These BBQ Party Meatballs are tasty appetizers for any party or holiday. Juicy baked meatballs tossed in a sweet and spicy barbecue sauce that are just the right size for popping in your mouth. Keep them warm in a slow cooker all night for serving!
Easy appetizers like these meatballs are always good for party planning! Some of our other favorite party appetizers are these Crock Pot Little Smokies and our new favorite, these Everything Pigs in a Blanket!
Why You’ll Love These BBQ Party Meatballs
Not only are we excited to share these BBQ Party Meatballs with you, we have lots of helpful tips and details to make this recipe look and taste it’s best!
However, if you’re ready to dive right into making this meatball recipe, just scroll down to the recipe card or click the “jump to recipe” button above the first photo.
- Easy To Make: Just a few minutes is all you need to get these meatballs into the oven. A three ingredient sauce is super easy to get together while the meatballs are baking.
- Make Ahead Recipe: You can make these meatballs ahead of time, freeze them and pull them out when you need them. Bake and toss in the sauce and serve!
- One Bite Appetizer: One bite appetizers are great for parties since you only need one hand to eat them. We like to keep our other hand free for a beer or cocktail.
How To Make Party Meatballs
This meatball recipe is really easy to put together. We like to bake them in the oven instead of pan frying them in oil to keep the mess to a minimum. Because we’re tossing these meatballs in a flavorful honey barbecue sauce, baking works just fine.
- STEP 1 – Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix the bbq sauce, honey and sriracha together in a microwave proof bowl and set aside.
- STEP 2 – Add ground beef, onion soup mix, dry mustard, breadcrumbs, a beaten egg and Worcestershire sauce and 2 tablespoons of the honey bbq sauce into a bowl. Mix and form into 2 inch round meatballs, then place on a baking sheet.
- STEP 3 – Bake the meatballs in the oven for 12-15 minutes until cooked through and no longer pink. Microwave the sauce for 1 minute and then toss together with the warm meatballs.
Can You Make These Cocktail Meatballs Ahead Of Time?
Absolutely! Along those same lines of keeping these meatballs warm in a crock pot, you can make them a day or two ahead of time and then warm them up in your crock pot or oven.
To heat them up in a crock pot, start them off on high for an hour to warm them up and then turn down to the low or keep warm setting until you’re ready to serve.
If you’re warming them up in the oven, add the meatballs to a baking dish and cover with foil. Heat them up in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes until they are hot.
Can I Make These Party Meatballs With Ground Turkey?
Yes, you can make this meatball recipe with ground turkey instead. Ground turkey, chicken or pork would all be good options. If using ground chicken or turkey, the meatball mixture might be a little looser so just add a few more breadcrumbs to hold the meatballs together.
Variations
There’s a lot of different ways that you can switch up the sauce for these party meatballs. A lot of recipes for party meatballs include grape jelly in the sauce. Same kind of concept, there’s a sweet and slightly spicy flavor going on.
We love using this Huli Huli Sauce on these meatballs, too. Other ideas could include an Asian spin by using our Homemade Stir Fry Sauce, or even leaving the meatballs plain and setting out different dipping sauces like Bang Bang Sauce or a Yum Yum Sauce.
Looking For More Meatball Recipes?
- Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
- Crock Pot Asian Meatballs
- Mustard Glazed Cocktail Meatballs
- Pork Cocktail Meatballs with Sweet Chili Remoulade
- Cheeseburger Meatballs
BBQ Party Meatballs
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeThese BBQ Party Meatballs are tasty appetizers for any party or holiday. Juicy baked meatballs tossed in a sweet and spicy BBQ sauce that are just the right size for popping in your mouth.
Ingredients
For The Sauce:
- 1 cup barbecue sauce (your favorite kind)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons – 1 tablespoon sriracha
For The Meatballs:
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 package dry onion soup mix (2 ounce envelope)
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons of prepared honey bbq sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Start by making the sauce. Mix the bbq sauce, honey and sriracha together in a microwave proof bowl and set aside.
- Add all the ingredients for the meatballs to a large bowl, including 2 tablespoons of the prepared sauce. Mix together to combine and form into 2 inch round meatballs, then place on a baking sheet. You should end up with about 35 meatballs.
- Bake the meatballs in the oven for 12-15 minutes until cooked through and no longer pink. Microwave the sauce for 1 minute to warm it up slightly and then toss together with the meatballs.
- Serve with toothpicks and chopped parsley for garnish. (optional)
Recipe Notes
This recipe makes about 35 cocktail meatballs.
You can transfer these meatballs to a slow cooker on the “keep warm” setting for serving.
- Category: Appetizers
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
