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These Crockpot BBQ Meatballs make an amazing easy appetizer that doubles as a fun and delicious family-style dinner served over pasta or cauliflower rice. They are made from scratch with ground turkey and your favorite BBQ sauce and simmered in the crockpot for maximum flavor.

Crockpot BBQ Meatballs with toothpicks in the top of each meatballs on a round white plate with a striped towel and more bbq sauce behind it.

Crockpot BBQ Meatballs are my family’s latest obsession. Actually, they have been a staple recipe in our family for years. You know, the grape jelly meatballs where you cook frozen store-bought meatballs with BBQ sauce or Chili Sauce and grape jelly in the slow cooker?

It really is a delicious and easy recipe but have you ever read the ingredients in those frozen meatballs? I’m not even sure what some of the ingredients even are nor can I pronounce them.

So I decided to create a healthier version of those crockpot meatballs everyone is loving so much. Full disclosure this bbq meatballs recipe takes a little bit more time but it is totally worth it! This recipe is perfect for a last-minute party or just for having the kid’s friends over. You can whip it up in no time and it only requires a few ingredients.

You can check out all of my Healthy Meatball Recipes here.

Round white plate with bbq meatballs with toothpicks stuck in them spread onto the plate with a striped towel and jar of bbq sauce behind it.

The best part is that this recipe doubles as an easy weeknight meal you can serve with pasta and some veggies.

The balance of flavors is amazing and the meatballs come out so tender and juicy. Slow-cook them in your favorite BBQ sauce and it is just heavenly.

I did not include any grape jelly in my recipe to keep this version lower in sugar but you can certainly add that in if you would like. See more recipe variations below.

Meatballs are always a hit!

For some reason, meatballs are always popular and seem to be the first thing to go at any party or get-together. In fact, some of the most popular recipes on PMG are my meatball recipes! YUP! Turkey Zucchini Meatballs, Greek Meatballs, Eggplant Meatballs, Healthy Turkey Meatballs, Ground Chicken Meatballs….so many great meatball recipes! Popular for good reason. They are all easy to make, store and reheat great, and you can make a bunch ahead of time and freeze them!

In this recipe we are simmering the baked meatballs in zesty BBQ sauce that really takes them to a new level of deliciousness! Plus, you can make them gluten free or even low-carb if you prefer to.

Round white bowl with raw ground turkey in it with a smaller white bowl with breadcrumbs, jar of bbq sauce, bowl of spices, egg, onion and bowls of oil and mustard in front of it.

Ingredients you will need

Ground turkey – I recommend 93/7 ground turkey for the best flavor.
Breadcrumbs – any breadcrumbs will work. You can use gluten free breadcrumbs, oats, or even cooked cauliflower rice or quinoa.
Egg – one large egg to help hold everything together.
Dijon mustard
Shallot – you could also use yellow or white onion or purple onion.
Olive oil – extra virgin olive oil
Seasoning – garlic powder, onion powder, dried parsely, salt and pepper.
BBQ sauce – use your favorite BBQ sauce. Store-bought or homemade is fine. I used Primal Kitchen, because that is my favorite. Note: this is not a sponored post, I just really like Primal Kitchen BBQ sauce.

Variations and substitutions

If you need to keep these low carb then swap the gluten free breadcrumbs with a mix of blanched almond flour and shredded parmesan cheese or even blended cashews or walnuts. Or even use riced cauliflower, cooked quinoa, or cooked brown rice.
I added the egg as a binder but if you need to keep this recipe egg-free then you can sub the egg with one of these substitutes: ½ cup shredded zucchini, 2 tablespoon buttermilk, 2 tablespoons plain yogurt or ricotta cheese or even 3 tablespoons unsweetened Applesauce. Now this change will slightly alter the flavor of these meatballs but they will still turn out A-MAZING!
To make this recipe a little sweeter you can add about 1 cup of grape jelly or apricot preserves at the same time as when you add the BBQ sauce.
Add a little spice to this recipe by using chili sauce in place of BBQ sauce. Now if you do this then the grape jelly or apricot preserves would be a good idea to balance out the flavors nicely.

How to make Crockpot BBQ Meatballs

This recipe only requires two steps and is a very simple recipe that yields incredible, healthy turkey meatballs.

Round glass bowl with raw ground turkey, a cracked egg, breadcrumbs, mustard and diced shallots in it. — **Add meatball ingredients to a bowl**

A glass mixing bowl with raw mixed meatballs mixture in it with a wooden spoon sticking out of it. — **Add meatball ingredients to a bowl**

Mix and form. Add all meatball ingredients to a medium size mixing bowl. Mix well to combine into a meatball mixture. Use your hands to roll the meatballs into 1 tablespoon size balls and place them about 1 inch apart on a foil-lined (for easy clean up) baking sheet.
Cook. Cook the meatballs in a 400-degree F oven for 12-15 minutes. Then remove them and let them cool for a few minutes. Add the meatballs to the bottom of a crockpot or slow cooker. Pour the BBQ sauce over the meatballs and lightly toss them in the sauce. Secure the lid and set the slow cooker to low and cook for 2-3 hours. You can also cook them on high for 1 hour.
Serve. Once the meatballs are done cooking, toss them in the sauce a little more to get them all nice and coated, and transfer them to a serving platter or plate and top with dried parsley for garnish. Serve hot with extra BBQ sauce for dipping on the side.

Recipe Tips for making BBQ Meatballs in the crockpot

Don’t over mix. Make sure not to over mix the meat mixture. You want to mix it just until all of the ingredients are fully incorporated.
Roll the meatballs into even size balls. This is important because you want them all to cook at the same time. I used a round tablespoon to measure each of the meatballs and this recipe yielded exactly 20 meatballs that were 1 tablespoon each. You can also use a small cookie scoop as well.
Use a meat thermometer to test the doneness of the meatballs. These turkey meatballs should be cooked to 160 degrees F (they will continue to cook after you remove them from the oven, up to 165 degrees F (i.e carryover cooking time). I always use a meat thermometer to ensure they are properly cooked. It should take roughly 12-15 minutes for them to cook.
Line the pan with foil for easy cleanup. I like to line my baking sheet with foil for quick and easy clean up after the meatballs are cooked. You can also line the pan with parchment paper. I also like to spray the foil lightly with cooking spray to prevent the meatballs from sticking.

Round plate with white rice, mixed veggies and bbq meatballs on top of it with a fork cutting through one of the meatballs with a striped black and white towel and jar of bbq sauce behind it.

Serving suggestions

These Crockpot BBQ Meatballs make a wonderful fun appetizer for any gathering. I like to put toothpicks in each one and serve them with a side of BBQ sauce for extra dipping. Here are some other fun ways to serve these meatballs.

Serve them over some rice with some mixed veggies as shown above. A family favorite in our house!
Enjoy them on top of some Mashed Sweet Potatoes.
Have them alongside some Oven Roasted Broccoli or Roasted Asparagus.
Serve them with some Healthy Potato Salad.

What BBQ Sauce is best in this meatball recipe?

I tried a few different BBQ sauces and the best ones were Primal Kitchen BBQ Sauce and STUBBS BBQ Sauce. This is not a sponsored post, they really were the best ones due to the taste, the fact that they both used a short list of great ingredients, and were both gluten free.

I also tried Sweet Baby Ray’s Gourmet Sauces, Jack Daniels BBQ sauce (some are gluten-free), and Bone Suckin’ Sauce. I recommend using the one that fits your taste and dietary need but these were all pretty decent in my opinion.

Textured plate filled with white rice, peas and carrots topped with sauce meatballs with a silver spoon on the plate.

Storing, freezing, and reheating these meatballs

Storing: these crockpot bbq meatballs store great in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Freezing: You can freeze these meatballs after you have baked them before you cook them in the bbq sauce. Place the baked meatballs onto a lined baking sheet and flash freeze them for 1-2 hours. Trasnfer them to a freezer- friendly container and keep the in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Reheating: You can reheat these meatballs from the refrigerator in the microwave until warmed through. Also reheat them in a pan on the stovetop. To reheat them from frozen. Add them right from the freezer into the crockpot, cover them with bbq sauce and cook them on high for 1.5 hours or on low for 2.5-3 hours.

More BBQ Recipes to try!

Sliced bbq covered cooked chicken breast on a plate with mashed white potatoes and a medley of cooked veggies with a gold fork on the plate and another plate of chicken behind it. — **Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Breast**

Did you make this Crockpot BBQ Meatballs recipe? If you did, then please leave a rating and comment below. You can also tag me on Instagram @pinchmegoodfood so I can see your creation.