Description
These Cranberry Meatballs are sweet, savory, tangy, and irresistibly delicious—perfect for holiday parties, Christmas dinners, potlucks, and easy weeknight meals. Tender meatballs simmer in a glossy cranberry–BBQ sauce that’s crowd-pleasing, festive, and incredibly simple to make!
Ingredients
Scale
-
- For the Meatballs:
- 1 1/2 lbs ground beef (or a mix of beef and pork)
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- For the Cranberry Sauce:
- 1 can (14 oz) whole berry cranberry sauce
- 1 cup barbecue sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar (optional, for extra sweetness)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, combine ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce.
- Mix until just combined, then roll into 1-inch meatballs.
- Arrange meatballs on the baking sheet and bake for 15–18 minutes, or until browned and cooked through.
- Meanwhile, whisk cranberry sauce, barbecue sauce, brown sugar, and apple cider vinegar in a large saucepan.
- Heat the sauce over medium heat until smooth and bubbling.
- Add the cooked meatballs to the sauce, stirring gently to coat.
- Simmer on low for 10 minutes to allow flavors to meld.
- Serve warm as an appetizer, over rice, or alongside holiday dishes!
Notes
For convenience, you can use frozen fully cooked meatballs—simply heat them in the sauce until warmed through. Adjust sweetness by adding more or less brown sugar. Keep warm in a slow cooker for parties. Garnish with parsley or orange zest for a festive touch.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 meatball
- Calories: 70
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 120mg
- Fat: 4g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 5g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 15mg
Keywords: cranberry meatballs, holiday appetizers, Christmas meatballs, sweet and tangy meatballs, party food, slow cooker meatballs