These Cranberry Meatballs will be the star of your holiday party or potluck! This delicious Cocktail Meatball Recipe is made with homemade meatballs and a sweet and sour meatball sauce that will make your guests beg for more!

One of the most popular recipes here on Mommy Musings is for party meatballs AKA grape jelly meatballs made in the slow cooker. They are ridiculously good and easy to make because the recipe starts with frozen meatballs that you throw in the Crock Pot with a few other ingredients.

Over the years I’ve had people ask me for a cocktail meatball recipe that’s made from scratch. I’m excited to announce that I finally have a delicious homemade sweet and sour meatballs recipe to share that’s going to be a hit at your next potluck or holiday party! Yes, these cranberry meatballs take a little more time to prepare, but the payoff is worth it! Plus, you know exactly what ingredients are going into them, so if you need to make them gluten-free, for example, you can make substitutes as necessary.

Cranberry Meatballs Recipe

Name: Cranberry Cocktail Meatballs
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 45 meatballs
Ingredients: 1 pound ground beef; ½ onion (minced); ¼ cup old fashioned oats (use GF if needed); 2 garlic cloves (minced); 1 egg; ¼ cup parmesan cheese (grated); 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 1 teaspoon salt; ¼ teaspoon pepper; 1 tablespoon dried parsley; 1 can whole berry cranberry sauce; 1 cup orange juice; 1/3 cup honey; ½ cup chili sauce; 1 teaspoon orange zest; Salt and pepper to taste; Optional: a dash of cayenne pepper

Cranberry Meatballs Ingredients:

For the cocktail meatball mixture:

1 pound ground beef
½ onion, minced
¼ cup old fashioned oats
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 egg
¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon dried parsley

For the cocktail meatball sauce:

1 can whole berry cranberry sauce
1 cup orange juice
1/3 cup honey
½ cup chili sauce
1 teaspoon orange zest
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: a dash of cayenne pepper

How to Make Cranberry Meatballs:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.

2. Place oats in a food processor and pulse a few times to break them down a bit.

3. Place all ingredients for the meat mixture in a large bowl. Using clean hands, mix the ingredients – being careful not to overmix as this could result in tougher meatballs.

4. Scoop the meat using a rounded teaspoon. Lightly roll into a ball and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until the meat is cooked through.

5. Prepare the sauce while the meatballs are cooking. In a small saucepan on medium heat, add cranberry sauce, orange juice, honey and chili sauce. Whisk until the sauce starts to break down and becomes a smooth consistency. Sprinkle in salt and pepper to taste and optional dash of cayenne pepper if desired. Add orange zest and stir.

6. Once the meatballs are done cooking, place them in your serving dish and pour the sauce over the top to completely coat them. The sauce will thicken as it cools.

To serve as a party appetizer, pile up meatballs on a large plate or shallow bowl, placing a toothpick in each. I really like these colorful frill toothpicks for parties.

4 from 1 vote

Cranberry Cocktail Meatballs

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Total Time

30 mins

Delicious Cocktail Meatball recipe for potluck or parties.

Servings: 45 meatballs

Author: Stefanie Fauquet

Ingredients

For the meat mixture:

1 pound ground beef
½ onion minced
¼ cup old fashioned oats use GF if needed
2 garlic cloves minced
1 egg
¼ cup parmesan cheese grated
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon dried parsley

For the cranberry sauce:

1 can whole berry cranberry sauce
1 cup orange juice
1/3 cup honey
½ cup chili sauce
1 teaspoon orange zest
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: a dash of cayenne pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.
Place oats in a food processor and pulse a few times to break them down a bit.
Place all ingredients for the meat mixture in a large bowl. Using clean hands, mix the ingredients - being careful not to overmix as this could result in tougher meatballs.
Scoop the meat using a rounded teaspoon. Lightly roll into a ball and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until the meat is cooked through.
Prepare the sauce while the meatballs are cooking. In a small saucepan on medium heat, add cranberry sauce, orange juice, honey and chili sauce. Whisk until the sauce starts to break down and becomes a smooth consistency. Sprinkle in salt and pepper to taste and optional dash of cayenne pepper if desired. Add orange zest and stir.
Once meatballs are done cooking, place them in your serving dish and pour the sauce over the top to completely coat them. The sauce will thicken as it cools.

Recipe Notes

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside. 2. Place oats in a food processor and pulse a few times to break them down a bit. 3. Place all ingredients for the meat mixture in a large bowl. Using clean hands, mix the ingredients - being careful not to overmix as this could result in tougher meatballs. 4. Scoop the meat using a rounded teaspoon. Lightly roll into a ball and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until the meat is cooked through. 5. Prepare the sauce while the meatballs are cooking. In a small saucepan on medium heat, add cranberry sauce, orange juice, honey and chili sauce. Whisk until the sauce starts to break down and becomes a smooth consistency. Sprinkle in salt and pepper to taste and optional dash of cayenne pepper if desired. Add orange zest and stir. 6. Once meatballs are done cooking, place them in your serving dish and pour the sauce over the top to completely coat them. The sauce will thicken as it cools.

How to Freeze Cocktail Meatballs

These Cranberry Meatballs are so good that you might want to double or triple the batch and freeze the leftovers for later. To freeze cocktail meatballs, simply allow the cranberry meatballs to cool upon removing from the oven. On cooled, place them in freezer-safe containers or freezer bags and freeze. When ready to eat – place frozen cocktail meatballs on a baking sheet in a 350-degree oven for 10 minutes or until heated through.

How to Make Cranberry Meatballs in the Crockpot

This cocktail meatball recipe can be modified to be made in the Crockpot or Slow Cooker. You will need to prepare and bake the meatballs as directed in the recipe, and then add the sauce ingredients in the Crockpot until heated. Then add the cooked meatballs to the sweet and sour sauce and let simmer on high for 1-2 hours. Set to low until ready to serve. Alternatively, you could use frozen meatballs and place all ingredients in the Crockpot.