We love Crockpot recipes around here, and meatballs are one of my absolute favorite meals to cook in the Crockpot. They’re a hearty and comforting dish that practically cooks itself. Pour everything in your Crockpot in the morning and come home to a delicious homemade dinner that the whole family will love.
If you’re looking for tips on how long to cook frozen meatballs in the crockpot to ensure that they turn out perfectly cooked, tender, and juicy, you’ve come to the right place. The short answer is that the cook time can be anything between 4 and 8 hours, depending on the setting of your Crockpot and the type and size of the meatballs, but we’ll get into the specifics in just a bit. Read on for everything you need to know about cooking frozen meatballs in the Crockpot, including cooking times, our favorite tricks, and recipe ideas.
Table of Contents
Why We Love Meatballs
There are so many things to love about meatballs. In addition to the fact that they’re incredibly easy to make, they’re also super versatile. You can serve them over rice or noodles for a warm and delicious dinner, serve them on their own with a salad and some bread, make them into a hearty meatball sandwich, or serve them right out of the slow cooker for a perfect easy appetizer that your party guests will love.
Not only that, but you can make a basic meatball into all kinds of delicious variations just by changing the sauce. Take a short cut and buy a delicious premade sauce or come up with your own delicious creation. There are so many possibilities that you’ll never run out of ideas!
If you’re looking for a great recipe to get you started, try these easy Crockpot Meatballs or this Crockpot Meatball Stroganoff.
Essential Tools
Before you get started with the cooking, it’s a good idea to invest in a good quality meat thermometer. I like to use an instant-read food thermometer, as it will give you a clear internal temperature of the meatballs in just a few seconds, and you can pick one up on Amazon for under $20.
The safe internal temperature for beef meatballs is 160F to ensure food safety, according to the USDA guidelines. Your meatballs should reach this temperature after spending several hours in the Crockpot, but it’s a good idea to check the temperature just to be on the safe side. Insert the end of the thermometer directly into the center of several of your meatballs and wait a few seconds for the temperature to stabilize before taking your reading.
Steps to Cook Frozen Meatballs in the Crockpot
Contrary to popular belief, it’s not necessary to thaw your frozen meatballs before cooking them. You can simply toss them frozen right into the slow cooker. If you’ve already thawed them, that’s fine too. You’ll simply need to reduce the cooking time. For now, we’ll focus on starting with frozen meatballs. Here are just a few simple steps that you’ll need to get the perfect meatballs.
Step 1: Pour your frozen meatballs into the slow cooker.
Step 2: Next, you’ll need a sauce. This can be a homemade creation, or you can simply pour in a jar of your favorite sauce from the grocery store. You’ll want to make sure you use enough sauce that all of your meatballs are completely covered.
Step 3: Turn the Crockpot to low heat and set the timer for 4-6 hours, although you can leave them cooking on low heat for as long as 8 hours. Start to check the meatballs for doneness once they’ve cooked for about 4-5 hours. Once they’re done, you can turn the slow cooker to warm and leave the meatballs inside until you’re ready to serve them.
Note: If you’re in a hurry, you can turn the Crockpot to high heat and cook the meatballs for just 4 hours
Tips and Tricks for Cooking Frozen Meatballs in a Crockpot
- If you’re making chicken or turkey meatballs, keep in mind that they need to reach an internal temperature that’s slightly higher than that of ground beef. You’ll want to cook your poultry meatballs until they reach 165F.
- For best results, stir the meatballs periodically throughout the cooking time, if possible. This is the best way to ensure that they cook evenly and do not burn.
- If you’re serving these at a party, you can leave them in the slow cooker on the warm setting for up to 3 hours.
- If you’re planning to make homemade meatballs and freeze them for later, be sure you cook the meatballs before freezing them.
- Need a meatless version? You can find vegetarian or vegan meatballs in the frozen section of most grocery stores, and you can cook these just like you would regular meatballs.
- If you’re keeping your meatballs out for a few hours at a party, keep an eye on your sauce and add more if it looks like it’s starting to dry out. If you don’t have any more to add, you can stir in a few tablespoons of water, chicken broth, or beef broth.
Sauce Ideas
Looking for a great way to turn your frozen meatballs into a culinary masterpiece? Try any of these quick and delicious sauce ideas.
- Italian Meatballs – There’s a reason why this one is a classic. Use your favorite jar of marinara sauce or spaghetti sauce to make a traditional Italian meatball. You can toss some garlic powder, Italian herb seasoning, or crushed red pepper flakes into the tomato sauce for a little extra flavor.
- Buffalo Meatballs – The tangy and spicy kick of buffalo sauce makes delicious meatballs, and it works particularly well with chicken or turkey meatballs.
- Barbecue Meatballs – Use your favorite barbecue sauce to add a delicious salty and smoky flavor to your meatballs. You can add grape jelly (I know it sounds weird, but trust me – it’s delicious) for some extra sweetness that pairs perfectly with the barbecue flavor.
- Asian Style Meatballs – Wake up your taste buds with a sweet teriyaki sauce, a spicy chili sauce, or a tangy gochujang sauce. All of these will give your meatballs a delicious Asian flavor.
- Swedish Meatballs – A hearty sour-cream based gravy sauce makes a delicious Swedish meatball that’s perfect for serving over egg noodles.
What to Serve With Meatballs
Looking for some side dish ideas to round out your meatball dinner? We’ve got plenty of popular options for you. Here’s a short list of my favorite things to serve with meatballs.
- Pasta – It’s nice to add some comforting carbs with the protein-filled meatballs and you can’t go wrong with pasta. From spaghetti and meatballs to Swedish meatballs, pasta provides a perfect base for your meatballs and an easy way to turn this dish into a complete and delicious meal.
- Bread – Whether you’re making meatball subs or meatball sliders with your Italian style meatballs or just serving some crusty garlic bread on the side, bread is perfect accompaniment to this dish. After all, you’re going to need something to mop up all that delicious sauce.
- Rice – Serve your meatballs on top of some white, brown, or jasmine rice. We especially like this option with Asian style meatballs, and the rice is almost as good as bread for soaking up the extra sauce.
- Salad – If you’re looking for something on the lighter side, or if you’re watching your carbs, try a simple green or Caesar salad on the salad. I wouldn’t recommend putting the meatballs on the salad, however, since it can warm the lettuce and cause it to wilt.
Storing and Reheating Your Leftover Meatballs
Place your leftover meatballs in an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. When ready to reheat them later, you can microwave them for 2-3 minutes.
If you haven’t made meatballs in a while, give this easy meal a try the next time you need a quick family dinner or a popular and crowd-pleasing party dish. With a jar of sauce and a few hours in the crockpot, you can have easy Crockpot meatballs on the table in no time. Keep some frozen meatballs in your freezer at all times, then get creative and try out lots of fun recipe variations. Frozen meatballs will be your new go-to dish when you want a lot of flavor with just a little bit of effort!
Leave a Review!