Cocktail Meatballs

Sweet, tangy, and perfect for parties, these easy Cocktail Meatballs are a simple freezer-friendly appetizer that cooks up in the slow cooker or on the stove top. Your guests will love these, and you’ll love how fast this is to put together, leaving you time to visit.

Appetizers are one of my favorite things. These Cocktail Meatballs are a breeze to put together and are ready for a party after cooking in the slow cooker or on the stovetop.

Whenever I make these, all the party guests ask me for the recipe and they love hearing that it’s only 5 ingredients!

Inside the Freezer Meals 101 Club, we share our best tips and tricks for not only making freezer-friendly appetizers, but whole meals that actually taste good. No mushy or bland freezer meals here! We’ll teach you all our tips and tricks for starting freezer meals and give you access to all our member-favorite meals, meal plan maker, and shopping lists. Join us today!

Cocktail Meatballs Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 lb. meatballs, frozen, pre-cooked
• 8 oz. jellied cranberry sauce
• 3/4 cup chili sauce
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice

Assembly instructions:

• Place meatballs in a large resealable freezer bag.
• In a bowl, mix together the other ingredients and pour over the meatballs.
• Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.

Cooking instructions:

• These can be cooked from frozen or thawed.
• Simmer for one hour in a saucepan on the stovetop or cook on low for 1-2 hours in the slow cooker.

If there are leftovers of this (and that’s a big IF because they are so popular that they usually all get eaten at the party!), my kids love to eat them for lunch the next day and spoon the sauce over rice.

For more make ahead appetizer ideas like this one, check out our Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers, Chicken Bacon Ranch Dip, or our Crispy Chicken Wings.

Print

Cocktail Meatballs

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

1 hr

 

Course: Appetizer

Servings: 8

Calories: 328 kcal

Ingredients

• 2 lb. meatballs frozen, pre-cooked
• 8 oz. jellied cranberry sauce
• 3/4 cup chili sauce
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice

Instructions

Assembly instructions:

1. Place meatballs in large resealable freezer bag.
2. In a bowl, mix together the other ingredients and pour over the meatballs.
3. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.

Cooking instructions:

1. These can be cooked from frozen or thawed.
2. Simmer for one hour in a saucepan on stovetop or cook on low for 1-2 hours in the slow cooker.