Sweet and Sour Crock Pot Meatballs (Printable version)

Frozen meatballs in tangy-sweet peach preserve sauce. Effortless slow cooker appetizer or main dish ready in 3 hours.

# Needed ingredients:

→ Meatballs

01 - 2 lbs frozen fully-cooked meatballs

→ Sweet and Sour Sauce

02 - 1 cup peach or apricot preserves
03 - 1/2 cup ketchup
04 - 1/4 cup rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
05 - 2 tablespoons soy sauce
06 - 1/4 cup light brown sugar
07 - 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, optional
08 - 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
09 - 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
10 - 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional

# How to make it:

01 - Place frozen meatballs into the bowl of a 4 to 6 quart slow cooker.
02 - In a mixing bowl, whisk together peach or apricot preserves, ketchup, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, Dijon mustard if using, garlic powder, ginger, and red pepper flakes until smooth.
03 - Pour sauce over meatballs and stir gently to ensure all pieces are evenly coated.
04 - Cover and cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours until meatballs are heated through and sauce is bubbling. Stir once or twice during cooking if possible.
05 - Serve hot as an appetizer with toothpicks or over rice as a main dish.

# Expert advice:

01 -
  • It uses exactly two ingredients you already have and three you can grab in one grocery aisle.
  • The sweet-tangy sauce tastes like you simmered it all day, but you only whisked it for thirty seconds.
  • You can walk away for hours and come back to something that looks like you tried hard.
  • It works as a weeknight dinner or a party appetizer without changing a single thing.
02 -
  • Don't use jelly instead of preserves unless you're okay with a much thinner sauce, the fruit chunks in preserves help it cling to the meatballs.
  • Stir at least once during cooking or the meatballs on the bottom can stick and the ones on top stay dry.
  • If your sauce looks too thick after an hour, add a tablespoon or two of water and stir it in.
03 -
  • Use a slow cooker liner for the easiest cleanup you've ever experienced with a sticky sauce.
  • Make a double batch and freeze half, it takes the same amount of effort and future you will be so grateful.
  • Taste the sauce before pouring it over the meatballs and adjust the vinegar or sugar to match your preference.
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