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Home » Blog » Recipes » Crockpot/Slow Cooker

Crock Pot Bourbon Meatballs

by Donya Mullins September 21, 2021 19 Comments This post may contain affiliate links.

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This post may contain affiliate links.

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.

Tender, succulent, juicy Bourbon Meatballs coated in a sauce with irresistible flavors, sitting in a black pot with a wooden spoon


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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.
Crock Pot filled with frozen meatballs with a delicious, sweet, and tangy sauce pouring over them.

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.

The ingredients to the delicious, succulent Homemade Meatballs sit in a metal mixing bowl on the let side. On the right, parchment paper is laid on top of a sheet pan with individual flavorful meatballs sitting on top, ready to be baked.

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.

Sweet, tangy Bourbon coated meatballs sit in the base of a black Crock Pot after being slow cooked to perfection.

People Often Ask…

Does The Bourbon Whiskey Cook Out Of The Meatballs?

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.

Easy to make, mouthwatering Bourbon Meatballs piled high in a white bowl with two toothpicks for serving.

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
Bourbon Meatballs in a black pot with a wooden spoon
5 from 12 votes

Crock Pot Bourbon Meatball Recipe

Author: Donya Mullins
Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: crock pot, meatballs, slow cooker
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 3 minutes minutes
Total Time: 8 minutes minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Print Pin Rate
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.

Equipment

  • Crock Pot
  • Mixing Bowl

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.
Bourbon Meatballs in a black pot with a wooden spoon
Did you make my Crock Pot Bourbon Meatball Recipe?I’d love to see! Share on Instagram, tag @asouthernsoul, and use the hashtag #asouthernsoul!
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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!

How To Get Started With Slow Cooking

Bourbon Meatballs 2 photos for Pinterest


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    Recipe Rating




  1. Cris Dingman

    July 12, 2023 at 1:25 pm

    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…

    Reply
    • Donya Mullins

      July 13, 2023 at 9:56 am

      Thanks, Cris! You’ve made my day.
      ~Donya

      Reply
  2. Alice Loweecey

    February 12, 2023 at 6:50 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Donya Mullins

      February 13, 2023 at 9:34 am

      Thanks, Alice! Especially for the terrific rating.
      ~Donya

      Reply
  3. Jo Cohen

    December 30, 2022 at 10:14 pm

    This was a surefire hit at my party tonight! So yummy!

    Reply
  4. Marcela

    December 8, 2022 at 10:17 pm

    Can I use frozen chicken or Turkey meatballs for this recipe?

    Reply
    • Donya Mullins

      December 9, 2022 at 3:32 pm

      Yes, you sure can.
      ~Donya

      Reply
  5. Amy

    November 29, 2022 at 12:09 pm

    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

    Reply
    • Donya

      November 29, 2022 at 1:45 pm

      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

      Reply
  6. Tracey Kuper

    September 2, 2022 at 8:20 pm

    Hi Donya you are beautiful and rockin the short haircut!! Meatballs are amazing. Thanks
    Tracey

    Reply
    • Donya

      September 3, 2022 at 10:09 am

      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

      Reply
  7. Mimi

    January 26, 2022 at 12:59 pm

    Hi Donya,
    Should I precook the meatball recipe in the oven? Or do they bake in the crockpot?
    Thanks,
    Mimi

    Reply
    • Donya

      January 27, 2022 at 8:06 am

      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

      Reply
  8. Evelyn Johnson

    December 29, 2021 at 9:16 am

    Could I use BBQ sauce in place of the ketchup?

    Reply
    • Donya

      December 29, 2021 at 11:32 am

      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

      Reply
  9. Eva

    November 4, 2021 at 7:27 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Donya

      November 5, 2021 at 8:05 am

      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

      Reply
  10. Debbie

    September 21, 2021 at 3:00 pm

    What’s your favorite bourbon to use?

    Reply
    • Donya

      September 21, 2021 at 5:15 pm

      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

      Reply

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