Slow Cooker Peach Glazed Meatballs (Printable version)

Tender meatballs in sweet peach glaze with chili sauce. Perfect for parties or family dinners in your slow cooker.

# Needed ingredients:

→ For the Meatballs

01 - 1½ pounds ground beef
02 - ½ cup breadcrumbs
03 - 1 large egg
04 - ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
06 - ¼ cup finely diced onion
07 - 2 tablespoons milk
08 - 1 teaspoon salt
09 - ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

→ For the Peach Glaze

10 - 1 cup peach preserves
11 - ½ cup chili sauce
12 - 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
13 - 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
14 - ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional

# How to make it:

01 - In a large mixing bowl, combine ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, Parmesan cheese, minced garlic, diced onion, milk, salt, and black pepper. Mix until just combined, being careful not to overwork the meat.
02 - Roll the mixture into 1-inch meatballs and arrange on a baking sheet.
03 - For improved texture and browning, place baking sheet under the broiler on high heat for 5 minutes until the tops are golden.
04 - In a separate bowl, whisk together peach preserves, chili sauce, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and crushed red pepper flakes until smooth and well combined.
05 - Transfer meatballs to the slow cooker and pour the peach glaze over them. Gently stir to coat all meatballs evenly.
06 - Cover and cook on LOW setting for 3 hours, until meatballs are cooked through and fully glazed.
07 - Transfer to a serving dish and serve warm as an appetizer with toothpicks or as a main course over steamed rice or mashed potatoes.

# Expert advice:

01 -
  • The sweet peach glaze with a little tang cuts through the richness of the beef in a way that keeps people reaching for more.
  • You can walk away for three hours while the slow cooker does all the work, no stirring or babysitting required.
  • It works as a weeknight dinner over rice or as a party appetizer that actually gets eaten instead of left on the table.
02 -
  • Don't skip the broiling step if you have time, it keeps the meatballs from falling apart and adds a layer of flavor you'll miss if you go straight to the slow cooker.
  • Stir gently when you add the glaze or the meatballs can break, I learned this the hard way when I got impatient and ended up with sauce thickened by crumbled beef.
03 -
  • Use a small cookie scoop to portion the meatballs so they're all the same size and cook evenly, eyeballing it leads to some being done while others are still raw in the middle.
  • Let the meatballs rest in the glaze on warm for 15 minutes before serving, the sauce thickens and clings better that way.
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