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These grape jelly meatballs are tossed in the crockpot for a few hours and then make a perfect snack or appetizer for game day! Meatballs with grape jelly and chili sauce might sound a little crazy, but the sauce transforms into something amazing while it cooks!
Raise your hand if you grew up eating Grape Jelly Meatballs at every family function, church potluck, or holiday dinner!!
Yep. These are a total vintage recipe that both mom and grandma used to make and I’m for sure continuing the tradition, just like with our cold veggie pizza.
The name sounds weird – Grape Jelly Meatballs. I mean…no, thank you. Sounds ick. But ooh, you just have to trust the process!
Chili sauce and grape jelly combine to make the perfect sauce…it’s a lot like barbecue sauce in that it’s sweet with a little kick to it. So good and seriously irresistible with meatballs!
We do grape jelly lil smokies too. Just the same, but with cocktail sausages instead of meatballs.
You might think meatballs with grape jelly sounds weird, and your’e not wrong, but if you’ve never tried these I implore you to give them a shot.
Ingredient Notes:
Frozen Meatballs: Grab a bag of homestyle frozen meatballs for this. Homemade meatballs also work, but we like to keep it simple with this 3 ingredient recipe.
Grape Jelly: Any brand will do, but we love Smucker’s. Preferably the kind without high fructose corn syrup!
Chili Sauce: This is in a glass bottle near the ketchup. We prefer Heinz brand. It’s similar to ketchup but has a little kick to it. We use it in our chili mac, too.
How To Make Meatballs with Grape Jelly:
Add the grape jelly and chili sauce to a slow cooker and stir to combine. Add the meatballs and stir to coat.
Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.
Serve with toothpicks as a snack/appetizer or over rice or mashed potatoes for a simple dinner!
Grape Jelly Meatballs Serving Suggestions:
We love to serve these right from the crockpot with a pile of toothpicks at parties, football games, etc. People grab a plateful of meatballs, pop in some toothpicks, and munch away!
A few other party favorites include our homemade pizza rolls, chili cheese dip, and Rotel dip!
For dinner, serve these over a pile of our Instant Pot mashed potatoes, a side of rice pilaf, or with some Amish egg noodles.
Recipe FAQs:
These are perfect as an appetizer , with toothpicks stuck in them for easy serving. They also make a great main course, served over rice or mashed potatoes.
Any variety of frozen meatballs will work in this recipe, though we do prefer homestyle meatballs. Italian meatballs work great in a pinch, though!
The two sauces are quite similar, but chili sauce has a bit of spice to it with a more bold flavor. They’re both tomato based sweet sauces and both make a great dip for fries or topping for burgers.
We don’t actually put the jelly inside of the meatballs, but we do use grape jelly to make a sweet, sticky, tangy sauce that coats the meatballs. Grape jelly and chili sauce combine together to make the perfect sauce that you just have to try to believe.
While the two may look and taste very similar, grape jam and grape jelly are actually two different things with just one small difference! Grape jelly is made with grape juice and grape jam is made with whole grapes.
More Party Favorites:
Grape Jelly Meatballs
Ingredients
- 2 pounds frozen meatballs
- 12 ounces chili sauce
- 1 1/2 cups grape jelly
Instructions
- Add the chili sauce and grape jelly to a slow cooker. Stir to combine.
- Add the meatballs and stir to coat.
- Cover and cook on low for 4 hours. Serve as an appetizer or over rice as a main dish.
Cindy Frost says
Can you use a sugar-free or reduced sugar jelly and get the same results?
Karly says
I would think so! Taste will be a little different, of course, but the sauce should behave just the same.
Carol Sieders says
Why didn’t my sauce thicken? It was runny.
Karly says
It just basically turns into a sticky barbecue sauce. It doesn’t get real thick.
Laura M says
This recipe has been around long enough to be a classic! If you like these, you’ll love this variation. Slightly less sweet but as easy. Melt a jar of apple jelly, then stir in the small bottle of Heinz hot ketchup.
Tish says
Hi Karly. Question, how would i incorporate pineapples with this? Your recipensounds delicious btw. But i wanna add pineapple. Would i add some juice, no juice. Help.. TIA
Karly says
Hi Tish! Pineapple sounds like a yummy addition! I think you could add some juice for a bit of that flavor, though it might get a bit lost with the other ingredients. Another option might be to replace 1/4 of the grape jelly with crushed pineapple if you don’t mind the added texture. I think either option would work but you’ll have to experiment and see how it goes. 🙂
Megan says
you are absolutely hilarious I laughed SO hard! This is so true with me too! I do not get the cat obsession… 🙂 These look quick and delicious!!
Sarah @ Savoring Spoon says
Just a quick clarification! Which brand of chili sauce and which brand of frozen meatballs did you use? 🙂 I want to get it as close to the original as possible.
Karly says
I use Heinz chili sauce and Casa meatballs. 🙂 Hope you love these!
Sarah @ SavoringSpoon says
Thanks for letting me know! I’ll be on the lookout for these when I’m at the grocery store!
Diane says
What if I can’t find Heinz chili sauce What is the closest and in what aisle. International ?
Karly says
Chili sauce is located near the ketchup, usually up on the top shelf near the cocktail sauce.
Sarah @ Savoring Spoon says
These look so shiny and tasty! My family is having friends over for Christmas dinner this year, and these look like the perfect little appetizers to serve 🙂 I like how they are simple and make-ahead so I can still enjoy most of the day without stressing out about making food early on! Pinned 🙂
Mirta Porley says
I’ll have to try to prepare as they look delicious
Karly says
Enjoy!
Karly says
Thank you!
Simple Green Moms says
Grape Jelly Meatballs bring me back to my childhood holidays and the super yummy appetizer section that I basically filled my entire plate with at family gatherings. Love these! YUM!!
Karly says
Yes! The appetizers are the best, right?
David says
My wife uses Heinz Chilly sauce really adds a great tang to the meatballs !
Karly says
Same here! Love that stuff!
Carol at Wild Goose Tea says
I have had these before. It is AMAZING how good they are and how popular.
Rebecca Horner says
Love the new format!
Cindy says
I just wanted to say I like your format change, and these meatballs are the bomb! Thanks! ????
Karly says
Thank you!
Amanda says
I absolutely love these! We don’t make them often so when I do get to eat them, they are extra special.
LINDA PAYNE says
I’ve made these for years, and I remember when I got the recipe, I thought the lady was joking when she gave me the ingredients, but they are amazing and so simple!
Karly says
Right? So good, but kinda freaky. Haha! 🙂
Sandra says
Hi there, your recipe calls for grape ‘jelly’. I am in Australia. Would your jelly be what we call jam? Many thanks ?
Karly says
Yep, grape jam would work just as well!
Tara says
I love these meatballs! We serve appetizers for dinner on Christmas Eve and these have made the cut this year.
Karly says
Yay! They’re so good! 🙂
Tara says
3 Year’s later & they’re a must have for our Christmas party every year!! I pulled up the recipe for the ingredients and saw my comment from 2014. Thanks again!
Karly says
That’s so awesome, Tara! 🙂