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serving meatballs with grape jelly as an appetizer with toothpicks
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Grape Jelly Meatballs

Grape Jelly Meatballs are juicy, crave worthy, and always a runaway hit!  What elevates this recipe are the tender homemade meatballs (may use frozen) and spectacular sauce - it’s simple, sublime, sticky, sweet and tangy with a subtle kick. It's made with grape jelly, barbecue sauce, red wine vinegar, soy sauce and buffalo wings sauce whipped up in 5 minutes!  You can make these meatballs with grape jelly on the stovetop or in the crockpot, ahead of time or freeze for an easy, stress-free appetizer or dinner served over a bed of mashed potatoes and veggies – SO GOOD.  But no matter how you serve this favorite Grape Jelly Meatball recipe, it's guaranteed to disappear in a flash!
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 40 minutes
Servings 40 meatballs (approx)

Ingredients

MEATBALLS

  • 2 pounds lean ground beef (see notes for turkey)
  • 2 eggs
  • 24 Ritz or Saltine crackers, crushed (or 1 cup panko breadcrumbs)
  • 1/3 cup dried minced onion
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 tsp EACH salt, garlic powder, onion powder, ginger powder, chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

SAUCE

  • 1 cup grape jelly
  • 3/4 cup barbecue sauce (I use Sweet Baby Rays)
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
  • 1-2 tablespoons Franks Buffalo Hot WINGS Sauce
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1/4 tsp EACH salt, ginger powder, garlic powder

Instructions

CROCKPOT VERSION

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup. Top with a baking rack and spray with cooking spray; set aside.
  • Add all of the meatball ingredients to a large mixing bowl except the beef and whisk to thoroughly combine. Add the beef and mix with your hands just until combined.
  • Use a small cookie scoop (1 ½ tablespoon capacity) to roll into meatballs. Place meatballs onto prepared baking sheet without touching.
  • Bake at 400 degrees F for 8 minutes to sear the meatballs – they will not be cooked through.
  • Meanwhile, whisk all of the Sauce ingredients together in large bowl; set aside.
  • Lightly grease a 6qt slow cooker. Add a layer of meatballs followed by a layer of sauce; repeat. Do NOT stir the meatballs yet or they will fall apart.
  • Cook on LOW for 2-4 hours, until the meatballs reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees F on an instant read thermometer, gently stirring one hour into cooking. You can keep the crock pot on the WARM setting until you’re ready to serve.

STOVETOP VERSION

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup. Top with a baking rack and spray with cooking spray; set aside.
  • Add all of the meatball ingredients to a large mixing bowl except the beef and whisk to thoroughly combine. Add the beef and mix with your hands just until combined.
  • Use a small cookie scoop (1 ½ tablespoon capacity) to roll into meatballs. Place meatballs onto prepared baking sheet without touching.
  • Bake at 400 degrees F until the meatballs reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees F on an instant read thermometer, about 20 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, whisk all of the Sauce ingredients together in a braiser, Dutch oven or very large saucepan off heat. Once combined, bring to a gentle simmer, stirring constantly, until warmed through.
  • Add the baked meatballs to the sauce and stir to evenly coat. Serve warm or transfer to the crockpot and keep on the “warm” setting until ready to serve.

Video

Notes

  • Ground chicken or turkey: Ground poultry contains less fat than ground beef, so you may want to add a little oil to the meatball mixture or for the JUICIEST turkey meatballs, swap the milk for ¼ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt. I also recommend adding 1 tablespoon granulated beef bouillon, or 3 crushed cubes to infuse the meatballs with bold beefy flavor. Reduce the salt to ½ teaspoon in the meatballs if using bouillon.
  • Hot wings sauce: I use Frank’s RedHot BUFFALO Wings Sauce– NOT Frank’s original sauce.  Buffalo wings sauce is a spicy hot sauce with the addition of melted butter, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and garlic. It is spicier, smoother, richer, rounder and less of a pure cayenne punch than original hot sauce – it is just plain more delicious in my opinion. 
  • Frozen Meatballs:  Part of the deliciousness of this recipe are the homemade meatballs, but you are welcome to use your favorite store-bought meatballs if needed, you will need one 32 oz. package.  Either cook meatballs according to package directions until completely warmed through in the oven and combined with the warmed sauce, or transfer meatballs and sauce to a 6-qt. slow cooker and cook on low for 2-3 hours for THAWED meatballs or 6-8 hours for FROZEN meatballs, or according to package directions.
  • Gluten free:  As written, this Grape Jelly Meatball recipe is not gluten free. To make it gluten free, use gluten free soy sauce or tamari and gluten free crackers or panko or your favorite gluten free salty cracker.  You will also want to double check that your barbecue sauce and hot sauce is gluten free.  The rest of the ingredients are gluten free.
  • Storage:  Let meatballs cool to room temperature. Transfer to an airtight container or remove the entire crockpot ceramic insert and
    refrigerate for up to 5 days.   

Make Ahead

  • 100% Make Ahead:  You can make the meatball recipe in its entirety, refrigerate and simply reheat on the stove or crockpot or in stages.
  • Stage 1 Option:  Roll the meatballs up to 24 hours ahead of time, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate, then proceed with the recipe when ready, adding a couple extra minutes to the meatball searing time. You can also whisk the sauce together and refrigerate in an airtight container.
  • Stage 2 Option:  Go one step further and sear the meatballs, cool, then refrigerate in the crockpot with the sauce.  The next day, cook the meatballs in the crockpot. 

How to Freeze

You may freeze the Grape Jelly Meatball recipe before or after cooking in the sauce. 

TO FREEZE SEARED MEATBALLS:
1.     Place the entire baking tray with the seared and cooled meatballs in the freezer. If your freezer can’t accommodate your baking sheet, then use a small tray and freeze in batches. Freeze for 1-2 hours, until solid.
2.     Transfer meatballs to a freezer-safe bag or container and squeeze out excess air to prevent freezer burn.
4.     Label meatballs and store in the freezer for 3-4 months.
5.     When ready to enjoy, thaw the meatballs in the refrigerator overnight then continue with the recipe or cook from frozen, add a couple hours to the cooking time.
TO FREEZE COOKED MEATBALLS
1.     Transfer meatballs with grape jelly to a freezer safe container.
3.     Label and store in the freezer for 2-3 months.
4.     When ready to use, thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat per any of the outlined methods.