Sweet and Sour Crock Pot Meatballs (Printable Version)

Tender meatballs in a tangy peach-apricot sweet and sour sauce, slowly simmered to perfection in your crock pot.

# What You'll Need:

→ Meatballs

01 - 2 pounds frozen fully cooked meatballs

→ Sauce

02 - 1 cup peach or apricot preserves
03 - 1/2 cup ketchup
04 - 2 tablespoons soy sauce
05 - 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
06 - 1 tablespoon brown sugar
07 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder
08 - 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
09 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

→ Optional Garnish

10 - 2 green onions, thinly sliced
11 - 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

# Directions:

01 - In a medium bowl, whisk together peach or apricot preserves, ketchup, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, garlic powder, ground ginger, and black pepper until smooth and fully combined.
02 - Place frozen meatballs in a 4 to 6 quart slow cooker and pour prepared sauce over them.
03 - Gently toss meatballs to coat evenly with sauce, ensuring all pieces are covered.
04 - Cover and cook on LOW setting for 3 to 4 hours or on HIGH setting for 1.5 to 2 hours, until meatballs are heated through and sauce is bubbly.
05 - Stir gently before serving. Garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds if desired. Serve warm as an appetizer with toothpicks or over rice as a main course.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The fruit preserves create a sticky glaze that rivals any professional catering kitchen.
  • It takes exactly five minutes of effort before the slow cooker does all the heavy lifting.
02 -
  • Thicker preserves might need a vigorous whisking to fully integrate with the vinegar and soy sauce.
  • Keeping the lid closed is vital for maintaining the moisture levels needed to steam the meatballs through.
03 -
  • Use a slow cooker liner to make the cleanup of the sticky sugar much faster.
  • Stir the meatballs once halfway through the cooking time to ensure every piece is perfectly coated.
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