Honey BBQ Crockpot Meatballs at home
Speedy and straightforward Honey BBQ Crockpot Meatballs Are an appetizer or meal you must always keep on hand. With simple ingredients in a slow cooker, you can set it and forget it because the slow-cooker does all the work!
Honey BBQ Crockpot Meatballs
These slow-cooker meatballs are a great prepare-ahead freeze-ahead friendly recipe too! You can use premade frozen meatballs or from-scratch meatballs if you prefer. These are picky eater-approved!
Ingredients:
- Frozen precooked Italian meatballs– For a healthier version, you can use meatballs made with ground turkey or chicken.
- BBQ sauce- Any BBQ sauce will work, Hickory and brown sugar bourbon BBQ sauce tastes satisfying.
- Honey– Agave or maple syrup would work too.
- Grape jelly- Strawberry jelly gives a nice sweet flavor.
- Parsley-Optional. If you don’t like parsley, try diced green onion for extra flavor!
Instructions:
Make the sauce. In a 6-8 quart slow-cooker, combine your BBQ sauce, honey, and grape jelly and stir well until smooth.
Load the meatballs. Add your meatballs to the sauce and stir them, making sure all of the meatballs are coasted well.
Cook. Cook covered with the slow-cooker lid on high for 2 hours or low for 3 hours.
Serve. Garnish with parsley and serve warm.
The thing we love most about this straightforward slow-cooker recipe is that it is so versatile. You can serve them over rice, on a sub, or with toothpicks as an appetizer. It also passes the picky eater test so you can say goodbye to the dinnertime struggle.
Storage
To store your Honey BBQ slow-cooker meatballs, remove the meatballs and sauce to an airtight container and allow them to cool on the counter for no longer than 2 hours. Cover and Place in the refrigerator. Make sure to consume within 3-4 days. Reheat individual servings in the microwave and serve.
Freezer Instructions
Can we make this ahead of time and freeze it?
This recipe freezes so well. Make your meatballs according to the directions above. Turn the slow-cooker off and allow the meatballs to cool slightly (about an hour). Remove them to a resealable plastic bag and lay flat in the freezer for up to 2 months. Remember to label the bag with the name of the recipe and the date.
Honey BBQ Crockpot Meatballs Recipe
Prep 5 minutesCook 2 hoursMakes 6 servings
Ingredients
- 2½ pounds frozen cooked Italian meatballs (still frozen)
- 1 cup BBQ sauce
- ½ cup honey
- ⅓ cup grape jelly
- Parsley, chopped as an optional garnish
Method
- Make the sauce. In a 6-8 quart slow-cooker, combine your BBQ sauce, honey, and grape jelly and stir well until smooth.
- Load the meatballs. Add your meatballs to the sauce and stir them, making sure all of the meatballs are coasted well.
- Cook. Cook covered with the slow-cooker lid on high for 2 hours or low for 3 hours.
- Serve. Garnish with parsley and serve warm.
Notes
- Do we have to use store bought meatballs or can we make our own? Your own meatballs are great. Make sure to cook your meatballs according to recipe instructions before using them. If your meatballs are not frozen to start you’ll also want to adjust your cooking time appropriately according to the recipe you followed to make the meatballs. Can we double this recipe? Yes, this is a great recipe to double. Have one batch the night you make it and freeze the other batch to pull out when you’re having one of those days and need to get dinner on the table fast. Just make sure you double the cook time and use a larger slow-cooker. <div class="
