Grape Jelly Meatballs – These easy to make, traditional, grape jelly and chili sauce meatballs are perfect for parties and game day gatherings!  They make a great family friendly dinner served over rice too!

grape jelly meatballs

Ok, you guys.  Is it wrong that I’m already excited for comfort food season AND football season to be upon us?

Love summer, but, the kids are headed back to school, and Autumn is on my mind!

Well, mostly family football gatherings and the fact that I need even more quick and easy weeknight meals is what’s on my mind.

These three ingredient crockpot meatballs are perfect for either occasion.

grape jelly meatballs

I still always wonder where exactly this recipe came from.

Who came up with the idea to mix chili sauce and grape jelly together and then toss it over some meatballs?

Also, they’re obviously a genius, so let’s just get that out of the way.

I remember these being served at any and every single party I attended growing up.

Church gatherings, family potlucks, baby showers…..they’re everywhere!

But, if you haven’t had them or made them, and you’re like “what in the heck is chili sauce?”  I’ll tell you.

It’s like ketchup, but better.  You can find it in a glass bottle on the same aisle of the store as the ketchup.

grape jelly meatballs

Like I said, we have this for dinner pretty often.  My kids go nuts for that tangy sauce.  Really, really good over a bowl of rice!

My daughter, the grape jelly hater even loves these.  Even after she figured out there was grape jelly in them.  She said “I don’t even care because they’re so good!”

We have to keep her away from the crockpot when these are cooking so she doesn’t try to sneak them out!

It doesn’t get any simpler than this.  I use frozen, beef meatballs to keep it even shorter and sweeter.

Whisk together the grape jelly and chili sauce, toss in the meatballs.  Let them cook for a few hours.

And done!

If you’re looking for any other awesome crockpot dinner recipes, give my popular Crockpot Frito Chili Pie a try!

Enjoy!

~Nichole

4.93 from 26 votes

Grape Jelly Meatballs

Grape Jelly Meatballs - These easy to make, traditional, grape jelly and chili sauce meatballs are perfect for parties and game day gatherings!  They make a great family friendly dinner served over rice too!
Prep 5 minutes
Cook 3 hours
Total 3 hours 5 minutes
Servings 50 Meatballs

Ingredients 

  • 1 32 Ounce Bag Fully Cooked Frozen Meatballs
  • 2 12 Ounce Bottles Chili Sauce, I use Heinz
  • 1 32 Ounce Jar Grape Jelly

Instructions 

  • Place the frozen meatballs in the bottom of your slow cooker.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the chili sauce and grape jelly (the mixture will not be completely smooth at this point, that's fine it will melt down in the slow cooker.)
  • Pour the sauce over the meatballs and cook on low heat for 3 hours.  Serve with toothpicks as an appetizer, or over rice as a main dish. 

Notes

This recipe can easily be cut in half for a smaller crowd, or doubled to feed more!

Nutrition

Calories: 47kcal, Protein: 3g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 13mg, Sodium: 10mg, Potassium: 52mg, Vitamin C: 0.2mg, Calcium: 3mg, Iron: 0.2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Like this? Rate & review this recipe below!

 


Hey! Nice to meet you! I'm Nichole!

Welcome to The Salty Marshmallow! I'm a mom, animal lover, photographer, & kitchen mess-maker. Here you will find the result of my decades-long passion for chasing the best flavors in the kitchen, all meant to be cooked by regular people with busy lives just like you and me.

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52 Comments

  1. I used 2 (28oz) frozen Turkey meatballs but didn’t double the sauces. I didn’t realize it until after I added everything to the slow cooker. I did mix it together. Now on low for 4hrs. I’m hoping it turns out ok.

  2. 5 stars
    Easy and tasty. Served this for appetizer or for dinner. I use Picante Medium sauce ( or Hot ) and grape jelly. High for 4 hrs. Garnish with chop green onions. Serve with brown or white rice and veg. Amazingly good. People are shocked of the combination … Use Regular meatballs. Sometimes, I add pineapple chunks in beginnning.

  3. This recipe has been around for 50 or so years. It was always served on New Year’s Eve. The recipe my mother used had currant jelly instead of grape jelly. Probably a lot harder to find current jelly these days.

  4. 5 stars
    Dinner in a pinch, can be paired up with any side, from noodles, rice or mashed potatoes, never be the same, also the meatballs can be spiced up with a dash of cayenne pepper. Totally devine!