BBQ Meatballs

This post may contain affiliate links. Read full disclosure.

Make savory BBQ meatballs with a crockpot and 4 simple ingredients! This classic appetizer is ideal for 4th of July gatherings, summer cocktail parties, and Game Day. Or serve these tasty small bites during the holiday season.

📌 PIN SLOW COOKER MEATBALLS

Like BBQ little smokies, glazed cocktail meatballs are a staple of family gatherings. They’re sticky, sweet/savory, and loaded with nostalgia. Most of us remember our aunts and grandmothers bringing this crockpot dish to family reunions, potlucks and church socials. We remember all the joy.

You can easily halve or double this recipe depending on the size of your crockpot. We use frozen meatballs because they hold up better than fresh meatballs in the slow cooker. We want beautiful-looking BBQ meatballs. Whole spheres, not crumbled fragments on the end of a cocktail pick.

Using frozen meatballs is also a welcome shortcut when you’re hosting an event and need to prep multiple dishes on a tight schedule. Teens can help by pulling out the crockpot and prepping this easy recipe in just 5 minutes.

To make BBQ meatballs a meal, pair them with white rice and a crisp garden salad. Or serve them with mashed potatoes, steamed veggies, and crusty bread – for a good balance of taste and texture.

When creating an appetizer spread for grazing, serve BBQ meatballs alongside buffalo chicken wontons, herby marinated cheese, small air fryer taquitos, baked BBQ chicken wings, and angel deviled eggs.

If there are leftover meatballs after the party, use them for a healthy lunch the next day. Make this meatball gyro sandwich. Or crumble the balls between your fingers and they become a delicious pizza topping.

🛒 INGREDIENTS

NOTE: If you prefer BBQ meatballs with grape jelly (instead of honey), it’s easy to do with just 3 basic ingredients. Refer to the “Recipe FAQ” section on this page for ingredients and instructions.

• BBQ Sauce: I prefer Sweet Bay Ray’s Original BBQ sauce. But you can use your favorite BBQ sauce, or a money-saving store brand. Just make sure the product is tomato-based over a mustard or vinegar sauce.
• Honey: This natural ingredient adds delicious sweetness to the meatballs. But you can use brown sugar instead.
• Water: An easy way to thin out the sauce and help prevent it from burning at the bottom of the crockpot.
• Frozen Fully-Cooked Meatballs: Look for these in the frozen section of the supermarket. Or assemble and cook a batch of homemade meatballs (beef, pork, chicken or turkey). For best results, make sure the meatballs are well-browned, and freeze them solid before using.
• Optional Garnish: Fresh (sliced) green onions or chopped parsley.

📖 RECIPE STEPS

• STEP 1: In a (4-quart) crockpot, whisk together BBQ sauce, honey and water until well combined. Add frozen fully-cooked meatballs to the slow cooker. Toss well so that every meatball is covered in glaze.
• STEP 2: Cook on high for 2 hours, or on low for 3 hours. Once the meatballs are completely warmed through, they’re done and ready to enjoy. For parties, reduce the heat to the “keep warm” setting. The meatballs can be kept in the crockpot ready to serve for up to 1 hour.
• STEP 3: If desired, garnish BBQ meatballs with fresh (sliced) green onions or chopped parsley.

🧑🏼‍🍳 KITCHEN SMARTS: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. When ready to enjoy, rewarm in a pan on stovetop or in a heat-safe bowl in the microwave.

👩🏻‍🍳 RECIPE FAQ

These are the most commonly asked questions when making crockpot BBQ meatballs, and the most helpful answers for recipe success.

🍽 MORE MEATBALL RECIPES

If you loved these slow cooker BBQ meatballs, you’ll want to make these other tasty meatball recipes. Serve them as appetizers, snacks or a meal. Save your favorite recipes for later. Pin them to Pinterest.

• Baked Chicken Meatballs
• Greek Lamb Meatballs
• Swedish Meatballs
• Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
• Sausage Cheese Balls
• Lemon Butter Chicken Meatballs

RATE THIS RECIPE ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Discerning taste testers voted these the BEST meatball appetizers! For taste and texture, they loved the sweet/savory glaze, and the crunchy green onion garnish. This recipe also received high marks for easy crockpot cooking.

If you agree these are excellent cocktail meatballs, give them a 5-star rating in the comments. Then be a recipe hero. Share it with a friend.

crockpot bbq meatballs 👉🏻 join the conversation

Do you have childhood memories of cocktail meatballs served at family gatherings? What do you think of this easy dump-and-go slow cooker recipe? Share your thoughts on BBQ meatballs in the comments below.