Crockpot Grape Jelly BBQ Meatballs

Glossy meatballs coated in dark red-brown sauce and sprinkled with chopped parsley, piled on a white platter with a red-striped towel behind Save to Pinterest
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Introduction

Grape jelly and BBQ sauce sound like two things that ended up in the same pot by accident. They didn’t. I’m not going to take credit for this combination, since it’s pretty common, but for the skeptics, I can tell you that once you pop one in your mouth off a toothpick or fork, it will make a lot more sense.

The jelly brings the sweetness and a little fruit, the BBQ sauce brings smoke and tang, and after a few hours in the Crockpot the two melt together into one glossy sauce.

Our version keeps the three-ingredient idea and swaps in sugar-free BBQ sauce and a no-added-sugar grape jelly that is lower in net carbs. You still get the sweet-and-smoky sauce, just with a whole lot less sugar than regular BBQ sauce and jelly typically bring.

Picking the BBQ Sauce and Jelly

With only three ingredients, the ones you buy are the recipe.

The BBQ sauce does most of the talking, so choose one you would happily eat on its own. A smoky sauce gives you a smoky pot of meatballs. A spicy one brings the heat. This recipe calls for G Hughes Sugar Free Original BBQ Sauce.

For the jelly, this recipe calls for GOOD GOOD Concord Grape Jelly. Jelly or jam both work here, but their carb counts can vary more than you might expect. Because this recipe uses more than a cup and a half, even a few grams’ difference per tablespoon adds up across the whole batch.

With Three Ingredients, Every Swap Counts

“Sugar-free” or “no added sugar” on the front of a jar doesn’t mean low-carb. So read the back of the jar, then think about how much of it the recipe actually uses. Here is what that looks like for the jelly:

Grape spreadPer tablespoonAt the 18 oz used hereWhat that means
GOOD GOOD Concord Grape Jelly, our recipe choice about 2 g netabout 51 g netThe baseline for this recipe
Smucker's Sugar Free Concord Grape Jam about 5 g netabout 150 g netAbout 99 g more net carbs in the batch

On the label, 2 grams against 5 can look like a small difference. Across the amount of jelly this recipe uses, it becomes roughly 51 grams against 150 grams of net carbs, and that’s why we chose GOOD GOOD here. With an ingredient you use by the jar rather than by the spoonful, the number on the label adds up quickly. Those are the jelly’s carbs only, not the finished recipe’s, which still has the BBQ sauce and meatballs in it.

Two things about the labels behind those numbers. GOOD GOOD is labeled no added sugar rather than sugar-free, and its 5 grams of total carbohydrate per tablespoon include 3 grams of sugar alcohol, which its net-carb figure subtracts. And the two labels weigh a tablespoon differently, 20 grams for GOOD GOOD and 17 for Smucker’s, so the batch figures are worked out by weight.

The Meatballs

The meatballs are the next place to look, and the meat matters less than what has been added to it.

This recipe calls for 32 ounces of Jones Dairy Farm No Antibiotics Ever Homestyle Meatballs, which come in 18-ounce bags, so you’ll need two. They go into the sauce straight from the freezer. They are fully cooked pork meatballs made with pork, water, salt, spices and garlic, and no fillers, binders or breadcrumbs. We chose pork over chicken for its richer flavor next to the grape jelly and BBQ sauce. The photos show a batch made with regular frozen meatballs, which may not be this brand. Here is how they compare with two other frozen meatballs:

Meatball choiceCarbs per 6Role in this recipe
Jones Dairy Farm No Antibiotics Ever Homestyle Meatballs (pork), our recipe choice 0 gThe baseline for this recipe
Jones Dairy Farm No Antibiotics Ever Chicken Meatballs 1 gA leaner alternative with a lighter flavor
Cooked Perfect Original All Beef Meatballs about 5 g netA conventional frozen meatball with breadcrumbs and soy fillers

The Cooked Perfect meatballs include breadcrumbs, textured soy flour and soy protein concentrate, which is where their extra carbs come from. Both Jones meatballs are made without fillers, binders or breadcrumbs. So when you are comparing bags, check the ingredient list rather than going by the meat. A meatball made with breadcrumbs can be high in carbs whatever it is made of.

What the Sauce Looks Like Along the Way

When you first stir the jelly into the BBQ sauce, it won’t really blend. You’ll have a lumpy, dark red sauce with pieces of jelly throughout. That’s normal. Once the slow cooker heats up, the jelly melts into the sauce.

By the end, the sauce in the pot is thin and glossy. It coats each meatball as you lift it out, so what reaches the plate is glazed rather than swimming.

Crockpot Grape Jelly BBQ Meatballs

Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
3 hours
Total Time
3 hours 5 minutes
Yield
64 meatballs
Course
Appetizer
Cuisine
American

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Ingredients

All Ingredients

Nutrition Facts

64 servings per recipe
Trans Fat 0g 0% 0g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0% 0g 0%
Allulose 0g 0% 0g 0%

About these numbers: We are home cooks, not certified nutritionists. Nutrition is shared as a courtesy and calculated with free online nutrition calculators — we compare a few to get as close as we can — so please treat it as a helpful estimate rather than a guarantee. The brands you buy, any swaps you make, and how generously you portion the recipe will all move these numbers.

Directions

  1. Stir the BBQ sauce and grape jelly together in the slow cooker.

    The jelly will still be in lumps once it is stirred in. That is fine. It melts into the sauce as everything heats up.

  2. Add the frozen meatballs and toss them in the sauce to coat.

  3. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 hours, then stir and serve.

    To serve at a party, switch the slow cooker to warm and keep the meatballs at 140°F or above while they sit out.

Notes

Ingredient Notes

  • Meatballs: We call for Jones Dairy Farm No Antibiotics Ever Homestyle Meatballs, which are pork with no fillers, binders or breadcrumbs. They come in 18-ounce bags, so buy two and use 32 ounces. Their label serving is six meatballs to 85 grams, so 32 ounces is about 64 meatballs. If you swap in another brand, check the ingredient list: breadcrumbs and other fillers can add carbs.
  • Sugar-free BBQ sauce: We call for G Hughes Sugar Free Original. It is most of the flavor here, so choose one you would happily eat on its own. A smoky sauce gives you a smoky pot of meatballs, and a spicy one brings the heat.
  • No-added-sugar grape jelly: We call for GOOD GOOD Concord Grape Jelly, which comes in 12-ounce jars, so you will need two. Sugar-free and no-added-sugar spreads still carry some carbohydrates, and the amount varies a lot between brands, so compare the backs of the jars before swapping in another.

Tools

  • A measuring cup
  • A large spoon or spatula
  • A slow cooker
  • A food thermometer

Keeping Them Warm for a Party

Once the meatballs have cooked, switch the slow cooker to its warm setting. As long as the meatballs stay at 140°F or above, they can sit in the slow cooker for serving. Off the heat, bring them back to the refrigerator within two hours.

Storage

  • Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container within two hours of coming off the heat, and use them within 3 to 4 days.
  • Reheat them on the stove or in the microwave until they are hot all the way through.

Serving Them at a Party

This is where the Crockpot earns its spot on the counter. Once the meatballs are hot, turn it down to warm, set out a cup of toothpicks, and let everyone help themselves. They are safe to sit there for as long as they stay at 140°F or above, so check the temperature with a thermometer now and then.

If you are building a whole spread, they sit comfortably next to keto sausage balls and air fryer mozzarella sticks.

Want them for dinner instead? Spoon the meatballs over cauliflower rice, or serve them with a green salad on the side.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use regular grape jelly and BBQ sauce?

Yes. The method does not change, and the regular versions are how this party classic is usually made. They do bring a lot more sugar with them, which is the reason we call for lower-sugar versions here.

Are these meatballs keto?

Not automatically. The swaps on this page lower the carbs a lot, but they don’t make the batch carb-free. The Nutrition Facts panel on the recipe card is worked out from the exact meatballs, BBQ sauce and jelly this recipe calls for, and one serving there is one meatball. Use it to decide how many fit your daily carb target. If you swap in a different brand of any of the three, those numbers no longer apply, so check its label instead. Leaving the extra sauce in the pot rather than spooning it over the plate helps too.

If you make these for your next get-together, let us know which BBQ sauce you went with. We love hearing from you.