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This easy Crockpot Frozen Meatballs recipe is one of my favorite weeknight dinner hacks, and using frozen meatballs makes life so much easier! Stash a bag in your freezer, add a jar of your favorite sauce, and the slow cooker does the rest. Serve them over pasta for dinner or with toothpicks as a party appetizer alongside my Crockpot Buffalo Wings and Pigs in a Blanket.
Quick answer: Pour a 24-ounce jar of sauce over a 32-ounce bag of fully cooked frozen meatballs, then cook on Low for 4 to 6 hours or on High for 2 to 3 hours. No thawing needed. The meatballs are ready when they are hot all the way through and reach 165 degrees F in the center.
Kasey’s Note
I always keep a bag or two of frozen meatballs in the freezer because they turn into dinner with almost no effort. All I have to do is add a jar of sauce and let the slow cooker do the rest. For parties I keep them right in the crockpot and set out a little jar of toothpicks next to it.
Table of Contents
- Kasey’s Note
- Why This Slow Cooker Meatball Recipe Works
- Crockpot Frozen Meatballs Ingredients
- Variations
- How to Make Crockpot Frozen Meatballs
- How Much Sauce Do Frozen Meatballs Need?
- What to Serve With Crockpot Meatballs
- How to Store, Freeze, and Reheat
- Kasey’s Tips
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Easy Crockpot Recipes
- Frozen Crockpot Meatballs Recipe
Why This Slow Cooker Meatball Recipe Works
- ✅ Two ingredients, zero prep. Frozen meatballs and a jar of sauce go straight into the crockpot. There is nothing to thaw, brown, or chop.
- ✅ Low and slow keeps them juicy. Because the meatballs are already fully cooked, the slow cooker only has to heat them through. Simmering in sauce keeps them tender instead of drying them out.
- ✅ One method, endless dinners. The same timing works with marinara, BBQ sauce, gravy, or a sweet party sauce, so you can make spaghetti and meatballs one week and game-day meatballs the next.
Looking for more easy crockpot dinners? Try my creamy Crockpot Chicken Alfredo or this super easy Crock Pot Spaghetti.
Crockpot Frozen Meatballs Ingredients
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Frozen fully cooked meatballs (32 ounces) – Any fully cooked frozen meatballs work: Italian-style beef, turkey, chicken, or homemade meatballs you froze yourself. Plant-based meatballs work too; check the bag, since some brands soften faster. Do not use raw frozen meatballs for this timing.
- Sauce (one 24-ounce jar, about 3 cups) – Marinara or pasta sauce is the classic choice for dinner. Swap in BBQ sauce for sliders, turkey gravy for a comfort-food supper, or a sweet party sauce like the one in my Grape Jelly Meatballs. Plan on about one 24-ounce jar for every 2 pounds of meatballs so they stay coated without swimming.
- Garlic powder (1 teaspoon, optional) – A little extra flavor for jarred marinara. Italian seasoning or a pinch of red pepper flakes work the same way.
- Fresh parsley (optional) – For garnish. Grated Parmesan is great on the marinara version too.
Variations
- Spaghetti and Meatballs – Use a 24-ounce jar of marinara and serve over cooked spaghetti with garlic bread.
- BBQ Meatballs – Pour about 3 cups of your favorite Homemade BBQ Sauce over the meatballs. Serve right out of the crockpot with toothpicks or pile them onto buns for BBQ Meatball Sliders.
- Grape Jelly Meatballs – The classic sweet-and-tangy party meatball. Follow my Grape Jelly Meatballs recipe for the BBQ and grape jelly sauce, or my Cocktail Meatballs for the chili sauce version.
- Meatballs with Gravy – Use about 3 cups of turkey gravy in place of the sauce and serve over mashed potatoes or egg noodles, or make my creamy Swedish Meatballs.
- No Slow Cooker? – Make Easy Air Fryer Meatballs instead, then toss them in warm sauce.
How to Make Crockpot Frozen Meatballs
- Add the meatballs: Place the frozen meatballs directly into the bowl of a 6-quart slow cooker. No thawing needed.
- Add the sauce: Pour the jar of sauce over the meatballs, sprinkle in the garlic powder if using, and stir gently until every meatball is coated.
- Cook: Cover and cook on Low for 4 to 6 hours or on High for 2 to 3 hours, stirring once about halfway through so the meatballs on top get sauced.
- Check and serve: The meatballs are done when they are hot all the way through and a thermometer in the center of one reads 165 degrees F. Sprinkle with parsley and serve, or switch the crockpot to Warm for a party.
How Much Sauce Do Frozen Meatballs Need?
This is the question readers ask most on this post, so here is the simple rule: one 24-ounce jar of sauce (about 3 cups) for every 2-pound bag of frozen meatballs. That is enough to coat every meatball and keep them moist without turning into soup. If your sauce is very thick, like some BBQ sauces, stir in a splash of water or broth so it does not scorch around the edges.
Making 2 or 3 pounds in a large crockpot? Scale the sauce with the meatballs (a jar and a half for 3 pounds), use a 6-quart or larger slow cooker, and stir once halfway through. The cook time stays in the same Low 4 to 6 hour window, but a very full crockpot will land at the longer end, so check that the meatballs in the center reach 165 degrees F before serving.
Pick one sauce per batch. Grape jelly belongs with BBQ sauce or chili sauce, not marinara. If you want the sweet-and-tangy party version, use my Grape Jelly Meatballs recipe instead of mixing jelly into pasta sauce.
What to Serve With Crockpot Meatballs
- As dinner: Spoon marinara meatballs over spaghetti or Instant Pot Rice, or serve gravy meatballs over Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes.
- As sandwiches: Tuck them into hoagie rolls with mozzarella for meatball subs, or make BBQ Meatball Sliders.
- As an appetizer: Set the crockpot to Warm, add a jar of toothpicks, and serve next to Crockpot Buffalo Wings and Homemade Garlic Bread.
How to Store, Freeze, and Reheat
- Refrigerate: Cool the meatballs, then store them in the sauce in an airtight container for up to 3 to 4 days.
- Freeze: Because the meatballs started out frozen, refreezing is not ideal for texture. If you do freeze leftovers, cool them completely, freeze in the sauce for up to 2 months, and expect them to be a little softer.
- Reheat: Warm in a saucepan over low heat, in the microwave in 1-minute bursts, or back in the slow cooker on Low until hot. Add a splash of water or broth if the sauce has thickened.
- Make ahead: Cook the meatballs the day before and reheat on Low for about an hour before guests arrive. They can hold on Warm for 2 to 3 hours before they start to soften.
Kasey’s Tips
- Do not thaw first. Frozen meatballs hold their shape better than thawed ones and the slow cooker heats them gently.
- Do not stretch the time. Fully cooked meatballs only need to heat through. Past 6 hours on Low they start to soften and fall apart, so switch to Warm once they hit 165 degrees F.
- Cooking without sauce? Add about 1 cup of water or beef broth to the crockpot so the meatballs do not dry out, then toss them in warm sauce before serving.
- Taste the sauce before it goes in. Jarred marinara varies a lot. A teaspoon of garlic powder, a pinch of sugar, or a handful of Parmesan can fix a flat sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
Fully cooked frozen meatballs take 4 to 6 hours on Low or 2 to 3 hours on High in a slow cooker. They are ready when they are hot all the way through and the center reaches 165 degrees F. Switch the crockpot to Warm once they are done so they do not overcook.
Yes. Fully cooked frozen meatballs can go straight from the freezer into the slow cooker with no thawing. Cover them with sauce and cook on Low for 4 to 6 hours or High for 2 to 3 hours until heated through.
No. Frozen meatballs go directly into the crockpot. Thawing is not needed and frozen meatballs actually hold their shape better during the long, gentle cooking time.
Yes, but add about 1 cup of water or beef broth to the slow cooker so the meatballs do not dry out. Cook on Low for 3 to 4 hours until hot, then drain and toss them in warm sauce or serve plain.
The slow cooker is the easiest hands-off method because the meatballs heat gently in sauce and stay juicy. For a faster option, simmer frozen meatballs in sauce on the stovetop for 20 to 25 minutes, bake them covered at 350 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes, or air fry them for about 10 minutes and then toss with sauce.
My Crockpot Frozen Meatballs are ridiculously easy! Serve them over rice or pasta as one of my favorite quick and easy dinner ideas, or with toothpicks as a saucy appetizer. For more slow cooker recipes, check out my roundups of cheap crockpot meals and crockpot appetizers.
More Easy Crockpot Recipes
Pasta
Crock Pot Spaghetti
Appetizers & Snacks
Grape Jelly Meatballs
Main Dishes
Swedish Meatballs
Slow Cooker
Crockpot Buffalo Wings
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Frozen Crockpot Meatballs
Ingredients
- 32 oz frozen fully cooked meatballs
- 24 oz jar pasta sauce
- 1 cup grape jelly
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder optional, for extra flavor
- Fresh parsley for garnish optional
Instructions
- Place the frozen meatballs directly into your crockpot.
- Mix BBQ sauce and grape jelly together, then pour over the meatballs.
- Sprinkle in garlic powder if desired and stir to coat the meatballs evenly.
- Cook on Low for 4–6 hours or on High for 2–3 hours, until heated through.
Notes
- The meatballs can go straight from the freezer into the crockpot. No thawing or pre-baking needed!
- Use any sauce you want! Just make sure that you’re using 2 cups for every pound of meatballs.
- If you just want plain, juicy meatballs, you can still use your crockpot. Cooking the frozen meatballs in a crockpot with no sauce may make the meatballs a little too dry. To fix this, I like to add about 1 cup of water or beef broth to the bowl of the slow cooker. This helps keep the meatballs nice and juicy as they cook.
I have a large crockpot. If I wanted to make 2 or 3 pounds of meatballs, would the cooking time remain the same?
It should be the same!