Sweet and Sour Crock Pot Meatballs (Printable Version)

Frozen meatballs in tangy-sweet peach preserve sauce. Effortless slow cooker appetizer or main dish for any occasion.

# 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 tbsp soy sauce
06 - 1/4 cup light brown sugar
07 - 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
08 - 1/2 tsp garlic powder
09 - 1/2 tsp ground ginger
10 - 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

# How-To:

01 - Transfer frozen meatballs into a 4 to 6 quart slow cooker
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 coat all meatballs evenly
04 - Cover and cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours until meatballs are heated through and sauce is bubbling, stirring once or twice during cooking if possible
05 - Transfer to serving dish and serve hot as an appetizer with toothpicks or over steamed rice as a main dish

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • You can pull this together in under five minutes, even on your busiest days.
  • The sauce turns jammy and caramelized without any stirring or watching.
  • It works as an appetizer with toothpicks or a real dinner over rice.
  • Frozen meatballs mean zero prep work and consistent results every time.
02 -
  • Don't skip the vinegar, it's what keeps the sauce from tasting too sweet and one-dimensional.
  • If your sauce looks thin after cooking, leave the lid off for the last 20 minutes to let it reduce and thicken.
  • Stirring once or twice during cooking helps the meatballs on top get coated, but it's not the end of the world if you forget.
03 -
  • Use a liner in your slow cooker for the easiest cleanup, the sticky sauce can be a pain otherwise.
  • If you're serving these at a party, keep the slow cooker on WARM so they stay perfect for hours.
  • Taste the sauce before pouring it over and adjust the sweetness or tang to your preference, it's your dish.
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