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May 17, 2018

Sweet and Spicy Slow Cooker Meatballs

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Sweet and Spicy Slow Cooker Meatballs Vegan Nutfreevegan

I mentioned in a previous post that my mom gave me a wonderful book of recipes that have been passed down through the generations in our family. It was such a great gift. Now, most of the things in this book aren’t vegan. But from time to time I’ll crack it open and find a way to make something plant-based. This recipe is one of those instances. In the book this it’s called “Party Meatballs.” For the sake of the blog though, I’ve retitled it to add a little pizzazz—and make it more searchable: Sweet and Spicy Slow Cooker Meatballs.

There are a lot of vegan meatball recipes out there. One I often use, from Karissa’s Vegan Kitchen, is chickpea-based. That’s perfect for pasta, but during a test batch for this recipe I learned they don’t hold up under the lengthy cooking process. In the end I opted for store-bought meatballs (Whole Foods’s 365 Everyday Value Meatless Meatballs) because this is a dish designed for parties and social gatherings, and with the slow-cooking aspect, I don’t think anybody also wants to spend time making the meatballs from scratch. So go store-bought and save yourself some time.



The primary ingredient in this recipe is grape jelly. Weird, right? I love the uniqueness of it though. And through the cooking process, especially when it’s mixed with the other big ingredient—sriracha—the flavor becomes more subtle and very balanced.

In my family book, the secondary ingredient here is chili sauce. Because it’s such an old dish I learned from my mom that this is the standard Heinz brand. But I thought I’d modernize it a bit and give it a little more zip by using sriracha instead. It seems to be about the same consistency and since it ends up being mixed with the jelly and simmered, I don’t know that it makes much of a difference.

Sweet and Spicy Slow Cooker Meatballs Vegan Nutfreevegan

If you’re having a get together I hope you’ll consider serving these meatballs. Despite the cooking time they’re very simple to make and are a delicious hors d’oeuvre for your guests to snack on. Plus, telling people they’re covered in grape jelly is fun.

Let me know how it goes if you do make these. Tag @nutfreevegan on social media so I can see your photos!

Sweet and Spicy Slow Cooker Meatballs Vegan Nutfreevegan

Sweet and Spicy Slow Cooker Meatballs Vegan Nutfreevegan
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5 from 3 votes

Sweet and Spicy Slow Cooker Meatballs

These Sweet and Spicy Slow Cooker Meatballs are perfect for any kind of get together you might be having. They're easy and really good.
Prep Time5 minutes mins
Cook Time2 hours hrs
Total Time2 hours hrs 5 minutes mins
Course: Appetizer/Snack
Yield: 0 About 7 servings
Author: The Nut-Free Vegan

Ingredients

  • 1 jar 12 oz. grape jelly
  • 1 cup sriracha
  • 1 pack Whole Foods 365 Everyday Value Meatless Meatballs or other brand About 20-25 meatballs

Instructions

  • Mix grape jelly and sriracha in large bowl. Stir in meatballs.
  • Add mixture to slow cooker and cook on low for about 2 hours.

Nutrition

Serving: 3g

 

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Filed Under: Appetizers/Snacks Tagged With: appetizer, meatballs, Slow Cooker, Snack, Spicy, sweet

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kate says

    June 24, 2018 at 9:00 am

    5 stars
    Now, look what you did! Now I have to go running around Greece on my holiday and look for the grape jelly. 🙂

    Reply
    • nutfreevegan says

      June 24, 2018 at 7:48 pm

      Sorry, Kate! I think it’ll totally be worth it, though 🙂

      Reply
      • Kate says

        July 1, 2018 at 11:55 am

        5 stars
        I went rummaging through the supermarkets here and I’m amazed! They have so much stuff! Couldn’t find the grape one, but I found a fig one! I’m trying that for sure!

        Reply
        • nutfreevegan says

          July 1, 2018 at 11:59 am

          Fig sounds delicious, Kate. Let me know how it turns out!

          Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Memorial Day Recipe Roundup | The Nut-Free Vegan says:
    May 24, 2018 at 10:00 am

    […] Sweet and Spicy Slow Cooker Meatballs […]

    Reply
  2. 27 Incredibly Delicious Slow Cooker Meatballs Recipes says:
    January 1, 2019 at 6:22 pm

    […] Source: The Nut-free Vegan […]

    Reply
  3. Easy Pantry-Friendly Recipes | The Nut-Free Vegan says:
    April 2, 2020 at 6:17 pm

    […] SWEET AND SPICY SLOW COOKER MEATBALLS […]

    Reply
5 from 3 votes (1 rating without comment)

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ABOUT ME

Welcome to The Nut-Free Vegan! I'm Steven and I'm here to share easy, delicious and nutritious plant-based recipes. Whatever you're looking for in the vegan food world, you'll find it here.

To contact me about photography or recipe work, email: steven@thenutfreevegan.net!
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