These Slow Cooker Honey Bourbon Meatballs are the perfect party appetizer, and also an easy weeknight dinner! Serve with pasta, rice, or a salad to make it a complete meal.
Two magic words: honey bourbon.
I love making honey bourbon chicken wings, honey bourbon pulled pork, and honey bourbon truffles. The sweetness of honey with the smokiness of bourbon creates such a delicious, tantalizing flavor combination. It’s an amazing flavor combo for so many sweet and savory recipes!
This recipe for Slow Cooker Honey Bourbon Meatballs is one I have made over and over for several years. It’s an easy recipe that’s perfect to serve at holidays, family gatherings, and to bring to potlucks!
What you need to make slow cooker honey bourbon meatballs
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.
“Super tasty – went over really well at my party!”
-Reader nattyjo
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.
How to serve meatballs as a meal
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.
Serve these meatballs over:
- rice
- couscous (as seen in the photo above)
- polenta
- salad greens
- pasta
“These were a big hit at our Kentucky Derby Party! I double the recipe but only used 1/2 cup of bourbon. It was the perfect ratio; you could slightly taste the bourbon without being too over-powering!”
-Reader leslie
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.
How to serve meatballs as a party appetizer
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!
You can keep extra meatballs heated in a slow cooker on the countertop and replenish the tray as needed.
“Made it for a New Years party. Went over very well. Doubled the recipe and only brought a handful home.”
-Reader richard
More Party Appetizer recipes
- Slow Cooker Cranberry Meatballs
- Meatballs with Romesco Sauce
- Dairy-Free Spinach Dip
- 15-Minute Restaurant Style Salsa
These are my tried and true kitchen essentials. These are the best kitchen tools I personally use in my homecooking! From my favorite cooking tools to baking tools, the best small appliances for homecooks, and more, this kitchen essentials checklist will help you master most recipes in your home kitchen!
Best Instant Pot
I have and use this 8-quart Instant Pot Duo a few times a week. Be sure to check out my Instant Pot Recipes!
Best Blender
This Vitamix is one of the more affordable Vitamix blenders, and it gets the job done! I use this blender almost every day, for smoothies, soups, sauces, and so much more!
Best Stand Mixer
This 5-quart KitchenAid Stand Mixer is a workhorse in my kitchen! I use it almost every day for everything from cookies to pizza dough to icing. I use mine so much, I have two: one in a limited edition Ocean Drive color, and one in white.
Best Slow Cooker
I've had this Ninja 3-in-1 Cooking System for years, and it's amazing! I love using it mainly as a slow cooker. I also love to use it to keep food warm for parties. Cleans up easily too!
Daterra Cucina Cookware
Daterra Cucina is a Portland, Oregon-based family business that makes my favorite everyday cooking pans! They are professional grade, ceramic, non-stick, non-toxic pans that cook food BEAUTIFULLY and are super easy to clean. I love them and know you will, too!
Best Air Fryer: Rack Style
This is my newest air fryer. I love my basket style air fryer, but also needed to do recipe testing with a rack style air fryer since so many of you now use this style. The InstantPot Vortex Plus is a 7-in-1 workhorse that serves as an Air Fryer, Toaster Oven, and Rotisserie Oven, which allows it to Air Fry, Rotisserie, Roast, Broil, Bake, Reheat, and Dehydrate. The 10-quart capacity means you can air fry A LOT OF FOOD in one batch! Versus making several batches in the 5-6 Quart basket style air fryers.
Best Air Fryer: Basket Style
It took me a while to develop air fryer recipes that my whole family loved. During our kitchen remodel, I learned how to create delicious dishes using our GoWise Air Fryer, and now I love it! This 5.8 Quart, 8-in-1, XL Air Fryer is perfect size for families with 3+ people.
Slow Cooker Honey Bourbon Meatballs Recipe
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.
Notes
PIN IT:
This post was originally published January 9, 2015. It has since been updated with new photos and helpful new content.
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!
I feel quite convinced there is NO better flavoring for meatballs! These sound fantastic.
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.)
Also on Team honey Bourbon!
Just visiting from Portland Bloggers. Thanks for sharing!
Great idea! Perfect for Super Bowl parties!
Looks delicious! Nice photos too.
OMGOSH! These look AMAZING! I need to try these asap. Thanks for sharing. I am so pumped.
What an absolutely awesome sounding honey sauce for covering meatballs in!!! It would disappear so fast here!
omg. This is great! I love meatballs and I love your suggestion to serve with yakisoba noodles.
I love my 6 quart slow cooker too! I love the idea of serving these over noodles with a cucumber salad – yum!
So simple! Perfect for so many things!
These are perfect for lazy Sundays watching football!
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.
help! I cannot get the recipe for the slow cooker honey bourbon meatballs to load. I have the ingredient. List but what next?
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!
I added some sriracha sauce for a little more kick–huge party hit!
I used 3/4 cup of bourbon….delicious!!! Mixing had a disgusting smell but the end product was perfection
These were a big hit at our Kentucky Derby Party! I double the recipe but only used 1/2 cup of bourbon. It was the perfect ratio, you could slightly taste the bourbon without being too over powering!
Just made this. Simply delicious!
This was a huge hit. Previously made BBQ style ones, but this was a winner!
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