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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.
Kirsten says
Thank you for the quick response!I’m sure they will be a hit!
Kirsten says
Making these this weekend for a huge birthday party,45 people..,curious if you think I would need more time if I doubled the recipe?
Karly says
So long as your slow cooker comfortably fits all of the meatballs, I don’t think you’ll need to increase the time. I might take a peek at 3 hours and see how it looks and turn the heat up to high if needed. 🙂
Kay says
I’ve always used this sauce with cut-up hot dogs. Really good appetizer — and easy!
Anthony says
Made these today. Used Kroger brand chili sauce and grape jelly, along with Armour meatballs. Would not recommend, they didn’t taste as good as ones my friends have made in the past. Maybe it’s because of the cheapness of the generic store brand ingredients.
Debra Lenz says
I use Kroger’s store brand all the time for this recipe, it’s the Armour meatballs. The frozen meatballs are nasty and contain all sorts of fillers and soy protein. I make double batches of homemade meatballs and freeze them after baking them, use a cookie scoop so they are all the same size and cook evenly plus speeds up the production time.
Terri says
I HATE frozen meatballs. They taste disgusting! I was wondering if this sauce would also be good with the little wieners….
Karly says
Yes, this sauce is great for little wieners.
Linda says
I agree. Armour is what I used too and was not impressed. Using another brand next time.
Tina says
I wasn’t able to find the Heinz brand chili sauce. Can I use a generic chili sauce?
Karly says
Yes, any brand is fine.
Beth says
I’ve been making something like this for years. I make the meatballs from scratch with garlic, onion & parsley. I mold them around a piece of water chestnut and bake them. I make the sauce as described with the addition of a little lemon juice. The meatballs get plopped in the sauce after they’re baked. They can be transported & served from a slow cooker. You can also use a chafing dish for fancier serving.
Karly says
Ooh, that sounds delicious!
Diane Whipkey says
If you like these..try using a beef pot roast, with the chili sauce, grape jelly and 1 can of ginger ale..cover with foil and slow bake in a 250 oven for 3-4 hours. (or crock pot) drain liquid and stir up with a fork..shredding it. Serve on bun’s for a pulled beef. These recipes have been around for years and I love and made them both.
linda f says
mmmmm that sounds so yummy,,, will have to try that right off
Karly says
Hope you enjoy!
Karly says
I’m going to try that! Thanks!
joan says
great recipe, will be using for an office party tomorrow,
Anne says
I have made these for YEARS and they are great, but honestly why not take the extra time (not much really) and make your own meatballs. I would NEVER use frozen!!! I make mine with hamburger, onion, worcestershire sauce, an egg or two and salt, pepper and bread crumbs. MUCH MUCH better!!
Karly says
I bet they are even better with homemade meatballs!
Patricia says
So, these sound great, but…how many appetizer servings would you say this recipe makes. I’m thinking maybe 5 per person??
Karly says
Honestly, I don’t know. It never matters how many people I’m serving – they’re always gone at the end of the night. 5 per person is probably a safe bet though!
Debra says
I have been making these for years, serve them over egg noodles as a main course.
I make the meatballs from scratch with onions, garlic and parsley in them. Really good and rarely any leftovers.
Karly says
Oh, love the idea of serving them as a main dish!
Kim says
Do you bake the meatballs that you made homemade before putting them in the crockpot?
Maggie says
I made these for an appetizer for Thanksgiving as I was looking for something to use in a crock-pot that would hold up to a 30 minute drive. These were perfect!! They were the first appetizer to run out! Delicious and definitely plan on making again! I found ‘party size’ frozen meatballs at Trader Joes and they worked great. Next time I will double the recipe as they go fast…figure about 5 a person! Thanks for the delicious idea!!
Karly says
So glad they were a hit! 🙂
jolene says
what exactly is chili sauce? :-/
Karly says
You can find it near the ketchup at the grocery store usually. I buy the Heinz brand. It’s basically just a tangy sauce made from tomatoes and chili peppers.
Kimberly Taylor says
I’m making some right now! Taking them to a friends tonight. I heated my chili sauce and grape jelly up before adding to the crockpot though. Hopefully they’ll turn out good.
Diane says
My son-in-law makes these for all special occasions. I don’t know what spices to use. Can someone tell me what to use. I think some chili powder and cayenne (pinch).
Karly says
I don’t add any spices to them. Just follow the recipe and adjust to your taste, if desired. 🙂
Jessica says
What kind of meatballs? Sweedish? beef?
Karly says
I just use regular frozen beef meatballs.