Sweet and Smokey Meatballs

Ladies and Gents, you must make these Sweet and Smokey meatballs!!

Smokey flavor from the BBQ sauce, sweet from the jam, spice from the dijon, and fresh herbs makes for the perfect, delicious meatball recipe.

I would not steer you wrong in the meatball department. These are delish!

I recently served these meatballs for a big family dinner and it was unanimous! Everyone raved and thought they had the perfect sweet, smokey, tangy, spice flavor combination.

A good, gluten free meatball is hard to come by in the stores. I have tried so many and just felt like I wasted my money. These Sweet and Smokey Meatballs are so easy to make, there is no reason to buy store bought meatballs.

These little bites of deliciousness will not disappoint. You probably have most of the ingredients already in your pantry. I just love a simple recipe!

The Sweet and Smokey Meatballs are so versatile. They are perfect to serve as an appetizer at happy hour, a big party, or a simple family gathering. Pair these meatballs with my Roasted Pimento Cheese Dip, Pizza Dip, Stuffed Mushroom, or Zucchini Bites and your party is complete.

They are great to serve as the main entree for dinner. Make a double batch and you will have the best leftovers.

I love to serve these meatballs with my Instant Pot Rice, Steamed Green Beans, or my Maple Dijon Sweet Potatoes and your dinner is done.

A versatile recipe, you can use ground beef, ground turkey, or ground chicken with the recipe.

The absolute best part about this meal is they can be made in the Instant Pot or Slow Cooker. I will give you directions for both.

Alright let’s get cooking and make these fabulous Sweet and Smokey Meatballs!

Jump to:

• Step by step instructions
• How to cook meatballs in an Instant Pot
• How to cook meatballs in a crock pot
• Tips for success
• How to store and reheat
• Sweet and Smokey Meatballs Recipe

Step by step instructions

MEATBALL DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat Oven to 350 degrees. Mix all the meat ingredients together (ground beef, cassava flour, egg, smoked paprika, salt and pepper) and form golf ball size meatballs.
• Place meatballs on a wire rack.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

SAUCE DIRECTIONS:

Place all the sauce ingredients (bbq sauce, honey, dijon, jam/jelly, spring onions, and garlic) into a bowl and mix. Make sure the jelly and honey are fully incorporated into the sauce.

How to cook meatballs in an Instant Pot

• See the above meatball and sauce instructions.
• Place half the sauce in the Instant Pot. Put meatballs in the pot and pour the rest of the sauce on top of the meatballs.
• Put the lid on top of the Instant Pot and make sure the lid is in the SEALED Position.
• Hit the Manuel button for 5 minutes. Once it has finished cooking, place the valve to the VENTING Position and release the pressure. Remove lid. Your meatballs are ready for dinner!

Do you not have time to make meatballs? If not just buy a bag of frozen meatballs. Place half the sauce in the Instant Pot, then place meatballs in the pot. Pour the rest of the sauce on top. Follow the above cooking instructions. I won’t tell a soul you altered this recipe!! 🙂

How to cook meatballs in a crock pot

• See the above meatball and sauce instructions.
• Place meatballs in the crockpot and pour sauce over the meatballs. Bake on low 2-4 hours.

Do you not have time to make meatballs? If not just buy a bag of frozen meatballs. Pour half the sauce in the crockpot and then place meatballs in the pot. Pour the other half of the sauce and stir. Cook on high for 2-4 hours. I won’t tell a soul you altered this recipe!! Heehee 🙂

• Now you have the perfect Sweet and Smokey Meatballs for both the Instant Pot and the Slow Cooker.

Tips for success

• Do not buy an overly sweet BBQ sauce. You want one with hardly any sugar. Make sure it has a smokey flavor.
• If your BBQ sauce does not have a smokey flavor, you can add a half teaspoon of liquid smoke.
• Make sure the meatballs are the same size. They need to cook evenly.
• Large meatballs (golf ball size) need to be cooked for 15 minutes. Smaller meatballs (ping pong size) need to be baked for 10 minutes.
• We are not cooking the meatball all the way through. We just want them to maintain their shape while in the Crock Pot or Instant Pot.
• Make sure your honey and jam/jelly is mixed well in your sauce and it is not sitting at the bottom. We do not want the honey or jam/jelly to burn.
• You can use ground beef, ground chicken, or ground turkey with this recipe.

How to store and reheat

Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 4 days.

REHEATING INSTRUCTIONS:

MICROWAVE: Place leftovers on a microwave safe plate and reheat for 60-90 seconds or until it is heated through.

STOVE TOP: (preferred method) Place meatballs in a skillet on medium heat. Reheat for 5 minutes of until nice and warm all the way through.

I made a large batch last time and froze them for easy week night dinners. Checkout this article on how to freeze meatballs. I used the “already cooked” instructions. All I have to do is defrost and dump in the sauce. Dinner can be ready in minutes!

I hope you enjoy these Sweet and Smokey Meatballs. If you have tried the recipe please leave a review and comment below.

Check out some other easy weeknight meals:

• Balsamic Jam Chicken
• Gluten Free Chicken Pot Pie