Grape Jelly Meatballs
104 Comments Jan 23, 2020
Updated May 29, 2025
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These easy grape jelly meatballs come together with just three ingredients—frozen meatballs, chili sauce, and grape jelly—for the ultimate sweet and tangy appetizer. All done in the crockpot
My go-to meatball recipe has always been with barbecue sauce until I tried crockpot grape jelly meatballs! What amazing flavor these meatballs have. I can’t just eat one but MUST go back for many plates of these. You can also use this recipe to make Grape Jelly Little Smokies!
Key Ingredients:
Just three ingredients! Your guest will be asking for the recipe. Find the full recipe in the recipe card below the images.
- Grape Jelly – Grape jelly (I use Welch’s) is the magic ingredient in this recipe. It is not overpowering, it’s a subtle flavor and add sweetness to the recipe.
- Chili Sauce – Look for Heinz or the store brand
- Meatballs – These are found in the frozen section in your store.
How to make Grape Jelly Meatballs (ONE SIMPLE STEP)
Step One: Just toss the ingredients into the slow cooker and cook! Then serve and enjoy!
How to Find the Right Chili Sauce:
There is a certain sauce to use, I want you to make these meatballs right:
- There are different types of chili sauce, the one in this recipe is near the ketchup in your grocery store (I use Heinz chili sauce).
- Heinz chili sauce is made from tomatoes, garlic, sweet peppers, and aromatic spices
- DO NOT use sriracha hot chili sauce or sweet Thai chili sauce unless you want it to be VERY spicy.
Variations
Here are some variations to change up these meatballs
- You can swap the grape jelly for other flavors—try strawberry jam, apple jelly, or raspberry preserves for a fun twist!
- Barbecue sauce OR Ketchup can be used. One reader uses salsa instead and loves it!
- This recipe is VERY flexible, you can use a little more or less frozen meatballs.
What to serve with Grape Jelly Meatballs:
- Set them out with toothpicks as a crowd-pleasing party appetizer
- Spoon them over steamed rice for a quick and tasty dinner
- Serve them atop creamy mashed potatoes for a comforting meal
Here are a few delicious ways to serve grape jelly meatballs:
Featured Comment
“Awesome flavor! I made these for my office luncheon and everyone loves them and asking for the recipe!! Yummo.”
– Sally
Grape Jelly Meatballs Recipe
How to Video
Ingredients
- 32 oz. bag frozen meatballs, I use homestyle
- 20 oz. grape jelly, I use Welch's
- 12 oz. Heinz chili sauce
Instructions
Crockpot Instructions:
- Put the frozen meatballs in the slow cooker. Add the grape jelly and chili sauce.
- Stir until the meatballs are coated in the grape and chili sauce mixture.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker.
- Cook on HIGH for 2.5-3 hours or LOW for 4-5 hours. Stirring occasionally so the meatballs won't burn on the edges.
Keeping the grape jelly meatballs warm at a party:
- Turn the slow cooker to warm. Can be kept warm at a party for 3+ hours. Stir often, and add a splash of water if the sauce thickens too much.
Stove-Top Instructions:
- Add everything to a large pot. Turn to medium low heat, heat for about 15 minutes or until the meatballs are warmed and the sauce starts to thicken.
Sarah’s Notes
- There are different types of chili sauce, the one in this recipe is near the ketchup in your grocery store (I use Heinz chili sauce).
- Heinz chili sauce is made from tomatoes, garlic, sweet peppers, and aromatic spices
- DO NOT use sriracha hot chili sauce or sweet Thai chili sauce unless you want it to be VERY spicy.
- Strawberry jam or jelly
- Apple jelly
- Raspberry jam or preserves
- Ketchup – add a touch of onion, garlic and chili powder.
- Barbecue sauce – any kind will work.
- This recipe is very flexible! You can use a slightly smaller bag or two bags that equal a little more than 32 ounces.
- Will work fine, there is plenty of sauce in this recipe.
- Serve as an appetizer with toothpicks at a party
- With steamed rice
- Over mashed potatoes
- Any style of frozen meatball can be used in this recipe such as Italian, Angus or even turkey.
- If you are looking for a healthier meatball try Trader Joe’s brand.
- You can even use meatless meatballs in this recipe!
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
More Frozen Meatball Recipes:
Slow Cooker Barbecue Meatballs are just as easy as the classic grape jelly version and perfect for parties.
Try Salisbury Steak Meatballs or Swedish Meatballs—especially great with egg noodles—for a comforting dinner twist.
For fun party food, make Meatballs and Little Smokies for the best of both worlds, or serve Crockpot Meatball Subs for a hearty handheld meal.
Sweet and Sour Meatballs bring that takeout-style flavor with familiar veggies, and Baby Shower Meatballs are always a hit at celebrations.
This has been a family favorite for longer than I can remember. I dad used to make the meatballs, but getting a bag of frozen is so much easier now.
Have made numerous times. Great for pot lucks.
I used to make this back in the 90’s with katsup and diced onions. Everyone loved it at parties. So good.
Worth noting: If you don’t want the full blast of spice that the Sriracha/Thai Chili sauces bring, but you think you might want to try a ‘little’ bit of spice, you can always proportionally split it with the regular chili sauce (for example: 6 oz of regular, 6 oz of the Sriracha type; you can adjust up/down as you see fit between the 2, so long as you end up with 12 oz of chili sauce)
Can you cook frozen browned meatballs in a crock pot. Should they be fully cooked
Yes, you can cook frozen cooked meatballs in the slow cooker. No need to precook.
“DO NOT use sriracha hot chili sauce or sweet Thai chili sauce unless you want it to be VERY spicy.” – My one associate team lead at work would probably try this actually. She LOVES spicy LOL!
We don’t have frozen cooked meatballs here can I use uncooked ……or should I brown them off first? Timings please….I now have some grape jelly! Excited to try
I would brown them first and do about the same amount of time. Be gentle when you stir them.
My family has been making these with homemade meatballs for at least 3 generations.We make them for party appetizers. You can use another kind of jelly if you don’t have grape.I’ve even used orange marmalade with a few drops of soy sauce.They are always a crowd pleaser and just as good with little smokies.
If I’m doubling the recipe or making a little bit more, does that increase the cooking time?
I would do 5 hours on low or 4 hours on high if I was doubling this.
What is the serving size ?
It depends on how many meatballs are in your bag. I would account for about 4 meatballs per person.