These cranberry meatballs are the ultimate party food win. Juicy, tender meatballs simmer away in the slow cooker, coated in a glossy, tangy-sweet cranberry sauce that’s perfectly sticky. Blink and half the batch is gone, fast.

Juicy meatballs simmering in a glossy cranberry barbecue sauce, sprinkled with fresh parsley.

Friend, let me tell you aaaaaaaall about these easy slow cooker cranberry meatballs. They are made with 5 ingredients, need only a few minutes of hands-on prep, and taste like you spent hours whipping them up. It is pretty much dump everything into the slow cooker and walk away.

They are for sure a low effort yet high reward treat, making them an easy appetizer or snack for your Thanksgiving, Christmas and holiday table, party finger food and an everyday lazy dinner when served over rice, pasta, mashed potatoes or bread.

Table of Contents

Ingredient Notes & Variations

The best part about these sweet-tangy meatballs with cranberry sauce recipe is that it is super flexible, and you can easily swap ingredients to taste / occasion.

Meatballs: Store bought cooked frozen meatballs are an awesome shortcut. I tend to make this with frozen turkey meatballs, beef meatballs or chicken meatballs. Cooked frozen homemade ones work well too.
Cranberry sauce: A great way to use up Thanksgiving leftovers. I prefer whole berry, but jellied is delicious too. Grape jelly is a good substitute.
Sauce base: I tend to mix the cranberry sauce with a smoky or sweet barbecue sauce, to make the sauce base. Chili sauce, or even ketchup woks too. Add a splash of Worcestershire or soy for extra flavor.
Extra flavors: I use a little bit of brown sugar (or white sugar) to add extra sweetness and some Dijon mustard for a little subtle heat. Other optional extras include a pinch or red pepper flakes or cayenne, or a dash of orange juice for a citrusy yum.

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How to Make Cranberry Meatballs

If you have 10 minutes, you can easily prep this crockpot cranberry meatballs recipe! Do check out the recipe card for the full list of recipe instructions.

Add the frozen meatballs and the rest of the ingredients into your slow cooker set on low heat. Stir to coat the meatballs in the sauce. Cover and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours, or high for 2 hours, stirring once or twice during cooking until heated through. Serve warm straight from the slow cooker.

Cover and cook on low for 4 hours, stirring occasionally. To serve, set the slow cooker to the warm setting. Serve these as party meatballs or as a main.

Bintu’s Recipe Tips

Make sure to stir gently halfway through cooking so all the meatballs are covered in that lovely and glossy cranberry glaze.
Whenever I want a thicker sauce, I simply remove the slow cooker lid for the last 20 minutes of cooking.
Feel free to use a slow cooker liner to avoid scrubbing at the end.

Juicy interior of a meatball coated in cranberry barbecue sauce, showing tender texture inside.

Serving Suggestions

These are ridiculously versatile. Serve them as an appetizer with toothpicks and garnished with green onion. Feel free to keep them warm in the slow cooker until you are ready to serve them. Add them to your buffet table , with some sweet cranberries for an easy crowd-pleaser that festive look.

As a main you can spoon them over mashed potatoes, or some rice, or slider buns for a main meal.

Bowl of saucy cranberry meatballs garnished with chopped parsley, coated in a thick, shiny glaze.

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Storage & Make-Ahead

Make it ahead: Cook, cool, and store. Reheat gently in the slow cooker or on the stove.
Refigerate: Refigerate cooled leftovers in an airtight container for 3 to 5 days.

A single glazed meatball coated in rich cranberry barbecue sauce, held with black tongs.

Tools To Make These Cranberry Crockpot Meatballs

Grab an awesome crockpot.

Did you make this recipe? Then I would love to hear how it turned out. Please leave a comment and star rating below. And I really appreciate you sharing this recipe with your family and friends. Enjoy every mouthful 😊🍲 – Bintu

Get The Cranberry Meatballs Recipe

Slow Cooker Cranberry Meatballs

A simple appetizer or main dish made with pantry staples.

Print Pin Rate Save Recipe

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Western

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 2

Servings:

Calories: 425kcal

Author: Bintu Hardy | Budget Delicious

Equipment

crockpot

Ingredients

1 lb frozen fully cooked meatballs about 20 meatballs
½ cup barbecue sauce smoky or sweet style
½ cup canned whole berry cranberry sauce
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp brown sugar

Instructions

Add all ingredients to a 4–6 quart slow cooker.
Stir to coat the meatballs in the sauce.
Cover and cook on low for 3–4 hours or high for 2 hours, until heated through.
Serve warm straight from the slow cooker..

Notes

Make sure to stir gently halfway through cooking so all the meatballs are covered in that lovely and glossy cranberry glaze.

Whenever I want a thicker sauce, I simply remove the slow cooker lid for the last 20 minutes of cooking.

Feel free to use a slow cooker liner to avoid scrubbing at the end.

Nutrition