Name: Sweet and Tangy Slow Cooker Cranberry Meatballs
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 125 min
Yield: 84 mini meatballs
Ingredients: 2 cups fresh cranberry sauce (homemade or store bought); 1/4 cup hoisin sauce; 1/4 cup ketchup; 3.5 TBSP red wine vinegar; 2 TBSP soy sauce; 3 TBSP brown sugar; 2.5 TBSP hot sauce (I used Frank's RedHot **); 5 cloves garlic (minced); 1 tsp ground ginger; 1 tsp cayenne (optional); 1 cup fresh cranberries; 40 oz frozen party meatballs; Fresh chopped parsley (to garnish)

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These Sweet and Tangy Slow Cooker Cranberry Meatballs are a fun and tasty protein-packed appetizer! Made with frozen meatballs, this dump and cook recipe is as easy (and delicious) as it gets!

You guys are going to love this cranberry meatball recipe! Made entirely in your Slow Cooker, these delicious little meatballs are sweet, tart, and completely addictive. One bite is never enough!

Since making these cranberry meatballs two years ago, I have since prepared them for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s and they are always a huge hit.

Not a fan of parties? That’s ok. You can also enjoy these meatballs for an easy lunch or dinner with cauliflower rice, spaghetti squash, or a big bowl of roasted vegetables.

Ingredients in Slow Cooker Cranberry Meatballs

cranberry sauce- homemade or store-bought
hoisin sauce
ketchup
red wine vinegar
soy sauce
brown sugar
Frank’s Redhot Sauce
garlic
ginger
cayenne
fresh cranberries
frozen party meatballs
fresh parsley

How to make Cranberry Meatballs

Making cranberry meatballs at home is incredibly easy! Just a handful of simple ingredients and tossing together and you’ve got yourself some sweet, tangy, and slightly spicy meatballs. The hardest part is waiting for them to cook!

Make the sauce. In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the cranberry sauce, hoisin sauce, ketchup, red wine vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, hot sauce, minced garlic, ground ginger, and cayenne (if using). Technically, you can do this inside the pot of your slow cooker. Just make sure that if you do so, you mix everything together with a rubber spatula or whisk. Mix until fully combined and add fresh cranberries. Set aside.
Add everything to the slow cooker. Add the frozen meatballs to the bowl of a 6-7 quart slow cooker. Pour in the cranberry sauce and stir well to combine.
Cook. Turn on the slow cooker and cook on high for 2 hours or on low for 3-4 hours, or until the sauce is bubbly and the meatballs are heated through.
Keep warm and serve. Once fully cooked, place your slow cooker on the warm setting until ready to serve. Serve garnished with fresh chopped parsley, if desired.

Homemade or Frozen Meatballs?

In this particular cranberry meatball recipe, I used the mini party size meatballs from Trader Joe’s. These little guys are perfect for this recipe and just the right size for parties. They cook perfectly right from frozen and taste delicious.

If you don’t have a Trader Joe’s near you…move. Just kidding! You can use whatever frozen meatball brand you prefer. Ideally, look for mini or “party size” meatballs as they are easiest to eat in parties or gatherings.

Can you use homemade mini meatballs? absolutely! I do recommend, however, that you bake or pan-fry them prior to adding them to your slow cooker. This will guarantee that the meatballs don’t form into one large mass while cooking.

What to serve with Slow Cooker Cranberry Meatballs

When I made these originally, I made them to take along with me to a holiday party. Sweet, savory, somewhat spicy- everyone loved them.

These cranberry meatballs really are fantastic eaten one-by-one.

Other delicious ways to enjoy these meatballs?

With rice. Regular rice or cauliflower rice, you really can’t go wrong when you combine sweet meatballs with rice.
Meal prep. Guys, these are so GOOD leftover. Meal prep these bad boys and enjoy them for lunch the next day.
Pop them on pizza. Here’s the thing- cheese plus sweet cranberry meatballs PLUS carbs is basically a dream.
Or, be healthy and eat them with a bunch of healthy veggies like this butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, or sweet potatoes.

If you try cooking these sweet and savory meatballs, please leave me a comment and let me know! I always love to hear your thoughts.

For more meatball recipes check out,

DON’T FORGET TO PIN AND SHARE THESE SLOW COOKER CRANBERRY MEATBALLS TO MAKE FOR AN EASY AND FLAVORFUL DINNER OR HOLIDAY SIDE DISH THE WHOLE FAMILY WILL LOVE.

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