20-Minute Pepper Jelly Glazed Meatballs are the easiest appetizer recipe for your party or celebration. Great for game-time tailgating too! Quick & YUMMY! Don’t miss our 5-minute Instant Pot version for these below!
It’s no secret, I love appetizer recipes. I’m pretty sure I could live off just appetizer snacks for a very long time.
Something about snacking on things like these 20-Minute Pepper Jelly Glazed Meatballs instead of having a huge meal is so appealing to me.
It must be that I equate appetizers with game-day or party time, which is always fun. One thing we make a lot of around here (& I can’t believe I haven’t shared them with you before) is meatballs.
It all started back when my grandmother made this super awesome meatball recipe for my high school graduation party. Ever since then I have been obsessed with making all sorts of meatball recipes.
pepper jelly meatballs recipe
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My favorite, these 20-Minute Pepper Jelly Glazed Meatballs. I mean, you get saucy goodness in just 20 minutes with a handful of ingredients – you can’t go wrong there. Plus – pepper jelly, ummmmm- SO GOOD!
But then a few years ago I went on a retreat with some friends who turned me on to the pressure cooker craze. I came home, bought one & have been experimenting with recipes ever since.
That means I just had to give these meatballs a try using that Instant Pot & wow- they are so incredibly easy!
My grandmother’s original recipe called for regular store-bought jam, which is pretty common in most meatball recipes. But over the years we have adapted the recipe to include all sorts of things I really love, like my obsession- pepper jelly. Do you love pepper jelly?
You can find it in stores, but I really love to make my own because that way I have a lot on hand. It only takes a few minutes & I can just pull a jar out of the freezer whenever we are hosting friends & family & need a quick appetizer.
With this meatball recipe only taking 20 minutes (or 5 minutes for the pressure cooker version) to make – it’s a no-brainer to add it to the spread. I gotta say, the pepper jelly is phenomenal when paired with these other flavors. It’s HEAVEN!
Here are some commonly asked questions
How can I make this in the slow cooker?
If you would like to make this meatball recipe in the slow cooker, rather than the pressure cooker or on the stove top- you are in luck.
Just combine all the ingredients in the slow cooker & stir. Cover & set on high for 2-3 hours before serving.
What is the best way to store leftover meatballs?
After serving, place leftover meatballs in an airtight container. Be sure to label with the date before refrigerating. This recipe should keep for up to 3 days if not left out for too long.
As with most things, it is important to get food into the refrigerator within 1 hour after serving to prevent bacteria growth.
How many can this serve?
This will depend greatly on portion sizes & the appetites of your crowd. This recipe feeds our family of 5 for a whole day of game-day snacking.
With about 40 meatballs – this is enough to fill us up. We have 3 young adult children, so we usually don’t have a ton of leftovers of most things, but this was perfect for us all & we had a little bit to enjoy to the next day.
instant pot meatballs
Can this recipe be doubled?
Yes, no matter which method you use to make these meatballs, you can double this recipe just fine. Most slow cookers or pressure cookers can handle that quantity with ease.
What if I want the leave out the beer?
That’s fine to leave out the beer. Just replace it with a beef broth instead. This will give you more flavor than using water.
HOW DO YOU MAKE PRESSURE COOKER MEATBALLS?
- Place all ingredients in a large saucepan or shallow stockpot. (I used my cast iron dutch oven)
- Bring to medium-high heat. Let cook for 2-4 min.
- Once the sauce begins to boil, reduce heat to a simmer.
- Let cook for 15 minutes or until sauce has darkened & reduced (meatballs are already cooked- so they should just be hot) Remove & serve!
- Enjoy!
- If making in the Instant Pot, combine all of the ingredients in the pot & stir.
- Swap out half of the beer with water – (you don’t want too much carbonation in the pressure cooker)
- Cover & set on seal, manual for 5 minutes.
- Quick release, remove lid & stir again before serving at your game-day or holiday party.
Can this be made with fresh meatballs?
Absolutely. If you want to do this, you will need to saute them first to brown the outsides so they don’t become one giant ball of meat when trying to stir them with the other ingredients.
Jelly Glazed Meatballs
More Awesome Meatball Recipes
Slow Cooker Blueberry Honey Garlic Meatballs
Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Italian Wedding Soup with Pork Meatballs
Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs
Oven-Baked Meatball Sandwiches
To make this recipe you will need…
- pre-cooked frozen mini meatballs
- beer
- BBQ Sauce
- pepper jelly
- granulated garlic
- chili powder
- cornstarch
Products I love when making this meatball recipe…
This jelly glazed meatball recipe is so EASY and delicious – and if you’re like me, then you probably already have many of these items on hand.
OR maybe you have never made meatballs before, & you might be a bit nervous – but you’re going to love how delicious this recipe is. I have made a list below of the things I absolutely can’t live without when it comes to making this side.
- Instant Pot
- Dutch oven
- slow cooker
- this BBQ sauce
- granulated garlic
- chili powder
- cornstarch
If you love this easy meatballs recipe, you’re going to love these other delicious recipes too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
Creamy Chicken Verde Pinwheels
Roast Beef Open Faced Mini Sandwich
Don’t forget the pepper jelly!
Oven Baked Meatball Sandwiches
Homemade Kettle Corn in the microwave
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Roasted Garlic Boneless Buffalo Wings
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20-Minute Pepper Jelly Glazed Meatballs
Ingredients
- 2 lbs pre-cooked frozen mini meatballs
- 12 oz beer
- 18 oz BBQ Sauce
- 8 oz pepper jelly
- 1 tbsp granulated garlic
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
For pressure cooker
- 6 oz beef broth *replacing 6 oz of the beer
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a large saucepan or shallow stockpot. (I used my cast iron dutch oven)
- Bring to medium-high heat. Let cook for 2-4 min
- Once the sauce begins to boil, reduce heat to a simmer.
- Let cook for 15 minutes or until sauce has darkened & reduced (meatballs are already cooked- so they should just be hot) Remove & serve!
- Enjoy!
For pressure cooker
- Combine all of the ingredients in the pot & stir.
- Swap out half of the beer with water – (you don’t want too much carbonation in the pressure cooker)
- Cover & set on to seal, manual for 5 minutes.
- Quick-release, remove lid & stir again before serving at your game-day or holiday party.
Notes
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Yummi Haus cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
Tamar says
Those sound like they have a great bite to them!
Mindee says
can I use bourbon instead of beer?
Gina Kleinworth says
Hi Mindee – I suppose you could give it a try. I haven’t attempted that one yet, so I can’t say exactly what the result will be. But I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt to give it a go. Please let me know how it turns out.
Jess says
PINNED! YUMMY! 🙂
Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!
Marilyn Lesniak says
Congratulations! Your post was my feature pick at #WonderfulWednesday this week. Visit me on Tuesday evening and to see your feature and pick up your badge! All hosts choose their own features so be sure to return to my blog. I invite you to leave more links to be shared and commented upon.
Miz Helen says
I was so excited about pinning this recipe, and can’t wait to try it! Hope you are having a great day and thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday!
Come Back Soon,
Miz Helen
Deb@Cooking on the Front Burner says
I love how easy these are to make!
Becky Tarala says
Love me some pepper jelly! These look so delish!
Barbara Schieving says
Meatballs are always a hit. Love the sweet and spicy combo.
Ruth Spencer says
I will try your meatballs, but if you don’t mind sharing your recipe for your pepper jelly it would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you very much,
Ruth Spencer
Gina Kleinworth says
There is a link to that recipe right above the picture for the pepper jelly – https://www.kleinworthco.com/2014/01/simple-pepper-jelly.html
Jess says
I know any type of beer can be used, but what is your favorite beer to use for this recipe?
Gina Kleinworth says
Honestly, I don’t have one. I usually pick a local IPA or whatever we have in the house at the time.