These cranberry BBQ meatballs are a great appetizer or dinner. Learn how to make the sweet and tangy bbq sauce (it’s super easy!) and use your favorite frozen meatballs to complete the dish!
Quick look at cooking meatballs in cranberry bbq sauce…
- Mix cranberry bbq sauce ingredients (not the meatballs yet)…
- Stir regularly while cooking on medium heat, covered with a lid, for ~ 10 minutes…
- Once lightly boiling, turn the burner to medium-low… simmer ~15 minutes…
- Add frozen meatballs and raise the heat to medium… simmer ~25 minutes until done…
New to home cooking?
See the step by step video for beginners at the bottom of the page.
Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make cranberry meatballs…
- 1 lb frozen meatballs
For the cranberry bbq sauce, you’ll need…
- 1 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen
- ½ cup honey
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- ¼ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp garlic salt
- ½ tsp powdered onion
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- fresh chopped parsley, or any herbs for serving (optional)
How to make cranberry bbq meatballs step-by-step
- First, make the cranberry BBQ sauce. Add all cranberry sauce ingredients to a large saucepan on the stove and stir together.
- Set the burner to medium heat and cover it with a lid because cranberries burst as they cook. In about 10 minutes, it will reach a light boil.
- Turn heat down to medium-low and simmer cranberry sauce for 10-15 minutes and stir regularly until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Add frozen meatballs and raise heat to medium. Stir to combine and cover the saucepan with a lid. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 – 25 minutes.
- Remove the cranberry meatballs from the heat when they are done cooking, according to the package.
Cool and serve with fresh chopped herbs if desired.
See how to make smoked meatballs…
FAQs
You can definitely enjoy cranberry sauce meatballs stand alone as is and they are delicious. I also love them as meatball sub.
If you’re feeling adventurous, cook up some pasta noodles and toss the meatballs on top for a unique pasta dish.
I recommend a couple of smoked sides to go with these sweet meatballs. Try my smoked mashed potatoes or smoked baked potatoes.
Yes, you can adapt this recipe for slow cooker cranberry meatballs. Just add the cranberry sauce and meatballs to a slow cooker and cook on low until the meatballs reach 145 degrees F internally.
See how to make meatballs with veggies…
See tasty recipes for holidays
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- Smoked turkey breast
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- Pasta side dishes
- How to make a turkey gravy packet better
- Air fryer turkey legs
- Smoked turkey legs
- Smoked mac and cheese
Are you a foodie, too?
Hey home chefs, hope that answers all your questions about making Cranberry Meatballs on the stove.
I wrote this recipe because frozen meatballs are a freezer-staple in my house.
And because my husband is obsessed with BBQ sauce, like OBSESSED, I gotta change it up seasonally because that’s how you keep life spicy!
Enjoy cooking and chat soon on Instagram / TikTok / YouTube.
– Jenna
Next, browse the Sip Bite Go recipe collection…
Cranberry BBQ Meatballs Recipe | Sip Bite Go
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound meatballs frozen
For the homemade cranberry bbq sauce
- 1 cup cranberries fresh or frozen
- ½ cup honey
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- ¼ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp garlic salt
- ½ tsp powdered onion
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp parsley fresh chopped, optional for serving
Instructions
- First, make the cranberry BBQ sauce. Add all cranberry sauce ingredients to a large saucepan on the stove and stir together.
- Set the burner to medium heat and cover it with a lid because cranberries burst as they cook. In about 10 minutes, it will reach a light boil.
- Turn heat down to medium-low and simmer cranberry sauce for 10-15 minutes and stir regularly until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Add frozen meatballs and raise heat to medium. Stir to combine and cover the saucepan with a lid. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 – 25 minutes.
- Remove the cranberry meatballs from the heat when they are done cooking, according to the package.
- Cool and serve with fresh chopped herbs if desired.
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