Cranberry Sauce Meatballs (Holiday Party Recipe)

These Homemade Cranberry Meatballs are the perfect holiday appetizer! An easy appetizer recipe that can be made in the oven or slow cooker.

Remember those slow cooker grape jelly meatballs made with just a jar of grape jelly and BBQ sauce? I have always loved them! They’re a classic party appetizer for any time of year. Well, I think it’s high time we update that classic meatball recipe for holiday parties! The result? These delicious Cranberry BBQ meatballs! 

These Cranberry Barbecue meatballs are a delicious appetizer, pairing homemade juicy meatballs with a simple and savory homemade cranberry barbecue sauce. We all need easy recipes for game day and the holiday season, and these party meatballs are a great option during the winter months.

Using Frozen Meatballs: Yes, you can absolutely use frozen meatballs for this recipe! If you want to save time by using frozen, pre-cooked meatballs, I recommend combining the frozen meatballs with the cranberry sauce ingredients in the crockpot and cook meatballs in there. Check out the rest of my suggestions for slow cooker cranberry meatballs in the notes below. 

Like most recipes, there are plenty of things you can do to make this recipe your own. I have a few suggestions below!

Substitutions and Additions

Like most delicious recipes, this cranberry meatball recipe is easy to customize so that you can use up the ingredients you already have! Here are a few ingredient substitution swaps you can make in this easy recipe: 

• These little meatballs are easily made gluten free, since we use oats instead of breadcrumbs. If you’d rather sub bread crumbs for the oats, please do so!
• If you know you’ll have leftovers, save a few plain meatballs so you can serve them with marinara sauce and parmesan cheese next time.
• Garnishing with diced green onions adds a festive holiday flair!
• This recipe calls for homemade meatballs. Please know that this is optional! If you have frozen meatballs feel free to use them. The holidays are so busy, there is no shame in taking a few shortcuts!
• A note, this recipe calls for a bottle of chili sauce. Chili sauce can be found in the condiment section, near the ketchup. It’s very similar to ketchup, just with different spices! If you have a hard time finding it in store, it’s also available on Amazon. Or, you can make your own chili sauce.
• This is optional, but you can also choose to sear your meatballs in a sauté pan for 1-2 minutes per side before baking. Doing this adds a lot of flavor through the golden brown caramelization of the meat, and helps to seal in the juice. 
• Yes, you can absolutely substitute ground turkey to make turkey meatballs, or any ground meat for a different kind of meatball.
• Add a splash of orange juice or orange zest to the sauce for extra flavor.
• Add a teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes to make a spicy sauce.
• Instead of the jellied cranberry sauce, you can use homemade cranberry sauce or whole berry canned sauce as an equal swap.

Serving Suggestions

I think this holiday meatball recipe is the perfect appetizer for Christmas Eve or any warm setting during the winter months! If you need ideas for another perfect party appetizer, I really love my Bacon Wrapped Dates Stuffed with Goat Cheese, Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts, Smoked Buffalo Chicken Dip, Cajun Crab Dip, and Easy Ranch Pretzels.

For Christmas-themed snacks and treats, I recommend this beautiful Christmas Charcuterie Wreath or Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board! You can also serve Christmas Cracker Candy, Candy Cane Peppermint Chocolate Bark, Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars, or Reindeer Chow!

For drinks, I recommend this Rosemary Cranberry Bourbon Cocktail or my Christmas Punch!

Past being served as festive appetizers, these meatballs are delicious as a winter main course over mashed potatoes. 

Leftover Cocktail Meatballs

If you have leftover cranberry meatballs, store them in an airtight container in your refrigerator for 2-3 days. 

As for ideas on how to use up your leftover meatballs, I have quite a few! They are good for so much more than party food. See below: 

• Sliders: Make meatball sliders! Use Hawaiian rolls, cheese and extra barbecue sauce. For extra crunch, top the sliders with homemade apple slaw! 
• Pizza Topping: Dice the meatballs up and use them as a topping for homemade pizza! 
• Lettuce Wrap: Serve warmed in a lettuce wrap with crunchy veggies. 
• Sandwich: Serve leftover meatballs on a hoagie bun with melted cheese. 
• Main Dish:  Serve warmed over white rice or mashed potatoes with your favorite veggies! 

I hope that you enjoy these tasty cranberry meatballs! If you end up making them, make sure to let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Cranberry Sauce Meatballs (Holiday Party Recipe)

These Homemade Cranberry Meatballs are the perfect holiday appetizer! An easy appetizer recipe that can be made in the oven or slow cooker.

If you're interested in ingredient substitutions, I have a comprehensive list above.

For slow cooker or frozen meatball instructions, check the notes section below.

4.86 from 7 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Appetizers

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Calories: 455kcal

Author: Michelle Goth

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

• 1 pound extra lean ground beef
• 1 pound mild country sausage
• 1 cup quick oats
• ½ cup finely diced onion
• 1 egg
• ⅔ cup evaporated milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon chili powder

For the Cranberry BBQ Sauce:

• 14 ounce can jellied cranberry sauce
• 12 ounce bottle chili sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar packed
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce or light soy sauce

Garnish (optional):

• ​fresh parsley or rosemary

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the meatballs. Mix well.
• Shape the meatball mixture into 1 ½ inch balls and place in a single layer on large baking sheet greased with non-stick cooking spray. You can also make smaller meatballs if you want them to stretch further.
• Bake the meatballs for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until browned and cooked through.
• While the meatballs are baking, prepare the cranberry BBQ sauce. In a large saucepan, combine the ingredients for the sauce, then cook over medium heat until the sauce begins to simmer. Cover with a lid and simmer on low for 10 minutes, stirring often.
• When the meatballs are finished baking, remove them from the baking sheet and arrange into a 9×13-inch glass baking dish. Spoon the BBQ sauce over the meatballs.
• Return the meatballs to the oven to bake in the sauce for an additional 10-15 minutes, until bubbly.
• Serve warm.

Notes

Crockpot Meatballs: If you want to make crockpot cranberry meatballs, follow the recipe instructions through step 3. Then, transfer the meatballs into a slow cooker. Pour the sauce over the meatballs and cook on low for 1 hour.  After cooking the meatballs and sauce on low for on hour, be sure to switch the crockpot to “warm.” 

Using Store-Bought Meatballs: Yes, you can absolutely use frozen meatballs for this recipe! If you want to save time by using frozen, pre-cooked meatballs, I recommend combining the frozen meatballs with the cranberry sauce ingredients in the crockpot and cook meatballs on low for 2-3 hours until warmed through.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 455kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 114mg | Sodium: 1411mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 23g

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Or, go lighter! Skip the cheese and top your leftover meatball sliders with this homemade Apple Slaw!