Description
This Slow Cooker Buffalo Meatball recipe features tender ground beef meatballs baked to perfection and simmered in a sweet and spicy honey buffalo sauce. Ideal for parties or casual family dinners, this dish offers a flavorful glaze with the perfect balance of heat and sweetness. The recipe includes tips for prepping, freezing, and reheating, making it a versatile and convenient meal option.
Ingredients
Scale
Meatballs
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup crushed saltine crackers (approx. 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 honey + 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 for easy cleanup.
- Mix meatball ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk the eggs gently, then add all remaining meatball ingredients. Mix thoroughly until well combined.
- Form and bake meatballs: Roll the mixture into meatballs of your preferred size using a cookie scoop for uniformity. Place them evenly spaced on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes or until lightly browned to seal in the juices.
- Prepare honey buffalo sauce: While meatballs bake, combine all honey buffalo sauce ingredients in a bowl, whisking well. Use only 1/4 cup hot sauce initially and adjust to taste later.
- Layer meatballs and sauce in slow cooker: Line the bottom of the slow cooker with half of the meatballs, drizzle with half of the sauce, then layer the remaining meatballs and top with the rest of the sauce.
- Cook in slow cooker: Cover and cook on low heat for 4 hours, gently stirring every hour to ensure even coating and heating. Taste near the end and add additional hot sauce if desired.
- Serve and enjoy: Keep the meatballs warm until serving. They make a perfect party appetizer or main dish with a double portion of sauce if preferred.
Notes
- Consider doubling the sauce if serving as a main course, as many find the original amount to be more of a glaze than a sauce.
- Use a cookie scoop to make meatballs uniform in size for even cooking.
- Try using Ritz crackers as a substitute for saltines.
- Browning meatballs before slow cooking is key to sealing juices and preventing breakage.
- Slow cooker liners make cleanup easier.
- Test meatballs for doneness after 2 hours by cutting one in half.
- When freezing, you can freeze meatballs before or after cooking with plenty of storage tips provided for each option.
- Defrost frozen meatballs slowly and use gentle cooking methods to avoid falling apart.
- For larger meatballs, expect longer cooking times; plan for the full 4 hours for best results.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 meatball
- Calories: 85 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Fiber: 0.3 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
