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Home || Recipes || Appetizer || Grape Jelly Meatballs and Weenies

Grape Jelly Meatballs and Weenies

Dec 17, 2018 · 8 Comments

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Grape Jelly Meatballs and Weenies are a fun, easy and delicious appetizer. Can be either made in the crockpot or quickly in the Instant Pot! Made from 4 simple ingredients, this appetizer is a real winner!

grape jelly meatballs and cocktail weenies

Grape Jelly Meatballs and Weenies- Everyone’s favorite Appetizer

Appetizers are something that I have always struggled with. I am not near fancy enough of a person to actually eat appetizers on a regular basis. We all know I am far too cheap for appetizers at a restaurant, too. ?

Every Christmas though, I am asked to bring an appetizer to the large extended family Christmas Party. And when I say large, I mean it. I am talking over 200 people large! 

In past years, I’ve always gone easy and made either a cheeseball or brought chips and salsa. This year, I know what I’m bringing! A big Instant Pot full of these meatballs and weenies! I have a feeling that they will disappear in record time!

grape jelly meatballs with cocktail weenies

How to make Grape Jelly Meatballs and Weenies in your Instant Pot 

Making this delicious appetizer could not be any easier in your Instant Pot! Best part is, like everything in the Instant Pot, these are piping hot and ready to devour in lightening speed.

This is very important to note though: The grape jelly and BBQ sauce combo is too thick to be used while pressure cooking. If you try to use the combo as your liquid, you will end up with the burn notice. 

We are going to cook the frozen meatballs and cocktail weenies first, before adding the sauce combo. 

Add 2 cups of water to the Instant Pot liner and add the frozen meatballs and weenies to the Instant Pot.

uncooked meatballs and weenies in the Instant Pot for Grape Jelly Meatballs

Now, pressure cook this for 0 (ZERO! NOT A TYPO!) minutes. This just means the the Instant Pot will come to pressure, beep and then you’ll release the pressure.

Because the meatballs are frozen, it does take a good 15 or so minutes for it to come to pressure.

Like I said above, quick release the pressure once the Instant Pot beeps. 

A couple of my weenies exploded a bit (as seen in the photo below), but the majority were just fine. ?Add a jar of grape jelly and a bottle of Sweet Baby Ray’s Origional BBQ sauce to the Instant Pot. 

grape jelly and bbq sauce on the meatballs and weenies

Turn the Instant Pot onto saute for a few minutes and gently stir to coat the meatballs and weenies in the sauce.

Keep the Instant Pot plugged in and on WARM for as long as needed. 

See below for Crock Pot instructions.

grape jelly meatballs and weenies

YIELD: 25 SERVINGS

Grape Jelly Meatballs and Weenies

(Printable Version Below)

Grape Jelly Meatballs and Weenies are a fun, easy and delicious appetizer. Can be either made in the crockpot or quickly in the Instant Pot! Made from 4 simple ingredients, this appetizer is a real winner!

Ingredients

  • 2 cups water
  • 3 (12 oz) pkg cocktail weenies
  • 28 oz frozen meatballs
  • 8 oz jar grape jelly
  • 26 oz bottle Sweet Baby Rays Original BBQ Sauce

Instructions

  1. For the Instant Pot: Pour the 2 cups of water into the liner of the Instant Pot.
  2. Add the frozen meatballs and weenies to the Instant Pot.
  3. Cook on Manual HIGH for 0 (zero) minutes. Quick release the pressure.
  4. Drain the remaining water from the Instant Pot.
  5. Add the grape jelly and bbq sauce to the Instant Pot.
  6. Set the Instant Pot to saute and gently stir until the meatballs and weenies are coated and then sauce is heated through.
  7. Keep Instant Pot on warm for as long as needed.
  8. For the Crockpot: add all ingredients besides the water to your crockpot. cook on high until heated through, stirring every hour.

Grape Jelly Meatballs and Weenies are a fun, easy and delicious appetizer. Can be either made in the crockpot or quickly in the Instant Pot! Made from 4 simple ingredients, this appetizer is a real winner! |Cooking with Karli| #appetizer #grapejelly #bbqsauce #meatballs #lilsmokies #cocktailweenies #christmas #party #recipe

Try these other appetizers:

  • Fruit Dip
  • Chicken Lettuce Wrap
  • Chocolate Fondue
  • Teriyaki Chicken Sliders
  • Chicken Salsa Dip
  • Cheeseball
  • Guacamole
  • Pico De Gallo
  • Homemade Salsa
  • Peanut Butter Apple Dip
  • Appetizers

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grape jelly meatballs and cocktail weenies

Grape Jelly Meatballs and Weenies

Grape Jelly Meatballs and Weenies are a fun, easy and delicious appetizer. Can be either made in the crockpot or quickly in the Instant Pot! Made from 4 simple ingredients, this appetizer is a real winner!
4.60 from 10 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Uncategorized
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Additional Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 25 servings
Calories: 168kcal
Author: Karli Bitner

Ingredients

  • 2 cups water
  • 3 12 oz pkg cocktail weenies
  • 28 oz frozen meatballs
  • 8 oz jar grape jelly
  • 26 oz bottle Sweet Baby Rays Original BBQ Sauce

Instructions

  • For the Instant Pot: Pour the 2 cups of water into the liner of the Instant Pot.
  • Add the frozen meatballs and weenies to the Instant Pot.
  • Cook on Manual HIGH for 0 (zero) minutes. Quick release the pressure.
  • Drain the remaining water from the Instant Pot.
  • Add the grape jelly and bbq sauce to the Instant Pot.
  • Set the Instant Pot to saute and gently stir until the meatballs and weenies are coated and then sauce is heated through.
  • Keep Instant Pot on warm for as long as needed.
  • For the Crockpot: add all ingredients besides the water to your crockpot. cook on high until heated through, stirring every hour.

Tried this recipe?Mention @cookingwithkarli or tag #cookingwithkarli!

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 168kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 521mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g
grape jelly and bbq sauce on the meatballs and weenies

grape jelly and bbq sauce on the meatballs and weenies

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ABOUT KARLI

This blog is a little glimpse into my kitchen, family & life. I hope you’ll giggle the days away with me and enjoy the craziness that goes on at my house. There isn’t ever a shortage of crazy. I can promise you that! Buckle up, keep your hand and legs inside at all times and enjoy the ride! Read more...

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Comments

  1. Tanis Stanley says

    December 18, 2018 at 8:08 pm

    Which “Warm” setting do you recommend; Low, Medium or High? I’d like to make these on Christmas Day [for my daughter, SIL and the grandkids especially]. My granddaughter [4yo] is a terribly picky eater but loooves both grape jelly and cocktail weenies and I’d like to see if I combined those two things she might, actually, eat something …. a Christmas present for Nana 🙂

  2. karlibitner says

    December 18, 2018 at 9:21 pm

    Hi Tanis- The ‘keep warm’ button should only have 1 setting. You could also put it on crockpot low to keep everything warm if you’d rather. Hope you love them and have a Merry Christmas!

  3. Alan Dicker says

    December 19, 2018 at 10:30 am

    What would you suggest for timing if the meatballs are thawed

  4. karlibitner says

    December 19, 2018 at 10:59 am

    Hi Alan- the same cook time! It will just come to pressure faster because by aren’t frozen.

  5. CannedAm says

    December 31, 2018 at 4:03 pm

    Do you leave the water in the pot before adding the sauces?

  6. karlibitner says

    December 31, 2018 at 4:06 pm

    Hi there! You’ll drain the water before adding in the sauces. ?

  7. Ingrid Freeborn says

    July 22, 2021 at 6:28 am

    When you say for a crockpot add all ingredients besides the water does that mean don’t use water?

  8. Karli Bitner says

    September 29, 2021 at 12:03 pm

    Yes, that’s correct. You won’t need to use the water if you are using a crockpot.

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