These Spicy Cranberry Cocktail Meatballs are a fun twist on the classic appetizer. They’re perfect for holiday parties or any gathering that requires finger food! If you want to kick up the heat and level up the flavor profile, add some red habanero sauce from El Yucateco® . This post is sponsored by El Yucateco® and all opinions are my own.
If you’re looking for a meat appetizer that pairs perfectly with wine, cheese, and nuts–these meatballs are it! We love them because they have a sweet and spicy peppered cranberry sauce surrounding them, which gives them an exciting flavor. The meatballs are also baked in the oven, so you don’t have to spend all day cooking on Thanksgiving or Christmas! Plan on just about an hour from start to finish for this tongue tantalizing appetizer. Or, you could use frozen meatballs and make things even simpler-the choice is yours!
We have had these for game days, and even took them to a potluck dinner and they were a hit! If you love sweet, spicy, and savory, give these a try!
Why I Love These
Cranberry meatballs are a perfect dish for the holiday season. They’re easy to make, they’re delicious and they’ll be a hit with kids and adults alike at your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner table. The cranberries in these meatballs add a little kick – not too much spice but just enough to give them some flavor. You can also use this recipe as an appetizer if you make smaller-sized meatballs, which is what I recommend when serving them on the big day!
Best of all, you can even use fresh cranberry sauce should that peak your interest. For convenience sake, I used canned jellied cranberry sauce, but these would be amazing with some whole berry cranberry sauce, or this doctored-up canned cranberry sauce.
What Makes these Meatballs Spicy?
To make our cocktail meatballs spicy we added both chili sauce and used El Yucateco® Red Habanero Sauce which is a blend of habanero peppers, red tomatoes, select spices, and seasonings.
We purchased this at our local Walmart, but it is available in grocery stores nationally.
Ready to spice things up this Holiday season and bring some much-needed flavor to this year’s family meals? If so, it is time to check out El Yucateco® hot sauce which can add flavor and heat to spice up your holiday dishes. Available in 7 varieties, my 4 favorite are: Red Habanero Sauce 4 oz, Green Habanero Sauce 4 oz, Black Label Reserve Habanero Sauce 4oz and XXXtra Hot Habanero Sauce 4 oz. These all are tasty and would make perfect stocking stuffers or gift basket fillers for anyone who needs some spice in their life this holiday season.
Created in 1968 by Mr. Priamo J. Gamboa O. in Yucatan, Mexico this is now the #1 habanero sauce in the US and ranks in the top 10 of all hot sauces in the US. Unlike the competition, it is made from the whole fruit of the pepper, they are non-vinegar based and do not contain capsaicin extract. That means you get lots of flavor instead of just heat!
How to Make
- With clean or gloved hands, combine the ground beef, pork, hot sauce, breadcrumbs, egg, spices, onion, and Worcestershire.
- Form tablespoon-sized meatballs and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake meatballs for 20 minutes at 350 degrees F.
- As meatballs bake, prepare sauce ingredients in a large skillet. Heat the hot sauce, cranberry sauce, and sweet chili until melted.
- Once meatballs are baked, place them in the skillet and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes. Additionally, you can put them on low for an hour in the slow cooker.
Storing
These meatballs are delicious warm, but any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also freeze these for up to 3 months in their sauce.
More Meatball Recipes You’ll Love
Looking for more meatball recipes? Check these out today!
Spicy Cranberry Cocktail Meatballs
Equipment
- oven (adjusted to the center rack position)
- Stovetop
- large mixing bowl
- Measuring Cups & spoons
- tablespoon scoop
- Wooden Spoon
- large skillet
- Large Baking Sheet
- parchment paper
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 1/4 pounds ground beef
- 1 1/4 pounds ground pork
- 1 cup breadcrumbs I used day old fresh bread crumbs
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons minced onion
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons Worchestshire sauce
- 1 tablespoon El Yucateco® Chile Habanero Hot Sauce
Spicy Cranberry Sauce
- 14 ounces jellied cranberry sauce
- 12 ounces chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon El Yucateco® Chili Habanero Hot Sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- With clean or gloved hands, combine the ground beef, pork, hot sauce, breadcrumbs, egg, spices, onion, and Worchestshire.
- Form tablespoon-sized meatballs and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake meatballs for 20 minutes at 350 degrees F.
- As meatballs bake, prepare sauce ingredients in a large skillet. Heat the hot sauce, cranberry sauce, and sweet chili until melted.
- Once meatballs are baked, place them in the skillet and simmer on low heat for 30 mins. Additionally, (once baked) these can be cooked on low heat in the slow cooker for an hour. Keep them on warm for anything past that.
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