Crockpot Cranberry Meatballs

Cranberry Meatballs – This Crockpot Cranberry Meatballs recipe is the ultimate dump-and-go meal for holidays! Made from scratch, these cranberry meatballs can be served as a delicious appetizer for a crowd, potluck, tailgate, parties or as a classic holiday side dish.

Our crock pot Cranberry Meatball recipe could be the easiest way to cook a crowd-pleasing holiday appetizer or side dish. Homemade turkey meatballs are smothered in a combination of cranberry sauce, chili sauce Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce and dark brown sugar, making them tangy, sweet and insanely delicious.

This post is about how to make Cranberry Meatballs.

CRANBERRY TURKEY MEATBALLS

If you’re hosting a party – potluck, football, game day, Christmas, Thanksgiving – or any special occasion, really, then you need this amazingly delicious recipe for homemade turkey meatballs with a homemade cranberry sauce. It’s the perfect dump-and-go appetizer for a large group of people. These cranberry meatballs are sure to be a hit at your next get-together.

WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS RECIPE

The Crowd-Pleasing Appetizer. These turkey cranberry meatballs make the ultimate appetizer or side dish to serve for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s celebrations, work potluck, holiday parties, and get-togethers.

Easy To Substitute. Our cranberry sauce makes the ultimate tangy flavor addition to these turkey meatballs, but you can easily experiment with other preserves and fruit sauces.

INGREDIENTS NOTES

Here’s everything you need to make these cranberry meatballs!

TURKEY MEATBALLS:

• 2 lbs lean ground turkey

• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs

• 1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

• ½ cup finely grated onions

• ½ cup finely chopped parsley

• 2 eggs

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• ½ teaspoon dried sage

• ½ teaspoon dried thyme

• ½ teaspoon dried rosemary

• 1 teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon pepper

CRANBERRY SAUCE:

• 14 oz can whole berry cranberry sauce (can sub jellied cranberry sauce)

• 12 oz Heinz chili sauce (can sub BBQ sauce)

• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard

• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

HOW TO MAKE CRANBERRY MEATBALLS

Preheat oven to 400°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, gently mix together the meatball ingredients until just combined.

Roll small 1.5 inch meatballs and place them onto the prepared baking sheet.

Bake meatballs for 15-18 minutes, flipping halfway through, until browned. (You may need to add more time for larger meatballs.) Don’t worry if it’s not fully cooked through, it will continue to cook in the crockpot. Transfer the browned meatballs into the crockpot.

In a bowl, combine the cranberry sauce ingredients and whisk together. Pour over the meatballs.

Cover and cook for 4-6 hours on low or 2-3 hours on high, until the meatballs reach a minimal internal temperature of 145°F.

SUBSTITUTIONS/VARIATIONS:

• You can use your own homemade meatball recipe. I made turkey meatballs but you can use a mixture of beef, pork, or turkey.

• You can choose to use frozen meatballs to save time.

• You can brown the meatballs on the stovetop if you prefer. Heat a large skillet over medium-heat, add a little oil, and sear the meatballs for a few minutes on both sides until browned. Then transfer the meatballs to the crockpot.

• Jellied cranberry sauce will work in this recipe. I used whole berry cranberry sauce.

• You can use BBQ sauce in sub of the Heinz chili sauce.

• Make it spicy if you like by using a spicy bbq sauce, adding cayenne, or sliced jalapeno peppers.

• Top it with fresh cranberries and parsley before serving, or any other herbs you like.

STORAGE AND REHEATING:

• Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for 3 or 4 days.

• Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat until heated through.

Crockpot Cranberry Meatballs

Cranberry Meatballs – This Crockpot Cranberry Meatballs recipe is the ultimate dump-and-go meal for holidays! Made from scratch, these cranberry meatballs can be served as a delicious appetizer for a crowd, potluck, tailgate, parties or as a classic holiday side dish.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 4 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Total Time 4 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Servings: 8 servings

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

  

Turkey Meatballs

• 2 lbs lean ground turkey
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup finely grated onions
• 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
• 2 eggs
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp dried sage
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Cranberry Sauce

• 14 oz can whole berry cranberry sauce (can sub jellied cranberry sauce)
• 12 oz Heinz chili sauce (can sub BBQ sauce)
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Equipment

• Large rimmed baking sheet
• parchment paper
• 6 quart crockpot

Method

 

1. Preheat oven to 400°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl, gently mix together the meatball ingredients until just combined.
3. Roll small 1.5 inch meatballs and place them onto the prepared baking sheet.
4. Bake meatballs for 15-18 minutes, flipping halfway through, until browned. (You may need to add more time for larger meatballs.) Don’t worry if it’s not fully cooked through, it will continue to cook in the crockpot. Transfer the browned meatballs into the crockpot.
5. In a bowl, combine the cranberry sauce ingredients and whisk together. Pour over the meatballs.
6. Cover and cook for 4-6 hours on low or 2-3 hours on high, until the meatballs reach a minimal internal temperature of 145°F.

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