Easy 3 Ingredient Grape Jelly Meatballs are delicious! I know they sound weird but trust me these crockpot meatballs are the perfect party appetizer.
3 Ingredient Grape Jelly Meatballs
In honor of our wedding anniversary, I thought I would share the Worlds Best Crock Pot Meatballs Recipe aka Grape Jelly Meatballs Recipe that we served at our wedding. We made a giant crockpot of these meatballs, and they were the first thing gone!
These barbecue sauce and grape jelly meatballs are so easy to make! We were given the recipe by an amazing Safeway bakery employee before our wedding. We were pricing a few items at Safeway and trying to finalize what we would be making for the wedding.
She asked if we needed help and we explained what we were working on. She got so excited and told us we had to make this grape jelly meatball recipe. She promised they would be amazing, and everyone would love them. She was so right!
I honestly didn't think grape jelly bbq meatballs would be such a hit. I mean seriously who would have thought meatballs with grape jelly and bbq sauce would turn out so amazing.
We self-catered the majority of our wedding food with my Mom. I am not sure this is something I suggest, but I was able to make sure the food I really wanted was at the wedding which was great. Running around with curlers in my hair making sure everything looked right...well that was a sight I am sure.
These meatballs in the slow cooker take about 10 seconds to set up and then you just sit back and let the crockpot do the work.
Do you ever wonder who came up with the idea of mixing grape jelly and barbecue sauce together? Were they looking in their cupboards and thought hmmm maybe this will work.
I can't believe that our eleven year wedding anniversary is this week. The past eleven years have flown by so quickly. I am so lucky/blessed to have an amazingly supportive husband who doesn't mind having his photo shared all over the blog.
John is one of my biggest supporters and pushes me every day to work harder and dream bigger.
I know I would not be the person I am today or the blogger I am today without his help, support, guidance, and encouragement. I can't even put into words how much my Husband means to me and how much I can't wait for the next 50+ years.
I wish I had more photos of our wedding food. Somehow the food was inhaled faster than it was photographed.
I told myself that I could not walk around in my wedding dress taking pictures of food. I am pretty sure John would have shaken his head, and our wedding guests would have teased me for years if I walked around taking pictures of the food. I will admit to thinking about it, though.
We got married before Pinterest was a big thing which is hard to believe. I am pretty sure if Pinterest was around then my wedding would have been even crazier. We were married in Leavenworth, Washington, and had our reception in a historic dairy barn.
Our wedding turned out better than I ever could have dreamed it would. We were surrounded by friends and families from around the country who helped us celebrate our amazing day.
If you are planning a party don't miss these other great slow cooker appetizer recipes that are super easy to make!
What ingredients are in Crockpot BBQ Grape Jelly Meatballs?
These Grape Jelly Meatballs only need three ingredients!
All you need is frozen meatballs or homemade meatballs, grape jelly, and bbq sauce! That's it!
Grape Jelly - You can use any brand of grape jelly!
Barbecue Sauce - I would stick with a classic barbecue sauce that you know your family loves. We tend to use Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Sauce for most of our recipes.
Meatballs - We used generic frozen meatballs we picked up at the grocery store. You can use homemade meatballs but make sure you check on them in the crockpot to make sure they are not staying together with the low and slow cooking time.
You can find frozen meatballs at your local grocery store or find large bags at Costco/Sams Club if you want to make a large batch of these grape jelly barbecue meatballs.
Do the meatballs need to be thawed? The meatballs do not need to be thawed. We just pour them right out of the bag into the crockpot after taking them out of the freezer. If your meatballs are thawed you will want to cut back on the cooking time so they do not fall apart.
You do want to check that the frozen meatballs say that they are already fully cooked.
How to make meatballs with Grape Jelly and Barbecue Sauce
Wondering how to make meatballs with Grape Jelly? Don't worry this may be the easiest recipe you make this year!
The slow cooker crockpot does all the work! You can choose to cook on high for a quick turnaround or low and slow if you want them to cook all day. It is really up to you depending on how much time you have.
You can also make these with grape jelly and chili sauce if you want to make them a bit more tangy sauce. For an even spicier meatball try making them with chili sauce and cayenne pepper.
What tools are needed to make Grape Jelly Meatballs?
Crockpot/Slow Cooker - We really like this 6-quart crockpot that has a locking lid featuring a lid gasket provides an extra seal for less mess on the go. This is perfect for making these meatballs ahead of time and taking them to a football party or event.
Appetizer Forks/Toothpicks - Depending on if you are serving these meatballs for a wedding or a football party you can choose what utensils you want to use. These stainless steel appetizer forks are great for making meatballs look a little fancier.
How many meatballs should I make for a party?
The average serving of meatballs is 3-5 per person with regular-sized meatballs. It really depends on how much food you are serving at the party. This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled if you have a large enough slow cooker. I would make the recipe in multiple crockpots that can be used to keep the meatballs warm during the party.
Do these have to be made with beef meatball?
You can make this grape jelly bbq sauce meatball recipe with whatever variety of meatballs you enjoy. I have not tried them with chicken or turkey meatballs but they should work great if that is the flavor you enjoy.
Grape Jelly Meatball Variations
Replace the grape jelly with orange marmalade, apricot preserves, canned cranberry sauce, hot pepper jelly, or raspberry preserves.
Replace the barbecue sauce with ketchup or Heinz chili sauce.
Chili Sauce - Make sure to use regular chili sauces and not sriracha chili sauce or Thai chili sauce unless you want spicy meatballs.
To add spice to your meatballs you can add in a bit of sriracha, chili powder, or hot sauce.
How do you serve Grape Jelly Meatballs?
We serve the slow cooker meatballs directly from the crockpot with toothpicks or appetizer pics.
The meatballs can also be served in a large bowl or on serving dishes or platters.
You can also serve them on hoagie or slider rolls.
Over a bed of white rice or mashed potatoes.
Recipe Tips
This recipe can easily be doubled for larger groups.
Leftovers should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Printable recipe card instructions are below.
Nutrition information, including calories, protein, calcium, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamin c, potassium, cholesterol, sodium, trans fat, monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, and more, will vary depending on the products used.
Great Slow Cooker Appetizer recipes
What to serve with Grape Jelly Meatballs?
We have a ton of great appetizers.
This recipe is featured in our game day appetizers collection.
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Grape Jelly Meatballs
Ingredients
- 32 Ounce frozen Meatballs 32oz
- 1 jar Grape Jelly
- 1 bottle Barbecue Sauce favorite flavor
Instructions
- Place meatballs, grape jelly and barbecue sauce into the crock pot, stir and combine
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours, high for 2-2 ½ hours
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe originally shared on September 10, 2013. Updated October 2020.
Dawn Samuels
What sized jar of jelly did you use? Thanks!
Magublacook
Sounds so delicious and simple. Perfect for students 😛
Sara
Dude! I am getting married in 2.5 weeks and I have PRAYED to find easy crockpot recipes that my husband will eat!! THANK YOU!!!!
Sam
What size crockpot do you use?
Laura
I use grape jelly and sweet chili sauce from the Chinese section in the store. It adds some heat. I rarely ever have any leftovers. I just keep tasting and adding till I get the right balance.
Dave
An entire bag of frozen (Iapprox.30 to 40
Gina
I also add a little crushed red pepper flakes for heat.
Rebekah
How many meatballs does this make?
MsKat
You can also use the jelly and a bottle of Chili Sauce; that's the way I learned to make these, but am now eager to try them with BBQ sauce! Yum!
MARLENE
I MAKE THEM WITH THE JELLY AND CHILI SAUCE BUT IM GOING TO TRY THESE TO
Mary
Have made these several times with the Heinz chili sauce and it's always a big hit.
Kathi
what size jar of jelly?
MsKat
I think the amount of jelly and BBQ sauce should be equal or nearly equal, so use that as a guide for how much jelly to use. When I did them with Chili Sauce, it was about the same ounces of jelly as sauce.
Paul
Wow! I was a little bit skeptical but I needed an easy recipe (and boy is this easy!) for an upcoming Crocktoberfest. These are amazing! Currently consuming delicious first batch that won't be making it to the party. Oh well. Maybe the second batch will!
Dave
To funny . They are good for sure. We always use 1 bottle Heinz Chili sauce versus Barbacue, but sure they would be good either way.
Yum
ann
The grape is good, but try it with a can of cranberry jelly instead. Saw that in BHG cookbook and love that glaze. I also use the cocktail sauce instead of BBQ. Easy and delish!
Clayton
I had these growing up. These things are amazing and so easy to make. We used to make them in a crock pot. They are the best and also work good for parties.