Easy Slow Cooker Barbecue Meatballs only have 3 ingredients and are wonderful for an appetizer or over mashed potatoes for dinner.
Is it a party if someone doesn’t bring the Slow Cooker Barbecue Meatballs? I think not!
My sister-in-law makes these amazing barbecue meatballs for our family get togethers and everyone always asks for her secret recipe.
She laughs and says it’s just barbecue sauce and frozen meatballs! Another great recipe of hers on my site is Slow Cooker Molasses Barbecue Little Smokies.
I stick with my sister-in-laws “secret” recipe but I add diced white onion. Because if you love onions, they make everything better.
How to make:
These meatballs are as easy as 1-2-3! Yep, just three ingredients to one of the best appetizers (or dinner!).
You will need these ingredients:
- Frozen homestyle meatballs
- Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce
- Diced white onion
Add the frozen meatballs to the slow cooker and add the onion and Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce. Stir.
How long do I cook frozen meatballs in the slow cooker?
Cook for 2.5 hours on high or 4 hours on low, stirring occasionally. The meatballs should be hot in the center and very moist after warming up.
How long can I keep meatballs in the slow cooker?
If you are serving these meatballs as an appetizer you can keep them warm for about 3 hours by placing the slow cooker to the warm setting.
Keep an eye on the meatballs and stir them occasionally and if the sauce seems to dry out, add a splash of water.
How to serve:
- As an appetizer with toothpicks
- Mashed potatoes
- Steamed white rice
- Slider buns
- Hoagie rolls
My family enjoyed these meatballs over homemade mashed potatoes. It’s a great recipe for summer because you get that barbecue flavor with very little effort.
Whether you are planning a party or need a last-minute dinner idea these Slow Cooker Barbecue Meatballs are your ticket to deliciousness! Your guests will ask what your secret recipe is, you can tell them how easy they are!
Other great meatball recipes:
- Slow Cooker Grape Jelly Meatballs
- Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs
- Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs – Recipe from the Cagle Diaries
- Slow Cooker Teriyaki Meatballs
- Slow Cooker Porcupine Meatballs
- Slow Cooker Easy Meatball Subs
- Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Meatballs
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Slow Cooker Barbecue Meatballs
Equipment Needed:
Ingredients:
- 40 oz. frozen meatballs (I use Safeway's Kitchen brand homestyle meatballs)
- 16 oz. Sweet Baby Ray's Original Barbecue Sauce
- 1 small sweet yellow onion diced
Instructions:
- Add the frozen meatballs to the slow cooker.
- Add the diced white onion and barbecue sauce. Stir.
- Cover and cook on high for 2.5 hours or on low for 4 hours. Stir occasionally so the meatballs won't burn on the edges.
- Serve as an appetizer with toothpicks or as dinner on top of mashed potatoes or rice. Or you can serve on slider or hoagie rolls.
To keep warm at a party:
- After the cooking time is up, set the slow cooker to the warm setting.
- The meatballs can be kept warm for up to 3 hours. Check on the meatballs occasionally and stir. Add a splash of water if sauce seems to be dry.
How to Video:
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
Hi -I need to bring these to a party 2 hours away.Can I make them in crockpot day before transport cold in a cooler then reheat in crockpot ?
I recently had these at a birthday party and they Delish !!
I would thaw the meatballs on your trip and cook them there. Reheating will take almost as long as the recipe.
Add sweet baby rays bbq and a jar of grape jelly . It is so so so good
Take them in the crockpot with the lid on. Wrap it in 2 layers of foil, then, two towels. They don’t have to be steaming hot when you arrive at the party.
So I tried this recipe mainly because I had a bag of frozen meatballs in the deep freeze. AnyWHO! Used half of that bag, some frozen chop onion from the farmers market and a mixture of my two fav bbq sauces. WOOOOWWW! Thought at first first it was not going to work when I did a stir as suggested after a while but in the end of the suggested cooking time it all came together. Came off as a comfort food to me.
So great to hear! It’s amazing what only a few ingredients can do in the slow cooker.
Can these be made with meatballs that are not frozen?
Yes. They will work great. You will have to test out the timing and make sure they cook in the middle.
I have tried your recipe very good. I am on salt free so I had to look for salt free sauce. On potatoes great on rice aha .! so I tried with Mac and cheese (home made) great
Great food ideas thank you
I’ve actually done this a few times…My sister told me to try it and I was hooked! They are great on hogie buns with fries also…
I love this receipe! I have to add extra meatballs cause can down a dozen while putting it in a dish to seve for myguest. .. adicted!@
This is a keeper. I made it with my own meatballs. Was so pleased to find the Sauce in Woolies here in Australia. Thank you!
Sarah, I found this recipe in Milwaukee WI, Instead of using BBQ sauce on the meatballs, use a lg. bottle of Chili Sauce and 1/2 to 3/4 of Grape Jelly ( Lg. jar) on the meatballs. Delicious.
Yes! I’ve made that too! Sooo good.
I have made this with the BJ’s brand of Thai chili sauce marinade/sauce and OMG over jasmine rice. NIIIIICE!
I saw your recipe the other day, read the ingredients and have them ready to make the recipe.
I just noticed from your picture…that is a yellow onion, not a white onion.
Which is it supposed to be. They’re different flavors.
Thanx.
You can use either. But I fixed it. I used a sweet yellow onion
Have not made these but what I like about this recipe is the freedom it offers to complete other tasks. While these are stewing in the background, I can be making the balance of our meal, and loading the dishwasher. Diet multitasking!
I have found that after well cooked, most onions have the same flavor.
Is rays sauces smoked. We don’t like the smoked taste bu like the sweet taste
They have several flavors of Sweet Baby Rays, but the original is just kind of sweet. They have a hickory smoke, brown sugar something and sweet & spicy. Just pick your fav flavor.
break out the grape jelly to add to the BBQ sauce, i know sounds strange but it is a great additive.
I added two large spoonfuls of strawberry preserves. So amazing and so easy!
If you use grape jelly with BBQ sauce, how much?
Use the grape jelly and chili sauce. It is so good.
I’d like to make these as a half batch, as it is only for two people. Any thoughts on how that would affect the cooking time?
For a smaller batch enough for 2 people, you could half the batch. Will be just enough for you to eat for a meal and freeze some for another rainy day. You could also, microwave the meatballs arranged in a plate lined with paper towels, and put the onions, bbq sauce and meatballs in a saucepan, and slow cook for 30 mins. I basically prefer it on the stove if its a smaller batch instead of using power for 4 hours.
Can these be made with fresh ground chicken? Would you say 4 hours on low would be ok or longer?
Looks great, But, we can’t have ground beef. I have never seen frozen chicken meatballs.
I would definitely make these as we love Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauces.
I would do 5 hours on low for homemade meatballs.