That’s a spicy meatball!
I have a love-hate relationship with Buffalo wings. I love the hot, zesty, buttery sauce – but I hate the hassle of making them. Baking the wings is a little less trouble than deep-frying them, but you still have to dip them all in the sauce one by one to make sure they get completely coated.
And the trouble doesn’t stop when you eat them. You go through dozens of napkins getting all that sauce off your fingers…and you’re left with a big pile of bones to deal with.
So I keep trying to come up with appetizers that have that delicious Buffalo flavor, but are easier to enjoy as finger foods. I invented Easy Buffalo Chicken Wraps that you can eat with one hand, and Buffalo Tater Tot Bites that you can serve up on toothpicks. And now my latest twist on Buffalo wings is…Buffalo meatballs!
These Honey Buffalo Crockpot Meatballs are made in the slow cooker, my very favorite kitchen appliance. And to make them extra simple, I started with frozen, ready-made meatballs. So all you have to do is load them in the crock and pour on the sauce.
I tinkered with the sauce a little, too, to make it work better in the slow cooker. Adding honey, apricot preserves, and mustard makes it thicker, so it coats the meatballs instead of just sliding off them. And the combination of sweet and spicy flavors stands up better to the heartier taste of the beef.
You can start these about four hours before your next big gathering, and by the time all your guests arrive, they’ll be ready to serve. Piping hot, spicy, and delicious…with no mess.
Honey Buffalo Crockpot Meatballs
(printable recipe at bottom of post)
INGREDIENTS
2 lbs frozen meatballs
1/4 cup apricot preserves
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup Franks Hot Sauce (or your favorite brand of hot sauce)
1/2 teaspoon mustard
optional chopped parsley for garnish
- Place meatballs into a 3-4 quart crockpot. In a small bowl, mix together preserve, honey, hot and mustard. Pour over meatballs.
- Stir to coat all meatballs evenly. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
- TIP: If your crockpot has a warm setting, you can serve your meatballs right out of the crockpot, keeping them warm during your gathering.
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Honey Buffalo Crockpot Meatballs
Ingredients
- 2 lbs frozen meatballs
- 1/4 cup apricot preserves
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup Franks Hot Sauce or your favorite brand of hot sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard
- optional chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Place meatballs into a 3-4 quart crockpot. In a small bowl, mix together preserve, honey, hot and mustard. Pour over meatballs.
- Stir to coat all meatballs evenly. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
- TIP: If your crockpot has a warm setting, you can serve your meatballs right out of the crockpot, keeping them warm during your gathering.
Recipe Notes:
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Nutrition Information:
Nutrition Disclaimer
Family Fresh Meals is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
Joely Swenson says
Do you use chicken meatballs or regular beef ones?
Corey says
Any of your favorite meatballs will work great! Chicken, pork or beef 🙂
Heather says
I added some dry ranch seasoning to the sauce just to add a little more flavor. Thank you for the recipe. Serving for a church party.
Mary St Onge says
Do you use Dijon mustard or regular frenches yellow type? Anxious to try thanks!
Corey says
I use regular yellow mustard 🙂
Melanie says
How would you make these if you used fresh meatballs?
Corey says
Melanie, are your fresh meatballs already browned and cooked?
Melanie says
I haven’t made them yet. I’m looking for a recipe to make for my stepdad’s 60th and would prefer fresh meatballs (slightly cheaper). They would be browned, but probably not thoroughly cooked.
Melanie says
Also, do you think they would taste as good with Dijon mustard?
LL says
I used Trader Joe’s frozen flame-broiled turkey meatballs and they were SO disgusting. It’s not this recipe, it absolutely was the meatballs. Don’t ever use those! It’s dog food.
Jennifer says
I made these yesterday & they were great. Thank you!
Corey says
So happy you loved them Jennifer!
ALISON HEERY says
THEse sounded delicious but I was worried because I was using vegetarian meatball. they came great!! My guests and I were pleased with them!!
Regina says
Could you use something besides apricot preserves
Doreen Post says
I usually don’t leave reviews but I just had to on this. I have made these meatballs now for at least 4 parties and planning on making them for a friend’s giving we are doing in a couple weeks by request. They are the first thing to disapear. They are very good and everyone loves them. I usually have to double the meatballs to have enough to take but I also triple the rest of the ingredients for the sauce just because I feel like they need more but I don’t change anything else. They are awesome. Thank you for sharing them!!
Corey says
So happy you love the recipe so much Doreen!
Marcie Y says
Do you use regular sized meatballs or appetizer size?Looks great!!!
Corey says
I used regular sized meatballs 🙂