These slow cooker cranberry chili meatballs are so dang good! I always hope there will be leftovers when I make them, but there never are.
I used to make them exclusively as holiday meatballs for parties during the Christmas season but I’ve since realized that meatballs with cranberry sauce and chili sauce can absolutely be eaten year-round because the ingredients are available year-round.
Homemade meatballs are the BEST.
Ingredients for meatballs with cranberry chili sauce
- Cranberry sauce in a can – I personally like the whole berry sauce, but you can absolutely use the jellied sauce too.
- Chili sauce – Heinz makes a really good one
- Brown sugar
- Chili powder
- Ground red pepper
- Meatballs – about 2 or 3 dozen homemade (or you can use a 32 oz bag of pre-cooked frozen meatballs)
Can you make cranberry chili meatballs with store-bought meatballs?
Yep, you sure can. It’s a great way to save time, although I think homemade meatballs are always going to taste better because they’re so fresh.
Plus, I like to choose my own seasoning for meatballs.
How to make easy homemade meatballs
Mix the meatball ingredients together in a large bowl.
Shape the meat mixture into round meatball shapes. The size can be up to you, but I made 24 meatballs about 1 1/2-inches round.
Brown the meatballs in a large skillet on the stove. Once browned, you’ll add them to the sauce ingredients in the slow cooker.
How to make cranberry chili meatballs in a slow cooker
Stir all the sauce ingredients together in the slow cooker, then gently stir in the browned (or pre-cooked meatballs) making sure they’re all coated with sauce. Cover and cook on high about 3 hours. Stir before serving.
What to serve with slow cooker meatballs
A crisp green salad and some freshly baked bread would complete the meal perfectly.
You could also serve the meatballs with rice or noodles or stick toothpicks into each of them and serve them as meatball appetizers.
Can you make cranberry chili meatballs on the stove?
Yep. Heat the sauce ingredients in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring to thoroughly mix ingredients. Add browned meatballs (or pre-cooked meatballs), cover, and let cook on a low simmer for 45 minutes or until heated through.
Other meatball recipes to try
Pin this easy meatball recipe to Pinterest!
Slow Cooker Cranberry Chili Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 ½ lbs ground beef
- ¾ cup plain bread crumbs
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper add another ½ teaspoon if you like it spicy
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Sauce
- 14 oz can cranberry sauce (whole berry or jellied)
- 12 oz bottle Heinz chili sauce 12 ounces chili sauce
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
Meatballs
- In large bowl, mix all ingredients together. Shape into your preferred size of meatball.
- Brown meatballs in large skillet over medium-high heat. Set aside.
Cooking meatballs in sauce
- Combine all sauce ingredients in slow cooker, mixing to combine. Gently stir in meatballs making sure they're all coated with sauce. Cover and cook 3 hours on low or until heated through.
Jody says
I only have Italian bread crumbs is that ok???
Liz says
No worries! It’ll change the flavor a smidge, but that’s ok!
Rhonda says
So if you make them with the frozen meatballs instead of homemade meatballs do you still put in all the spices that you put in the homemade meatballs or do you just put in the frozen meatballs and follow the sauce recipe?
Liz says
Great question! If you’re using frozen meatballs, you can skip the spices in the homemade meatballs and just make the sauce as written. The frozen ones are already seasoned, so adding more spices could be a bit much. They’ll still be tasty, just a slightly different vibe than my homemade version.
Martha says
My mom made these since the 60s with slight differences. Only whole berry cranberry and chili sauce for the gravy, she didn’t bother browning the meatballs, and before serving, she’d add a can of drained pineapple chunks. Yummy 😋
Liz says
That sounds good with the pineapple chunks too!
Sharon O says
The spices are spot on, excited to bring this appetizer to the party!
Liz says
It’s one of my absolute favorite meals! I hope it was a hit!
Liette Rudy says
There’s no mention on crock pot setting?? Low or High???
Doing these tonight…
Thank you.
Liz says
I always cook them on low.
Erin says
Is there cumin in the sauce as well? It is listed in the initial description with the sauce ingredients, but there is no mention of it in the actual recipe, except in the meatballs. Thanks!
Liz says
It’s just in the meatballs!
Christina says
My family has been making this recipe but with brisket for literally 40 years! I’m going to try it with the meatballs which I know will be amazing but I have a question. Do you think I could make them and freeze them for two weeks? Making as an appetizer but I want to cross things off my list ahead of time. Thanks!!
Liz says
Yes, I totally think you could do that. I would save all of the reserved sauce in the bottom of the crockpot so you can make sure they’re smothered when you reheat them!
Diane Miller says
On my second time making this recipe , so easy and VERY GOOD !!!!
JRH says
Absolutely delicious…I used a bag of frozen meatballs, followed the recipe. For a school potluck tomorrow and I know the crockpot will be empty quickly! I used jellied cranberry sauce as we had some leftover. Next time I’ll try the one with berries and make my own meatballs…I did this in a pot on the stove and when they cooled poured it all into a crockpot liner…added a twist tie and put them in the fridge. Tomorrow I’ll just pop the bag in the crockpot and heat them at school…simple and super easy…Thanks for a great recipe!!
Liz says
Frozen meatballs are a great shortcut if you don’t have much time. I alternate between jellied sauce and berried sauce, and I like them both! I make it at least once a month, sometimes twice. 🙂 So glad you loved the recipe! Here’s hoping it’s a hit at the school potluck!