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Spicy Cranberry Meatballs are easy to make with just three simple ingredients and they can be made right on the stovetop, or for convenience, in your slow cooker. Serve these BBQ Meatballs on their own as a hearty appetizer for Thanksgiving or Christmas, or serve with rice for a simple weeknight meal.
I don’t think I’ve ever had a more tried and true appetizer than these cranberry meatballs. They are always a part of my holiday spread, and definitely can hold their own alongside other festive appetizers like Baked Brie with Jam, Sausage Rolls, Fried Ravioli, andLoaded Cream Cheese Dip.
Table of Contents
- Why We Love This Cranberry Meatball Recipe
- Ingredients
- How To Make Cranberry BBQ Meatballs
- Can You Make Cranberry BBQ Meatballs in the Crock Pot?
- Serving Suggestions
- Storage
- Can You Freeze BBQ Meatballs?
- Recipe Notes and Tips
- More Meatball Recipes
- Spicy Cranberry BBQ Meatballs Recipe
Why We Love This Cranberry Meatball Recipe
They’re Fast and Easy – Cranberry Meatballs take about 5 minutes to prep and less than 20 minutes to cook.
Simple Ingredients – You just need meatballs, cranberry sauce, and BBQ sauce.
Sweet and Spicy – Go with a spicy BBQ sauce for a delicious contrast.
Versatile – I like to cookthese on the stovetop and let the sauce reduce a bit while the meatballs heat through. That’s how you get that yummy, sticky glaze. But you can make them in the slow cooker, or even bake them in the oven. You could even heat them up in the microwave!
Ingredients
Meatballs – Frozen meatballs keep things super easy. Or you can make your own beef meatballs or turkey meatballs. For homemade meatball ingredients, you will need ground beef, milk, breadcrumbs, and an egg, plus seasonings.
Cranberry Sauce – This is really easy to make from scratch by following the instructions on the package of cranberries. Or grab a can of ready-made whole cranberry sauce (not a jellied cranberry sauce)
BBQ Sauce – You can use any flavor you like. I love Sweet Baby Ray’s brand but go with what you love.
How To Make Cranberry BBQ Meatballs
This dish not only looks beautiful, but it’s one of the most simple things you can make. The sauce is so simple – a can of sweet and tart cranberry sauce mixed with a spicy barbecue sauce… and that’s it! If you have the time, you can make your own homemade meatballs, but for simplicity, I often use frozen meatballs.
- Start by combining the spicy BBQ sauce with a can of cranberry sauce in a large saucepan on the stove over medium heat. Because of the sugars in the sauces you’ll want to watch it closely to make sure it doesn’t overheat and burn. Stirring it often will also help to prevent burning. Let it come to a simmer.
- Add frozen or fresh-cooked meatballs to the pan and stir them around to coat them with the sauce.
- Cover the pan and let the meatballs simmer in the sauce for about 10-20 minutes. For thawed meatballs, simmer just until heated through; it will take longer for frozen.
Can You Make Cranberry BBQ Meatballs in the Crock Pot?
I like cooking them on the stovetop but you can also use your slow cooker. It all depends on how you’re serving them and how much time you have. For appetizers, crockpot meatballs are probably easier, but for a quick meal, I like the stovetop.
- Pour the sauces into the slow cooker and stir them together. Because they are both thick, you may want to use a whisk to really mix them.
- Add the frozen or fresh-cooked meatballs, put the lid on, and set the slow cooker to low.
- Let cook on low for a couple of hours or until meatballs are heated through. BBQ Meatballs should be kept at the warm or low setting until ready to serve; up to 8 hours.
Serving Suggestions
We love these Cranberry BBQ Meatballs as an appetizer, but also just for dinner! The sauce pairs deliciously with white rice; just add a green salad or some steamed veggies and you have a complete meal! Coconut Rice would be amazing.
To make them really pretty, sprinkle on some sliced green onions.
Storage
Leftover meatballs are delicious! Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. Reheat in a saucepan on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Can You Freeze BBQ Meatballs?
These meatballs freeze beautifully. Store them in an airtight container for up to 6 months. To use, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat on the stovetop until warmed through. If sauce seems thin, let simmer, uncovered and on low heat, until sauce is reduced and thick.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- The sauce is too thin – If you make these BBQ meatballs in the crockpot using frozen, you may end up with a little extra liquid in the sauce. If the sauce is too thin, make a cornstarch slurry with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water, and stir it in. Cover and let cook for 30 minutes.
- Use the right cranberry sauce – Make sure you are using whole cranberry sauce and not the cranberry jelly kind which will just melt and make your sauce too thin. Homemade cranberry sauce works too.
- Choose your favorite BBQ sauce – I recommend a nice, spicy sauce but any style/flavor will work.
- BBQ sauce substitutions – Instead of BBQ Sauce you could add a sweet and spicy chili sauce. Or, skip the BBQ sauce altogether and just use cranberry sauce. It will be sweeter but still delicious.
More Meatball Recipes
- Spicy Barbecue Grape Jelly Meatballs
- Spicy Honey Garlic Meatballs
- Sausage Balls
- Meatball Marinara Poppers
- Crockpot Meatballs with Peach BBQ Sauce
- Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Recipe
Spicy Cranberry BBQ Meatballs
4.87 from 79 votes
Kristin Maxwell
An easy 3-ingredient appetizer recipe for cranberry bbq meatballs made with cranberry sauce, spicy bbq sauce, and fresh or frozen meatballs.
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 25 minutes mins
Total Time 30 minutes mins
Servings 8
Ingredients
- 28 ounces frozen meatballs if using homemade, about 50 small or 30 medium size
- 14 ounces whole cranberry sauce
- 18 ounces spicy barbecue sauce 18-20 ounce bottle, about 2 -3 cups
Instructions
Combine sauces over medium heat in a large deep skillet and cook until bubbly.
Add meatballs in a single layer and stir to coat completely. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook until meatballs are heated through; about 15 -20 minutes for frozen, 10 minutes for fresh.
Remove cover and continue to cook for several minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce is reduced and completely coating the meatballs.
Serve on their own as an appetizer, or as a main dish over rice.
For slow cooker method, stir sauces together in the pot, then add meatballs and stir to coat. Cover and cook on low for 2-3 hours or until heated through and ready to serve. Stir again just before serving.
Notes
If sauce is too thin, add a little bit of a cornstarch slurry and cook to thicken. (slurry=1 tablespoon cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water).
Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days. Reheat on the stovetop.
Can be frozen for up to 6 months in the sauce.
Nutrition
Calories: 446kcalCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 17gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 71mgSodium: 725mgPotassium: 446mgFiber: 1gSugar: 40gVitamin A: 171IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 37mgIron: 1mg
Keyword bbq meatballs, cranberry meatballs, crockpot bbq meatballs
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