Tender Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Meatballs
Juicy and tender meatballs cooked slowly in a sweet and savory honey garlic sauce, perfect for an easy homemade dinner.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 4-5 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes to 5 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 4-5 servings 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb ground beef (80/20 preferred)
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (plain or Italian seasoned)
- 1 large egg
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, minced garlic, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. Mix gently until just combined, avoiding overmixing.
- Roll the mixture into 1 1/2-inch meatballs, about 20-24 meatballs total.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together honey, soy sauce, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, water, and red pepper flakes if using.
- Place meatballs in a single layer in the slow cooker and pour the honey garlic sauce evenly over them.
- Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours, stirring gently halfway through cooking.
- Once cooked, stir the sauce. For a thicker glaze, cook on high for an additional 15-20 minutes with the lid off.
- Serve hot.
Notes
Avoid overmixing the meatball mixture to keep meatballs tender. If sauce is too thin after cooking, thicken with a cornstarch slurry and simmer. Browning meatballs before slow cooking is optional for extra color and flavor. For gluten-free, substitute breadcrumbs with almond flour or gluten-free crumbs and soy sauce with tamari.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4-5 meatballs
- Calories: 300350
- Sugar: 1012
- Fat: 1520
- Carbohydrates: 1518
- Fiber: 12
- Protein: 1822
Keywords: slow cooker, honey garlic meatballs, easy dinner, comfort food, ground beef, homemade meatballs, sweet and savory sauce