Two magic words in my book: honey bourbon.
I love making honey bourbon chicken, honey bourbon pulled pork, and honey bourbon truffles (that recipe is coming soon too, just in time for Valentine’s Day!) . I’ve also been working on making honey bourbon meatballs, experimenting with different ingredients over the past couple of years, and my last recipe turned out SO delicious that I could not stop eating them.
Slow Cooker Honey Bourbon Meatballs
This is a great recipe to serve at holidays, family gatherings, and to bring to potlucks. You”ll need a 5 or 6-quart slow cooker in order for the meatballs to cook well using the cooking times in my recipe. I love my 6-quart slow cooker. If you have a smaller slow cooker, try increasing the cooking time and be sure to stir the meatballs regularly to ensure they all get an equal chance to soak up some of the lovely honey bourbon sauce.
You can make your own meatballs (I love the Manchego Cheese-Stuffed Meatball recipe), but if you’re in a pinch, as I usually am, this recipe works SO well with pre-packaged meatballs found in the frozen section of your grocery store.
Dinner vs Party
This recipe makes a LOT of meatballs and is meant for large parties and gatherings. If you are making this for your family dinner, you can always freeze a portion for later. I recommend making the entire recipe, and taking half to serve for dinner. Then divide the remaining half into two separate freezer safe containers or ziplock bags. You can freeze those two servings for up to a month. Thaw out in the fridge before reheating.
Dinner Serving Suggestions
If you are making this for dinner for you and your family, here are some serving suggestions:
* Serve over yakisoba noodles with a side of cucumber salad.
* Enjoy over rice with a side of steamed broccoli.
* Include in meatball sandwiches, with traditional slaw fixings.
To serve these Slow Cooker Honey Bourbon Meatballs as a party appetizer, simply put toothpicks in each one and serve on a tray. Then watch them get gobbled up quickly!
Ingredients
- One PARTY SIZE package of frozen Italian-style meatballs about 96 meatballs
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup bourbon use less if you prefer!
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together ketchup, honey, bourbon, brown sugar, and lemon juice.
- Place frozen meatballs in your slow cooker.
- Pour sauce mixture evenly over the meatballs. Stir to coat the meatballs as evenly as possible.
- Cook on high for one hour.
- Check on the meatballs and stir them occasionally, to evenly coat the meatballs with the sauce.
- After one hour, turn down the temperature to low and cook on low for 2 hours.
Melinda says
These look so good! I’ve pinned it so I can pull this recipe out the next time I need to bring an appetizer somewhere!
Melinda recently posted..CD Review: “The Ultimate Laurie Berkner Band Collection” by the Laurie Berkner Band
Toni | BoulderLocavore says
I feel quite convinced there is NO better flavoring for meatballs! These sound fantastic.
Toni | BoulderLocavore recently posted..Cold Cucumber Noodle Salad with Watercress, Mint and Toasted Sesame-Ginger Dressing
Renée says
I am totally with you on Team Honey-Bourbon! These look great – I’m pinning them to my Party Food board. And honestly, thank you for being real and using premade meatballs: prepping for a big gathering is the last place I want to have to spend an hour and a half forming perfect little OCDballs. (Thought you’d appreciate that, Marlynn.)
Renée recently posted..Bird in a {Grilled Cheese} Nest
Pech says
Also on Team honey Bourbon!
Pech recently posted..Bing Mi Food Cart
Emily says
Just visiting from Portland Bloggers. Thanks for sharing!
Emily recently posted..Enjoy the Journey There is No Final Destination
Sarah says
Great idea! Perfect for Super Bowl parties!
Sarah recently posted..One Pot Pasta e Fagioli
Rachel says
OMGOSH! These look AMAZING! I need to try these asap. Thanks for sharing. I am so pumped.
Rachel recently posted..New Year: New Beach Trip (Lincoln City, OR)
Jocelyn @BruCrew Life says
What an absolutely awesome sounding honey sauce for covering meatballs in!!! It would disappear so fast here!
Jocelyn @BruCrew Life recently posted..Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal
Kristi says
omg. This is great! I love meatballs and I love your suggestion to serve with yakisoba noodles.
pam (Sidewalk Shoes) says
I love my 6 quart slow cooker too! I love the idea of serving these over noodles with a cucumber salad – yum!
pam (Sidewalk Shoes) recently posted..Slow Cooker Chicken Chile Burrito Bowls
Kayla Whittington says
So simple! Perfect for so many things!
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Tracy says
Looks delicious! Nice photos too.
Tracy recently posted..Beginner’s Guide to Butternut Squash (with Recipes to Try!)
Kimberly Ann @ Bake Love Give says
These look perfect for lazy Sundays watching football!
Kimberly Ann @ Bake Love Give recently posted..skillet s’mores pudding dip
Susan@LunaCafe says
Honey and bourbon. Together with savory meatballs. Wow, I can taste that from here. I have a slow cooker somewhere and really must locate it. What a lovely and easy dinner dish.
Susan@LunaCafe recently posted..Asian Pantry: Korean Red Pepper Powder & Threads
Kathy kozlowski says
help! I cannot get the recipe for the slow cooker honey bourbon meatballs to load. I have the ingredient. List but what next?
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
Hi Kathy! Sorry about that – it looks like the recipe for this one wasn’t loading properly, so I appreciate you letting me know! Try refreshing the page now and the recipe should come up for you. Thank you!
Marlynn Jayme Schotland recently posted..Food Bliss: Vegan Chocolate Cake That Everyone Will Love!
Bonnie says
Just made this. Simply delicious!