These juicy Grape Jelly Meatballs are the best appetizer recipe. Tender and juicy meatballs smothered in a sweet and spicy sauce and slow-cooked to perfection. The sauce has just three ingredients and you’ll love how easy it is.

Grape Jelly Meatballs are perfect for New Year’s parties or any gathering. If you are looking for a crowd-pleasing appetizer, these are always a hit, along with our Jalapeno Poppers or the Easy Cheese Ball.

A crockpot full of grape jelly meatballs topped with chopped greens and a ladle.

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Grape Jelly Meatballs

These delicious grape jelly meatballs are loved by everyone. Meatballs tossed together with grape jelly, bbq sauce, and garlic chili sauce then slow cooked until tender, saucy and flavorful.

We love serving these during the holidays, game nights, or even for a simple dinner over fluffy white rice.

A ladle full of grape jelly meatballs topped with chopped greens.

Ingredients for Grape Jelly Meatballs

With just 4 basic ingredients you can have this amazing appetizer thrown together and allow the crockpot to do the rest of the work.

  • Meatballs –  For this recipe we use frozen meatballs made of pork, beef, and chicken from the local grocery store. You can use any of your favorite frozen meatballs for this recipe.
  • Grape Jelly – Any grape jelly will work, we prefer using Smucker’s grape jelly.
  • Chili Sauce – You can also adjust the amount for the level of heat you prefer. Any chili sauce will work for this recipe, we love Huey Fong Chili Sauce (the same sauce we use in Shrimp Cocktail Sauce and Springroll Dipping Sauce).
  • Barbecue Sauce – We love Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce for this recipe.
A crockpot with frozen meatballs, jam, barbecue, and chili sauce ready to be baked.

How to Make Grape Jelly Meatballs

This recipe is so easy to make. With just 5 minutes of prep time, you can have this appetizer ready to go in your crockpot.

  1. Into the slow cooker, add: frozen meatballs, jelly, bbq, and chili sauce to the slow cooker. Toss until combined. TIP: You can also mix the bbq, jelly and chili sauce in a separate bowl then pour over the meatballs.
  2. Cook on low for 3-4 hours, stirring halfway through cooking. Once the meatballs are cooked, turn the slow cooker to warm and keep warm until ready to serve.
  3. Garnish with parsley or chives if desired.

Other Cooking Methods

If you do not have a slow cooker, don’t worry, here are two other methods that you can use to make these meatballs.

  • Stovetop Grape Jelly Meatballs – Add the meatballs, barbecue, grape jelly, and chili sauce in a Dutch oven or large pot and combine. Simmer over medium/low heat for 25-30 minutes or until the meatballs are warmed through, stirring occasionally to keep the sauce from burning.
  • Oven-Baked Grape Jelly Meatballs – Add all the ingredients into a casserole dish or Dutch oven and mix to combine. Cover with lid or foil and bake at 325°F for 20-25 minutes or until the meatballs have cooked through. Note: Adjust the cooking time based on the size of your meatballs.
A toothpick with two meatballs being held.

To Serve

There are several different ways to enjoy these meatballs! Here are some of our favorite ways:

  • Appetizer – They make for the ultimate appetizer, serve with toothpicks at your next gathering, or game day tailgating party!
  • Side Dish– Serve these as a side dish for the holidays. The flavors in these meatballs really stand out and this recipe always gets compliments.
  • Entree – Serve over cooked rice or with Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes or pasta as a main entree.
A white plate loaded with meatballs topped with chopped greens.

Common Questions

How to store grape jelly meatballs?

You can store the grape jelly meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Can I use fresh meatballs?

Yes, you can use Homemade Meatballs or even our Turkey Meatballs. You’ll want to be sure to cook the meatballs first.

What kind of meatballs do I use?

You can use any type of frozen meatballs that you like, Italian, Angus, and turkey meatballs work great for this recipe. The frozen Italian-style meatballs from Costco work great.

Can I omit the chili sauce?

Yes, if you do not like spicy foods then you can leave out the chili sauce completely.

What other jelly can I use?

While the grape jelly is classic to this recipe, you can switch up the flavor of jelly you use for different flavors! You can also use strawberry, apple, apricot, mixed berry jam, or preserves.

Make-Ahead

Here’s a great food storage guide from the FDA – print this and tape it inside one of your kitchen cabinets to reference.

  • To Freeze – Once cooled, add to a freezer-safe container and freeze for 2 to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
  • To Reheat – Grape Jelly Meatballs reheat well. Just add them back to the slow cooker to reheat or you can also reheat in the oven, stovetop, or microwave until steamy hot and fully heated through.
Grape jelly meatballs in a slow cooker topped with fresh chopped greens with a ladle.

More Party Appetizers

Grape Jelly Meatballs are a real treat. Everyone is always surprised when they find out what is in the sauce. It’s a keeper of a recipe.

Easy Grape Jelly Meatballs Recipe

5 from 440 votes
Grape jelly Meatballs in slow cooker with serving spoon
These juicy Grape Jelly Meatballs are the best appetizer recipe! Tender and juicy meatballs smothered in a sweet and spicy sauce and slow-cooked to perfection. You can easily scale this recipe up, or scale down if using a smaller crockpot.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 5 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 12 servings as an appetizer

Instructions

  • Add the frozen meatballs, grape jelly, barbecue sauce, and chili sauce into the base of the slow cooker. Mix until well combined.
  • Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours (larger meatballs may take 4-5 hours on low), stirring halfway through cooking. Keep covered and on the warm setting until ready to serve. Garnish with parsley or chives if desired.

Notes

NOTE: The chili sauce gives the meatballs a slight kick. If you want your meatballs on the sweeter side, you can omit the chili sauce completely.

Nutrition Per Serving

342kcal Calories35g Carbs13g Protein16g Fat6g Saturated Fat1g Polyunsaturated Fat7g Monounsaturated Fat54mg Cholesterol558mg Sodium322mg Potassium1g Fiber26g Sugar85IU Vitamin A3mg Vitamin C28mg Calcium1mg Iron
Nutrition Facts
Easy Grape Jelly Meatballs Recipe
Amount per Serving
Calories
342
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
16
g
25
%
Saturated Fat
 
6
g
38
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
1
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
7
g
Cholesterol
 
54
mg
18
%
Sodium
 
558
mg
24
%
Potassium
 
322
mg
9
%
Carbohydrates
 
35
g
12
%
Fiber
 
1
g
4
%
Sugar
 
26
g
29
%
Protein
 
13
g
26
%
Vitamin A
 
85
IU
2
%
Vitamin C
 
3
mg
4
%
Calcium
 
28
mg
3
%
Iron
 
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: grape jelly meatballs
Skill Level: Easy
Cost to Make: $$
Calories: 342
Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook
5 from 440 votes (409 ratings without comment)

Leave a Comment

Recipe Rating




Comments

  • Kathy
    February 9, 2025

    Can I use a franks hotsauce instead of the chilli sauce and still get the same flavour?

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      February 9, 2025

      It will give you a different flavor profile as chilli sauce is typically milder and sweeter. If you decide to give that a try, you can adjust the flavor balance by adding a little bit of sugar or honey and adjust the consistency.

      Reply

  • Jeanne
    January 25, 2025

    The chili sauce brings this recipe head and shoulders above others!

    Reply

  • Tina
    January 20, 2025

    This is a very good recipe to use, I do omit the barbecue sauce but I add diced green, red and yellow bell peppers and a can of diced pineapples (without the juice). Not only does it give it some color but also a little different flavor.

    Reply

  • Linda Brooks
    January 13, 2025

    I make this recipe,but don’t use any bbq sauce. I use aj jar of grape jelly and a bottle of Heinz Chile sauce .. pour it over the frozen meat balls in my crockpot and turn it on .4 he on high and stir. If I happpen to have any of my “canned” chili sauce I use that. It’s so good. Instead of meatballs, Little Weinies” work just as well and are just as good!

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      January 13, 2025

      Thanks for sharing, Linda!

      Reply

  • kam
    January 11, 2025

    do you know what the oven temp and time would be if i cook them in a dutch oven ? i don’t have a crock pot.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      January 12, 2025

      Hi, you can check this part of the recipe “Other Cooking Methods” for more tips.

      Reply

  • Kim
    December 28, 2024

    Running short on time for party….Can I cook them on high for two hours and then switch to low?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      December 28, 2024

      Hi Kim, its best on low, but that may work to quicken the process. Be sure the sauce doesn’t burn.

      Reply

  • Barbara Iwanek Flynn
    December 21, 2024

    Just made them from my home made meat bowls / which I breezed before/, my guests were so impressed that I could not even imagine!
    Thanks my friend Natasha!!!!!

    Reply

  • Dita
    December 15, 2024

    Cold meatballs. 4 hours on low is NOT long enough.

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      December 16, 2024

      Hi Dita! Did you have it on the warm setting? Or were your meatballs larger? I’ve made this several times and they’ve never been cold after 4hrs. I use fully cooked frozen meatballs.

      Reply

    • Nicole
      February 6, 2025

      The type of crockpot varies as well. Mines was slowly dying and I had no idea until I made meatballs. I purchased a new one and 4 hours later they were done. I can only cook some things in my other one which is a cheaper brand and takes longer.

      Reply

  • Mima
    December 9, 2024

    I had these once at a potluck dinner. It was delicious. Didn’t know it was so easy to do. My question is do you know what a serving size is?

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      December 9, 2024

      Unfortunately, I did not measure it per serving but the whole recipe has 12 servings so I would divide the whole recipe to 12.

      Reply

  • Dobie
    December 6, 2024

    My son needed something to take to Friendsgiving and all the usual stuff was taken. We threw this together and doubled the recipe like another reviewer suggested. It was much more popular than the traditional dishes. He said it was gone so fast he barely had time to plug the crockpot in. I guess some of the other kids (actually, they’re almost 40) were putting them on buns like meatball sliders. What a success! THANKS!!

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      December 6, 2024

      That’s awesome! Thanks so much for the feedback!

      Reply

  • M from Virginia
    November 23, 2024

    I made 4 lbs of meatballs (double the recipe) for a big event. I didn’t even get to try them the crowd gobbled them up so fast 🙂 Making more for my hubby tonite. Only thing I did different was to combined all the wet ingredients on the stove first and then poured over the meatballs in the crockpot.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      November 23, 2024

      Thank you so much for sharing that with me, M! I’m so glad you enjoyed these!

      Reply

  • CeCi
    November 6, 2024

    Can you share the brand/kind of frozen meatballs did you use?

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      November 6, 2024

      You can use any type of frozen meatballs that you like, Italian, Angus, and turkey meatballs work great for this recipe. The frozen Italian-style meatballs from Costco work great.

      Reply

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