Jalapeño Cranberry Meatballs are sweet, tart and spicy! Juicy, homemade meatballs are tossed in a cranberry bbq sauce with jalapeño for the ultimate holiday or game day appetizer! Ready to eat in just 45 minutes.
I'm all about meatball appetizers and these are impossible to stop eating. The sauce is so good and it's made with my fresh cranberry sauce. If you're having a large party you may want to double up the recipe because they go quick.
For more meatballs recipes, try these Crockpot Swedish Meatballs, Sweet Chili Sauce Meatballs, Chicken Teriyaki Pineapple Meatballs, and Sticky Asian Turkey Meatballs.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- Big on Flavor. The meatballs are so juicy and the sauce is a combo of spicy, sweet and tart!
- Easy to Make. This recipe is super simple to make and the oven does most of the work.
- Quick. Homemade meatballs in under 45 minutes..yes please!
- A Holiday Favorite. These are really festive for a Thanksgiving or Christmas appetizer with the cranberry sauce.
If you love cranberry recipes, try this Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad, Cranberry Cheese Ball, Cranberry Turkey Sliders, and Brie Cranberry Tarts.
Ingredients:
Cranberry Sauce: The star of the show and I highly recommend my Cranberry Sauce recipe with fresh oranges. It's so tasty and really brings in a lot of flavor to this recipe.
BBQ Sauce: I like a thick original bbq sauce for this recipe. I used Stubb's original recipe and it was delicious.
Jalapeño Slices: I like to use the jarred version so the jalapeños are already softened and we don't have to worry about crunch in the meatballs after baking. Plus, I use the juices in the sauce for a nice spicy kick. Try this Jalapeño Creamed Corn too!
White Bread: Use a cheap white bread for the meatballs. It soaks up the milk really well and breaks down into the meatballs easily. If you only have good bread with a tough crust, like French or sourdough, remove the crust first. It will stay too hard for the meatballs.
*Find the full recipe ingredients and quantities in the recipe card below.
Substitutions and Variations:
- For a less spicy version, you can leave out the diced jalapeño, jalapeño juices or both.
- Store bought cranberry sauce can be substituted with the homemade version.
- I recommend an 85/15 lean to fat ratio for the ground beef, but 80/20 works well too and will just produce a bit more grease when baking, so make sure to use a rimmed cookie sheet. Don't use 93/7. It doesn't make great meatballs because there isn't enough fat.
- For a cocktail meatball recipe, try these Mini Meatballs.
For more holiday appetizers to serve with these meatballs, try my Cajun Deviled Eggs, Ham and Cheese Crescent Rolls, Charcuterie Skewers, and Goat Cheese Crostini.
How to Make Cranberry Sauce Meatballs:
Step 1: If you're using my homemade cranberry sauce, make that first. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Tear the sandwich bread up into smaller pieces and place in a small bowl. Pour the milk over the bread and allow it to sit and get soggy for about 2 minutes. Make sure all the bread is submerged in the milk.
Step 2: Into a large bowl, add in the ground beef, milk and bread mixture, egg, diced jalapeño, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Mix with your hands to combine.
Step 3: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place a baking rack on top. Roll the meatball mix into meatballs about 2 inches wide and place on the rack. You should get about 20 meatballs. Bake for 22-30 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
Step 4: Once there is about 10 minutes left on the meatballs, heat a skillet on the stovetop over medium low heat. Add in cranberry sauce, bbq sauce, honey, and the jalapeño juice. Allow to warm up, stirring frequently. If you want the sauce a bit thinner, mash up the cranberry sauce and add in a few more tablespoons of bbq sauce or water.
Step 5: Remove the meatballs from the oven and allow to cool for a minute.
Step 6: Toss the meatballs in the sauce and gently stir to combine and coat all the meatballs. Serve and enjoy!
Expert Tips:
- If the meatball mixture is really sticky or hard to work with, you can add in ¼ cup breadcrumbs or panko and/or stick in the fridge for about 30 minutes before forming.
- Check the meatballs with an internal thermometer by inserting it into the center of the meatball. A 165 degree temperature will give you the best results. It's important to rely on temperature over time, because the size of the meatball will determine how fast they'll cook. Mine took about 23-24 minutes.
More Holiday Appetizers You'll Love:
If you tried this Cranberry Meatball Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
PrintRecipe
Jalapeño Cranberry Meatballs
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 20 meatballs 1x
Description
These Jalapeño Cranberry Meatballs are sweet, tart and spicy! Juicy, homemade meatballs are tossed in a cranberry bbq sauce with jalapeño for the ultimate holiday or game day appetizer! Ready to eat in just 45 minutes.
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 1 slice of white sandwich bread
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 16 ounce 85/15 ground beef
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon pickled jalapeños from the jar, chopped fine
Sauce:
- 1 cup store bought or homemade cranberry sauce
- ¾ cup original bbq sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon jalapeño juice from jar
Instructions
- Start with the homemade cranberry sauce if you're making it. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Tear the sandwich bread up into smaller pieces and place in a small bowl. Pour the milk over the bread and allow it to sit and get soggy for about 2 minutes. Make sure all the bread is submerged in the milk.
- Into a large bowl, add in the ground beef, milk and bread mixture, egg, diced jalapeño, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Mix with your hands to combine.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place a baking rack on top. Roll the meatball mix into meatballs about 2 inches wide and place on the rack. You should get about 20 meatballs. Bake for 22-30 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
- Once there is about 10 minutes left on the meatballs, heat a skillet on the stovetop over medium low heat. Add in cranberry sauce, bbq sauce, honey, and the jalapeño juice. Allow to warm up, stirring frequently. If you want the sauce a bit thinner, mash up the cranberry sauce and add in a few more tablespoons of bbq sauce or water.
- Remove the meatballs from the oven and allow to cool for a minute.
- Toss the meatballs in the sauce and gently stir to combine and coat all the meatballs. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- If the meatball mixture is really sticky or hard to work with, you can add in ¼ cup breadcrumbs or panko and/or stick in the fridge for about 30 minutes before forming.
- Check the meatballs with an internal thermometer by inserting it into the center of the meatball. A 165 degree temperature will give you the best results. It's important to rely on temperature over time, because the size of the meatball will determine how fast they'll cook. Mine took about 23-24 minutes.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: appetizer
- Method: bake & stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Holly says
These were so good! Made them with leftover cranberry sauce. Spicy and delish!
Tara Smithson says
Yay, so glad you liked them. I love the bbq and cranberry sauce combo!