These Easy 3 Ingredient Sweet & Spicy Meatballs are tossed in the slow cooker for a few hours and then make a perfect appetizer for your Thanksgiving celebration at home, at work, at school, with family or friends!
3 Ingredient Sweet & Spicy Meatballs. You need these in your life.

For as long as I can remember, every time I go to a local party, church event, reception, family get-together, etc. that requires appetizers, somebody... maybe more than one somebody... brings meatballs in a slow cooker. Or little sausages in a slow cooker.
I'm not sure if it's a Southern thing or just a thing in general, but people around here love, love, love meat in slow cooker with a yummy sauce over the top. Typically these recipes involve a combination of grape jelly, brown sugar, BBQ sauce, mustard, and/or chili sauce. There are so many combinations - I couldn't begin to list them all - and I haven't met one yet that I didn't love.
For our family Thanksgiving gathering we usually have a combo of grape jelly and chili sauce over meatballs. Using that for inspiration, I decided I'd up the ante this year and give the meatballs a little kick with Smucker's Fruit & Honey Strawberry Jalapeno Fruit Spread.
Whether it's at the office, at school, with friends or with family, these 3 Ingredient Sweet & Spicy Meatballs will be the star of your Thanksgiving get-together! They're the perfect mix of sweet and a little kick of spicy! Speaking of sweet, I love it that Smucker's Fruit & Honey Fruit Spreads are naturally sweetened with honey!
Let's get started...but first, do you have a slow cooker? If not, here's why you should get one!
3 Ingredient Sweet & Spicy Meatballs
Here's what you'll need:
- 2 pounds of frozen, pre-cooked meatballs
- 12 oz. jar of chili sauce
- 1 jar Smucker's Fruit & Honey Strawberry Jalapeno Fruit Spread
You can find everything you'll need at Walmart - including the Smucker's Fruit & Honey Strawberry Jalapeno Fruit Spread.
Putting this recipe together couldn't be easier... it's 1-2-3 done!
First, start by mixing the Smucker's Fruit & Honey Strawberry Jalapeno Fruit Spread with the chili sauce in the slow cooker.
Next whisk those 2 ingredients together until smooth to create the sauce.
Pour the frozen meatballs into the pot on top of the sauce.
Then stir it up until they're all well-coated:
And finally, here comes the really easy part!
Pop the lid onto your slow cooker, set it to high and cook for 3-4 hours (depending on your slow cooker - you just want them to be heated through)0.. Stir them about halfway through to keep the meatballs moist and covered in sauce!
In addition to the Smucker's Fruit & Honey Strawberry Jalapeno Fruit Spread, you could make a milder version one of the other varieties found at Walmart. These are all of the available flavors:
- Smucker's Fruit & Honey Triple Berry Fruit Spread
- Smucker's Fruit & Honey Strawberry Fruit Spread
- Smucker's Fruit & Honey Blueberry Lemon Fruit Spread
- Smucker's Fruit & Honey Strawberry Jalapeno Fruit Spread
- Smucker's Fruit & Honey Concord Grape Fruit Spread
We like to eat them with toothpicks - but you could also scoop them out into a bowl and eat them with a fork! Be careful though... they're so delicious, you could easily get full from them before the big Thanksgiving feast is even ready 😉
You know what else meatballs are good for? Sliders!! Check out this Meatball Sliders recipe.
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Here's the printable recipe:.
PrintRecipe
3 Ingredient Sweet & Spicy Meatballs
- Total Time: 9 minutes
Description
These Easy 3 Ingredient Sweet & Spicy Meatballs are tossed in the slow cooker for a few hours and then make a perfect appetizer for your Thanksgiving celebration at home, at work, at school, with family and/or friends!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds frozen pre-cooked meatballs
- 12 ounces chili sauce
- 1 jar Smucker's Fruit & Honey Strawberry Jalapeno Fruit Spread
Instructions
- Add the chili sauce and Smucker's Fruit & Honey Strawberry Jalapeno Fruit Spread to the slow cooker.
- Whisk together until smooth.
- Add the meatballs and stir to coat.
- Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.
- Serve as an appetizer or over rice as a main dish.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 4 mins
- Category: Appetizer
Samantha K
I am a fan of slow cooker dishes! This is easy and sounds delicious! (client)