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You will now believe how easy this is to make! It’s a favorite of ours to serve at parties and my family has been making it for years. You have to try this simple and yummy 3 Ingredient Grape Jelly Meatball recipe.
The magic is in the sauce: grape jelly melts down into something sweet and almost tangy once it mixes with BBQ sauce, and it coats the meatballs in a thick, glossy glaze. If you want to skip the jelly try my classic BBQ Meatballs instead.
If you’ve never tried the grape jelly + sauce combo before, I promise it doesn’t taste like jelly, it just tastes really good.
Keep them in the slow cooker on warm and serve with toothpicks at a party, or spoon them over rice for an easy dinner. These also make great Baby Shower Meatballs for an easy crowd-pleasing appetizer.
Why This Recipe Works:
It scales effortlessly. Doubling this for a bigger crowd is as simple as doubling the ingredients in a larger slow cooker, no recipe math required.
Only 3 ingredients, no prep work. Using frozen, fully-cooked meatballs means there’s no rolling, browning, or babysitting a stovetop, just dump and stir.
The slow cooker does the flavor-building for you. Three to four hours on low gives the jelly time to fully melt into the sauce and soak into the meatballs, instead of just coating the outside.
3 Ingredient Meatballs Ingredients:
- Meatballs – frozen, fully-cooked meatballs (homestyle or Italian-style both work). If you’d rather use homemade meatballs, freeze them on a baking sheet first so they hold their shape and don’t stick together in the sauce.
- BBQ Sauce – This version uses BBQ sauce for a smokier, sweeter glaze. Prefer the classic version? Swap the BBQ sauce for an equal amount of ketchup or Heinz chili sauce, that’s the traditional combo this recipe is based on, and a few readers below mentioned it’s how they’ve always made it.
- Grape Jelly – regular or low-sugar grape jelly both work the same way here. Grape jam will also work if that’s what you have.
Step-by-Step:
Mix the sauce. Add the grape jelly and BBQ sauce directly to the slow cooker and stir until combined.
Add the meatballs. Add the frozen meatballs and stir until they’re evenly coated in sauce. (No need to thaw them first, they go in frozen).
Recipe Tip
Frozen meatballs work best for this recipe. If you want to use homemade meatballs, I suggest freezing them, so they don’t all stick together.
To freeze meatballs, I place them on a baking sheet and into the freezer. Uncooked frozen meatballs will need more time to cook in the slow cooker.
Cook. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours, stirring once partway through so the meatballs near the top get coated too. Want to start them in the morning for dinner? Low for 6 hours works well if you’re not around to switch settings.
Serve. Switch the slow cooker to warm and serve straight from it with toothpicks for easy grabbing, or spoon over rice for dinner.
No Slow Cooker? Stovetop & Oven Methods:
Stovetop: Combine the jelly and BBQ sauce in a large pot or deep skillet over medium-low heat until melted and smooth. Add the meatballs and simmer, stirring occasionally, until heated through (about 15-20 minutes for fully-cooked frozen meatballs).
Oven: Combine everything in a casserole dish or Dutch oven, cover with foil, and bake at 325°F for 20-25 minutes, or until the meatballs are heated through.
Variations:
Other jelly swaps: Apricot preserves, raspberry preserves, or hot pepper jelly all work in place of grape jelly if you want a different flavor.
Classic version: Swap BBQ sauce for ketchup or chili sauce.
Spicy version: Use chili sauce and add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes.
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3 Ingredients Meatballs
Ingredients
- 32 oz Frozen fully cooked meatballs
- 18 oz Grape jelly
- 18 oz BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Place grape jelly and BBQ sauce in the slow cooker and mix together. Add frozen fully cooked meatballs and stir until evenly coated.
- Cook high for 3 hours. Serve with toothpicks for a great appetizer or over rice for a simple dinner.
I’ve done this many times! Easy and good!
Thanks Lee! It’s so simple yet a favorite of mine.
Nice recipe
Tried your version of this recipe. For years I’ve been making this with chili sauce rather than BBQ sauce. Yours is OK, mine is better. ❤️
Is it possible to put them on low and cook them six hours? I want to put them on in the morning so they will be ready for supper
Yes I think that would work.
I have an old recipe that calls for spicy mustard and currant jelly mixed together – always a hit!
I know this is good. I find just putting the frozen meatballs in the sauce makes them kind of mushy. I use angus beef meatballs and Italian meatballs combined. I either bake them until browned/crusted or lightly fry them until the outside is browned/crusted. Then, I put them in the mixed grape jelly and Famous Dave’s BBQ sauce. It makes the meatballs a little firmer.
That sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing the tip!
Sometimes I add red chili sauce from the can replacing bbq sauce. It makes spicy and sweet meatballs.
Could I make this on the stove top if I don’t have a slow cooker? If so how long is the cooking process?
Hi Kae, you can make this on the stovetop. I used pre-cooked frozen meatballs that just needed to be warmed. So you just want to cook them until they are warmed throughout.
I’ve made these for years. People love them! But I use chili sauce and currant jelly. Not so sweet. Problem is… Can’t find currant jelly easily. Smuckers quit making it. ☹️
I have not even heard of that type of jelly, that’s to bad they stopped making it! If you try it with grape let me know, I hope you enjoy it!