These Slow Cooker Honey Bourbon Meatballs are the perfect party appetizer, and also an easy weeknight dinner! Serve with pasta, rice, or a salad to make it a complete meal.
Two magic words: honey bourbon.
The sweetness of honey with the smokiness of bourbon creates such a delicious, tantalizing flavor combination. That was the inspiration for this Slow Cooker Honey Bourbon Meatballs recipe.
We've been making this dish for parties and family dinners for long before this recipe was first published in January 2015. We recently made it again and have updated the photos and added more helpful content to help you make this delicious recipe!
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🌟 What makes these meatballs amazing
Apart from the sweet, smoky deliciousness, here are a few more reasons this recipe rocks:
- Easy to make: I use frozen store-bought meatballs for this recipe so it couldn't be easier. It saves time without sacrificing flavor.
- Fast prep & little hands-on cook time: There's only about 5 minutes of prep work in making the sauce, then the slow cooker does the rest of the work!
- Great for large gatherings: These meatballs are perfect to serve at holidays, family gatherings, and to bring to potlucks! This recipe makes about 40 meatballs.
- Make-ahead dish: You can make these bourbon meatballs up to a day before your party, then simply warm up on the Low setting of your slow cooker before guests arrive. Keep it on the Buffet setting to keep warm during the party.
- Great to freeze and store: If you have leftovers, store them in the freezer for up to 2 months and use them in other dishes later. They go great with mashed potatoes, rice, couscous, polenta, salad greens, and pasta!
🛒 Ingredient notes
For this recipe, you'll need:
- Two 20-ounce packages of frozen meatballs (about 40 meatballs total)
- Ketchup
- Honey
- Bourbon
- Brown sugar
- Worcestershire sauce
- Lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
✅ Step-by-step instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together ketchup, honey, bourbon, brown sugar, and lemon juice.
2. Place frozen meatballs in your slow cooker.
3. Pour sauce mixture evenly over the meatballs and stir.
3. Cook on high for one hour. Stir occasionally to evenly coat the meatballs with the sauce.
4. After one hour, turn down the temperature to low and cook on low for 2 hours.
Full measurements and detailed instructions are below, in the printable recipe card.
🍯 Recipe FAQs
They will keep for up to 2 months in the freezer in an airtight container.
If you have a smaller slow cooker, try increasing the cooking time and be sure to stir the meatballs regularly to ensure they all get an equal chance to soak up some of the lovely honey bourbon sauce.
⏲ Kitchen equipment
Slow cooker - You''ll need a fairly large slow cooker in order for the meatballs to cook well using the cooking times in my recipe. I love my 6-quart slow cooker.
🍽 Serving ideas
These meatballs make a fantastic dinner dish or party appetizer.
For dinner, serve them over Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes or with Instant Pot Garlic Rice. Then add a side of vegetables to round out the meal, such as Grilled Asparagus in Foil, Roasted Garlic Rosemary Carrots, Air Fryer Broccoli, or Mushrooms Marsala.
To serve as appetizers, simply place a toothpick in the center of each one to make it easy for guests to pick up and eat.
Got leftovers? These make delicious meatball subs!
🧆 More meatball recipes
Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you really loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!
Slow Cooker Honey Bourbon Meatballs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 40 frozen meatballs (about 2 20-ounce packages)
- ½ cup ketchup
- ½ cup honey
- ½ cup bourbon use less if you prefer!
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together ketchup, honey, bourbon, brown sugar, and lemon juice.
- Place frozen meatballs in your slow cooker.
- Pour sauce mixture evenly over the meatballs. Stir to coat the meatballs as evenly as possible.
- Cook on high for one hour.
- Check on the meatballs and stir them occasionally, to evenly coat the meatballs with the sauce.
- After one hour, turn down the temperature to low and cook on low for 2 hours.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is a general estimate. Actual nutrition details may vary depending on the exact foods & brands you use to make this recipe. It does not take into account any substitutions, toppings, or optional ingredients.
This post was originally published January 9, 2015. It has since been updated with new photos and helpful new content, and republished on August 29, 2022
gretchen says
How much ,in lbs., should I use to make the meatballs?
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
Hi Gretchen! Looks like you left out the specific ingredient you are asking about, but I'm going to guess you mean how many pounds of meatballs themselves? If so, it's 40 ounces, which is approximately 2.5 pounds. You can use a little more or a little less but aim for 2 to 2.5 pounds of meatballs.
Chris says
can you use homemade meatballs instead of frozen ones?
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
Chris, yes you can use homemade meatballs! You may need to adjust/add cooking time to account for uncooked meatballs, or you can cook the meatballs beforehand and then use them in this recipe.
Nicole Lacey says
We loved these meatballs! They were super easy to throw into the crockpot and let do their thing! We served them with the suggested garlic rosemary roasted carrots and some garlic fried rice! It all went together so perfectly and tasted amazing! Wish I could share the picture! My husband is now wondering what else we could do with the sauce, maybe make the sauce with chicken or pork? Who knows but it was delicious!!
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
So happy to hear you loved it, Nicole! Thank you for sharing!
Lorraine B says
Can I substitute a different alcohol in place of the bourbon?
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
Yes! Whiskey is the best and closest substitute. You can also try to use scotch, rum, or brandy.
Jeanne says
Far better than I thought since I’m not a bourbon fan. I will definitely have them again.
Kimberly Tewes says
Made this for the family and it was a hit! My only set back is I'm 34 weeks pregnant with gestational diabetes and I can't find how many meatballs are considered a serving from your recipe. I'm still new to this gdm as well so any help is appreciated. But I followed the recipe exactly and we all loved it!!!
Jana says
This meatballs are sooo yummy! So glad I found this recipe. It’s now a staple in our house. Everyone who’s tried these have asked for the recipe. .
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
So glad to hear that, Jana! Thank you for sharing! ❤️
Bethany says
Does it matter what type of bourbon?? What brand? Sounds yummy, want to make for my fall party
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
Use any bourbon that you enjoy, since the taste of the bourbon you use will affect the final taste of the meatballs. I've used Buffalo Trace and Bulleit Bourbon, as well as Freeland Spirits Bourbon -- all turned out delicious!
Bethany says
Made them for my Friendsgiving party Saturday!! I used Jim Beam and I made a little extra sauce. They turned out AMAZING! Everyone loved them! This is definitely going to be my new go to recipe! Thank you!
Mel says
This was a huge hit. Previously made BBQ style ones, but this was a winner!
Bonnie says
Just made this. Simply delicious!
Leslie says
These were a big hit at our Kentucky Derby Party! I double the recipe but only used 1/2 cup of bourbon. It was the perfect ratio, you could slightly taste the bourbon without being too over powering!
Bruce says
I used 3/4 cup of bourbon....delicious!!! Mixing had a disgusting smell but the end product was perfection
Sarah says
I added some sriracha sauce for a little more kick--huge party hit!