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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 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!
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.
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.
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.
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
- 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.
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 Weenies
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.
Nutrition
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 🙂
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!
What would you suggest for timing if the meatballs are thawed
Hi Alan- the same cook time! It will just come to pressure faster because by aren’t frozen.
Do you leave the water in the pot before adding the sauces?
Hi there! You’ll drain the water before adding in the sauces. ?
When you say for a crockpot add all ingredients besides the water does that mean don’t use water?
Yes, that’s correct. You won’t need to use the water if you are using a crockpot.