Slow Cooker Grape Jelly Meatballs

Tender meatballs slow cooked in a sweet chili sauce made with grape jelly and chili sauce. Makes for a fun changeup of traditional cocktail meatballs and great for serving at parties and potlucks.

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About Slow Cooker Grape Jelly Meatballs

When it comes to fun, easy appetizers, nothing beats the versatility of a meatball, and these grape jelly meatballs are no exception.

Whether you’re serving them on toothpicks or part of another dish, these sweet chili cocktail meatballs are guaranteed to be a hit. The sauce itself only has three ingredients, but you’d never know it was so simple with the spot-on sweet and spicy flavor.

Plus, once you’ve served this, your guests will be able to boast that they’ve had this fabled southern-favorite-turned-Pinterest-popular recipe, giving them some culinary street cred.

And who doesn’t need more notches on their culinary street cred?

They’re like merit badges, but for food.

What do grape jelly meatballs taste like?

This recipe has a combination of grape jelly (sweet) and chili sauce (spicy), so the best comparison would probably be a meat dish with a sweet chili glaze. They’re a savory snack with a sweet kick.

I personally feel this recipe is more sweet than spicy, but if you’d like the sauce to have little more kick, just adjust the amount of cayenne pepper until you have enough heat.

What can you serve with this?

These cocktail meatballs work great as a meal by themselves (either served right out of the slow cooker or on a serving tray with toothpicks or skewers), but you can also have them as a meal if you’d like.

When serving, I’d recommend pairing grape jelly meatballs with:

• Any type of mild-flavored rice dish, such as cilantro rice, fried rice, etc.
• Cooked greens, such as asparagus, green beans, or carrots (but not sweet carrots).

How long are grape jelly meatballs good for?

Once prepared and cooled, this sweet and spicy appetizer can be stored in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to three to four days.

Can you freeze these meatballs?

Yes, you totally can!

If you’re saving leftovers, allow the meatballs and sauce to cool and then store them in a sealable bag or container.

If you’re meal prepping just to have the meatballs on hand for later, you can add the meatballs (fresh or frozen) to a sealed container or freezer bag, cover them with the prepared grape jelly sauce, seal the bag, and then store in the freezer.

Grape jelly meatballs can be stored in the freezer for up to three months.

When ready to eat, let the jelly meatballs thaw for 30 minutes on the counter, then transfer all the contents to a Crockpot and cook per the recipe instructions.

Notes & tips for grape jelly meatballs

• If you like to entertain, there’s a Crockpot that comes with bowls for 2.5 Quart, 4 Quart, and 6 Quart and I highly recommend it! It’s so nice to have one unit that can make fabulous dinners and heat up party dips. You can pick one up here: Choose-A-Crock Programmable Slow Cooker, 6 quart/4 quart/2 x 1.5 quart.
• If serving these as an appetizer, be sure you have toothpicks for easy handling and eating!

Other great appetizer recipes

How to make Slow Cooker Grape Jelly Meatballs

This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. If you’re looking for the full recipe measurements and instructions, scroll down to Recipe Details.

Step 1 – In a medium bowl, whisk together grape jelly, chili sauce, and cayenne pepper. Do your best to get the sauce smooth, but it’s okay if you’re having trouble breaking up the grape jelly; the heat from the slow cooker will melt them.

Step 2 – Toss the frozen meatballs into a slow cooker, then drizzle the grape jelly sauce on top. Use a spoon or spatula to quickly toss the meatballs to coat them.

Step 3 – Cover slow cooker and cook.

Step 4 – Serve and enjoy!