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Crock Pot Bourbon Meatballs are tender, succulent, and loaded with irresistible flavors. These meatballs, prepped in just minutes, are cooked in the Crock-Pot and are perfect to serve as an appetizer, for game day or on lazy weekends.
This easy slow cooker recipe is the perfect marriage of two things, ‘hands-off’ cooking and meatballs. I love using my Crock Pot and my family is always up for meatballs, making this combination is a winner.
I’ve been a fan of slow cooking for years, after all everyone loves easy crock pot meals! Whether I’m making Mexican Shredded Beef, Chicken Thighs, or Hawaiian Meatballs, I know that these recipes will be flavorful and turn out beautifully every time I make them.
What Makes These Crock Pot Bourbon Meatballs So Special?
- It’s the sauce, baby! The meatballs are looked in a rich ketchup base sauce that’s sweet, tangy with a little “something” special from the bourbon.
- They are prepped and ready to cook in just 5 minutes.
- Bourbon Meatballs are ideal to serve in so many ways! As an appetizer when you’re entertaining, for the holidays, on game day, and on the weekends when you’d rather be relaxing instead of cooking.
Ingredients Needed To Make Bourbon Meatballs
- Frozen or Homemade Meatballs
- Ketchup
- Honey
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Bourbon
- Red Pepper
- Garlic
Pro Tip: Make your own meatballs using my simple recipe. These meatballs can be made ahead of time and frozen until you’re ready to enjoy them, there’s no easier way to prepare frozen meatballs than in the crock pot.
How Long Do You Cook This Crock Pot Meatball Recipe?
Using a slower cooker is easy because you just set it and forget it. I’m always a little giddy over the fact that I’m “cooking but not cooking” when using this workhorse in the kitchen.
You can cook the Bourbon Meatballs on two different settings:
- LOW for 4-5 hours
- HIGH for 3-4 hours
How To Store Leftover Crock Pot Bourbon Meatballs
The cooked meatballs and any leftover sauce store well in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Store in a resealable container then reheat before serving.
People Often Ask…
Yes, it does! After about 3-hours of cooking, there’s less than a trace of alcohol left in any recipe you make using bourbon. What you’ll get is a rich, mellow flavor in the sauce that you’ll love.
More Delicious Crock Pot Recipes To Make…
- Crock Pot Mississippi Chicken Sliders
- Crock Pot Beer Cheese Dip
- 5-Ingredient Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken
- Crock Pot Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Busy Day Slow Cooker Pot Roast
- Crock Pot Chicken Parmesan
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds frozen meatballs
- 2 cups ketchup
- ½ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ¾ cup bourbon
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3 minced garlic cloves
Instructions
- In a medium-size mixing bowl, add ketchup, honey, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, bourbon, red pepper flakes and garlic. Whisk together.
- Add meatballs to the Crock Pot. Pour sauce over and stir to coat the meatballs. Place lid on and set the timer to 4-5 hours on LOW or 3-4 hours on HIGH.
- When timer goes off, gently stir meatballs in sauce and serve.
Want To Know More About Slow Cooking?
If you are new to cooking with a Crock Pot or just don’t know where to start, I’ve got something to help. I’ve put together a helpful guide with tips and recipes to get you using a slow cooker like a pro!
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The sauce is super good. If it weren’t for all those meatballs, I could happily have eaten the sauce as SOUP! This is a keeper, for sure. So many possibilities…
Thanks, Cris! You’ve made my day.
~Donya
Success! I found this recipe the morning of the Superbowl because I forgot to buy BBQ sauce. Everyone loved it. I cheated a bit: I baked chicken meatballs in the oven and cooked the sauce on the stove. When the meatballs were done, I stirred them into the sauce. Will definitely make this again for a party. Thank you!
Thanks, Alice! Especially for the terrific rating.
~Donya
This was a surefire hit at my party tonight! So yummy!
Can I use frozen chicken or Turkey meatballs for this recipe?
Yes, you sure can.
~Donya
I made these with Costco Jalapeno Cranberry Chicken Meatballs. I tripled the recipe to account for the almost 3lbs of meatballs and ended up using 2 cups of ketchup and then subbing the last cup with Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce. I also used Winter Jack Daniels (1 Cup) as the alcohol and these meatballs were incredibly delicious! The sauce was an amazing pairing with this meatball variety
Hey there Amy!
Wow! I love the way you think, using Jalapeno Cranberry flavored meatballs was a brilliant idea, I’ll definitely have to give that a try! Since you enjoyed this recipe, you should check out my Crock Pot Hawaiian Meatballs, they’re just as simple to make and the pineapple flavor is absolutely delicious, I hope you’ll give it a try. Thank you so much for sharing your experience with this recipe and for your phenomenal rating, I really appreciate your support! Let me know if you ever have any questions, I’m always happy to help!
~Donya
Hi Donya you are beautiful and rockin the short haircut!! Meatballs are amazing. Thanks
Tracey
Hey there Tracy!
My goodness you’re too sweet, thank you so much! I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, I really appreciate your kind words! Let me know if you ever have any questions about a recipe, I’m always happy to help!
~Donya
Hi Donya,
Should I precook the meatball recipe in the oven? Or do they bake in the crockpot?
Thanks,
Mimi
Hey there Mimi!
That’s a really great question! To make the Crock Pot Bourbon Meatballs you’ll need frozen meatballs. The frozen meatballs can be homemade, if you go to my Homemade Meatballs Recipe you will find baking and freezing instructions in the blog post. Once those meatballs are frozen you can then follow this Crock Pot Bourbon Meatballs recipe exactly. I hope this helps, let me know how they end up turning out! Enjoy!
~Donya
Could I use BBQ sauce in place of the ketchup?
Hey there Evelyn!
I’ve never tried that, but it sounds like it would be delicious, I say give it a try! Let me know how the recipe turns out, I hope you enjoy!
~Donya
I made these for dinner the first night and served them over rice, then turned the leftovers into meatball sandwiches the next night. They were delicious both ways!
Hey there Eva!
Thank you so much for your kind words, I am so glad you liked this recipe. I love these meatballs for the exact same reason… the leftovers. You can serve these over rice, with potatoes, or even just as is. If you enjoyed this recipe, you should check out my Crock Pot Hawaiian Meatballs, they’re just as easy to make with a sweet and tangy flavor. Thank you for your support, if you ever have any questions please feel free to reach out!
~Donya
What’s your favorite bourbon to use?
Rob, Mr. A Southern Soul, has a few favorites. Basil Haden is a good, “I don’t want to go broke” bourbon. Please let me know how you like the recipe!
~Donya