Grape Jelly Meatball Recipe
An easy slow cooker appetizer made with frozen meatballs, grape jelly, and chili sauce. The sauce cooks down into a sticky sweet-savory glaze that is perfect for parties, game day, or serving over egg noodles for dinner.
Ingredients
- 32 ounces frozen fully cooked meatballs homestyle preferred
- 32 ounces grape jelly
- 12 ounces chili sauce Heinz chili sauce or similar; BBQ sauce may be substituted
Instructions
- Pour the grape jelly and chili sauce into the slow cooker insert. Stir them together until mostly combined. The jelly will still look a little lumpy at first and will melt as it heats.
- Add the frozen fully cooked meatballs directly to the slow cooker. Stir until the meatballs are coated in the sauce.
- Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or on high for 2 hours, until the meatballs are hot all the way through and the sauce is thick and glossy.
- Stir every 45 to 60 minutes if you can. This helps the sauce coat evenly and prevents the sugary sauce from building up on the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Once the meatballs are hot, switch the slow cooker to warm for serving. Serve with toothpicks as an appetizer, or spoon over buttered egg noodles for dinner.
Notes
Use homestyle or plain frozen meatballs if possible. Italian-style meatballs have stronger seasoning that can compete with the grape jelly and chili sauce.
Heinz chili sauce is the classic choice. Do not confuse it with sriracha or Asian chili sauce.
BBQ sauce can be used instead of chili sauce for a smokier flavor.
If doubling the recipe, use a larger slow cooker or split the batch between two slow cookers so the meatballs heat evenly.
