Sweet and Sour Meatballs with Grape Jelly and Chili Sauce

Crockpot Meatballs in Grape Jelly and Chili Sauce are a classic appetizer for any party or holiday dinner. The Vintage Homemade Sweet-&-Sour Meatball recipe was huge in the 1950s with just grape jelly and chili sauce. It was served at dinner parties and card parties through the 1960s and then made a resurgence in the 1980s.

They were huge at dinner parties and card parties through the 1960s, then came right back around in the 1980s. A friend of mine brought them to a party years ago, and I have been making them ever since.

You and your guests will love how easy these crockpot grape jelly meatballs are. Just 3 simple ingredients, and you can start them early in the day so they are ready the minute the party starts.

Every holiday season my friends ask if I am making them. And every year they end up on the menu, even when I did not plan on it.

Why You’ll Love These Grape Jelly Meatballs

• Just 3 ingredients: meatballs, grape jelly, and chili sauce. That is the whole list.
• It is a dump-and-go crockpot recipe. Start it early, walk away, and come back to a party appetizer.
• Sweet and tangy sauce that everyone loves, from little ones to grandpas.
• Works with homemade or frozen meatballs, so you decide how much time you have.
• Feeds a crowd and travels well for potlucks, holidays, and game day.

Where Grape Jelly Meatballs Came From

Grape jelly meatballs go all the way back to 1950s cocktail parties. Party hosts found that grape jelly and chili sauce melted together into an easy sweet and sour sauce, and a party classic was born.

They stayed on dinner party and card party tables all through the 1960s. Then they came right back around in the 1980s, and folks have loved them ever since.

That is why so many people call these old-fashioned sweet and sour meatballs. Three simple ingredients, and a little taste of the way parties used to be.

The Best Meatballs for Grape Jelly and Chili Sauce

This recipe is best when you bake homemade meatballs in the oven first, then add them to the crockpot with the chili sauce and grape jelly.

I go to Costco and buy a large 6-pound package of ground beef and make my meatballs ahead of our Christmas party. I freeze the cooked homemade Italian meatballs so they are ready for the crockpot on party day.

But if you are short on time, any bag of frozen premade meatballs works beautifully. The sauce is so good and so distinctive that no one will know the difference.

Some years, when several of our guests do not eat meat, I use frozen plant-based meatballs. If you are a plant-based eater, try these frozen plant-based meatless meatballs.

Buonpane Family Italian Meatballs

We have been married for 39 years, and I have been making these meatballs the whole time. I make our homemade Italian meatballs for this recipe that Jim’s mother, Grace, taught me when we were first married. That way, if I need to save some to feed the children for dinner, I have plenty of meatballs on hand.

I usually make a double batch of meatballs, as they freeze well and they do take a little bit of time to make. I have also used frozen meatballs from any big box store, and they work just as well.

Family Traditions Around These Meatballs

When our girls were little and the neighbor twin boys were teenagers, they used to come over and play video games at our house.

One Christmas I wanted to buy a PlayStation for Jim, and the twins told me exactly what to get. The day after Christmas I asked them to come help Jim set it up.

This Christmas present started a two- to three-year tradition of the high school neighbor boys coming over to our house on a Friday or Saturday playing PlayStation, while Jim and I and the girls watch, cheer, scream, and have a great time eating sweet-and-sour meatballs and other finger appetizers.

During the first six months of playing the “shoot them up” PlayStation games, we would have the boys for fun appetizers, and around 9 o’clock I would put the girls to bed because I thought the games were too scary. Christene and Katie got so disappointed that they didn’t get to watch the games that I soon gave in and let them watch Brian control the controls, and the rest of us tell Bryan what to do. This was in the late 1990s when the favorites were Resident Evil, Laura Croft, and Dino Crisis.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs for the Holidays

Along with game night, these sweet and sour meatballs were always a big hit at the holidays. We had a few groups of friends we made sure to have over each Christmas for a dinner party.

At every one of those parties, these meatballs were the appetizer waiting when everyone walked in. I love that I can make the meatballs ahead, freeze them, then just add grape jelly, chili sauce, and the frozen meatballs to the crockpot. It is a dump it and forget it recipe, which is exactly what you want when you are hosting.

The meatball recipe I use here is the same one I make for our homemade Italian spaghetti sauce. I just shape them a little smaller, more bite-sized, for an appetizer.

The meatball recipe below is the same recipe I make for our homemade Italian spaghetti sauce. I make the meatballs a little larger for sauce, and for the sweet-&-sour meatballs I make them more appetizer/bite-size.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Meatballs, about 2 pounds: homemade or a frozen bag, roughly 48 to 64 small meatballs
• Grape jelly, one 10- to 12-ounce jar: the classic sweet base for the sauce
• Chili sauce, one 12-ounce bottle: I use Heinz-style chili sauce for the tangy side

Ingredient notes and swaps

• No chili sauce? A bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce makes grape jelly BBQ meatballs instead.
• Grape jelly is traditional, but currant jelly or apricot preserves also work.
• I have seen a lot of recipes that use canned cranberry sauce, and it looks just as good.
• For a little heat, stir in a spoon of sriracha or a pinch of red pepper flakes.

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Equipment Needed

• Slow cooker or crockpot, 4 to 6 quart
• Mixing spoon
• Baking sheet, only if you are making homemade meatballs

How to Make Crockpot Grape Jelly Meatballs

1. Add the sauce. Pour the grape jelly and chili sauce into the crockpot. Stir until they blend into one smooth, glossy sauce. Tip: Warming the jelly for a few seconds helps it mix faster.
2. Add the meatballs. Drop in your meatballs, frozen or thawed, and gently stir so every one gets coated. Tip: bite-size meatballs soak up the most sauce.
3. Cook low and slow. Cover and cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours, or on HIGH for about 2 hours, until the meatballs are hot all the way through. Stir once or twice along the way.
4. Serve warm. Keep the crockpot on the WARM setting during the party so the sauce stays glossy. Set out toothpicks and let everyone help themselves.
   Pro tip: if you started with frozen meatballs, give them an extra 30 minutes and stir well so the sauce does not sit watery at the bottom.

Variations to Try

• Grape jelly BBQ meatballs: swap the chili sauce for BBQ sauce.
• Cocktail meatballs: use little smokies or cocktail sausages instead of meatballs.
• Spicy sweet and sour: add sriracha, hot sauce, or red pepper flakes.
• Pineapple meatballs: stir in a small can of drained pineapple tidbits.
• Plant-based: use frozen meatless meatballs for a vegetarian party tray.
• Replace the jelly for canned cranberry sauce

What to Serve With Grape Jelly Meatballs

These meatballs love company on the appetizer table. Set them next to a few other easy finger foods so guests can graze.

• Easy Party Cheese Ball
• Slow Cooker Little Smokies
• Buffalo Chicken Dip Best Oven Baked Skillet
• Homemade Italian Meatballs – See the recipe below

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

Let the meatballs cool, then store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Reheat them gently in the crockpot on LOW or in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring now and then. They also freeze well for up to 3 months.

Frequently Asked Questions

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