Monday, December 8, 2025

Straightforward Cranberry Meatballs – My Baking Habit


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Cranberry meatballs are a candy and tangy appetizer, excellent for all your vacation events and game-day gatherings. This recipe makes use of only a handful of components and is made within the sluggish cooker for the best celebration appetizer ever!

Bite taken from a cranberry meatball on an appetizer toothpick.Bite taken from a cranberry meatball on an appetizer toothpick.

Are you having fun with the simple recipes I’ve been sharing these days?

There may be completely a time and place for making recipes from scratch. I do know—I do it the entire time!

However lately, simple recipes are my go-to. And I really feel like numerous you’re in all probability feeling the identical.

In the event you’re needing extra simple Thanksgiving recipes so as to add to your menu for subsequent week, these cranberry meatballs are the proper appetizer. They’ve received tons of tangy taste packed into one super-simple slow-cooker recipe.

Close up of cranberry meatballs in a white bowl.Straightforward Cranberry Meatballs – My Baking Habit

What are cranberry meatballs?

These cranberry meatballs are simply concerning the best appetizer ever.

Meatballs get sluggish cooked in a tangy sauce comprised of cranberry sauce, barbecue sauce, and orange juice. The result’s a candy, tangy, and savory chunk which you could serve at nearly any celebration.

These are excellent for serving as a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner appetizer, whipping up for a New Yr’s Eve celebration, and even making for the massive sport.

Plus, they solely take a couple of minutes to throw into your sluggish cooker, making them a should on your subsequent gathering.

Overhead view of cranberry meatballs in a white serving bowl.Overhead view of cranberry meatballs in a white serving bowl.

The best way to make my simple cranberry meatballs

You possibly can have these simple cranberry meatballs simmering away in your sluggish cooker in nearly 5 minutes. Able to see how easy they’re?

Elements you’ll want

To make my cranberry meatballs, you’ll want:

  • 1  (18-ounce) bottle barbecue sauce
  • 1 (14-ounce) can cranberry sauce (or 1 ½ cups home made cranberry sauce)
  • ¼ cup orange juice
  • 2 kilos frozen meatballs
  • salt and pepper to style
Ingredients for cranberry meatballs arranged on a countertop.Ingredients for cranberry meatballs arranged on a countertop.

I promise that you simply do NOT have to get tremendous fancy along with your components right here. I usually make these with Authentic Candy Child Ray’s barbecue sauce and the Rosina Angus Beef Meatballs which you could seize at Walmart.

Costco additionally has some nice frozen pre-cooked meatballs. Be at liberty to make use of your personal home made meatballs for those who’d like, although! Simply be sure they’re cooked earlier than you add them to the sluggish cooker.

My household loves beef meatballs, however turkey meatballs are an amazing possibility if your loved ones doesn’t eat crimson meat.

For the cranberries, jellied cranberry sauce, entire cranberry sauce, and even home made cranberry sauce all work nice. Use no matter you have got readily available, particularly when you’ve got leftovers from Thanksgiving!

Making this recipe

Seize your favourite sluggish cooker. Mine is a 6 quart, however you can in all probability make these in a 3-quart sluggish cooker, too.

Add the barbecue sauce, cranberry sauce, and orange juice. Stir to mix.

Add the meatballs and ensure they get coated within the sauce. Cowl and prepare dinner on the low setting for 3-4 hours.

When the meatballs are warmed via and the sauce is bubbly, give them a style and season with salt and black pepper as desired.

I prefer to sprinkle the meatballs with a little bit of chopped contemporary parsley earlier than serving, however that’s completely elective.

In case your crockpot has a “hold heat” setting, that is excellent for preserving the cranberry meatballs the proper temperature throughout a celebration.

Serving options

These cranberry meatballs make for the proper appetizer alongside different simple recipes comparable to marinated cheese, cheese boards, and bacon-wrapped little smokies.

For a vacation celebration, I prefer to set out some festive cocktail picks to make consuming the meatballs simpler for visitors, particularly in the event that they’re standing and mingling. Mini bamboo appetizer forks are additionally a pleasant possibility.

You can additionally set out some slider buns or Hawaiian rolls and let folks flip the meatballs into slider sandwiches.

Two white plates, each holding several cranberry meatballs.Two white plates, each holding several cranberry meatballs.

Storage

Retailer leftover meatballs in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 3 days. You can even freeze them for 2-3 months.

Extra festive appetizers

Love these festive cranberry meatballs? Strive a few of these different seasonal appetizers:

White serving bowl filled with cranberry meatballs.White serving bowl filled with cranberry meatballs.

Often requested questions

Can I make these on the stovetop as a substitute of within the sluggish cooker?

If you wish to make these on the range, add the entire components to a really giant saucepan or a dutch oven. Simmer, coated, on low warmth till the meatballs are warmed via and the sauce is bubbly.

  • Add barbecue sauce, cranberry sauce and orange juice to the sluggish cooker and stir to mix.

    1 bottle barbecue sauce, 1 can jellied or entire berry cranberry sauce, ¼ cup orange juice

  • Add in meatballs and stir to coat the meatballs within the sauce.

    2 kilos frozen meatballs

  • Prepare dinner on low for 3-4 hours. Style and season with salt and pepper as wanted. If desired, sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley earlier than serving as an appetizer.

    salt and pepper to style

Energy: 327kcal, Carbohydrates: 31g, Protein: 13g, Fats: 16g, Saturated Fats: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fats: 1g, Monounsaturated Fats: 7g, Ldl cholesterol: 54mg, Sodium: 676mg, Potassium: 335mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 25g, Vitamin A: 125IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 26mg, Iron: 1mg

Diet data is robotically calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.

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