These Cranberry Orange Meatballs are a crowd-pleasing appetizer that’s perfect for holidays and game days! Takes just 5 minutes to prep 4 ingredients!
Appetizer meatballs like these are some of my favorite snacks to serve at parties! As are these Slow Cooker Grape Jelly Meatballs and Hot Pepper Jelly Meatballs!
These Cranberry Orange Meatballs are going to be an instant hit with the entire family on game day and throughout the holiday season! To enjoy them, all you have to do is simply dump the ingredients into the crockpot!
These meatballs were inspired by the classic grape jelly meatballs my mom always made for parties when we were growing up, and those never lasted long, either.
But I love cranberries more than grapes, and the addition of orange juice adds a little extra zing and holiday festiveness!
All About These Crockpot Meatballs
Taste: Ingredients such as orange juice and whole-berry cranberry sauce combine to give these meatballs a sweet yet tart flavor! With the addition of chili sauce, the final flavor is sweet, tart, and wonderfully savory!
Making it an appetizer that will have friends and family running to the crockpot!
Texture: The sauce creates a thick, sticky coating on the tender meatballs! Delivering a mouthwatering texture that’s easy to devour!
Choosing Your Meatballs
For me, the best part of this recipe is just grabbing a bag of frozen meatballs from the grocery store! That way, I can skip mixing and rolling up homemade meatballs.
I usually opt for frozen Swedish or Italian meatballs since those are always the easiest to find! Feel free to use what you prefer, though.
You could also whip up a batch of your favorite homemade meatballs to use! If you choose to take that route, you won’t need to cook them as long as they are in the crockpot.
Once the cooked meatballs have heated evenly with the sauce mixture, you can turn the crockpot to low or warm.
Tips & Tricks When Making This Cranberry Orange Meatballs Recipe
- Chili Sauce – I used Heinz Chili Sauce since that’s what we enjoy! But feel free to use your favorite brand of chili sauce or even experiment with different kinds to find what tastes best for you!
- Amount Of Meatballs – This recipe is fitted for 28 ounces of meatballs. However, the bag size of meatballs does vary from brand to brand. Therefore, anything close will do! If that’s the case, you may just have saucier meatballs, but that sounds tasty to me!
- Stir To Coat – When the meatballs are cooking, make sure to stir occasionally, so they’re evenly coated!
- Make-Ahead Option – This appetizer can be made ahead of time to make game days and holidays even easier! To do so, cook them following the recipe instructions, allow them to cool, and then transfer the meatballs and sauce into an airtight container to refrigerate. When you’re ready to serve them, simply dump the mixture back into the crockpot and heat!
Appetizer meatballs like these and my Crock Pot Apple Cocktail Meatballs are always one of my go-to choices! They’re filling and delicious, and everyone always eats them all up!
Since they’re a favorite, I’ve come up with a variety of meatball recipes to switch up the flavor! So, you’ll have to also check out my Merlot Meatballs and Pineapple Tequila Meatballs!
How Do I Store Leftover Meatballs?
Allow leftovers to cool before placing them in an airtight container. Afterward, place the leftover meatballs into an airtight container and store them in the fridge.
Enjoy the leftovers for up to 3 days!
Can I Make This Appetizer A Little Spicier?
Yes, to get a bit more of a kick out of these meatballs you can either choose a spicier chili sauce or add in some crushed red pepper flakes!
Is There A Substitution For Orange Juice?
Instead of using orange juice, you can use an equal amount of pineapple juice. Just keep in mind it may slightly alter the final taste of this recipe! You could also try using orange marmalade instead!
Let’s Connect!
If you’ve tried this recipe, please let me know how you liked it in the comments below and leave a review. I love hearing from you!
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Cranberry Orange Meatballs
Ingredients
- 28 ounce bag frozen Swedish/Italian meatballs
- 12 ounce bottle chili sauce
- 14 ounce can whole-berry cranberry sauce
- 1/4 cup orange juice
Instructions
- Add the meatballs to a crockpot.28 ounce bag frozen Swedish/Italian meatballs
- Add the chili sauce and cranberry sauce on top of the meatballs. Add the orange juice to the chili sauce bottle and shake to loosen up the remaining sauce and then pour it into the crockpot. Stir together to evenly coat the meatballs with the sauce.12 ounce bottle chili sauce, 14 ounce can whole-berry cranberry sauce, 1/4 cup orange juice
- Cook on high for 2 hours or until meatballs are tender and hot throughout, turn heat to low to keep warm during servings. Stir occasionally.
Video
Notes
- The bag size of meatballs might vary by brand, but anything close will do.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Comments & Reviews
Ashleigh says
I know I’m posting 5 years later but I am unsure of what chili sauce is. I clicked on the hyperlink and it took me to Heinz chili sauce but it’s unavailable. What would be a good substitute as I’ve never even heard of it 🥸. Thanks!
Rebecca Hubbell says
Hi Ashleigh, Thanks for letting me know it’s sold out through the link – I’ll update that! However, chili sauce is a widely available product and should be easy to find at your local grocery store, target, Walmart, etc. It will be in with the BBQ sauces and ketchup. It is a popular item this time of year so if it is sold out, you could use ketchup but chili sauce is a much better option.
Lona Rushing says
My friend who posted this wants to know if you can make these in the oven -what temp and how long .
Rebecca Hubbell says
I have never baked them. I would go by any temperature and bake time on the bag of frozen meatballs.
Tina Remy says
Hello I’m new here and I have made these meatballs before I’ve had them at potlucks and I make them every year for Christmas and yes you can make them with grape jelly I have a recipe that calls for grape jelly and those are also really good since my crock pots are going to be tied up tomorrow with two hams I’m going to cook them in my pressure cooker have a merry Christmas everybody
Kathy Wolfe says
I used to make meatballs with ketchup and grape jelly till I found your recipe and now these are the ones I make. In fact by great nephew in college wanted the recipe to make them up at school. Thanks for sharing.
Rebecca Hubbell says
Yay, I’m so glad you love them!
Yvonnr says
How would you make this without a crock pot?
Rebecca Hubbell says
Hi Yvonne, You can add all of the ingredients to a large saucepan and cook it that way. Cook until the meatballs are heated through.
LS Longwell says
I made these for a holiday party last night. Rave reviews, requests for recipe and not a meatball remained! Will be making them again for my own Christmas Eve party.
Rebecca Hubbell says
So glad you loved them!
Christie says
Hi. I’m making these for Christmas, do the meatballs go in the crock pot frozen or do they have to be thawed out first?
Thank you, Christie
Rebecca Hubbell says
They go in frozen 🙂
Christie says
Thank you!
Christie says
I made these on Christmas day. They turned out great. Everyone loved them. I definitely will be making them again!
Christie
Rebecca Hubbell says
Yay, I’m so glad you all enjoyed them!
Dolly says
I actually made this for a cookout this past summer and the kids couldn’t help sneaking into it , before it was ready to be served. I have to say it was a hit!
Rebecca Harrington says
Oh my these look so delicious…..I can not wait to make. Thank you for sharing…..Hope I can find the bag of meatballs…..thank-you again..
God Bless….
Andi says
Hi there ! These look amazing . I honestly am not a fan of red meat or pork so would chicken meatballs work as well? Also would they work with the grape jelly recipe? Thank you:)
Andi
Rebecca says
Hi Andi, As long as you like chicken meatballs, either recipe will work just fine! Enjoy!
Pammy Boudreaux says
Hi sweetie this looks amazing and doesnt look like they would stick around long! However I am not a fan of cranberry 🙁 Do you think you might be able to share the grape jelly recipe with me? I remember my mother making something that sounds similar, would be a hoot if they were the same ones. I havent had them since I was a kid. Recipe collecting is something I now highly advise every woman to do as when we lose our mothers so much goes with them. Its only when we are a little older and wiser do we remember the lovely thing our mothers baked, cooked and made. I miss my mother more every year especially around Christmas. She was a baker oh and omg she baked some delicious treats! She was a dab hand at taking others treats and making them her own by twisting measurements and ingredients! She was one in a million!!
Rebecca says
Hi Pammy, I have recipes from my grandmother and I am so thankful to be able to make her dishes and keep her spirit alive, especially during the holiday season. If you mom made the same grape jelly meatballs as mine, she used a 16 ounce jar of grape jelly and a bottle of the Heinz Chili Sauce! They sure are good and they’re always the first thing to go at parties this time of year… or any time of year, really.
Rebecca says
Hi Pammy, I asked my mom last night and she said sometimes she makes the grape ones by using a bottle of Jack Daniels No. 7 BBQ Sauce, Heinz chili sauce, and just 2 rounded tablespoons of the grape jelly, this is for more of a sweet BBQ flavor. Sometimes she adds a little garlic powder too she said.
Brontie says
These look awesome! What size crock pot did you use?
Rebecca says
These were made in a 3 qt crock pot, but you can make them in any size.
Kelly says
Looks delicious!! Can you give me a brand example of “chili sauce”? Is it sweet chili sauce or More like the red Heinz variety. Thanks!
Rebecca says
Hi Kelly, I use the Heinz variety! Hope that helps!