American
Cranberry Glazed Cocktail Meatballs
Tender meatballs in a sweet-tart cranberry sauce - a holiday party essential
hot_biteEasyAmerican
Prep10 minCook240 minTotal250 minServes24Temphot
✓ dairy-free
⚠ Contains: 🫘 Soy
Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbsfrozen meatballs(beef or turkey)
- 14 ozwhole berry cranberry sauce
- 12 ozchili sauce
- 2 tbspbrown sugar
- 1 tbspWorcestershire sauce
- 1 tbspDijon mustard
- 0.25 tspground ginger
Make Ahead
Can be made a day ahead and reheated. Keeps warm in slow cooker for several hours during party.
Instructions
- 1Combine cranberry sauce, chili sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire, mustard, and ginger in slow cooker
- 2Stir until well combined
- 3Add frozen meatballs and stir to coat
- 4Cook on low 4-5 hours or high 2-3 hours
- 5Stir occasionally to ensure even coating
- 6Sauce should be thick and glossy when done
- 7Transfer to serving dish or keep warm in slow cooker
- 8Serve with toothpicks
Notes
Pro Tips
Whole berry cranberry sauce has better texture than jellied. Heinz chili sauce is traditional - it's tangy, not spicy. The ginger adds warmth without being identifiable. These improve as they sit in the sauce. Keep on low setting during the party - high heat will toughen meatballs.
History & Origin
Cranberry meatballs emerged from mid-century American convenience cooking, joining the pantheon of slow cooker party foods alongside grape jelly meatballs. The cranberry version gained popularity as a holiday-specific variation, with the tart berries adding festive color and seasonal flavor.
Cocktail Pairings
Old Fashioned
Whiskey's depth complements rich, savory dishes
Duck Fart
Whiskey's depth complements rich, savory dishes
Blood and Sand
Whiskey's depth complements rich, savory dishes
Snake Bite Shot
Whiskey's depth complements rich, savory dishes
Little Italy
Whiskey's depth complements rich, savory dishes
New England Sour
Whiskey's depth complements rich, savory dishes
Pairs Well With
bourbonred-winechampagnevodka
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American◆Easy