Tender and full of flavor, these Slow Cooker Cranberry Meatballs are the perfect appetizer to make for your guests this holiday season. Easy, tasty and mouthwatering!

These Cranberry Meatballs are the perfect appetizer and we all know how much I love appetizers. I could easily make a couple appetizers and just call it a meal – forget the main dish, I’m all about the apps.

These Slow Cooker Cranberry Meatballs have so much flavor. Plus, since they’ve been in the slow cooker for hours, they’re super tender. It’s so easy to keep popping one after the other.

You really can’t go wrong with making these, especially for large family gatherings, parties or celebrations or the holiday season.

Everyone I know loves Grape Jelly Meatballs, so why not make these delicious ones? The cranberry really is the highlight but is not too overpowering.

This has the perfect balance of flavor and works great with any holiday spread. Or just make these for any occasion, we love them all year long, especially to munch on during football games.

If you want that tasty but different appetizer to serve to your guests, these Cranberry Meatballs are exactly what you need, you will not regret it.

Some of our other favorite appetizer recipes we have on our site include: Sausage Dip Pinwheels, Cranberry Brie Flatbread and Sun-Dried Tomato Cheese Ball.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

Perfect for entertaining or feeding a large crowd.
Versatile, can be used as an appetizer or with a main course.
The oven and slow cooker does all the hard work.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE AT BOTTOM):

Eggs
Panko breadcrumbs
Ketchup
Italian parsley
Light brown sugar
Worcestershire sauce
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Smoked paprika
Lean ground beef
Jellied cranberry sauce
Chili sauce

HOW TO MAKE CRANBERRY MEATBALLS, STEP BY STEP:

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a sheet tray with parchment paper, and set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, breadcrumbs, ketchup, parsley, brown sugar, worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and paprika.
Add the beef and mix it well with the ingredients. It’s easier to do this by hand.
Take 1 ½ tablespoons of the mixture and roll it between your hands to form a ball. I find using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop easiest. Place them on the prepared sheet tray not touching.
Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.
Place the meatballs into the body of a 6-quart or similar-sized slow cooker, set aside.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the cranberry sauce, chili sauce, and brown sugar. It may not become smooth but some lumps are okay.
Pour the sauce over the meatballs.
Stir so the meatballs are coated in the sauce.
Place the slow cooker on low temp for 4-5 hours, or high for 2-3 hours. Stir every 30 minutes or so to make sure the sauce doesn’t burn.
Garnish with more parsley if desired and serve immediately.

CAN I MAKE THESE AHEAD FOR A PARTY?

Well, the meatballs require plenty of time to make in the crockpot. You can time it appropriately to be ready for your party.

Also, you can use the warm setting on your Slow Cooker to keep them warm to serve at your party for an additional 3 hours.

If using this warm setting, make sure to give it a good stir every half hour.

CAN I USE FROZEN MEATBALLS?

Yes, I like making my own meatballs with this recipe, but if you’re looking to make this recipe even easier, you can use frozen meatballs.

You don’t even need to thaw them. Simply toss them in the slow cooker and cover it with the sauce and other ingredients. I recommend using homestyle meatballs for this.

You can also use other meats for the frozen meatballs, just use what you like best – even meat free meatballs will work for this recipe.

DO I HAVE TO USE GROUND BEEF?

Nope! You can easily trade out the ground beef for ground chicken, ground turkey, or even loose ground sausage. Pick your meat of choice and enjoy.

HOW TO STORE:

Any leftover meatballs should be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator where they will keep for up to 5 days.

You can freeze also freeze these, place in a freezer container with sauce and they will keep for up to 3 months.

To defrost, remove to the refrigerator overnight until thawed. When ready to reheat, toss them in the microwave or back in the slow cooker until they’re warmed through.

TIPS AND TRICKS:

You can use store bought meatballs if you don’t want to make your own.
Ground beef can be swapped out for other meat choices, see suggestions above.
You can double this recipe if needed, just be sure your slow cooker is big enough.
Serve these at a party and keep on warm if needed. Be sure to stir them often.
These are tender meatballs, be careful when stirring them so you don’t break them.
If you want some heat, add ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper or chipotle powder to the meatball mix. If you want even more heat, add your favorite hot sauce to the cranberry sauce.
These can be frozen, see above on how to do that.

Want a super easy appetizer that your family and friends will rant and rave about? Then you must make these Slow Cooker Cranberry Meatballs for your next get together.

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If you’ve tried this SLOW COOKER CRANBERRY MEATBALLS or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and what shenanigans I’m getting into!

Slow Cooker Cranberry Meatballs