How to cook frozen meatballs in Crockpot recipe is here. Comes out tender and delicious with your favorite choice of sauce like barbecue sauce or spaghetti. Like our pressure cooker frozen meatballs, but cooked slow, this is a really cheap appetizer or dinner idea over pasta we love.
I am all about easy meals so these frozen meatballs in Crockpot are great for busy days we have often. Throwing a party? These are my go to appetizers too! Easy Crockpot recipes rock. (affiliate links present)
Crockpot Frozen Meatball Recipe
You can use your favorite sauce, but spaghetti sauce, teriyaki, or BBQ are the easiest. Cooking frozen meat isn’t as hard as you might think, this is a game changer y’all. You literally throw it all in there, using frozen, plop the top on and walk away. In 6 hours they’re done to perfection and ready to enjoy.
I have done this time and time again to bring to a potluck. You can mix and match with the popular chili sauce and grape jelly mixture, bbq sauce or use a bottle of Ragu pasta sauce like you see here!! If hosting a party make all 3 for lots of choices. 😉
Table of Contents
Let’s talk a little bit about slow cooking shall we?? First off I have a few different varieties and I love them all. Each one has an occasion to be used like….
- This is my favorite 6 quart programmable one with a locking lid so it’s great for bringing to a potluck too.
- I prefer not to use liners, but rather just spray olive oil inside before adding my food for easier cleanups.
Let me give you a peek of my pretty thang I bought recently. It goes with my kitchen so I can just leave it out on the countertop all the time. 😉
I always have a few bags of these in my freezer. They are inexpensive and SO versatile. Whether you’re making Crockpot spaghetti and meatballs, or just want to cook butter noodles on the side, it’s our go to meal.
Nope, no reason for that. The ones you see here in the bag are cooked and them frozen. It’s not like you have the risk of raw pork or beef in your slow cooker this way. Just throw them in rock hard (precooked) and cook.
6 hours is the magic number. You can leave in for 8 as well and they’ll be just fine, less than that though and they won’t be as tender as you want.
Yep, we’re here to show you how in your Crockpot. If you want to cook frozen meatballs in a pressure cooker you can do that too in a fraction of the time. Both turn out great and all you need is your favorite sauce or a bit of water to get it done.
Choose any brand you want, I just grab what is on sale. Then you can make all sorts of Crockpot appetizer meatballs with your favorite sauce(s).
What are the best frozen meatballs?
Nature’s Promise is quite popular, I buy Johnsonville quite often, and Amy’s meatless version is a good vegetarian option. If you prefer chicken or turkey I have seen those as well, depends on your preference.
Why We Love Crockpot Frozen Meatballs
Why do I love this? Because it’s a cheap easy Crockpot meal for sure. The first time I made this, seen here, it was an experiment. I dumped in one bag with a jar of spaghetti sauce and turned it on low. At hour 4 I checked, but it wasn’t quite there. Left alone for a few more hours and at hour 6 it was perfect. I left them on warm for another hour until dinnertime and paired them with butter egg noodles, our fave.
Frozen Meatballs in Crockpot with Spaghetti Sauce
- Bag of frozen meatballs (could use 2)
- At least 16 oz. jar of pasta sauce
What sauce can you cook meatballs in?
- You can use the sauce from our Instant Pot Swedish Meatballs recipe if you like those flavors.
- Use 16 oz. of teriyaki sauce with a sprinkle of sesame seeds on top when done. Perfect appetizer.
- Sweet Baby Ray barbecue sauce is an easy recipe
- Whisk together a jar of grape jelly + chili sauce and pour that on top for Crockpot grape jelly meatballs.
This is a quick step by step but there’s also a printable version in the recipe card below. Then have long toothpicks available next to your meatballs and sauce if people are snacking all day long.
Directions
Time needed: 6 hours
Crockpot Frozen Meatballs
- Add ingredients
Pour frozen meatballs in slow cooker. Add your jar of spaghetti sauce, bbq sauce, or other sauce over the top so they’re all coated.
- Cook on Low
Put lid on and set to slow cook on low for 6 hours to get really tender. Could push it to 8 hours. If serving to a crowd, turn to warm after 8 hours. I wouldn’t recommend to cook on high but if you’re in a hurry you could. 4 hours on high should be sufficient.
How long to cook frozen meatballs in Crockpot
If you have a signature sauce you love, use that of course. It is a great recipe that’s really versatile depending on your tastebuds. I highly recommend low and slow because rushing things defeats the purpose. They will be defrosted and pretty tender at hour 4 or so but 6 hours is better to soak up the sauce and become more flavorful.
If you want to make a batch of homemade basic meatballs without breadcrumbs you can do that too. You’ll need to bake them beforehand, then add them with sauce and keep on low for just a few hours to warm.
Since you aren’t cooking them in this case, there’s less slow cooker cook time but a lot more prep. For a super FAST way to go, follow our frozen meatballs in air fryer directions.
What pairs well with meatballs?
- If you’re having a party, another appetizer can be sliders using our Crockpot frozen chuck roast recipe.
- Our go to is pasta, there are tons of choices when it comes to that.
- You can throw them inside Instant Pot spaghetti if you would rather serve them separately.
- Serve some air fryer corn on the cob next to it, or opt for slow cooker mashed potatoes.
Looking for other party pleasing dishes? I’d try our Crockpot baked beans! Made with bacon and brown sugar, it is savory and sweet all at the same time. Throwing a Christmas brunch? Make a pot of our slow cooker cheesy potatoes with pull apart smoked bread too.
We can help you right here below. Print it out and keep handy or just come back and visit us every time you want to make a batch.
Frozen Meatballs in Crockopot
Equipment
- 1 slow cooker
Ingredients
- 1-2 bag meatballs, frozen (I used 1 bag of 28 but could use 2 bags of small meatballs)
- 1 jar spaghetti sauce, 15.5 oz at least, or bbq sauce, or half grape jelly and half chili sauce
Instructions
- Pour frozen meatballs in slow cooker.
- Pour jar of spaghetti sauce over the top so they're all coated. You could alternatively use 16 oz. of bbq sauce if you prefer.
- Put lid on and set to low for at least 6 hours to get really tender, could push it to 8. If serving to a crowd, turn to warm after 8 max hours on low.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thank you so much for your help. I’m sorta new at cooking. Lol, I definitely will be looking out for more of your advice.
Glad I could help
Easy!!
My mom has been looking for more crockpot ideas since it’s so hot so hot out! I’m going to send her this one!
Yay!
My family’s ‘go-to’ party pleaser has long been the chili sauce/jelly cocktail meatballs. Everyone ALWAYS raves over them and I’ve been fine with allowing folks to think I slaved over them. I have experimented with different jelly flavors, I add a dash of red cooking wine or a dash of Worcestershire and alway add a small can of pineapple tidbits WITH their juice. Last night I tossed 2 bags of frozen meatballs and just the chili sauce into the crock pot and put it on low, meaning to add jelly etc after folding a load of laundry. Its 14 hours later now!! I forgot ALL about them. Are they still good???