Slow cooker sweet and sour meatballs are tangy and scrumptious. Perfect to serve as an appetizer, game day snack game or even as an entree! Kosher for Passover option included
Jump to:
As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small amount from qualifying purchases and affiliate links at no additional cost to you.
📃Shopping list
To make this super easy recipe you will need these simple ingredients:
FOR HOMEMADE MEATBALLS
- Ground beef - lean ground beef is a must
- Eggs
- Onion - grated
- Potato - grated
- Bread crumbs - or matzo meal
SAUCE
- Ketchup
- Water
- Brown sugar
- Raisins
- Nonstick cooking spray
Meatballs are the culinary equivalent of a Little Black Dress. Add upscale "accessories" like gourmet sauce and frilly toothpicks, and they are ready for a cocktail party.
For a casual gathering, throw on some red sauce and add them to a bowl of pasta. Voila, a great family dinner.
Layer them in BBQ sauce and they are ready to head outside for a picnic. Want to lighten them up? Just sub out the ground beef for ground turkey.
The whole family will love these - even your picky eaters!
🍲How to make this dish
This favorite meatball recipe couldn't be easier to make! The sweet and sour sauce gets mixed together right in your slow cooker. Just add in all the ingredients and give it a stir. Then, place the meatballs right into the sauce to cook
🥣The Sauce
This simple 4-ingredient sauce includes ketchup, brown sugar, raisins, and water. Just add the ingredients directly into your slow cooker and stir. If you will be making your own meatballs from scratch, set the sauce on high. This will give it a slight head start warming up while you prepare your meatballs
🧆The Meatballs
Like the sauce, these meatballs are made with just four basic ingredients: ground beef, grated potato, grated onion, and bread crumbs. Mix ingredients together in a large bowl and you are set.
Use your hand to gently roll meatballs that are approximately 1.5"- 2" in diameter. For reference, I would say I make mine about the size of a golf ball. Smaller meatballs are great too if you will be serving as an appetizer.I prefer to use gloves when rolling meatballs.
Drop each meatball directly into the sauce in your crock pot. Cover and cook. Cooking time on high is 3-4 hours and the low setting for 6-8.
Top Tip
To make this dish even easier, use pre-made frozen meatballs! If you are buying them already cooked, try to avoid Italian meatballs if possible to keep the flavor neutral. Turkey meatballs work well in this great recipe also.
Want to save this recipe for later?
I'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Any easy slow cooker meal that can go from party appetizer to delicious dinner is my kind of dish! This recipe also has the great option of being made with homemade meatballs OR premade frozen meatballs. Just the kind of versatility you need during a busy holiday season
Kosher For Passover Recipe
Slow cooker sweet and sour meatballs is one of my favorite recipes to make for Passover. They make a great appetizer or extra meat dish when you are serving a large crew. Alternatively, if you are just DONE with matzo pizza and matzo ball soup, they make for a great mid-holiday-week change of pace.
To make this recipe kosher for Passover, just substitute out bread crumbs for matzo meal.
If you love this recipe, please let me know in the comment section below!
🍽Serving suggestions
This sweet and sour meatball recipe is great served as either an appetizer or main course. They are a big hit as a tasty appetizer. Just place them in a bowl with some toothpicks or mini serving forks and watch them disappear.
It is easy to turn this dish into a main course. Serve over white rice or cauliflower rice. Top with sliced green onions and sesame seeds for a perfect finish. Add some green beans or steamed broccoli on the side and you have an amazing complete meal.
Storing leftovers
Leftovers of this meatball recipe can be stored in an airtight container or zip-top bag. They will last several days in the refrigerator and 3-4 months in the freezer. They are easy to reheat in the microwave.
If you love this recipe, please let me know in the comment section below!
😉Hacks and Hints
- The recipe calls for grating both a potato and onion. I usually opt to buy frozen, shredded potato and frozen chopped onion. While still frozen, I put them in a food processor and give them a few pulses to make the shreds into smaller pieces.
- Meatballs are safe to eat when they reach an internal temperature of 160℉
- These meatballs go well with savory sauce as well as sweet. Try this sauce if you aren't in the mood for sweet and sour.
- If you want to lighten up the calorie load in this, you can substitute out the ground beef for ground turkey. You can also sub out the brown sugar for my favorite brown sugar alternative, Swerve.
- This is a great dish if your people will be eating at different times. It stays really well on the warm setting of your slow cooker.
- I always recommend using a slow cooker liner for easy clean-up. This is a fully optional step. I usually buy liners in bulk for the best per-piece price.
- In the market for a new slow cooker? I love mine!
📖 Recipe
Lazy Sweet and Sour Slow Cooker Meatballs Recipe
(Click on the stars to leave a rating)
Print Pin Rate SaveAll nutrition information shown here is automatically generated and should be considered an estimate. If you follow a specific diet, please calculate your own values to ensure accuracy.
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- measuring bowls and spoons
- nonstick cooking spray
Ingredients
meatballs
- 3 lbs ground beef lean beef is best
- 2 eggs
- 1 small onion grated
- 1 small potato grated
- ½ cup bread crumbs or matzo meal
sauce
- 38 oz ketchup
- water
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup raisins
Instructions
- Start by spraying slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray
Sauce
- Add ketchup, brown sugar and raisins directly into slow cooker vessel38 oz ketchup, ⅔ cup brown sugar, ½ cup raisins
- Fill empty 38 oz ketchup bottle with water. Shake and add to slow cooker contentswater
- Stir ingredients and turn pot on to high with the lid off to start to warm sauce while you make the meatballs
Meatballs
- Place ground beef into a mixing bowl3 lbs ground beef
- Add eggs, onion, potato and matzo meal or bread crumbs to bowl and mix well2 eggs, 1 small onion, 1 small potato, ½ cup bread crumbs
- Use meat mixture to form golf ball sized meatballs, adding them into the warming sauce as you go
- When all meat has been made in to meatballs and put in the pot, spoon some of the sauce over the top few meatballs that are not submerged.
- Cook on high for at least 4 hours or low for at least 8 Hours. Meatballs are considered safe to eat when they reach an internal temperature of 160°F
- Optional step: open lid one or twice (but no more) to stir gently so that all meatballs are covered evenly with sauce. Be careful when you stir as some of the meatballs can start to break apart.
Final Step
If you love this recipe, please let everyone know by giving it a star rating and leaving a comment. This will help my business to grow and allow me to keep on testing and sharing free recipes with you.😊
Notes
Nutrition
All nutrition information shown here is automatically generated and should be considered an estimate. If you follow a specific diet, please calculate your own values to ensure accuracy.
Check out my latest on Instagram
Have you tried this recipe? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below! 💕
Julie says
Love sweet and sour meatballs! I have always used a combination of cranberry sauce and tomato sauce and added in white potatoes! It is a family favorite! I will try this recipe.... it will be a great twist on mine- plus I like the meatball recipe! Thanks!
admin says
And I think I will have to try your way too! Sounds delicious!! Enjoy and let me know if you have any questions!
Ashley says
What else could I substitute in for the raisins if I don't want raisins in there?
The Lazy Slow cooker says
I haven’t actually tried this with anything other than raisins, but if I did, I would use either dried cranberries or chopped dates. If you try it with either of these, I would love to hear how it goes. Thanks for asking!!