Description
Cranberry Meatballs are a delightful holiday appetizer featuring frozen party meatballs slow-cooked in a sweet and tangy homemade cranberry sauce blended with hoisin, ketchup, and warming spices. This easy crock-pot recipe yields tender, flavorful meatballs perfect for parties and gatherings.
Ingredients
Scale
Meatballs
- 40 oz frozen party meatballs
Sauce
- 2 cups fresh cranberry sauce (homemade or store-bought)
- ¼ cup hoisin sauce
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 3½ tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 3 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2½ tablespoon hot sauce (optional, e.g., Frank’s RedHot)
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
Garnish
- Fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
- Make the sauce: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the cranberry sauce, hoisin sauce, ketchup, red wine vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, hot sauce (if using), minced garlic, ground ginger, and cayenne pepper (if using) until fully combined. Stir in the fresh cranberries. You can also mix everything directly in the slow cooker if preferred.
- Add ingredients to slow cooker: Place the frozen meatballs into the bowl of a 6-8 quart slow cooker. Pour the prepared cranberry sauce over the meatballs and stir well to coat evenly.
- Cook meatballs: Cover and cook on high for 2 hours or on low for 3-4 hours, until the sauce is bubbly and the meatballs are heated through thoroughly.
- Keep warm and serve: After cooking, switch the slow cooker to the warm setting to maintain temperature until serving. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley before serving for a pop of color and freshness.
Notes
- Cranberry Meatballs are an effortless, crowd-pleasing appetizer perfect for holidays or parties.
- You can adjust the hot sauce and cayenne level to control the spiciness according to your preference.
- Using frozen meatballs makes preparation quick and convenient without sacrificing flavor.
- If you don’t have fresh cranberries, you may omit them or substitute with extra cranberry sauce for texture.
- Ensure your slow cooker is large enough to comfortably hold the meatballs and sauce for even cooking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 mini meatball with sauce
- Calories: 50 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 56 mg
- Fat: 2 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 4 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 10 mg
