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Grape Jelly Meatballs

grapejellymeatballsThese juicy Grape Jelly Meatballs are the best appetizer recipe. Tender and juicy meatballs smothered in a sweet and spicy sauce and slow-cooked to perfection. The sauce has just three ingredients and you’ll love how easy it is. Makes an excellent last minute appetizer.

32 oz frozen meatballs, fully cooked
1 cup grape jelly
1½ cup barbecue sauce
2 Tbsp. chili sauce or ketchup

Slow-Cooker:
Add the frozen meatballs, grape jelly, barbecue sauce, and chili sauce into the base of the slow cooker. Mix until well combined. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours, stirring halfway through cooking. Keep covered and on the warm setting until ready to serve.

Stovetop:
Add the meatballs, barbecue, grape jelly, and chili sauce in a Dutch oven or large pot and combine. Simmer over medium/low heat for 25-30 minutes or until the meatballs are warmed through, stirring occasionally to keep the sauce from burning.

Oven-Baked:
Add all the ingredients into a casserole dish or Dutch oven and mix to combine. Cover with lid or foil and bake at 325°For 20-25 minutes or until the meatballs have cooked through. Note: Adjust the cooking time based on the size of your meatballs.

Garnish with parsley or chives if desired.

You can store the grape jelly meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Cook's Notes:

  • Meatballs - For this recipe we use frozen meatballs made of pork, beef, and chicken from the local grocery store. You can use any type of frozen meatballs that you like, Italian, Angus, and turkey meatballs work great for this recipe. The frozen Italian-style meatballs from Costco work great. You can also use Homemade Meatballs. You’ll want to be sure to cook the meatballs first though.
  • Grape Jelly - Any grape jelly will work, we prefer using Smucker’s grape jelly. While the grape jelly is classic to this recipe, you can switch up the flavour of jelly you use for different flavours. You can also use strawberry, apple, apricot, mixed berry jam, or preserves.
  • Chili Sauce - You can also adjust the amount for the level of heat you prefer. Any chili sauce will work for this recipe. The chili sauce gives the meatballs a slight kick. If you want your meatballs on the sweeter side, you can omit the chili sauce completely or substitute ketchup.
  • Barbecue Sauce - Any BBQ sauce will do, however sweeter sauces work best. We love Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce for this recipe.

Make-Ahead:

  • To Freeze: Once cooled, add to a freezer-safe container and freeze for 2-3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
  • To Reheat: Grape Jelly Meatballs reheat well. Just add them back to the slow cooker to reheat or you can also reheat in the oven, stovetop, or microwave until steamy hot and fully heated through.