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If you need a zero-stress appetizer that everyone devours, these Grape Jelly Meatballs are it. Toss three pantry staples in the Crock Pot and let the slow cooker do the work. The sauce turns glossy, sweet-tangy, and totally irresistible—bet you can’t stop at one!
The Perfect Easy Appetizer
I reach for this recipe whenever I’m hosting or headed to a potluck because it’s honestly foolproof—frozen meatballs, barbecue sauce, and grape jelly simmer into the most addicting cocktail meatballs. I’ve tried lots of variations over the years (including a pepper-jelly twist when I ran out of grape), but this classic combo remains the MVP for parties. It’s one of our easiest Crock Pot Recipes.
When I serve these meatballs I like to set out toothpicks for easy snacking, spoon over rice or mashed potatoes for a quick dinner, tuck into slider buns with pickles, or pair with a veggie tray, chips and queso, or a simple salad to round out the spread.
🩷 Erica
Ingredients You’ll Need
These easy meatballs only have 3 simple ingredients:
- Frozen meatballs – using frozen meatballs makes this recipe so easy. You can use homemade meatballs if you want, as well! A combination of ground beef and pork, or even turkey meatballs would work.
- Barbecue sauce – I find the best flavor comes from Sweet Baby Ray’s or Bull’s Eye, I have used other sauces but these two are my favorite.
- Grape jelly – it’s got to be grape! The combination of barbecue sauce and grape is so good!
Ingredient Additions and Substitutions
- Instead of BBQ sauce: Ketchup, chili sauce, or Mr. Yoshida’s teriyaki sauce change the vibe but still pair well with grape jelly.
- If you’re out of grape jelly: Pepper jelly (adds heat), jellied cranberry sauce, or apple jelly; flavor changes slightly but still delish.
- Jam vs. jelly: Jam will taste great but won’t look quite as shiny as jelly.
- Heat it up: Add Sriracha or Frank’s hot sauce to taste.
- Make it more savory: A splash of soy sauce or Worcestershire, plus a pinch of garlic/onion powder.
- Optional flavor boosters – Sriracha, Frank’s hot sauce, soy sauce, Dijon, or a splash of apple cider vinegar for heat, savoriness, or extra tang.
- Meatball options: Beef/pork blend is classic; turkey or chicken work for a lighter take. If using fresh meatballs, fully cook them before saucing so they don’t break apart.
How to Make Grape Jelly Meatballs
- Load the slow cooker: Add frozen, fully cooked meatballs to a 4- to 6-quart Crock Pot.
- Make the sauce: Pour in barbecue sauce and spoon in grape jelly; stir to coat the meatballs.
- Cook: Cover and cook 2 hours on HIGH or 3–4 hours on LOW, stirring once or twice.
- Serve: Switch to WARM for serving; stir well and set out with toothpicks or over your favorite sides.
Other Ways to Cook
Stove top: add your ingredients to a Dutch oven or deep walled skillet and simmer on low in the sauce for 20-30 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.
Oven: Combine meatballs and sauce and place in a greased baking dish. Cover with aluminum and bake at 375-degrees F for 25-30 minutes, stirring halfway through to redistribute the sauce. Remove foil and bake another 10 minutes or until the edges of the meatballs caramelize.
Instant Pot: add your ingredients plus ½ cup of water to an Instant Pot. Close the lid and pressure cook on High Pressure/Manual for 5 minutes. Allow the pot to naturally release pressure for 10 minutes before removing the lid. Stir before serving.
Homemade Frozen Meatballs
I like making meatballs and freezing them for later. Frozen meatballs come in handy for so many occasions! Because they are precooked, you can just pop them in the Crock Pot and they heat up quickly without falling apart. That makes this recipe even easier and with better ingredients.
Recipe Tips
- Fresh Meatballs: you can use fresh (not frozen) meatballs, but I like to fully cook them first before adding them to the Crock Pot or they will fall apart. Our air fryer meatball recipe is perfect for this.
- For a thicker sauce: If it seems thin, stir 1–2 teaspoons cornstarch into 1 tablespoon cold water; add during the last 30–60 minutes.
- Don’t over-stir early: Gentle stirring keeps meatballs intact (especially if using homemade).
- Keep-warm friendly: After cooking, the WARM setting keeps them party-ready for 2–3 hours; stir occasionally.
- Scaling: Double in a larger slow cooker for crowds; add 15–30 minutes if the pot is very full.
Frequently Asked Questions
Grape jelly gives the perfect, sweet flavor that balances out the meatball’s savoriness. It also thickens the barbecue sauce and adds a beautiful, glossy shine
The grape jelly/barbecue sauce itself isn’t extremely thick. If it has become runny, you can thicken it up by mixing a little cornstarch and water and adding it to the Crock Pot in the final hour of cooking.
I have used our pepper jelly with great success in this recipe. It gives the meatballs and amazing flavor. You can also use jellied cranberries (cranberry sauce), or apple jelly.
You can, but you won’t get as glossy of a coating. They will still taste great but their appearance won’t be as shiny.
For appetizers, plan 3–4 cocktail meatballs per person; for sliders or bowls, allow 5–6.
Use gluten-free meatballs and a GF-certified BBQ sauce; most plain grape jellies are naturally gluten-free, but always check labels.
Make Ahead and Storage
Make ahead: Stir the sauce together up to 3 days ahead; keep chilled. Combine with meatballs and cook as directed.
Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3–4 days.
Freeze: Cool completely; freeze up to 2–3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Reheat: Microwave in short bursts, warm gently on the stovetop, or return to the slow cooker on LOW until hot.
More Meatball Recipes
- Crock Pot Appetizer Meatballs
- Crock Pot Swedish Meatballs
- Instant Pot Meatballs
- Frikadeller (Danish Meatballs)
- Easy Crock Pot Meatballs
- Red Lobster Sausage Balls
Three ingredients, five minutes of prep, and a slow cooker—that’s all it takes to make these Grape Jelly Meatballs. If you try them, leave a comment and a rating to tell me what you added or how you served them. 💛
Grape Jelly Meatballs (just 3 ingredients)
Equipment
- 1 Crock Pot or Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 pounds frozen meatballs (or homemade meatballs)
- 2 cups barbecue Sauce (I like using Sweet Baby Ray's or Bull's Eye)
- 1 cup grape Jelly
Instructions
- Place meatballs in a Crock Pot or slow cooker.
- Pour barbecue sauce over meatballs.
- Spoon grape jelly over meatballs. Stir to combine.
- Cover and slow cook on high heat for 2 hours or on low heat for 3-4 hours. Stir well before serving.
Video
Notes
- Thicken: If needed, add 1–2 tsp cornstarch whisked into 1 Tbsp cold water during the last 30–60 minutes.
- Swap-ins: Use chili sauce, ketchup, or teriyaki instead of BBQ; pepper jelly, cranberry sauce, or apple jelly instead of grape.
- Heat/Savory: Add Sriracha or Frank’s for spice; soy sauce or Worcestershire for depth; a splash of cider vinegar for tang.
- Fresh meatballs: Fully cook before adding to sauce to prevent breaking.
- Alternate methods: Stovetop 20–30 min (low simmer); Oven 375°F 25–30 min covered + 10 min uncovered; Instant Pot High 5 min + 10-min natural release.
- Warming: Keep on WARM up to 2–3 hours; stir occasionally.
We made these meatballs for a big group on game day and everyone went crazy for them! So good and easy, will be making these again.
So glad to hear they were a hit!