Crock Pot Bourbon Meatballs are tender, succulent, and loaded with irresistible flavors. They can be prepped in minutes and cooked in the Crock-Pot, making them perfect for serving as an appetizer on game day or on lazy weekends.
If you love easy meatball recipes, try these Crock Pot Hawaiian Meatballs, Game Day Crock Pot Meatballs, and Crockpot Mississippi Meatballs.
In This Post
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.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Sauce, Baby: 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.
- So Fast To Make: They are prepped and ready to cook in just 5 minutes.
- Versatile: 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 Bourbon Meatballs Ingredients
- Frozen or Homemade Meatballs are the star of the show. Any kind you like will work, or you can 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.
- The magic sauce consists of Ketchup, honey, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, and bourbon.
- Red pepper flakes and garlic give the sauce a little kick. I always mince fresh garlic for the biggest punch of flavor. Pre-minced garlic is much milder than fresh chopped.
Recipe Variations
- Bourbon Swap: You can use whiskey in place of bourbon if needed.
- Less Heat: If you’re not a fan of spice, omit the red pepper flakes. You can always add them at the end if you decide you do want some heat.
- Honey Substitutes: If you don’t have honey, brown sugar will work, too.
Step By Step Directions
- Make the Sauce: Whisk together the sauce ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
- Add the Meatballs: Add the meatballs and the sauce to the crockpot and cook.
- Stir and Serve: When done, stir the meatballs and serve them!
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
Love Meatballs? Try These Recipes
My family loves meatballs of any kind and flavor! Our favorites are Crock Pot Hawaiian Meatballs, Homemade Meatballs with sauce, Party Meatballs, and Game Day Crock Pot Meatballs.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
The cooked meatballs and any leftover sauce can be stored in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Store them in a resealable container and reheat before serving.
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.
Yes, you can keep these in the freezer for up to 3 months. I would thaw them overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Serving Suggestions
For a full appetizer spread, serve these meatballs with these Cream Cheese Sausage Balls and creamy Southern Deviled Eggs. If you want to enjoy these as an easy dinner, you can serve bourbon meatballs with Quinoa in the Rice Cooker and Skillet Green Beans.
More Crock Pot Recipes
If you tried this Crock Pot Bourbon Meatball Recipe or any other recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks!
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.
Notes
- Bourbon Swap: You can use whiskey in place of bourbon if needed.
- Less Heat: If you’re not a fan of spice, omit the red pepper flakes. You can always add them at the end if you decide you do want some heat.
- Honey Substitutes: If you don’t have honey, brown sugar will work, too.
Nutrition
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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Cris Dingman
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
Alice Loweecey
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
Jo Cohen
This was a surefire hit at my party tonight! So yummy!
Marcela
Can I use frozen chicken or Turkey meatballs for this recipe?
Yes, you sure can.
~Donya
Amy
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
Donya
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
Tracey Kuper
Hi Donya you are beautiful and rockin the short haircut!! Meatballs are amazing. Thanks
Tracey
Donya
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
Mimi
Hi Donya,
Should I precook the meatball recipe in the oven? Or do they bake in the crockpot?
Thanks,
Mimi
Donya
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
Evelyn Johnson
Could I use BBQ sauce in place of the ketchup?
Donya
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
Eva
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!
Donya
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
Debbie
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