Cranberry Sauce Meatballs

We make our cranberry sauce meatballs with chili sauce to create a robust combination of savory, sweet, and spicy flavors. They taste fantastic when served solo as an appetizer or side dish, or you can turn them into a meal by spooning the meatballs with cranberry sauce over a bed of rice. And this recipe can be made with leftover cranberry sauce,  making it a great option if you’re seeking new ideas for Thanksgiving leftovers.

If you’re planning for a potluck or need to feed a crowd, check out our tip below for how to make this meatball recipe in the slow cooker. That way, you can simply assemble the ingredients and step away until the dish is done.

Ingredients for Cranberry Sauce Meatballs

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• Meatballs: For convenience, this dish calls for frozen, fully-cooked meatballs. If you’d rather make them from scratch, whip up your favorite meatball recipes and freeze the extras for future use.
• Cranberry sauce: We recommend using jellied cranberry sauce to create a smooth sauce that coats the meatballs like a glaze. That said, you can also buy or make your own chunky cranberry sauce.
• Chili sauce: We love combining cranberry and chili sauce to create a sweet, spicy sauce for meatballs. You should be able to find chili sauce in the condiment aisle at the grocery store. If you can’t find it, swap in ketchup spiked with chili powder.
• Brown sugar: The molasses in brown sugar gives the meatball sauce a greater depth of flavor and moisture. If you already find this sauce sweet enough, feel free to leave it out.
• Chili powder: This spice is made from a blend of chiles, herbs and spices, so each chili powder brand can have a slightly different flavor. If you want something really smoky, swap in chipotle powder.
• Cumin: Cumin adds a hint of warm, earthy flavor to savory dishes.
• Cayenne pepper: You can skip the cayenne if you prefer mild flavors, but it’s a great addition for those who like a little heat.

Directions

Step 1: Make the sauce

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In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the cranberry sauce, chili sauce, brown sugar, chili powder, cumin and cayenne pepper. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.

Step 2: Simmer the meatballs

Melissa Patterson for Taste of Home

Add the thawed meatballs. Cook until heated through, 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Melissa Patterson for Taste of Home

How to Make Cranberry Sauce Meatballs in a Slow Cooker

To make cranberry sauce meatballs in a slow cooker, heat the sauce ingredients as directed. Place the sauce and meatballs in a 4-quart slow cooker. Cover the slow cooker, and cook on low until heated through, two to three hours.

Recipe Variations

• Use another fruit flavor: Swap in your favorite jam or jelly for the cranberry sauce to create a fun spin, like grape jelly and chili sauce meatballs.
• Add herbs and spices: While this recipe is plenty flavorful on its own, you can layer in extra flavor with herbs and spice blends. For example, fresh rosemary, thyme, cinnamon or even curry powder would all pair well here.

How to Store Cranberry Sauce Meatballs

To store leftovers, allow the meatballs and cranberry sauce to cool slightly. Then, transfer them to an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for up to four days. To reheat, simply place the meatballs and sauce in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the meatballs reach an internal temperature of 165°F.

Can you freeze cranberry sauce meatballs?

You can freeze cranberry sauce meatballs for up to three months. Let the meatballs cool completely, then place them in a freezer-safe container. When ready to enjoy, transfer the container to the fridge and allow the meatballs to thaw overnight.

Cranberry Sauce Meatballs Tips

Melissa Patterson for Taste of Home

How do you make jarred cranberry sauce better?

You can spruce up cranberry recipes in a variety of ways, but we always like adding orange zest to the mix. Or, if your cranberry sauce is too sweet, you can add a dash of apple cider vinegar to balance the flavors.

Can you make cranberry sauce meatballs with homemade meatballs?

You can definitely use homemade meatballs in this recipe, but you’ll want to avoid a few common meatball-making mistakes. First, meatballs should always include ingredients like eggs, bread crumbs and milk to bind the mixture together and add moisture. Also, make sure you don’t overmix the meat, which will cause the meatballs to become tough instead of tender.

Do you have to cook meatballs before adding them to this cranberry and chili sauce?

We recommend cooking the meatballs before adding them to the cranberry and chili sauce to make sure they’re cooked through. That said, some recipes poach meatballs directly in the sauce, which produces super tender results. You can also brown the meatballs first to give them a caramelized exterior by pan-searing or baking them in the oven. So, as you can see, it just depends on your preferences.