Description
This Buffalo Meatball Crockpot Recipe features tender, flavorful meatballs cooked in a delicious honey buffalo sauce with a perfect balance of sweet and spicy. Easy to prepare and perfect for parties or a comforting dinner.
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 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 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and set aside to prepare for baking the meatballs.
- Make Meatballs: In a large bowl, lightly whisk the eggs. Add the ground beef, crushed saltine crackers, dried minced onion, milk, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, chili powder, smoked paprika, ground cumin, and pepper. Mix everything thoroughly until well combined. Roll the mixture into uniform meatballs using a cookie scoop or by hand as per your preference.
- Bake Meatballs: Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them evenly. Bake in the preheated oven for 8 minutes or until lightly browned. This step seals in the juices and helps prevent the meatballs from breaking apart later.
- Prepare Honey Buffalo Sauce: While meatballs bake, whisk together the Frank’s Red Hot Original Sauce (start with 1/4 cup), honey, apricot preserves, brown sugar, reduced sodium soy sauce, and cornstarch in a medium bowl until smooth and well combined. Reserve some hot sauce to add later to adjust the spice.
- Layer Meatballs and Sauce in Crockpot: Line the bottom of your slow cooker with a layer of meatballs. Drizzle some of the honey buffalo sauce over them. Add the remaining meatballs, followed by the rest of the sauce.
- Slow Cook: Cover and cook on low heat for 2 to 4 hours. Gently stir the meatballs every hour to evenly coat them and prevent sticking. After cooking, taste and add more hot sauce if desired for extra spiciness. Keep warm until serving.
Notes
- Doubling the sauce is recommended if you prefer saucier meatballs or are serving as a main course.
- Use a crock pot liner for easy cleanup.
- Ritz crackers can substitute saltines for a different texture and flavor.
- Using a cookie scoop ensures uniform meatball size and even cooking.
- Smaller meatballs work better as appetizers, larger ones for dinner.
- Always brown meatballs in the oven to seal juices and improve texture.
- Test meatballs for doneness after 2 hours by cutting one in half.
- If cooking for the first time, plan on the full 4 hours to ensure thorough cooking.
- Meatballs can be assembled and refrigerated ahead, cooking time will increase by 30 minutes.
- Meatballs and sauce freeze well either before or after cooking. Defrost and reheat using stove, crockpot, or oven methods as described.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 meatballs
- Calories: 280 kcal
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 550 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 18 g
- Cholesterol: 80 mg
