CrockPot Cranberry Cocktail Meatballs are a delicious appetizer that is always a hit! It takes just a few minutes to prepare the homemade meatballs and the slow cooker does the work! The sauce is savory
Use lean sirloin to keep the calories down so you can enjoy without any guilt! Cranberry Cocktail Meatball are perfect for Game Day, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, any of your parties!
Between watching football on the weekends and it being the Holidays, appetizers are on my mind! Who doesn’t love appetizers? Sometimes my family just has a few appetizers for dinner! We call it fun food night!
These amazing crock pot cranberry meatballs are always a part of fun food night as well as any time I am making appetizers!
Crockpot cranberry cocktail meatballs come together very quickly! My Mom always made festive cocktail meatballs using grape jelly. Years ago, I was making appetizers for a tailgate party and planned on making my Mom’s meatballs.
I had an abundance of cranberry sauce, don’t ask me why! I have issues with overbuying grocery items!
Back to my meatballs, I was making appetizers for a tailgate party! I figured what the heck, give cranberry sauce a go in my cocktail meatballs! Hello, Delicious!!! Cranberry meatballs have become a staple for my family gathering!
One of the greatest things about a crock-pot is the ability to fix and forget! I don’t want to spend the entire game, party, or Holiday in the kitchen and miss all the fun! These little babies are a quick fix and no fuss so I can focus on my family and friends!
Ingredients You Need to Make Cranberry Meatballs:
Cranberry sauce, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, low-salt ketchup, why low-salt ketchup because quite frankly that is what I like! There is enough sodium in the world! My favorite little kick is from ground ginger!
These flavors make a great combination of tangy and sweet and everyone is just plain happy!
Can Frozen Pre-Made Meatballs be used to make these Cocktail Meatballs?
Yes, you can use pre-made meatballs! I prefer to make my meatballs from scratch using lean ground beef. I have also made these with ground turkey and chicken, both are fantastic alternatives for these meatballs! If you have an extra 10 minutes, make the meatballs fresh, so delicious!
Do the cocktail meatballs freeze well?
Absolutely. These meatballs freeze really well. Either store in freezer safe bags or use a food saver to preserve the meatballs. They keep in the freezer for 3-4 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and warm either in the oven or on low in the slow-cooker until heated through.
What goes well with Crock Pot Cranberry Meatballs?
These meatballs also make a great meal! Serving suggestions:
Love cranberries, here are a few of my favorite cranberry recipes:
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- 6-Quart CrockPot:I love this Slow Cooker! I have the 6-quart and 8-quart! Set the timer and relax!
How to Make Crock Pot Cranberry Meatballs:
- In a large bowl combine the lean ground beef, bread crumbs, eggs, onion and garlic powder, parsley, salt, and pepper. Combine well. Set aside.
- In a crockpot, mix together cranberry sauce, ketchup, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, and Worcestershire Sauce.
- Add in meatballs. Cook on low for 3-4 hours.
- Serve and enjoy
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Crock Pot Cranberry Cocktail Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatball
- 2 pounds 90% lean ground beef
- 1/4 cup skim milk
- 1 cup plain whole wheat bread crumbs
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon dried parsley
- salt and pepper, to taste
Cranberry Sauce
- 14 ounce can cranberry sauce
- 1 cup low-salt ketchup
- 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- dried chopped chives, optional garnish
Instructions
Meatballs
- In a large bowl, combine the lean ground beef, skim milk, plain whole wheat bread crumbs, eggs, onion powder, garlic powder, dried parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Gently combine all ingredients to blend. Shape into meatballs approximately 1 inch round.
Cranberry Sauce
- In the crockpot, combine the cranberry sauce, low-salt ketchup, dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. Add the meatballs. Cook on low for 3 hours, check for tenderness and meat should be cooked through. Should take no more than 4 hours to complete cooking. Ready to serve.
- Meatballs can be prepared ahead and reheated. Meatballs can also be frozen and used at a later date.
Notes
- Any nutritional data I provide is an approximation and actual dietary information can vary based on ingredients and portion sizes
Ahh I love the pairing of tart cranberry with meatballs. It makes for a memorable appetizer. These look super simple too. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Analida! These cranberry meatballs are a favorite of my family!
Our favorite go-to meatball appetizer. Every time we make these, I have to double or triple the recipe and they disappear immediately.
Connie, that is awesome. I am so glad these cocktail meatballs are a hit with you and your friends.
Ok yet another fabulous meal I must pin to make! I think my family will love this one for sure!
Thank you so much! I hope your family enjoys!
These look really wonderful and tasty! Perfect for a party!
These are super easy and a crowd pleaser
I’ve never had cranberry cocktail meatblls before. Ill have to try these next time I make some. i always do mine in the crockpot. Definitely my go to way to cook meatballs
I do love a good “set & forget” recipe. These look delicious and perfect of the game.
I love this recipe idea! I have never had cranberries and meatballs together and this sounds so amazing! I LOVE Cranberries and I love sweet meat! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe… pinning!
I am so glad. I hope you enjoy this recipe
If I asked my family they would definitely want me to add this to our game day menu. They would love it!
Fantastic. I hope you added it to the menu
These sound so good! My husband loves meatballs so much, so I need to make these for him!
Fantastic. I hope he enjoys this recipe. We love it!
These sound so good. Like I want to make them next time I do a meatball dish. I am also pumped for the game! Go Panthers.
Enjoy!
I love it when fruits are incorporated into a dish. This looks so yummy.
Thank you, me too!
Oh I am totally pinning for later, these sound wonderful. I am with you on the making a whole meal out of apps. I love doing that!
I know, so delish to have a bunch of healthy apps
I haven’t made meatballs before but it would be perfect for the big game.
These are so easy to prep, If not the game make an Oscar party treat!
These look outstanding! I’ve never heard of meatballs make with cranberry, but it sounds intriguing. I’ll have to make these for the family soon!
These are great as an appetizer or with rice or noodles. My friend put these on her sweet potatoes and loved them
I don’t usually make meatballs for the super bowl, but these look awesome! I tend to stay in the clearly Mexican food genre, I’m not sure why. This year I am going to try and branch out a bit though.
I make a huge mix of food. These are always in the mix because I don’t have to fuss!
I love crockpot recipes. It really allows you to spend time with loved ones while the yummy food cooks. I’ll make this for the big game!
I was already planning on making meatballs this weekned. Now I will switch it up to these!
I am so glad. I hope you let me know how the recipe turned out for you
I love meatballs and these sound really good with that sauce you use. I would prefer them with ground turkey and I bet they would be just as good. 😉
I actually put that in the post. This works with turkey and chicken really well!
My gosh this looks so delicious!! I just want to make a batch of these meatballs now and eat them without sharing
These meatballs look so good! I’ve been searching for a good crock pot meatball recipe for my Super Bowl party. I’m planning on using frozen meatballs as a base though, partly because I’m lazy and partly because there’s lots of other cooking to do!
The beauty of cooking is adaptation. No worries of a frozen meatball, that works for you and so super. I hope you enjoy my sauce. We love it
I love crockpot meatballs. These would be perfect for the big game this weekend. I know whenever I make crockpot meatballs for parties, they are one of the first things gone!
I’m a huge Crock Pot fan too. I love it for a party (or any meal, really) because, like you said, not worry about it. The cranberry in this is a nice touch too.
Thank you Julie. I hope you try this one. So yummo!
I am going to have to try this recipe out. They sound divine. I haven’t had them and my mother in law makes a very tasty cranberry sauce that would be perfect for them.
I bet that would be great with these meatballs
The sauce sounds delicious! I would use Quorn meatballs as I am a vegetarian but the sauce sounds so unique.
These look tasty! I’m going to break out the crockpot tomorrow morning and make a stew for dinner 🙂
They looks so delicious, great and simple idea to cook for dinner later today
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Looks like the perfect mix of sweet and savory! Looks great for pot lucks too!
I made meatballs for the first time last month. I had no idea how easy they were to make, so I swore to make them more often. I’ll have to try this recipe.
Meatballs are one of my favorite game day foods!! These sound so good I have not tried them with cranberry before!
I hope you do, these are delish
Those sound amazing. I love the cranberry – it sounds so good.
I am not a huge fan of meatballs, but the cranberry in this recipe intrigues me immensely.
Now why haven’t I thought of this before!
I am always looking for crock pot recipes so I’m printing this one off! Can’t wait to try it.
I am so glad! Enjoy!
I have never made anything like this. I have some
Frozen meatballs I need to find something fun do make
Great, I hope you enjoy!