Description
This Buffalo Meatball Crockpot Recipe features tender, flavorful meatballs baked to brown perfection and then slow-cooked in a sweet and spicy honey buffalo sauce glaze. Perfect as an appetizer or main dish, these meatballs deliver a delicious balance of heat and sweetness that's customizable to your taste.
Ingredients
Scale
Meatballs
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup crushed saltine crackers (approx. 22 crackers)
- 1/3 cup dried minced onion
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Honey Buffalo Sauce
- 1/4 cup Frank’s Red Hot Original Sauce, plus more to taste
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 cup apricot preserves
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and set aside for easy cleanup.
- Prepare Meatballs: In a large bowl, whisk the eggs gently. Add all remaining meatball ingredients and mix until well combined. Roll the mixture into your desired meatball size, ideally uniform for even cooking. Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake Meatballs: Bake the meatballs in the preheated oven for 8 minutes or until they are lightly browned. This step helps seal in juices and improves texture.
- Make Honey Buffalo Sauce: While the meatballs bake, combine all honey buffalo sauce ingredients in a medium bowl. Whisk well, initially using only 1/4 cup of hot sauce. Additional hot sauce can be added later for extra heat.
- Layer Meatballs and Sauce: Line the bottom of your slow cooker with a layer of meatballs, drizzle some honey buffalo sauce over them, then add the remaining meatballs followed by the remaining sauce.
- Slow Cook: Cover and cook on low heat for 2 to 4 hours, gently stirring every hour to coat the meatballs evenly and prevent sticking.
- Adjust Heat & Serve: At the end of cooking, taste and stir in more hot sauce if desired (about 1 1/2 tablespoons is suggested for spice). Keep the meatballs warm until serving.
Notes
- Watch the recipe video for step-by-step instructions.
- Doubling the sauce is recommended for those who want saucier meatballs or serve as a main dish.
- Use a crockpot liner for easy cleanup.
- Ritz crackers can substitute for saltines if preferred.
- Use a cookie scoop for uniformly sized meatballs to ensure even cooking.
- Make smaller meatballs for appetizers and larger ones for dinner servings.
- This recipe yields approx. 70 meatballs with a 1-inch scoop; about 35 meatballs with a 2-inch scoop.
- Always brown meatballs in the oven before slow cooking to seal juices and keep them intact.
- Cook time may vary by meatball size and crockpot model—test tenderness after 2 hours.
- Slow cooker meatballs can be prepared ahead, cooled, refrigerated, and cooked later with an additional 30 minutes of cook time.
- You can freeze meatballs before or after cooking; thaw and reheat as recommended.
- If frozen before cooking, bake meatballs first, freeze individually, then thaw and cook in slow cooker as instructed.
- For frozen cooked meatballs, gently simmer in sauce on stovetop or warm in crockpot.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 meatballs
- Calories: 250 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 450 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 18 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
