Slow Cooker Meatballs and Gravy are the ultimate set-it-and-forget-it comfort food, simmered low and slow until everything is tender and savory. This cozy dinner is perfect for busy days when you want something homemade on the table.
Serve it over mashed potatoes or homemade egg noodles for an easy, hearty meal.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights: Slow Cooker Meatballs
Flavor: Rich, savory meatballs simmered in a creamy French onion gravy create a deep flavor with hints of garlic, Worcestershire, and sweet caramelized onion in every bite.
Recommended Tools: A 6-quart slow cooker and a skillet.
Serving Suggestions: Serve these meatballs spooned over garlic ranch mashed potatoes, homemade egg noodles, or rice, with a simple veggie.
Total Time: 4 hrs 30 mins Serves: 4 Cooking Method: Slow Cooker
Ingredient Notes for Slow Cooker Meatballs
- Meatballs: Frozen meatballs are a great shortcut and can go straight in from frozen with no extra prep. Homemade meatballs work too, and a quick browning before cooking helps them hold their shape and adds even more flavor to the gravy.
- Condensed French Onion Soup: This is the shortcut that really brings everything together, adding deep onion flavor and built-in seasoning to make the gravy rich and flavorful.
- Beef Broth: Adds savory body to the gravy. Use a low-sodium broth, as the condensed soup and meatballs can already be heavily salted.
- Cream: Heavy cream makes the gravy rich, silky, and extra comforting, while half-and-half can be used for a lighter option, though the sauce will turn out a bit thinner.
- Worcestershire: Worcestershire sauce adds that deep, savory, steakhouse-style flavor that really rounds out the gravy. Soy sauce can work in a pinch; use a little less since it’s saltier.
How to Make Slow Cooker Meatballs and Gravy
- Add the meatballs, cooked onions, garlic, and seasonings to the slow cooker (full recipe below).
- Pour in the broth, French onion soup, cream, and Worcestershire.
- Stir and slow cook until the meatballs are heated through.
- Stir in a cornstarch slurry at the end and cook just until the gravy thickens.
Store, Freeze, Reheat
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge when possible.
Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding a splash of broth or cream if the gravy has thickened.
Best Sides For Meatballs and Gravy
Did you enjoy this Slow Cooker Meatballs and Gravy Recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 24 ounces frozen meatballs or homemade meatballs below*
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 medium yellow onion sliced
- 1 (10.5 ounce) can beef broth
- 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed French onion soup
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- salt and black pepper to taste
To Thicken Gravy
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- If making homemade meatballs, combine the meat mixture and roll into 36 meatballs. Lightly brown in a skillet over medium high heat, cooking in batches if needed. They do not need to be cooked through. (Frozen meatballs do not need to be browned).
- Remove the meatballs and place in the bottom of a 6qt slow cooker (frozen fully cooked meatballs can be added right from frozen).
- Add the onions to the pan with butter and cook over medium heat until softened, about 4 minutes.
- Place onions in the slow cooker. Add all remaining ingredients except cornstarch and stir. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.
- Remove bay leaf and discard. Combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water. Stir into the slow cooker and cover. Cook 15 minutes or until thickened.
Notes
- 1½ pounds lean ground beef
- ⅓ cup Italian breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup milk
- ½ teaspoon each onion and garlic powder
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- salt & pepper
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Beef, Dinner, Slow Cooker
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.
Can I use condensed mushroom soup in place of heavy whipping cream
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure Sam, but I think it would work. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
Do you put the heavy whipping cream in at the beginning?
Yes! We add all the ingredients (except the cornstarch) into the crockpot in Step 4.
I made this with frozen meatballs but I’ll make my own meatballs next time. Great flavor to the gravy!
Made this in the crockpot using frozen turkey meatballs since I wanted it to be gluten free. Added a lot of mushrooms to the pot – turned out very well. I think homemade meatballs would be better though – I just didn’t have the time to make them.
absolutely delicious
Definitely will make this again
is there a substitute for the French onion soup? just curious, it seems to be hard to find where I live.
Hi Jasmine, you could try making a homemade condensed french onion soup. Maybe another reader has a suggestion for you!
Tried this for the first time a few weeks ago, and its now in our weekly rotation, my kids DEVOUR it every time. Only tweak i made, was doubling the french onion soup, 2 cans instead of 1, to add a tad more gravy. We use egg noodles, and theres zero leftovers every single time. Thank you for easy yet delicious recipes the whole family can enjoy :)
Tasted good but I thought maybe I was missing an ingredient only cuz the pic color is like a dark brown gravy and mine was light tan gravy..
If you want your gravy darker, add a little Kitchen Bouquet or Gravy Master.
These meatballs were so delicious! My husband asked that I add them to our regular menu rotation. I served them with mashed potatoes, but next time I’ll try noodles for something different. I didn’t have bay leaves, so I added 1/4 tsp. of dried thyme. That gave it that extra depth of flavor. Thank you for the wonderful and easy recipe!
The recipe for this gravy is more of a cream gravy, not brown. Not sure how they got such a dark gravy in the Pic. The flavor is very good. I did have to add a little more cornstarch to get it to thicken. Served over mashed potatoes with veggie on the side. Wil make again. :)