This Grape Jelly with Chili Sauce Meatball Appetizer is a must-have classic at any event. Simple to make and always a huge hit. It’s the perfect finger food for holidays, game days, and parties.
Grape Jelly with Chili Sauce Meatballs
My mother-in-law makes these incredibly delicious meatballs every year. I finally asked her to give me the recipe and made them for company last night. They are so simple to make.
What I love about this recipe:
- This is an appetizer that requires very little time and is always a big hit
- They are done in 20 minutes
- These meatballs are still delicious the next day
Variations:
You’ve probably had one variation or another of this classic meatball recipe. I’ve seen grape jelly meatballs mixed with barbecue sauce, and tomato sauce, in a slow cooker, in the oven, on the stovetop, and more. This particular recipe mixes grape jelly with chili sauce creating sweet meatballs that you can’t get enough of.
I cooked these meatballs for 20 minutes on the stovetop for a quick and simple recipe, but you can easily throw everything into a slow cooker and cook it on low until the meat is cooked through (for about 3 hours).
What Can I Substitute for Grape Jelly?
- If you can’t find the grape jelly, use another flavor of jelly-like raspberry, blackberry, strawberry, blueberry or cherry would all be great flavors to use
Can I substitute Jam for Jelly?
- Absolutely. The only difference between jam and jelly is that the skins are cooked down with the fruit in the jam. The skins will not impact the flavor or texture of your meatball.
Can I Cook Grape Jelly Meatballs in the Slow Cooker?
- Yes. Grape Jelly Meatballs that are cooked on the stove typically take about 20 minutes over med./high heat to cook through. You can place all ingredients into a slow cooker – making sure the sauce covers most of the meatballs and place on low for about 3 hours to cook through.
What Goes Well with Grape Jelly Meatballs? Other finger foods, like:
- Cocktail Bread Appetizers
- Easy Slow Cooker Little Smokies
- Hidden Valley Ranch Pinwheels
- Dijon Deviled Eggs
How do you make Grape Jelly Meatballs with Chili Sauce?
- Using a large bowl, mix ground meat, egg, onion, and crushed saltines together
- In a medium saucepan mix the grape jelly and chili sauce together
- Heat the sauce over medium/high heat until boiling
- Reduce heat to simmer
- Roll the meat mixture into balls about 1 inch wide, and place them in the sauce
- Cook – simmering for about 20 minutes
- Serve on a platter with toothpicks
- Spoon extra sauce over meatballs
Grape Jelly with Chili Sauce Meatball Appetizer
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground round
- 1 large egg
- 1 medium sweet onion
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 10 saltines crumbled
- salt and pepper – a few shakes of each
- 1 12 oz. chili sauce
- 10 oz. grape jelly
Instructions
- Using a large bowl, mix ground meat, egg, onion, and crushed saltines together
- In a medium saucepan mix the grape jelly and chili sauce together
- Heat the sauce over medium/high heat until boiling
- Reduce heat to simmer
- Roll the meat mixture into balls about 1 inch wide, and place them in the sauce
- Cook – simmering for about 20 minutes
- Serve on platter with toothpicks
- Spoon extra sauce over meatballs
Notes
- * You can make these a couple of days ahead of time, and refrigerate them in a sealed container. Just reheat in saucepan with sauce until warmed through
- Cook in slow cooker with sauce around meatballs on low for about 3 hours – or until cooked through
Nutrition
~ Melissa – KidFriendlyThingsToDo.com
