I really can’t claim any sort of creative genius in this recipe for cocktail meatballs. My mom has made these my whole life, and it doesn’t seem to be an uncommon recipe, either (though my mom’s are the best). But they are super tasty and are great in the Crock Pot or for parties. I like to make cocktail meatballs as an appetizer or as a dinner entree. When I make them for dinner, I like to serve them with salad or green beans.
When you’re buying ingredients, be sure to grab chili sauce and grape jelly. I have made these with cocktail sauce, and it is not a good situation. Grape jam is a bit more chunky than jelly, so it doesn’t coat the meatballs as well. These days, the standard jelly jar seems to be 18 ounces. The recipe does call for 12 ounces, so you can decide if you want to use the whole jar or just most of it. If you use all of the jelly, you will have extra sauce, and it may seem a little runny.
You can also use store-bought, frozen meatballs or make your own from scratch. The store bought meatballs tend to be a bit more uniform in size, and they’re already made. I like to heat up the chili sauce and the grape jelly until they melt completely. You can do this in a saucepan if you’re eating right away or in the Crock Pot set to high. From there, I stir in the meatballs and heat them until I’m ready to serve. Cocktail meatballs are a fast and easy party food because you can set them and forget them.
Try some of my other go-to game day snacks: THE loaded baked potato dip | southwestern egg rolls | spinach-artichoke dip | funeral sandwiches | cheesy chicken bacon ranch dip
PrintCocktail meatballs
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
Ingredients
- 1 12 ounce jar of chili (not cocktail) sauce
- 1 12 ounce jar of grape jelly (not jam)
- 1 pound of cooked meatballs
Instructions
- Spray Crock Pot with non-stick spray and set on high.
- Heat chili sauce and grape jelly in saucepan or Crock Pot. Whisk occasionally until smooth.
- Turn heat down to low. Stir in meatballs and toss to coat.
- Heat in Crock Pot for at least an hour.
- Serve warm with toothpicks.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 60
Enjoy!
These sound really good!
What is chili sauce? I’m assuming it’s something similar to cocktail sauce? I loveeeee grape jelly + bbq sauce and lil smokies in the crockpot! One of my favorite easy appetizers.