Sweet and Sour Crock Pot Meatballs (Printable)

Frozen meatballs in tangy-sweet peach preserves sauce—effortless appetizer or main dish ready in 3 hours.

# What You Need:

→ 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
08 - 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
09 - 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
10 - 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

# Directions:

01 - Transfer frozen meatballs into the crock pot bowl.
02 - In a mixing bowl, whisk together peach or apricot preserves, ketchup, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, ginger, and red pepper flakes until smooth.
03 - Pour sauce over meatballs and stir gently to ensure even coating.
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 - Transfer to serving dish. Serve hot as an appetizer with toothpicks or over steamed jasmine rice as a main course.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • You can literally dump everything in and walk away while the slow cooker does all the work.
  • The sauce is sticky, glossy, and balances sweet fruit preserves with just enough vinegar bite.
  • It works as a weeknight dinner over rice or a party appetizer that people always ask about.
02 -
  • Do not cook on HIGH unless you are in a rush; the sauce can scorch on the edges and the meatballs can get rubbery.
  • If the sauce looks too thick after an hour, add a tablespoon or two of water and stir; if it is too thin at the end, leave the lid off for the last 20 minutes.
03 -
  • Line the slow cooker with a liner bag for the easiest cleanup you will ever have.
  • Make a double batch of the sauce and freeze half; next time you can go from freezer to slow cooker in minutes.
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