Crockpot Cranberry Cocktail Meatballs are delightful little treats that are tangy yet savory. They are are slow cooked in blend of cranberry sauce, ketchup and spices that tenderize the meat. It takes just a few minutes to prepare the sauce and meatballs. These tasty treats are perfect for Game Day, Christmas, New Year's Eve, any of your family gatherings.
CrockPot Cranberry Meatballs
Between watching football on the weekends and it being the Holidays, appetizers are on my mind. Sometimes my family just has a few appetizers for dinner. We call it fun food night.
My Mom always made festive cocktail meatballs using grape jelly. Years ago, I had an abundance of cranberry sauce and I decided to try this recipe with cranberry sauce. Hello Delicious!
Cranberry meatballs have become a staple for my family gathering.
Ingredients
Why this recipe works
One of the greatest things about a crock-pot is the ability to fix and forget. No one wants to spend the entire game, party, or Holiday in the kitchen and miss all the fun.
These flavors make a great combination of tangy and sweet and everyone is just plain happy.
FAQs and Tips
Can I use frozen pre-made meatballs?
Yes, you can use pre-made meatballs. I prefer to make my meatballs from scratch. If you have an extra 10 minutes, make the meatballs fresh, so delicious.
Storage
These meatballs are an awesome make ahead recipe. You can prepare the meatballs and once cooled, keep the crockpot vessel in the fridge until ready to reheat. They can alsp be placed in an oven save casserole dish to reheat later.
After they are cooked, store the leftovers in the fridge in a covered container for up to 3 days.
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.
Serving Suggestions
We enjoy these meatballs as a meal over any of the following:
Some other cranberry recipes
Step by Step Instructions
- In a large bowl combine the 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
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Ingredients
Meatball
- 2 pounds 80% ground beef
- ¼ cup milk Note 1
- 1 cup plain bread crumbs Note 2
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
Cranberry Sauce
- 14 ounce can cranberry sauce
- 1 cup ketchup low-salt ketchup can be used
- 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- fresh chopped parsley, optional garnish
Instructions
Meatballs
- In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, milk, plain bread crumbs, eggs, onion powder, garlic powder, dried parsley, salt and pepper. Gently combine all ingredients to blend. Shape into meatballs approximately 1 inch round.
Cranberry Sauce
- In the crockpot, stir together cranberry sauce, ketchup, dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce.
- Gently place the meatballs in the slow cooker with the prepared cranberry sauce, recipe below
- 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. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley, optional
- 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
Sharon
Definitely delicious 😋 beautiful presentation! flavor combination is so comforting , yum
Eileen Murphy Kelly
That is fantastic. One of my favorites too.
Analida Braeger
Ahh I love the pairing of tart cranberry with meatballs. It makes for a memorable appetizer. These look super simple too. Thanks for sharing!
Eileen xo
Thank you Analida! These cranberry meatballs are a favorite of my family!
Connie Diaz
Our favorite go-to meatball appetizer. Every time we make these, I have to double or triple the recipe and they disappear immediately.
Eileen xo
Connie, that is awesome. I am so glad these cocktail meatballs are a hit with you and your friends.
Suzie@homemaker-mom
Ok yet another fabulous meal I must pin to make! I think my family will love this one for sure!
Eileen xo
Thank you so much! I hope your family enjoys!
Carol Borchardt
These look really wonderful and tasty! Perfect for a party!
Eileen xo
These are super easy and a crowd pleaser
Hannah
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
Sara | Belly Rumbles
I do love a good "set & forget" recipe. These look delicious and perfect of the game.
chocolate mama loves vanilla
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!
Eileen xo
I am so glad. I hope you enjoy this recipe
jill conyers
If I asked my family they would definitely want me to add this to our game day menu. They would love it!
Eileen xo
Fantastic. I hope you added it to the menu
Debra
These sound so good! My husband loves meatballs so much, so I need to make these for him!
Eileen xo
Fantastic. I hope he enjoys this recipe. We love it!
alexandria
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.
Eileen xo
Enjoy!
MyTeenGuide
I love it when fruits are incorporated into a dish. This looks so yummy.
Eileen xo
Thank you, me too!
Kristin @MOMentous Moms
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!
Eileen xo
I know, so delish to have a bunch of healthy apps
Beth@FrugalFroggie
I haven't made meatballs before but it would be perfect for the big game.
Eileen xo
These are so easy to prep, If not the game make an Oscar party treat!
Kacie
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!
Eileen xo
These are great as an appetizer or with rice or noodles. My friend put these on her sweet potatoes and loved them
Heather
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.
Eileen xo
I make a huge mix of food. These are always in the mix because I don't have to fuss!
Kimberly
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!
Jen K
I was already planning on making meatballs this weekned. Now I will switch it up to these!
Eileen xo
I am so glad. I hope you let me know how the recipe turned out for you
laura londergan
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. 😉
Eileen xo
I actually put that in the post. This works with turkey and chicken really well!
Ana Fernandez
My gosh this looks so delicious!! I just want to make a batch of these meatballs now and eat them without sharing
Alex from Sew, Simmer, and Share
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!
Eileen xo
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
allie
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!
Julie @ Running in a Skirt
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.
Eileen xo
Thank you Julie. I hope you try this one. So yummo!
April
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.
Eileen xo
I bet that would be great with these meatballs
Ana De- Jesus
The sauce sounds delicious! I would use Quorn meatballs as I am a vegetarian but the sauce sounds so unique.
Paula
These look tasty! I'm going to break out the crockpot tomorrow morning and make a stew for dinner 🙂
Siniciliya
They looks so delicious, great and simple idea to cook for dinner later today
http://www.siniciliya.com
Roxanne
Looks like the perfect mix of sweet and savory! Looks great for pot lucks too!
TaMara
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.
Vera Sweeney
Meatballs are one of my favorite game day foods!! These sound so good I have not tried them with cranberry before!
Eileen xo
I hope you do, these are delish
Robin Rue (@massholemommy)
Those sound amazing. I love the cranberry - it sounds so good.
Heather Johnson
I am not a huge fan of meatballs, but the cranberry in this recipe intrigues me immensely.
Heather Lawrence
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.
Eileen xo
I am so glad! Enjoy!
Maria @closetohome
I have never made anything like this. I have some
Frozen meatballs I need to find something fun do make
Eileen xo
Great, I hope you enjoy!