These sweet & sour cocktail meatballs are easy to make and so delicious!
Tender juicy meatballs are simmered in a quick two ingredient sauce for the perfect sweet and sour cocktail meatball!
These will be the first thing gone, and nobody will ever believe what is in them!
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Perfect Party Appetizer
- Cocktail meatballs are a party recipe! Serve them at every party or gathering, and watch them disappear!
- They’re so easy to make with just three ingredients!
- Serve these sweet and sour meatballs as an appetizer or even served over rice for a weeknight meal that your family will love!
Ingredients for Sweet & Sour Meatballs
I often make grape jelly meatballs, but did you know that you can basically choose any sweet ingredient and any tangy ingredient for a great cocktail meatball sauce?
Meatballs – You can use the recipe below for homemade meatballs, or use a bag of frozen fully cooked meatballs for an easy appetizer with almost no prep needed! You can also use the same sauce for cocktail smokies.
Sauce – The easy sauce for these sweet and sour meatballs needs just two ingredients: one sweet and one tangy.
- Choose one sweet – apricot preserves, strawberry jam, grape jelly, or cranberry sauce.
- Choose one tangy – ketchup, chilli sauce, bbq sauce.
How to Make Cocktail Meatballs
What could be easier than this three-ingredient recipe?
- Make the meatballs (as per the recipe below) or use frozen meatballs.
- Mix the sauce ingredients together and heat on low in a saucepan.
- Add the cooked meatballs to the sauce, bring to a boil, then simmer until thickened.
Crockpot Version
These work perfectly in the Crockpot too!
- Just bake the meatballs as directed (or just add them frozen if you’re not making homemade)
- Place the sauce ingredients in the slow cooker.
- Add meatballs to the sauce and let heat through on high for at least 1-2 hours before serving (a bit longer if using frozen).
Once heated through meatballs can be left on low for serving.
Storing Meatballs
- Cocktail meatballs can be made ahead and refrigerated or frozen for future use.
- They will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days and will retain their flavor in the freezer for 2-3 months.
- Be sure to cook and reheat to a temperature of 165ºF.
More Easy Appetizers You'll Love
Did your family love these Sweet and Sour Meatballs? If so, leave a rating and comment below!
Equipment
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 2 pounds frozen meatballs
OR
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- ½ small onion very finely diced
- ½ cup bread crumbs
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Sauce (see notes)
- 10 ounces apricot preserves
- ⅔ cup barbecue sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
- If making homemade meatballs, combine ground beef, diced onion, bread crumbs, eggs, and pepper in a medium bowl. Divide the mixture into 1-inch meatballs.
- Bake homemade meatballs for 18-20 minutes or bake frozen meatballs according to package directions.
- In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, combine apricot preserves and barbecue sauce. Stir until the preserves start to melt.
- Add in meatballs and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the sauce is slightly thickened.
Notes
- 10 ounces strawberry preserves & ⅔ cup ketchup
- 14 ounces jellied cranberry sauce & 12 ounces chili sauce
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
I have a huge Christmas gathering and I’ll be making a lot of these! I’ll try both sauces. Thank you so much for the recipe :)
These meatballs would be a great appetizer for this Super Bowl Sunday. I pinned and shared them. Thanks for linking up to Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop.
Many Blessings,
Diane Roark
recipesforourdailybread
mine are different….chili sauce, cranberry jelly sauce, sauerkraut and I don’t bake first, they go into sauce to cook. They are wonderful
Hi Can you tell me how many people does this recipe serve?
Thanks!
This recipe will serve 8 as an appetizer.
Instead of ground beef I use ground sausage. It is delicious.
Yummy!
What is grape jelly please , from uk
Similar to preserves.
Jelly is different, Jam and preserves have chunks of fruit. Jelly has been strained ( sieved)
I have this recipe and use red currant jelly and heinz chili sauce(find in the ketchup aisle). So yummy, I use equal parts jelly to chili sauce.
I have been making both versions of this recipe for many years. These meatballs practically vanish when they are part of a pot-luck meal. We often buy frozen plain meatballs, and they work well with this recipe, and couldn’t possibly be easier to make. I can have these on the table in a few minutes, and minute rice is a great side dish.
I love having a super quick easy go to recipe for last minute get togethers too!
I used blackberry jelly and ketchup with a little bbq sauce it was so yummy I had non left over from my party.
Is there any way to send your recipe for your meatballs to my email …thanks
I have made these several different ways, along with different ingredients, as filler to extent, without taking away from ease of cooking, or flavor. I like to spice things up a bit. I have used chili sauce along with pepper jelly, they were wonderful, and have used grape jelly along with Sriracha, if you like a little more heat. I would caution on the amount of Sriacha that you would use, maybe half chili sauce and half Sriracha, to tone down the heat. Just some suggestions, enjoy
Oh my gosh! I never thought of adding Sriacha (which I could literally eat by the bucket!!) That would be such a great addition! Can’t wait to try it!
I use salsa and grape jelly in the crockpot :)
That would be delicious too!
Hi Holly,
I just love your Cocktail meatballs, they are just awesome! Hope you are staying warm and cozy in this cold weather and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
I love these!! Perfect for any party! Would love for you to come share and my linky party
These look SO SO GOOD!!!! Oh my goodness, what a great appetizer! I don’t know which sauce sounds better!!! They look super yummy!
I use grape jelly and chili sauce…but also cranberry sauce and chilli sauce
What kind of chili sauce do you use an how much?
Chili sauce comes in a glass bottle like this one. I would suggest using 1 12oz jar of chili sauce and approx 12-14 oz jelly. The recipe is very flexible, so you can easily adjust the amount to taste.
I put 3/4 cups grape jelly and the 1 bottle Heinz chili sauce in saucepan and heat on stove while meatballs are in the oven. Then I combine everything in crockpot on low. My family loves them.
That should be 1 3/4 cup grape jelley
I use the chili sauce with grape jelly but thanks for the other sauces. Now I have new ones for New Years Eve.
I use a cup of grape jelly with 3 bottles of chilli sauce, it is great too!
I put them In the crock pot for 4 hrs after they come out of the oven tho
Can u cook this in a slow cooker
A recipe that is my favorite is frozen meatballs, finely chopped onion, dousing of Worcestershire Sauce, for each bag of meatballs, 1 jar jalapeno jelly, 1 jar of cocktail sauce. Brown onions in pan and add meatballs and Worcestershire Sauce, brown meatballs on all sides. Transfer to crock pot and add jelly and cocktail sauce, put on low for 3 to 4 hours, or until jelly and sauce are combined and make a rich sauce. Make plenty, people LOVE them!
Are you using chili sauce or cocktail sauce, like you use for shrimp ?
I always use Chili sauce. People rave about these meatballs.
I use cocktail also It’s wonderful !!!!
Looks so good and easy,