These cocktail meatballs are an easy to prep, addictive and impressive party dish and appetizer recipe, and a guaranteed crowd favorite!
Cocktail meatballs
These are a guaranteed crowd favorite! These little guys have never failed me, and they are the PERFECT game day appetizer or party snack, and can be whipped up in a jiffy. I often make variations of meatballs as quick, easy appetizers, like these Indonesian beef meatballs, meatball curry, cheesy meatball skillet etc. I make these sweet and spicy cocktail meatballs from scratch. And they are coated in a delicious (with a nice kick!) sweet and savory sauce made with honey and sriracha sauce. Tender, juicy, flavorful and addictive, these are an easy to prep, versatile recipe. You can make these cocktail meatballs as well as the sweet and spicy sauce ahead of time, so you can enjoy your party or game with minimal stress. You could of course make these with frozen, store-bought meatballs as well. But personally, I prefer to make my own, because that way I know exactly what’s in the meatballs, plus it’s easy, so why not? 🙂
How to make cocktail meatballs
I make these sweet and spicy cocktail meatballs with a mixture of pork and beef. You can make the meatball mix in two ways – in the food processor or a stand mixer. This is because I want these meatballs to have a Kofta-like juicy, tender texture, instead of being crumbly. The meat is mixed with a flavor paste made of onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Then they are mixed in with a mixture of breadcrumbs, milk and eggs that acts as a binder for the ground meat. Use a small cookie scoop to perfectly portion each meatball, so that they are all the same size. This really helps with cooking all the meatballs evenly in the oven. If you’d like to, you can cook these cocktail meatballs in batches over a stove, but the oven is easier. Just 15-20 minutes in the oven, and all 40 meatballs are cooked in one go!
Why cook these cocktail meatballs on a wire rack?
If you cook these meatballs directly on a half sheet pan, they will bake in their own puddle of juices, which prevents even cooking. But if you place them on a wire rack, which is then kept on a half sheet pan, the juices will drip down on to the half sheet pan. That way the meatballs are free to bake evenly throughout, with even air circulation all around them in the oven. But here’s another tip for cooking them on a wire rack – use a cross-wire baking rack that has smaller squares (like the one pictured above). This way there’s less of a chance of you getting wire rack marks on your cooked meatballs. The meatballs can be stored in an air-tight container in the fridge or freezer until needed. These are so good, you can eat them just like that, but the sweet and spicy sauce really does elevate this dish!
How to make the sweet and spicy sauce for cocktail meatballs
Cocktail meatballs are typically made with a grape jelly sauce. While that’s great, I made these cocktail meatballs without grape jelly. Instead, I use a personal preference of honey and orange juice for the sauce here. Just as fruity-tasting and sweet. The honey and orange juice are then mixed with sriracha sauce and balsamic vinegar. The result is a thick sauce that has sweet, fruity, spicy, tangy flavors, all perfectly balanced! Serve these cocktail meatballs with cocktail picks or bamboo forks. While these are an obvious choice as a game day appetizer or party snack, I also like to serve these sweet and spicy meatballs for lunch and dinner. Leftover cocktail meatballs are great in salads, and sometimes I serve them with baked potatoes or with rice. They are tender, juicy and super flavorful, no matter how you devour these bad boys! 🙂 If you liked this cocktail meatballs recipe, don’t forget to subscribe for new (and free) recipes by entering your email address in the subscription box below the recipe card (and get all these recipes delivered straight to your inbox), so you don’t miss out on a thing. You can find me on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST, YOU TUBE and GOOGLE-PLUS too.
Other Game Day appetizers you may like
Crispy cheese jalapeno bacon bites Easy sausage rolls Mini chicken taquitos Mini chicken pies Chicken bouchees (chicken puffs) Ribbon sandwiches (rainbow sandwiches) Asian deviled eggs (miso ramen deviled eggs) Easy savory palmiers Savory cookies (thyme and cheddar cheese cookies)
