Description
This Buffalo Meatball Crockpot Recipe features juicy, flavorful beef meatballs glazed in a sweet and spicy honey buffalo sauce. Perfect as an appetizer or main dish, the meatballs are browned for extra flavor and then slow-cooked to tender perfection, delivering an irresistible combination of smoky, tangy, and sweet flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
Meatballs
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup crushed saltine crackers (approximately 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 and Prepare: Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Set aside the prepared baking sheet for the meatballs.
- Mix Meatball Ingredients: In a large bowl, gently whisk the eggs. Add all the remaining meatball ingredients—ground beef, crushed saltines, dried minced onion, milk, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, and pepper. Mix until all ingredients are well combined.
- Form and Bake Meatballs: Roll the meat mixture into your desired size meatballs using a cookie scoop for uniformity if desired. Place the meatballs evenly onto the lined baking sheet and bake in the oven for 8 minutes or until they are lightly browned on the outside.
- Prepare Honey Buffalo Sauce: While the meatballs bake, whisk together the hot sauce, honey, apricot preserves, brown sugar, reduced sodium soy sauce, and cornstarch in a medium bowl until smooth. Use only 1/4 cup of hot sauce at this point, reserving more for adjusting spice levels later.
- Layer Meatballs in Slow Cooker: Line the bottom of your slow cooker with a layer of meatballs, drizzle with some honey buffalo sauce, then add the remaining meatballs, followed by the rest of the sauce, creating layers.
- Slow Cook: Cover and cook on low heat for 2 to 4 hours, gently stirring every hour to coat the meatballs evenly with sauce. After cooking, taste and mix in additional hot sauce to your preferred spice level (about 1 1/2 tablespoons for a spicy finish). Keep warm until served.
Notes
- Watch the "how to make" recipe video for helpful visual guidance.
- Doubling the sauce is recommended if you prefer extra saucy meatballs or are serving them as a main dish.
- Use a crockpot liner for effortless slow cooker cleanup.
- Substitute saltine crackers with Ritz crackers if preferred.
- Use a cookie scoop to make meatballs uniform in size for even cooking.
- Small meatballs are ideal for appetizers; larger meatballs work well for dinner servings.
- This recipe makes approximately 70 1-inch meatballs or 35 2-inch meatballs.
- Browning meatballs in the oven seals in juices and helps prevent them from breaking apart during slow cooking.
- Cooking time can vary depending on meatball size and slow cooker; test meatballs after 2 hours for doneness.
- If preparing ahead, bake meatballs, cool completely, layer with sauce in the slow cooker insert, cover and refrigerate—add 30 minutes extra cooking time when reheating.
- To freeze, bake meatballs, cool, and freeze individually before storing in freezer bags. Sauce can be frozen separately.
- Reheat frozen fully cooked meatballs by thawing overnight and gently simmering on the stove or slow cooker until hot.
- For frozen uncooked meatballs, cook in slow cooker on low for 6–8 hours or defrost in oven before slow cooking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 meatballs
- Calories: 220 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 450 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 16 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg
