These Slow Cooker Honey Bourbon Meatballs are the perfect party appetizer, and also an simple weeknight dinner! Serve with pasta, rice, or a salad to make it a complete meal.
Two magic words: honey bourbon.
The sweetness of honey with the smokiness of bourbon creates such a tasty, tantalizing flavor combination. That was the inspiration for this Slow Cooker Honey Bourbon Meatballs recipe.
We've been making this dish for parties and family dinners for long before this recipe was first published in January 2015. We recently made it again and have updated the photos and added more helpful content to help you make this tasty recipe!
[feast_advanced_jump_to]🌟 What makes these meatballs amazing
Apart from the sweet, smoky deliciousness, here are a few more reasons this recipe rocks:
- Simple to make: We use frozen store-bought meatballs for this recipe so it couldn't be easier. It saves time without sacrificing flavor.
- Fast prep & little hands-on cook time: There's only about 5 minutes of prep work in making the sauce, then the slow cooker does the rest of the work!
- Great for large gatherings: These meatballs are perfect to serve at holidays, family gatherings, and to bring to potlucks! This recipe makes about 40 meatballs.
- Make-ahead dish: You can make these bourbon meatballs up to a day before your party, then simply warm up on the Low setting of your slow cooker before guests arrive. Keep it on the Buffet setting to keep warm during the party.
- Great to freeze and store: If you have leftovers, store them in the freezer for up to 2 months and use them in other dishes later. They go great with mashed potatoes, rice, couscous, polenta, salad greens, and pasta!
🛒 Ingredient notes
For this recipe, you'll need:
- Two 20-ounce packages of frozen meatballs (about 40 meatballs total)
- Ketchup
- Honey
- Bourbon
- Brown sugar
- Worcestershire sauce
- Lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
✅ Step-by-step instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together ketchup, honey, bourbon, brown sugar, and lemon juice.
2. Place frozen meatballs in your slow cooker.
3. Pour sauce mixture evenly over the meatballs and stir.
3. Cook on high for one hour. Stir occasionally to evenly coat the meatballs with the sauce.
4. After one hour, turn down the temperature to low and cook on low for 2 hours.
Full measurements and detailed instructions are below, in the printable recipe card.
🍯 Recipe FAQs
They will keep for up to 2 months in the freezer in an airtight container.
Can We make these meatballs in a smaller 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.
⏲ Kitchen equipment
Slow cooker – You"ll need a fairly large slow cooker in order for the meatballs to cook well using the cooking times in the recipe. We love the 6-quart slow cooker.
🍽 Serving ideas
These meatballs make a fantastic dinner dish or party appetizer.
For dinner, serve them over Pressure-cooker Garlic Mashed Potatoes or with Pressure-cooker Garlic Rice. Then add a side of vegetables to round out the meal, such as Grilled Asparagus in Foil, Roasted Garlic Rosemary Carrots, Air Fryer Broccoli, or Mushrooms Marsala.
To serve as appetizers, simply place a toothpick in the center of each one to make it simple for guests to pick up and eat.
Got leftovers? These make tasty meatball subs!
🧆 More meatball recipes
- Meatballs with Romesco Sauce
- Cranberry Meatballs Recipe
- Slow Cooker Meatball Soup Recipe
- Pressure-cooker Swedish Meatballs with Pasta (Dairy-Free)
Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you truly loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!
Slow Cooker Honey Bourbon Meatballs
By Marlynn Schotland Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 3 hrs Total Time: 3 hrs 10 mins Servings: 40 meatballs
These slow cooker meatballs are simple to make, and tasty as party appetizers or family dinner!
Equipment
- 1 Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 40 frozen meatballs (about 2 20-ounce packages)
- ½ cup ketchup
- ½ cup honey
- ½ cup bourbon, use less if you prefer!
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black 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
Bourbon: a half cup creates a rich bourbon flavor to these meatballs. If you prefer less of a bourbon flavor, you can use a 1/4 cup bourbon instead. Party ready: If your slow cooker has a Buffet setting as mine does, you can keep it on this setting throughout your party to keep the meatballs warm. Storage: allow the meatballs to cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to two months.Nutrition
Calories: 51 kcal, Carbohydrates: 3 g, Protein: 2 g, Fat: 3 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 10 mg, Sodium: 21 mg, Potassium: 49 mg, Fiber: 0.01 g, Sugar: 3 g, Vitamin A: 7 IU, Vitamin C: 0.2 mg, Calcium: 3 mg, Iron: 0.1 mgNutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was originally published January 9, 2015. It has since been updated with new photos and helpful new content, and republished on August 29, 2022