Sweet and Sour Crock Pot Meatballs (Printable)

Frozen meatballs in tangy-sweet peach preserve sauce. Effortless slow cooker appetizer or main in just 3 hours.

# What You'll Need:

→ Meatballs

01 - 2 lbs frozen fully-cooked meatballs

→ Sweet and Sour Sauce

02 - 1 cup peach or apricot preserves
03 - 1/2 cup ketchup
04 - 1/4 cup rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
05 - 2 tablespoons soy sauce
06 - 1/4 cup light brown sugar
07 - 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
08 - 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
09 - 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
10 - 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

# How-To Steps:

01 - Transfer frozen meatballs into the slow cooker bowl
02 - Whisk together peach or apricot preserves, ketchup, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, ginger, and red pepper flakes in a mixing bowl until smooth
03 - Pour sauce over meatballs and gently stir to ensure even coating
04 - Cover slow cooker and cook on LOW setting for 3 to 4 hours until meatballs are heated through and sauce is bubbling. Stir once or twice during cooking if possible
05 - Transfer to serving dish and serve hot as appetizer with toothpicks or over steamed rice as main course

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • You can assemble everything in under five minutes and let the slow cooker do all the work while you get ready or clean up.
  • The sauce tastes like you simmered it for hours, but it comes together with pantry staples and a jar of preserves.
  • These meatballs work as a last minute appetizer or a weeknight dinner over rice, so you get two meals from one recipe.
02 -
  • Don't skip stirring at least once during cooking or the meatballs on top won't get fully coated and the sauce on the bottom can get too thick.
  • If your sauce looks too runny after cooking, leave the lid off for the last 20 minutes on HIGH to let it reduce and thicken up.
03 -
  • Use a slow cooker liner for the easiest cleanup, especially when making these for a party where you won't have time to scrub the pot later.
  • Taste the sauce before pouring it over the meatballs and adjust the sweetness or tang to your preference, it's much easier to fix before cooking than after.
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