Sweet and Sour Crock Pot Meatballs (Printable)

Frozen meatballs in tangy-sweet peach preserve sauce. Effortless crock pot appetizer or main dish ready in 3 hours.

# What You Need:

→ Meatballs

01 - 2 lbs frozen fully-cooked meatballs

→ Sweet and Sour Sauce

02 - 1 cup peach or apricot preserves
03 - 1/2 cup ketchup
04 - 1/4 cup rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
05 - 2 tablespoons soy sauce
06 - 1/4 cup light brown sugar
07 - 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
08 - 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
09 - 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
10 - 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

# How To Make It:

01 - Place frozen meatballs into the slow cooker bowl
02 - In a mixing bowl, whisk together peach or apricot preserves, ketchup, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, ginger, and red pepper flakes until smooth
03 - Pour sauce over meatballs and stir gently to coat all meatballs evenly
04 - Cover and cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours until meatballs are heated through and sauce is bubbling. Stir once or twice during cooking if possible
05 - Transfer to serving dish. Serve hot as an appetizer with toothpicks or over rice as a main dish

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Everything goes into one pot, and you can walk away for hours while it cooks itself.
  • The sauce tastes like you spent all day on it, but it takes five minutes to whisk together.
  • It works as a fancy appetizer or a weeknight dinner over rice, so it never feels like the same meal twice.
  • Frozen meatballs mean no browning, no rolling, and no mess to clean up before you even start cooking.
02 -
  • Don't skip stirring at least once halfway through, or the meatballs on top won't get as saucy as the ones on the bottom.
  • If your sauce looks too thick after a few hours, stir in a tablespoon or two of water to loosen it up.
  • Let the meatballs sit on warm for up to an hour after cooking if you're serving them at a party, they'll stay perfect without drying out.
03 -
  • Line the slow cooker with a liner bag for the easiest cleanup you've ever had after a party.
  • Make the sauce the night before and store it in the fridge, then just pour it over the meatballs in the morning and turn the cooker on.
  • If you're cooking for a crowd, keep the slow cooker plugged in on the warm setting and the meatballs will stay perfect for hours without drying out.
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