Cranberry Meatballs

Cranberry Meatballs are the perfect balance of savory and sweet, coated in a tangy cranberry glaze that makes them irresistible. They’re an easy holiday appetizer or main dish that feeds a crowd and always disappears fast. Perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any festive gathering, these meatballs are a guaranteed family favorite.

Love More Dinner Recipes? Try My Spinach Garlic Meatballs Stuffed With Mozzarella or this Slow Cooker Beef Ragu next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Savory, tender, and coated in a glossy, tangy-sweet sauce that feels gourmet yet comforting. They’re easy to make but impressive enough to wow guests—even the foodies in the crowd. Perfect for holidays or parties, these meatballs strike the balance between festive flavor and family-friendly comfort.

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Ingredients You’ll Need

For the Meatballs:

• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• ⅓ cup ketchup
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder

For the Cranberry Sauce:

• 1 (16-ounce) can jellied cranberry sauce
• 1 (18-ounce) bottle BBQ sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar (start with less – trust me)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Real Talk About Swaps:

• Ground turkey works but honestly tastes like wet cardboard next to beef
• Panko breadcrumbs if you’re trying to be fancy (they do make fluffier meatballs)
• Bottled lemon juice is perfectly fine – we’re not making fine dining here
• Start with one tablespoon brown sugar – you can always add more but can’t take it back

Why These Ingredients Work

That ketchup isn’t just taking up space – keeps everything stupid moist without making it taste like a kids meal. The soy sauce is my actual secret weapon that makes people go “there’s something different about these but I can’t figure out what.” Learned that trick from my Korean neighbor who puts soy sauce in everything. The jellied cranberry sauce melts down into this glossy coating that makes it look like you actually planned this whole thing instead of winging it in desperation.

Tools You Actually Need

• Your biggest mixing bowl (the one you use for salad at parties)
• Rimmed baking sheet that won’t warp in the oven
• Heavy-bottom saucepan that won’t scorch everything
• Wooden spoon that’s seen better days
• Cookie scoop if you have one (changes the whole game)
• Timer because you WILL forget about these

How To Make Cranberry Meatballs

Fire Up That Oven

Set it to 350°F and actually wait for it to preheat. I used to just throw stuff in right away and wonder why everything cooked weird. Patience, grasshopper.

Mix Up the Meat Situation

Dump the beef, breadcrumbs, ketchup, beaten eggs, soy sauce, pepper, and garlic powder in your biggest bowl. Roll up your sleeves and get your hands in there – it’s gross but necessary. Don’t go crazy mixing or you’ll end up with tennis balls instead of tender meatballs. My grandma always said “mix it like you’re petting a cat, not wrestling a bear.”

Shape These Bad Boys

Roll them about golf ball size – bigger than a walnut, smaller than a tennis ball. My kids help with this part and theirs look like abstract art but cook just fine. Space them out on the pan so they’re not playing footsie with each other.

Bake Until They Look Right

Thirty minutes total, flip them once at the halfway mark. They’re done when they look golden brown and you cut one open without seeing any pink. Don’t skip the flipping – learned that lesson when half my meatballs had flat bottoms like they’d been sitting too long.

Make That Magical Sauce

While those beauties are baking, dump the cranberry sauce, BBQ sauce, brown sugar, and lemon juice in your saucepan. Keep it on low heat and stir until everything melts together into this gorgeous glossy mess. Takes about five minutes but your kitchen will smell like Christmas and barbecue had a beautiful baby.

The Money Hour

Here’s where most people mess up – they rush this part. Drop those hot meatballs into the sauce and let them simmer together for a full hour. I know it seems forever but this is when the magic happens. The sauce gets thick and clingy, the meatballs soak up all that flavor, and you get to smell something incredible for sixty whole minutes.

You Must Know

Wet your hands before rolling each meatball. Game changer. No more meat stuck under your fingernails, no more lopsided weird shapes, just perfect round balls every single time. Learned this from my Italian neighbor after watching me struggle through a whole batch with dry hands like an amateur.

That hour of simmering isn’t negotiable. I used to try cutting it short when I was hungry and they were just okay. The full hour makes them legendary. Set a timer, go clean something, fold laundry, whatever. Just don’t peek every five minutes like I used to do.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

• Cookie scoop makes identical meatballs that all finish cooking at the same time
• Mix gentle like you’re handling a newborn – overworked meat gets tough and chewy
• Sauce getting too thick? Add beef broth one splash at a time
• Always cut one open to check – better safe than salmonella
• Make double batches and freeze half because future you will thank present you

Flavor Variations & Suggestions

• Red pepper flakes if you like your mouth on fire
• Swap BBQ sauce for teriyaki and grate fresh ginger in there – goes full Asian fusion
• Splash of red wine in the sauce if you want to impress your mother-in-law
• Mix fresh chopped rosemary into the meat – fancy restaurant vibes
• Use ground pork and beef mix for extra flavor

Make-Ahead Options

Roll the meatballs up to two days ahead and park them in the fridge covered. The whole finished dish lives happily in a crockpot on warm for hours when you’re hosting – perfect for parties where people show up whenever they feel like it. Everything freezes solid for three months. Just thaw overnight and reheat gentle so they don’t fall apart on you.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

That jellied cranberry sauce looks chunky and weird at first but melts completely smooth so don’t panic and start mashing it. Whole berry cranberry sauce works too if you like texture but changes the look. Room temperature eggs blend easier than cold ones straight from the fridge. I always use 85/15 ground beef – enough fat for flavor but not so much you’re swimming in grease pools.

Serving Suggestions

Over white rice turns it into real dinner that fills people up. Toothpicks make them party food that disappears in twenty minutes. Mashed potatoes underneath is comfort food heaven that makes grown men cry happy tears. I keep mine in the slow cooker on warm during parties and watch people make multiple trips like they’re at a buffet.

How to Store Your Cranberry Meatballs

Leftovers last four days in the fridge if you cover them tight. Microwave gentle or they’ll explode, or reheat on the stove with a little beef broth to loosen things up. They freeze up to three months but texture gets slightly different – still delicious just not quite as perfect. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat slow and low.

Allergy Information

Has eggs and gluten from breadcrumbs and soy sauce. Use gluten-free breadcrumbs and tamari soy sauce for gluten-free version. Skip the eggs entirely and add extra ketchup to hold everything together – works fine, just slightly different texture.

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

Can I just buy frozen meatballs and skip the work?

Sure, about three pounds of the frozen ones. Bake them per whatever the package says then dump them in the sauce and simmer thirty to forty-five minutes. Not quite the same but still pretty good.

Why do my meatballs always fall apart like sad little meat crumbles?

You need those eggs and breadcrumbs – they’re not optional suggestions. Also let the mixture sit for ten minutes before rolling so everything has time to get friendly with each other.

What’s the best ground beef to buy?

85/15 every single time. 90/10 is too lean and tastes like cardboard. 80/20 works but you’ll have grease puddles. 85/15 is the sweet spot that won’t let you down.

💬 Made them yet? Drop a comment and tell me your kitchen stories.