape jelly is a sweet and flavorful spread made from grape juice or grape puree, sugar, and pectin. It has a smooth texture and a rich grape taste.
Grape jelly is commonly used as a condiment, a filling for sandwiches and pastries, or as an ingredient in various recipes, including this popular Slow Cooker Grape Jelly Meatballs recipe.
It can be found in most grocery stores and is a versatile ingredient in both sweet and savory dishes.
Other kinds of jelly can be used, including cranberry sauce, apple jelly, apricot, mixed berry, or strawberry jelly.
You can use any brand of frozen meatballs you like. In my opinion, the best frozen meatballs are the Costco meatballs, which is called Kirkland Signature. You can even use the Costco chicken meatballs.
Still, you can choose from pre-made frozen meatballs from various brands available in the freezer section of your grocery store, including Cooked Perfect, Rosina, Aidells, Trader Joe’s, Hormel, and more.
Alternatively, if you enjoy making homemade meatballs, you can craft your own. Just be sure to use fully cooked meatballs.
Yes, you can use fresh meatballs for these grape jelly meatballs. Make sure to cook the meatballs beforehand.
Similar Recipes
Looking for more EASY, delicious, and flavorful recipes? I’ve got you covered. Check out my full collection of Crockpot recipes, or start a few of my most popular recipes:
Serve Grape Jelly Meatball Recipe With:
- Easy Crockpot Mashed Potatoes – You can also turn these meatballs into a main course by serving them over cooked rice, egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or pasta. This transforms them into a hearty meal.
- Veggies sides – Balance the flavors with side dishes like steamed vegetables or these easy air fryer frozen vegetables, a crisp garden salad, or a fresh coleslaw for a well-rounded meal.
- Other appetizers – Check out the following section for some of our favorites to serve alongside these meatballs.
More Appetizer Recipes
- A reliable crockpot is the star of this recipe, making it easy to cook the meatballs to perfection.
- A saucepan if you opt for stovetop cooking instead of the slow cooker.
- Meal prep glass jars for storing any leftover meatballs or for meal-prepping
- For the best tools to help make your recipe even easier and more successful, check out my collection of the Best Kitchen Tools on Amazon.
Weight Watchers Points
There are 12 Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving of this.
Be sure to check out these other delicious crock pot recipes;
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Easy Grape Jelly Meatballs
Crockpot Grape Jelly Meatballs are the perfect appetizer!
Servings: 16
Calories: 294kcal
To make in the slow cooker:
Add the frozen meatballs to the crockpot.
Pour in grape jelly, bbq sauce, and onion powder (if using), stirring to combine.
Place lid on and cook for 2-3 hours on high (mine were ready in 2 ¼ hours).
To make on the stovetop:
Add the frozen meatballs to a saucepan.
Pour in grape jelly, bbq sauce, and onion powder (if using) and mix.
Cover the saucepan and simmer over medium-low until the meatballs are defrosted and warmed through and the grape jelly sauce is nice and hot.
To make in the oven:
Mix together all the ingredients with the frozen meatballs and barbecue sauce in an oven-safe dish.
Bake at 350 degrees F / 180 degrees C for 50-60 minutes.
Remove from the oven and serve garnished with green onions.
- You can easily double this for a crowd. Just make sure your crockpot is big enough to fit everything in.
- You can also cut the recipe in half to serve a smaller group.
- Choose your favorite BBQ sauce flavor profile that suits your taste, whether you prefer it smokier, sharper, sweeter, spicer, etc. We like using Rays BBQ sauce.
- You can replace a little bit of the grape jelly with some honey.
- Toasted sesame seeds make a great garnish for meatballs.
- To thicken sauce, you can create a cornstarch slurry mixture. However, it’s worth noting that the sauce thickens naturally in the recipe, so the cornstarch slurry is optional.
- Storage – store any cooked leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- There are 12 Blue Plan SmartPoints in a serving.
Calories: 294kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 319mg | Potassium: 253mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 64IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 1mg
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