Cranberry Meatballs Recipe
These sweet and tangy Cranberry Meatballs are the easiest way to impress guests during the holidays, or anytime you need a crowd-pleasing dish. Made with juicy ground beef, cranberry sauce, BBQ sauce, and a kick of jalapeño, they’re saucy, satisfying, and completely addictive. Serve straight from the skillet or keep warm in the slow cooker for your next party.
Servings: 8
Cost: $15
Equipment
- skillet
- spatula
- kitchen tongs
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 1 lb ground beef 80–85% lean
- 1 lb ground pork or use all beef
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 large egg
- ½ small onion finely grated
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 fresh jalapeño pepper seeded and finely minced (keep some seeds for extra heat)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika optional
- 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest divided (use half in meatballs; half in glaze)
For the Cranberry Glaze
- use canned or homemade; see Notes
- 1 can whole-berry cranberry sauce or 1½ cups homemade whole-berry cranberry sauce
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons chili-garlic sauce start with 2; add more to taste
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar to taste (depends on sweetness of your cranberry sauce)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon apple cider or rice vinegar
- Optional: 1 extra jalapeño thinly sliced, for more bite
- Remaining orange zest about 1–2 tsp
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir the panko and milk, let it rest 2 minutes.
- Whisk in egg, onion, garlic, minced jalapeño, salt, pepper, paprika, and half the orange zest. Add the beef and pork, mix gently just to combine. Form meatballs using about 1 1/2 tablespoons for each, yields approximately 24 meatballs.
- Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high with 1 tablespoon oil. Brown the meatballs in 2 batches, turn to brown on all sides, approximately 5-7 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
- Lower to medium heat. In the same skillet, whisk the cranberry sauce, orange juice, chili-garlic sauce, ketchup, brown sugar (if using), soy sauce, vinegar, remaining zest, and sliced jalapeño (if using). Simmer 2-3 min until smooth and slightly thickened.
- Return the meatballs and juices to skillet. Simmer, turning occasionally, over low heat until the centers reach 160°F and glaze thickly coats the meatballs, 8-10 minutes.
- Taste and adjust for heat, sweetness and seasoning.
- Serve hot or room temperature.
Notes
- To make ahead, prepare the meatballs and sauce up to 24 hours in advance. Reheat on the stove or in a slow cooker before serving.
- For a milder version, omit the jalapeño or use a pinch of red pepper flakes instead.
- Great with turkey or pork instead of beef for a lighter twist.
- Short on time? You can make this recipe even more quickly by using frozen, thawed meatballs, just skip the browning step and simmer them directly in the cranberry-BBQ sauce until heated through.
- Freeze cooked meatballs in sauce for up to 3 months, reheat gently to serve.
Nutrition
Calories: 276kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 97mg | Sodium: 734mg | Potassium: 433mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 146IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 2mg