This year will be my first year hosting Thanksgiving and I’m SO FREAKIN’ excited. Granted, there will only be a small group of family at our house but I’m eager to spend the day cooking and making sure everything looks festive and beautiful.
Admittedly I do feel slightly prepared now that I’ve made an entire Friendsgiving for 15 people which included 3 pies, an 18 pound turkey, homemade gravy and 6 different sides.
However, we can’t forget about the most critical way to start Thanksgiving (besides lots of wine): APPETIZERS!
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Essential Thanksgiving appetizers
There are a few essential appetizer recipes that I love to make each year and always find myself coming back to:
- Bacon wrapped dates: I make these every year and everyone always raves about how delicious they are. YOU MUST MAKE THEM.
- A really good charcuterie board: grab a few cheeses, crackers, grapes, dried fruit, nuts and other fun goodies and pile them onto a board for all your guests. This is also a great option to offer to bring if you are a guest.
- Crostini combos: I adore a good little toast with something fun on it. You could do something fancy like this brie, honey & roasted grape crostini or just add apricot jam & brie to a crostini and call it a day.
- Nut mixes. Who doesn’t love crunching down on some sweet and spicy nuts?
- MEATBALLS. All the men love meatballs and honestly the ladies do too. So let’s make-a-ze-meatballs!
Ingredients in BBQ cranberry meatballs
Meatballs always seem to be a hit at parties, game days and family gatherings, These BBQ cranberry meatballs are made in the slow cooker them for everyone to nosh on throughout the day. Just slow cook them up, then place on the warm setting until ready. They’re saucy, sweet thanks to the cranberry bbq sauce, spicy from a hint of cayenne, moist, tender and BEAUTIFUL.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make the bbq cranberry meatballs:
- 1 batch of homemade cranberry sauce
- Spicy BBQ sauce (or you can use your favorite BBQ sauce)
- Apple cider vinegar
- Worcestershire
- Ground turkey or chicken
- Egg
- Garlic
- Panko breadcrumbs (or sub gluten free breadcrumbs or chickpea breadcrumbs)
- Fresh herbs
- Blend of spices
- Salt and pepper
How to make meatballs in the slow cooker
These sweet and spicy bbq cranberry turkey meatballs are super easy to make in the slow cooker. Here’s how to do it in no time at all:
- First you’ll need to make a batch of homemade cranberry sauce, which only takes 15 minutes, but can also easily be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge until you are ready to tackle these meatballs.
- Stir together all the ingredients for the sauce in the slow cooker: cranberry sauce, BBQ sauce, apple cider vinegar, worcestershire, water and cayenne.
- Form your meatballs into balls, then brown them in a skillet. This helps to keep their shape and gives the meatballs additional flavor. You do not need to cook them all the way, just brown them on all sides.
- Add the meatballs to the slow cooker and use a spoon to gently cover them with the BBQ cranberry sauce. Cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 6-7 hours.
- Once meatballs are done cooking, place on warm setting and allow guests to serve themselves or place on a platter/plate with toothpicks. YUM.
Make these meatballs ahead of time
Feel free to make the cranberry sauce ahead of time, and to either shape or shape & brown the meatballs before adding them to your slow cooker the day you want to serve them!
A few notes about these delicious BBQ meatballs
- If you want to serve these meatballs for dinner, they’re perfect for dinner with a side of mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes + green beans or broccoli.
- If you have leftover sauce, I recommend adding it to turkey sandwiches, dipping chicken fingers or sweet potato fries or using on top of meatloaf.
If you make anything from AK, be sure to tag #ambitiouskitchen on Instagram. I love seeing your creations and featuring followers!
P.S. Don’t forget to check out all of our other delicious Thanksgiving recipes here!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Slow Cooker Sweet & Spicy BBQ Cranberry Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
- For the bbq cranberry sauce:
- 1 batch homemade cranberry sauce
- 1 ½ cups spicy bbq sauce (or bbq sauce of choice)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- ⅓ cup water
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne (for a hint of spice, if desired)
- For the meatballs:
- 1 pound 93% lean ground turkey (or ground chicken)
- 1 egg
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ tablespoon fresh ground sage
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- In the bowl of a 5 or 6-quart slow cooker, add the homemade cranberry sauce, bbq sauce, apple cider vinegar, worcestershire sauce, water and cayenne (if using). Stir together until well combined.
- Next make the turkey meatballs: in a large bowl, add the ground turkey, egg, garlic, breadcrumbs, sage, dried thyme, cumin, allspice and salt and pepper. Use clean hands to mix and form into 20 meatballs.
- Place a large deep skillet over medium high heat and add in olive oil. Add meatballs and brown on all sides, using tongs or a fork to gently turn them every few minutes for about 4-5 minutes total. You may need to do this in batches depending on how many meatballs you can fit in your skillet without overcrowding them. When meatballs are done browning, transfer to the bowl of the slow cooker with the cranberry sauce
- Use a small spoon to gently spoon some of the bbq cranberry sauce over meatballs. Cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 6-7 hours. Once ready to serve, turn slow cooker to warm, and allow guests to use toothpicks to serve themselves, or simply place meatballs on a plate and set out. Makes 20 meatballs.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
21 comments
Could I use frozen meatballs and place them in slow cooker with the sauce?
Sure that works just fine!
Any thought on making these in an Instant Pot?
I don’t ususally use an Instant Pot, so sorry!
Hi Monique, I made these today for thanksgiving & they were a hit but I didn’t quite get the hint of cranberry flavor bc the bbq sauce overpowered it. It still taste great but I wanted more of the cranberry flavor to come out. Next time should I maybe cut the bbq sauce in half to 3/4 cup instead of 1 1/2 cup? Thank you!
You can definitely do that if you prefer more of a cranberry flavor. It’s a balance between sweet and tartness that’s for sure. Also next time, I might suggest using a more tart/spicy bbq sauce (some tend to be more sweet than others).
Could I make the meatballs the night before and put them in the crock pot in the morning?
Absolutely!
Hi! These look delicious! Any recommendations if I were try cooking these in an Instapot or should I slow cook over the stove?
Hi! I actually don’t cook with an Instant Pot so I’m not 100% sure what the instructions would be – sorry!
I’m assuming the meatballs can be made ahead of time and frozen? Thinking I will make these today and freeze them. Then make the cranberry sauce on Tuesday. Throw em both in the slow cooker on Thursday?
Yes, absolutely! I’d still recommend browning them quickly on all sides before adding them to your slow cooker (for extra flavor).
The recipe when followed exactly will be a hit! It was with my friends! I used turkey. It had just the perfect combo of sweet and spicy! Perfect! Thank you so much for sharing your recipes!!
I made this recipe for a baby shower last weekend. It took longer than I thought it would take because I tripled the recipe- I thought I’d never get done rolling the tiny meatballs!! LOL. People at the shower raved about the meatballs-they loved them!! We did a sweet-themed party and even though the meatballs were a little sweet (they are really not that sweet-just a tad) they also are a bit spicy and paired well with the cookies, cupcakes, and chocolates. These are definitely a hit to take to parties, just be sure to start earlier if you are doubling or tripling the recipe. I will be making these meatballs for dinner also.
So glad it was worth the time it took and that you guys liked them!
I’ve made this recipe so many times, and not sure I’ve left a comment! This is always a hit for me, just love the festive take on a simple classic! I always use Trader Joe’s ground chicken instead of Turkey, I think it’s a higher % fat so never gives that dryness some poultry meatballs can have. Recipe is definitely a winner!
I’m so glad you love these, Ashley! Great call on the ground chicken–thanks for sharing 🙂
Amazing! Great for bringing to a party. I absolutely love this recipe!
Very rarely do I remember to write a review immediately after making a recipe. However, this one was just SO GOOD. I cannot even deal!!! I can always count on AK to introduce me to combos that I’d never think of myself. Thank you to Monique and AK Team for consistently delivering amazing recipes! You’ve changed my kitchen! 🙂
When does the garlic go in?
Thank you for the catch! Just updated the recipe – the garlic goes in the meatball mixture with the egg, breadcrumbs, etc.