If you're looking for an easy and flavorful recipe to impress your whole family or party guests, our Honey Garlic Meatballs recipe is a must-try. These delectable slow cooker meatballs are coated in a sticky honey garlic sauce that's finger-licking good.
Whether you serve them as an appetizer at a party, with a side of rice for an easy dinner, or even as a game day snack, these meatballs are sure to be a hit!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Quick and easy. It’s a great dinner option for busy weeknights.
- Perfect for parties. It’s great for game days as a crowd-pleasing appetizer.
- Sweet and savory. A delightful blend of sweet and savory flavors with a hint of heat.
- Simple ingredients. Made with basic ingredients you likely already have on hand.
- Customizable. It’s completely customizable, with variations to suit your preferences.
Ingredients for slow cooker honey garlic meatballs
- Homestyle fully-cooked frozen meatballs
- Ketchup
- Brown sugar - packed
- Honey
- Soy sauce
- Minced garlic
Equipment and kitchen tools
- Slow cooker
How to make Crockpot Honey Garlic Meatballs
Step 1 - Place frozen meatballs in a crock pot slow cooker.
Step 2 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the ketchup, brown sugar, honey, soy sauce, and minced garlic. This mixture will be the delicious honey garlic sauce that coats the meatballs.
Step 3 - Pour the sauce over the meatballs in the slow cooker and stir to ensure the meatballs are evenly coated with the sauce.
Place the lid on the slow cooker and set it to cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high for 2 hours. This allows the meatballs to heat through and soak up the flavors of the sauce.
Once the meatballs are hot and the sauce is thickened to your liking, serve them as a main course or as finger foods at parties.
Tips for the Best Results
- Use homestyle, fully-cooked frozen meatballs for convenience.
- Stir occasionally during cooking to ensure an even coating of sauce.
- Garnish with sesame seeds and chopped green onions for added flavor and visual appeal.
- This recipe can be made on the stove top instead of a crockpot. Just add the meatballs and the sauce to a large pot, cover it with a lid, and heat over medium heat until the meatballs are hot. Stir often to prevent the sauce from burning.
- Add spice to the meatballs with hot sauce and/or red chili flakes added to the sauce.
- The sugar can be cut down, if desired.
- The meatballs can be served with toothpicks as an appetizer or serve them over steamed rice for dinner.
- The meatballs will keep in the refrigerator for up to three days, or they can be frozen for up to three months.
Substitutions and Variations
- Try turkey, ground beef, or ground pork meatballs for a different flavor.
- Use BBQ sauce instead of ketchup for a tangy twist.
- If you don't have a slow cooker, make them on the stovetop or in an Instant Pot.
- Add a splash of apple cider vinegar for a tangy kick.
- Use gluten free frozen meatballs if you are on a gluten free diet.
FAQs about this Recipe
Absolutely! Homemade meatballs can elevate the dish even further. Simply substitute the frozen meatballs with your favorite homemade meatball recipe.
These meatballs have a very subtle hint of heat from the minced garlic. If you want them spicier, you can add red pepper flakes to the sauce.
Certainly! Double or triple the recipe to feed a crowd. Just make sure you have a large slow cooker to accommodate the quantity.
More great appetizer recipes
📖 Recipe
Honey Garlic Meatballs
Ingredients
- 28-32 ounce bag homestyle fully-cooked frozen meatballs
- 2 cups ketchup
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar packed
- ½ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
Instructions
- Pour the meatballs into a large slow cooker.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the ketchup, brown sugar, honey, soy sauce, and minced garlic. Pour the mixture over the meatballs and stir to coat the meatballs.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 3-4 hours (or high for 2 hours) until hot.
Notes
Add spice to the meatballs with hot sauce and/or red chili flakes added to the sauce.
The sugar can be cut down, if desired.
The meatballs can be served with toothpicks as an appetizer or serve them over steamed rice for dinner.
The meatballs will keep in the refrigerator for up to three days, or can be frozen for up to three months.
Nutrition
If you are not yet subscribing to my CELEBRATE THE SEASON newsletter, you can subscribe here. I share easy recipes for the season that the entire family is sure to love and also a few things that I don’t share here.
Leave a Reply