Cocktail Meatballs
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Toss that retro recipe that calls for grape jelly and chili sauce—these homemade cocktail meatballs are so much better.
Cocktail meatballs were a popular appetizer in the 1960s and 1970s. My mother and grandmother used to make them from a well-known recipe that called for frozen meatballs, grape jelly, and Heinz chili sauce. It seemed like everyone made them that way back then! This recipe offers a modern twist on the classic dish by using homemade meatballs and a sweet and tangy sauce that can be prepared in just 15 minutes. The meatballs are not only delicious as an appetizer, but they can also be served over rice for a satisfying dinner. Plus, kids love them! Using an electric mixer to make the meatballs results in a tender texture with a satisfying snap, perfect for spearing with toothpicks. That said, if you don’t have an electric mixer, it’s fine to mix the meatballs by hand.
There are many delicious meatball recipes that can be served as appetizers, including Swedish meatballs, chicken meatballs, and Vietnamese-style meatballs. Simply make them bite-sized and offer toothpicks for easy nibbling.
Table of Contents
“Oh man, these are incredible! Simple and easy to make and the flavor is amazing! Will absolutely be making these again.”
What You’ll Need To Make Cocktail Meatballs
- Eggs: Bind the meatballs together, ensuring they hold their shape while staying tender.
- Heavy Cream Or Milk: Adds moisture and helps create a soft texture for the meatballs.
- White Sandwich Bread: Combined with the cream or milk, it prevents the meat from becoming dense by adding softness.
- Ground Pork: Adds richness and flavor to the meat mixture, balancing with the beef.
- Salt And Pepper: Enhance the overall flavor of both the meatballs and sauce, providing essential seasoning.
- Shallot And Garlic: Bring aromatic, savory depth to the meatballs and sauce, complementing the other ingredients.
- Baking Powder: Helps keep the meatballs light and airy.
- Ground Beef: Adds structure and heartiness, complementing the pork for a balanced meatball texture.For The Sauce
- Ketchup: Serves as the base of the sauce, offering sweetness and tanginess.
- Dark Brown Sugar: Adds depth and caramelized sweetness, balancing the tartness of the vinegar.
- Cider Vinegar: Adds brightness and a slight tang, balancing the sweetness.
- Worcestershire Sauce: Infuses the sauce with a savory umami flavor, enhancing the overall richness.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Begin by combining the eggs, cream, and bread cubes in a small bowl.
Mash with a fork until the bread is mostly dissolved.
Combine the ground pork, garlic, baking powder and seasoning in an electric mixer and whip until the mixture is smooth and pale. Add the egg mixture and beat until smooth, then the ground beef.
Mix again until just combined.
Using moistened hands, form the meat mixture into balls and place on a rack over a foil-lined baking sheet. The rack is useful because any fat from the meatballs drips down, but if you don’t have one, don’t worry about it. It’s fine to just place the meatballs directly on the baking sheet.
Bake the meatballs for about 25 minutes, or until cooked through.
Meanwhile, make the sauce by combining the ketchup, brown sugar, cider vinegar, shallot, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, water, salt and pepper in a sauté pan large enough to hold all the meatballs.
Simmer the sauce for about ten minutes, until slightly thickened.
Add the baked meatballs to the sauce and simmer until the meatballs are warmed through.
Transfer to a serving platter, garnish with finely chopped parsley if desired, and spear with pretty toothpicks.
Notes: The technique for mixing the meatball ingredients, for the most part, comes from Cook’s Illustrated. The bamboo forks shown in the photo are available on Amazon.
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Cocktail Meatballs
Toss that retro recipe that calls for grape jelly and chili sauce—these homemade cocktail meatballs are so much better.
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup heavy cream or milk
- 1½ cups cubed white sandwich bread, crusts removed
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 pound ground beef (85% lean)
For The Sauce
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons finely minced shallot, from one shallot
- 2 small cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
For Serving
- Finely chopped parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Make the Meatballs: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean-up and place an ovenproof rack over top; spray the rack generously with nonstick cooking spray.
- Whisk the egg and cream together in a medium bowl. Stir in the bread and mash with a fork until the bread is broken down. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the pork, garlic, pepper, salt, and baking powder on high speed until smooth and pale, about 2 minutes, scraping bowl as necessary. Add the bread mixture to the mixing bowl and beat on high speed until smooth and homogeneous, about 1 minute, scraping the bowl as necessary. Add the beef and mix on medium-low speed until just incorporated, about 20 seconds, scraping the bowl as necessary.
- Using wet hands, form the mixture into 1½-inch round meatballs and place on the prepared rack. (The mixture is very sticky; wet hands help, so keep wetting your hands as you go). Bake for about 25 minutes, until just done. (Note: You'll notice that the rack will leave little marks on the bottom of the meatballs but they will not be too noticeable once the meatballs are covered with sauce.)
- Make the Sauce: Meanwhile, in a large skillet, whisk together the ketchup, brown sugar, water, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, shallot, garlic, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until thickened, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Add the baked meatballs to the sauce and simmer until warmed through. Transfer the meatballs to a serving platter, spear with toothpicks, and spoon the sauce over top. Garnish with parsley, if using. Serve warm.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The meatballs and sauce can be frozen in separate containers for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, reheat the meatballs in their sauce on the stovetop over medium heat until hot in the center.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 meatball
- Calories: 85
- Fat: 5g
- Saturated fat: 2g
- Carbohydrates: 8g
- Sugar: 6g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 4g
- Sodium: 214mg
- Cholesterol: 24mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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These were the best meatballs I’ve ever had! I like spicy, so I added cayenne and my meat rub to the meat mixture — and sriracha to the sauce. Fantastic!
Used frozen meatballs but whipped up this sauce for a quick lunch for the kids and they said it was the most delicious thing they’ve ever eaten. Will try to make with the meatballs next time!
OMG – I just made these for a dinner party last night….they were delicious!! Everyone was raving about them. The only thing that I did differently….I omitted the mixer and just mixed the meat up with my hands until just mixed together (I just couldn’t bring myself to use a mixer – thought the meat would be too tough). They were so good!!
(Disclaimer- I used frozen meatballs for this. 5 stars for the sauce)
Used this sauce recipe because the thought of doing the ol’ chili sauce and grape jelly trick was disgusting. This is so much better!! Super easy to make and ready quickly. I will absolutely make it again.
Thanks. Very tasty and easy to make recipe. A hit with the family. For sure, my go to meatball recipe.
I made the recipe for a holiday women’s gift exchange and it was very good! I doubled the recipe and it worked. I made the meatballs a bit too large. A few notes: our local supermarket (Publix) had ground pork but it had quite a bit of grizzle in it. It hung off the mixer blades (ugh) so I knew there was more that “got away”. The next time, I might put it through my kitchenaid meat grinder. (I would buy 30% more, knowing that I would lose about this much to the grizzle that accumulates on the grinder parts.) Or get the ground meat from a good butcher. I also added 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes to the sauce – for the doubled recipe. A few women asked me for the recipe!
I have a son who can only eat beef (odd, I know). If I make these with all beef instead of the beef/ pork combination, should I make any other adjustments? Thank you!
Hi Courtney, You can get away with using all beef here with no other modifications. Enjoy!
I want to make recipe a week ahead of time of Thanksgiving. I have 5 lb 85% ground beef (no pork). Can I bake the meatballs and freeze them without the sauce? Then day of Thanksgiving make sauce and warm in slow cooker? Do I defrost them or put them in slow cooker frozen? Or is it better to freeze them in the sauce?
Hi Sherry, yes, you can freeze the meatballs without the sauce and then worn them in the sauce in the slow cooker. You don’t have to thaw them, but I probably would. Hope you enjoy!
Hi! How does ground beef work as a substitute? Or maybe pork and beef?
Hi Liz, it actually calls for both pork and beef. 🙂
My 9 year old daughter approves! We had some frozen meatballs, so we used what we had on hand. Even though the meatballs weren’t made from scratch, these turned out great. The sauce has great flavor, and is the perfect consistency.
Made this for potluck last summer and it was hit! Making it again this weekend. Can I make the meatballs the night before and cook it in the morning?
Sure (and glad you like them)!