Sweet, spicy, and absolutely finger-licking delicious, Honey Garlic Meatballs have become a go-to EASY dinner plan. This recipe is awesome for the days when I just don’t have much time to spend in the kitchen – or when I simply don’t feel like cooking!
Honey Garlic Meatballs
This is the kind of dinner that I can start mid-afternoon, barely pay attention to it, and have dinner ready at any point between 5 pm and 8 pm when we’re ready to eat and when everyone has made it home from martial arts and other activities.
I typically serve the meatballs with rice. However, they also work well with leftover mashed potatoes or with dinner rolls for a sweet, tangy, spicy meatball sandwich option.
Honey Garlic Crock-Pot Meatballs
- Combine the honey, soy sauce, ketchup, garlic, and chili paste in a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Stir to combine.
- Place the meatballs in the slow cooker. Pour the sauce over the meatballs and stir to coat thoroughly. Cover with lid and cook on LOW for 4 hours or HIGH for 1½ hours.
- Stir well, taking care to scrape the sides of the crock-pot. Add the bell peppers and stir again to mix throughout. Cover with lid and cook on HIGH for 1 more hour.
- Stir and serve warm OR reduce heat to WARM and hold for up to 2 more hours.
My choice for this recipe is miniature or bite-size (approximately 1-inch) frozen meatballs whenever possible. I’ve used “party” meatballs, homestyle meatballs, even Italian meatballs without any issues.
I typically just use whichever meatballs are in my freezer. The sauce has so much flavor, it will be stronger than any of the underlying meatball flavors. It just plain works.
While we love a little bit of heat with many of our meals, the chili paste in this recipe does more to deepen the flavor than “heat” the sauce. That said, if you’re leery of it, use the lesser amount or feel free to skip it entirely. It works both ways.
Looking for more very simple, minimal effort meals? Easy recipes like Creamy Cajun Pasta and the Egg Roll Skillet are fast dinners that guarantee dinner on the table fast.
Cheater Korean Beef and this Kielbasa and Cabbage Skillet are a couple more lightning-fast ways to get dinner on the table and everyone loves them.
Sticky Garlic Pork is another great option for a fast dinner with tons of flavor.
Last, but not least, if these 30 Minute Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas aren’t on your regular meal plan, they should be, Enchiladas are a crowd-pleasing meal that I make for my crew at least once a month.
Choosing a Slow Cooker
Slow cookers or crockpots are an appliance of which I have more than one. If you are an avid slow cooker user like I am, you might understand the need for more than one. So, let’s talk about my favorites:
First up is this 6-quart slow cooker that has a locking lid. These crockpots are fantastic for transporting foods. Mine has gone everywhere from church potlucks to barbecues, game nights to Thanksgiving dinner. However, fair warning, these slow cookers run crazy hot. Low is closer to a boil than a simmer, the warm setting actually simmers. So trust me when I say HIGH is high.
My everyday slow cooker is this 8-quart Crockpot. It’s my go-to appliance for cooking large roasts and big batches of chili. Fun fact: did you know that a full 4-quart cooker, actually cooks more slowly than a half-full 8-quart cooker?
For just cooking a few pounds of chicken to shred for enchiladas or other smaller recipes, this 3-quart version is perfect.
Thanksgiving has become a breeze since I have mastered how to hold all of the side dishes using these medium-sized round slow cookers.
If you aren’t a fan of the idea of keeping more than one slow cooker in the house, these CrockPockets are a game-changer when it comes to preparing and holding multiple dishes at the same time. They slide into a standard 6-quart crockpot, dividing it into two sections that are perfect for serving different side dishes or keeping taco fillings warm for parties.
Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Meatballs
Ingredients
- ¾ cup honey
- ¾ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- ¾ cup ketchup
- 3 tablespoons garlic paste OR (12) garlic cloves, minced
- 2-4 tablespoons chili paste optional, but highly recommended the full amount
- 3 pounds frozen meatballs
- 4 multi-colored bell peppers cut into 1-inch pieces
Instructions
- Combine the honey, soy sauce, ketchup, garlic, and chili paste in a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Stir to combine.
- Place the meatballs in the slow cooker. Pour the sauce over the meatballs and stir to coat thoroughly. Cover with lid and cook on LOW for 4 hours or HIGH for 1½ hours.
- Stir well, taking care to scrape the sides of the crock-pot. Add the bell peppers and stir again to mix throughout. Cover with lid and cook on HIGH for 1 more hour. Stir and serve warm OR reduce heat to WARM and hold for up to 2 more hours.
Larry says
Looks delicious and so easy with store bought meatballs.
Marsha Gibbons says
Hi, Sounds delicious. Quick question. Do you use homemade meatballs? Or do you purchase them from someplace like Trader Joes??
Mary Younkin says
I typically just buy them wherever I’m shopping for this kind of recipe. Trader Joes, Costco, Kroger, pretty much anything goes for this simple recipe. I’m sure it would be delicious with a homemade meatball too, but for me, the ease of making it is the best part of this recipe.
Elaine says
That’s a lot of expensive honey. Is there a substitute?
Mary Younkin says
For what it’s worth, I use super cheap store brand honey for this type of cooking. This isn’t where I use a local or especially flavorful fancy honey. I’m fairly certain you could get a similar sweet and sticky meatball result with brown sugar, however, the flavor will be very different.
Kathy says
If you have a Dollar Tree store in your area, they often have honey at a much better price.
Cricket says
Hi Mary. I was excited to see the meatball receipt right up til I read ( frozen ) meatballs, then I was disappointed. I will still make this but will do up my meatballs fresh so I know what’s in them.
Mary Younkin says
This will be even more delicious with homemade meatballs, Cricket!