Sweet & Spicy Slow Cooker Meatballs

Sweet with just a little bit of kick, these 4 ingredient Sweet & Spicy Slow Cooker Meatballs are a tasty appetizer to serve a crowd.

Do you have a lot of get togethers or just love meatballs? These Sweet & Spicy Slow Cooker Meatballs are just the recipe that you’ve been looking for.

Simple and easy to find ingredients, you can never go wrong with this recipe. They are completely mouthwatering and we can’t get enough of these.

It’s no secret that I love appetizers, I’ve mentioned in almost all of my appetizer posts. I could just make a whole meal out of hand-held delicious food.

This Sweet & Spicy Slow Cooker Meatball recipe is just one of or many favorites. The flavor is just perfect for us, sweet with a hint of heat, a combination that you cannot go wrong with.

We love to make this recipe for all the holidays, on the weekends, for parties and just for fun. Or any reason to use our Slow Cooker!

There is no occasion that these Slow Cooker Meatballs are not perfect for, so add them to your list as a must make!

Some of my other favorite appetizer recipes that we have on our site include: Bloomin’ Onion Petals, Crockpot Ranch Mushrooms and Loaded Potato Skins.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

• Cooked in the slow cooker, these meatballs are thrown together and are effortless, an easy appetizer recipe that is a hit.
• Easy to find ingredients help this recipe come together quickly.
• These are perfect for crowds and for any occasions.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST):

Frozen Homestyle Meatballs
Sweet red chili sauce (we use Thai Kitchen)
Grape jelly
Pineapple tidbits

HOW TO MAKE SWEET & SPICY SLOW COOKER MEATBALLS, STEP BY STEP:

1. Place frozen meatballs in crockpot, add the spicy Thai chili sauce.
2. Next, add in grape jelly.
3. Then add in pineapple tidbits.
4. Stir everything to combine.
5. Cover and heat on high for 1-2 hour or low for 3-4 hours, uncover and stir everything again before serving.

HOW LONG TO COOK FROZEN MEATBALLS IN CROCKPOT:

For this Slow Cooker Meatball Recipe we cook our meatballs on high for 1-2 hours. You can also cook on low for 3-4 hours as well, it all depends on the timeframe that you want these done.

We like ours done a little sooner so we usually cook them on high, but if you are in no hurry and just want to get them out of the way then low will work. Then just keep on warm when serving.

CAN I USE HOMEMADE MEATBALLS?

Yes you can, we use frozen out of convenience as it is easier but if you have some ground beef to use up you can absolutely make your own.

Just make sure that you are making enough that it would equate to using a 40-ounce bag of meatballs and you will want to make sure they are cooked.

DO I HAVE TO USE THE PINEAPPLE?

The pineapple gives this a nice sweet flavor with bite of pineapple for contrast, we highly recommend using the pineapple.

You can use crushed pineapple if you do not want the big chunks in there.

If you do want to leave them out, you can.

CAN I MAKE THESE AHEAD OF TIME?

If you are planning on going somewhere or want these to be ready a little ahead of when you need to use them you can make them ahead of time.

These can be kept on the warm setting for up to 2 hours, so that is the max time I would make these ahead of time for parties or travel.

HOW TO STORE:

These can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator where they will keep for up to 3-4 days.

These can also be frozen, place meatballs in a freezer container or bag and they will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.

To defrost, remove to the refrigerator until thawed. To reheat, place in the microwave until heated through.

TIPS AND TRICKS:

• If using frozen meatballs, use the homestyle and not the Italian versions, the Italian version would alter the flavor of these meatballs.
• You can easily cut this recipe in half. I would recommend using a smaller 5-6 quart crockpot if you were going to do that.
• Make sure to periodically stir your meatballs throughout cooking to distribute the sauce.
• Turkey meatballs also work well in this recipe so you can always substitute that!
• You can make your own homemade meatballs if you’d like. See above for tips.
• The pineapple can be left out if desired, but I highly suggest adding it.
• These can be frozen, see above on how to do that.

Want a sweet and spicy appetizer that’s easy to whip up and even easier to scarf down? Then you need to make these Sweet & Spicy Slow Cooker Meatballs!

If you like this recipe you might also like:

• Slow Cooker Cranberry Meatballs
• Homemade Slow Cooker Grape Jelly Meatballs
• Asian Crockpot Meatballs
• Honey BBQ Crockpot Meatballs

If you’ve tried these SWEET & SPICY SLOW COOKER 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!

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER, 2020