Sweet and Sour Crock Pot Meatballs (Printable)

Frozen meatballs simmered in tangy peach preserve sauce—effortless appetizer or main dish for any occasion.

# What you'll need:

→ Meatballs

01 - 2 pounds frozen fully cooked meatballs

→ Sauce

02 - 1 cup peach or apricot preserves
03 - 1/2 cup ketchup
04 - 2 tablespoons soy sauce
05 - 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
06 - 1 tablespoon brown sugar
07 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder
08 - 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
09 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

→ Optional Garnishes

10 - 2 green onions, thinly sliced
11 - 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

# How to make it:

01 - In a medium bowl, whisk together peach or apricot preserves, ketchup, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, garlic powder, ground ginger, and black pepper until smooth and well combined.
02 - Place frozen meatballs in the bowl of a 4 to 6 quart slow cooker and pour sauce over them.
03 - Gently toss meatballs to coat evenly with sauce.
04 - Cover and cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours until meatballs are heated through and sauce is bubbly. Alternatively, cook on HIGH for 1.5 to 2 hours.
05 - Stir gently before serving. Garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds if desired.
06 - Serve warm as an appetizer with toothpicks or over rice as a main dish.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It requires exactly five minutes of actual work, which means you can prep this before work and come home to dinner ready.
  • The sweet-tangy sauce is addictive enough that guests will ask for the recipe, even though it's laughably simple.
  • Frozen meatballs do the heavy lifting, so there's zero guilt in taking a shortcut that actually works.
02 -
  • Don't skip the gentle tossing step—rough stirring can break up the meatballs and make the sauce gritty.
  • The sauce thickens slightly as it simmers, so if it looks a little thin at first, trust the process and let the slow cooker work its magic.
03 -
  • If your sauce looks too thin halfway through cooking, you can remove the lid for the last 30 minutes to let some liquid evaporate and thicken it up.
  • Buy your meatballs from the meat department rather than the frozen foods section if your store has them—they're often better quality and won't taste as icy when cooked.
Return