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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.
June Leathers says
I love grape jelly meatballs. Can I use apple jelly in place of grape jelly?
Karly says
I haven’t tried, but I think any type of jelly would probably work.
Lori says
This recipe is great with chile sauce. Gives it good flavor.
Sylvia says
What is a good brand of chile sauce to use?
Karly says
We use Heinz Chili Sauce.
Susan Dubose says
This recipe has been around for years and it’s still the best and easiest one you’ll find. The crowd will gobble these up.
Patrick says
I love these!! Reminds me that I need to make some really soon!!
Erika says
These were really good! My kids loved,loved, loved them.
Karly says
That’s great to hear!
Kae says
What would you serve with these (dinner wise)?
Karly says
Mashed potatoes, for sure. Any kind of veggies the kid like would be good on the side. 😉
Deborah Exley says
Can I use frozen meatballs?
Karly says
Yep!
Daniela says
Any preference on size of crock pot?
Karly says
You’ll just want to use a larger/dinner sized one, not one of the small dip ones. Otherwise, it shouldn’t matter.
Ann Boyd says
You are such fun! I laughed out loud with your daughter’s comments. From the mouths of babes, right? And again laughed out loud on the weight comment! Oh, I was enjoying your writing g so much I forgot i was looking for an easy recipe for a cheese ball. You got me hooked with your great directions! You are a sweetie. Thank you.
Karly says
Thanks so much, Ann! Hope you found your cheese ball recipe! 🙂
Mary says
I make this recipe with canned cranberry sauce (the chunky one) rather than grape jelly.
Delicious and perfect for the winter holidays!!
Maggie Martin says
Remember a month ago I told you you have to lock girl children in the closet til they are 27?! Still true…
Been making these for many years, and they are still good, thanks for reviving a memory.
Maggie
Gloria says
Does anyone know how I can do this in the oven? My boyfriend’s place doesn’t have a slow cooker but I want these for supper.
Karly says
I’m not sure this one would very well in an oven.
Shauna Glover says
Hello! Wandering if these would be good as a main dish for dinner also? Like with Egg Noodles maybe?
Thank you! I’ve made these back right when I got out of high school and haven’t made them since! Haha. Excited to make them again!?
Karly says
I think they’d make a great main dish, but definitely with something savory on the side. They’re a bit sweet. 🙂
Leona ferranti says
Made this for years. Also, if I don’t have chili sauce I’ve used barbecue sauce and grape jelly. Also, frozen chicken wings are great with this recipe as well. Karr of grape jelly and small bottle of barbecue sauce your favorite.
Karly says
I bet it’s great on chicken wings!
Brooke says
May be a silly question, but is your crockpot round or oval? Mine is oval (pretty big) and I’m trying to decide if I need to double the recipe or not. Serving a large crowd at a Super Bowl party this weekend!
Karly says
Hi Brooke! Sorry I’m too late to answer your question. I had a busy weekend cooking too. 🙂 I do this recipe in the larger 5+ quart slow cookers. Hope you enjoyed!