This sweet & tangy meatball appetizer is so addicting! These Party Meatballs with Peach Glaze are ridiculously easy to make with just 3 ingredients. Use frozen meatballs to make this hot appetizer with just 5 minutes of prep time.
This meatball recipe is a favorite for pretty much any party: as a Thanksgiving appetizer, for Christmas finger food, or for graduation parties and summer cookouts. These peach glaze meatballs also work great over rice for dinner.
You can make these peach glaze meatballs in a slow cooker, Instant Pot, or on the stovetop. I give you easy instructions for all 3 cooking methods!
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Easy meatball appetizer with peach glaze
This meatball appetizer has the tastiest sauce/glaze out there! It's sweet, tangy, savory, delicious. Absolutely addicting, you'll definitely find yourself reaching for more meatballs!
There are a lot of recipes out there for grape jelly meatballs, but I don't love grape jelly. I always prefer peach preserves or apricot preserves instead of grape, and I am not a huge fan of ketchup either. So I experimented with mixing peach preserves with BBQ sauce to make a delicious glaze for meatballs.
This easy meatball appetizer has just 2 ingredients for the sauce: peach preserves and BBQ sauce.
I've tried adding a little Worcestershire sauce, or a little red chili paste like I do in my kielbasa bites appetizer, but I decided that wasn't necessary. It doesn't hurt, but the meatball appetizer is so good with just the 2 ingredient peach sauce!
Ingredients
- 1 cup peach preserves
- 1 cup BBQ sauce (any kind!)
- 2-3 lb frozen meatballs (or you can use homemade meatballs)
- Optional garnish: sesame seeds, diced scallions or chives, or chopped parsley
More easy appetizers: Easy Salami Appetizer
Equipment
- Slow cooker, Instant Pot, or large pot (depending on your preferred cooking method)
- Toothpicks for serving (if serving as an appetizer)
More easy appetizers: Fried Brie Bites
Slow cooker glazed meatballs
Step 1: Add the peach preserves and BBQ sauce in a medium bowl and mix together until mostly combined.
Step 2: Add the peach mixture and frozen meatballs to a slow cooker and stir. Cook on low for 4-6 hours, stirring halfway through. Stir before serving, and serve warm.
Related recipe: Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken
Instant Pot peach glazed meatballs
Step 1: Add the frozen meatballs plus 1 cup water to the Instant Pot. Cook on the manual setting at High Pressure for 5 minutes. Naturally release pressure for 5-10 minutes, then manually release.
Step 2: Carefully drain the cooking water.
Step 3: Combine the peach preserves and BBQ sauce in a bowl and mix well. Add to the meatballs in the Instant Pot and cook on the Sauté function for 2-3 minutes, stirring gently to coat the meatballs, taking care not to break them. Serve warm.
Related recipe: Instant Pot Honey Ginger Garlic Wings
Stovetop peach glazed meatballs
Step 1: Add the frozen meatballs plus 1 cup water to a pot large enough to hold the meatballs comfortably. Cook over medium heat until heated through (about 10 minutes) stirring gently to coat the meatballs and thaw them, but taking care not to break them.
Step 2: Carefully drain the cooking water.
Step 3: Combine the peach preserves and BBQ sauce in a bowl and mix well. Add to the meatballs back to the pot and stir gently to coat the meatballs, taking care not to break them. Serve warm.
Related recipe: Salmon Bites
Recipe tips and FAQs
Should I use 2 or 3 lb meatballs?
If you want extra saucy meatballs, use 2 lb of meatballs. If you want meatballs that are just coated in sauce without any extra sauce, you can use 2.5-3 lb of frozen meatballs.
More easy meatball recipes: Bison Meatballs
What's the best way to cook peach glaze meatballs
I love making these in the slow cooker or the Instant Pot because you can keep the meatballs in there on the "keep warm" function and serve directly from there. However, the stovetop is by far the fastest and easiest way to make these meatballs, they'll be ready in about 10 minutes total!
More easy party food: Buffalo Chicken Tortilla Pinwheels
Can I bake the meatballs?
Yes, just follow the directions on the meatball packaging. I prefer cooking them in water (like on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot) or in a slow cooker just because I don't like the meatballs to dry out while they're baking.
Can I use homemade meatballs?
Yes, you can use homemade meatballs to make this meatball appetizer. Just cook them through first, reheat them using your preferred method, and toss them with the sauce. No need to pressure cook the meatballs if they're already cooked. I find that homemade meatballs fall apart easier than frozen meatballs, so take care not to crumble them as you're stirring them around with the sauce.
Can I use other preserves instead of peach?
Yes, you can use your favorite flavor of fruit preserves. Grape jelly is a popular choice, and these meatballs would also be amazing with apricot or pineapple preserves.
Blueberry preserves would make an interesting flavor combination (blueberry BBQ sauce is a thing!), so would cherry or mango preserves.
The only flavors I am not sure about are strawberry or raspberry jams, jellies, or preserves. But I could be wrong! Let me know if you give those a try.
Can I add any seasonings or spices to the sauce?
I really like these peach meatballs with a tablespoon or two of Thai Red Chili Paste. It adds a subtle sweet heat to the sauce and is so delicious! You can also add a squirt of sriracha for the same effect. I use the same red chili paste in the stir fry sauce for this Chicken and Vegetable Stir Fry and it's so good!
You can also add a bit of this hot pepper jelly to spice things up a bit!
Another option is to stir in a little Worcestershire sauce.
Can I serve these meatballs for dinner?
Yes, this meatball recipe is not only a great finger food appetizer, but it also makes a great super easy dinner addition. Simply serve the peach glazed meatballs over rice with some steamed vegetables. I like to take a little bit of the peach BBQ sauce and add a splash of soy sauce to the sauce to thin it out and give it some more salt, then use that sauce for veggies. You can simple spoon the sauce on top of the veggies, or sauté the veggies in the sauce.
Related recipe: Hot Honey Shrimp
How to reheat party meatballs
These meatballs are so easy to make that I don't typically make them in advance, but they can totally be a make-ahead appetizer! To reheat these meatballs, I recommend heating them on the stovetop with a drizzle of water, stirring frequently to get them evenly heated through.
You can also reheat them in the crockpot on "low," stirring a few times so they heat evenly
If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!
Peach Glaze Meatballs (3 Ingredients!)
Ingredients
- 1 cup peach preserves
- 1 cup BBQ sauce - (your favorite kind!)
- 2-3 lb frozen meatballs - (see notes for homemade meatballs)
- Optional garnish: sesame seeds, diced scallions or chives, or chopped parsley
Special equipment
- Slow cooker, Instant Pot, or large pot (depending on your preferred cooking method)
- Toothpicks for serving (if serving as an appetizer)
Instructions
- Add the peach preserves and BBQ sauce in a medium bowl and mix together until mostly combined.
- Add the sauce mixture and frozen meatballs to a slow cooker and stir. Cook on low for 4-6 hours, stirring halfway through. Stir before serving, and serve warm with your choice of garnish.
- Add the frozen meatballs plus 1 cup water to the inner pot of the Instant Pot. Cook on the manual setting at High Pressure for 5 minutes. Naturally release pressure for 5-10 minutes, then manually release.
- Carefully drain the cooking water.
- Combine the peach preserves and BBQ sauce in a bowl and mix well. Add to the meatballs in the Instant Pot and cook on the Sauté function for 2-3 minutes, stirring gently to coat the meatballs, taking care not to break them. Serve warm with your choice of garnish.
- Add the frozen meatballs plus 1 cup water to a pot large enough to hold the meatballs comfortably. Cook over medium heat until heated through (about 10 minutes), stirring gently to coat the meatballs and thaw them, but taking care not to break them.
- Carefully drain the cooking water.
- Combine the peach preserves and BBQ sauce in a bowl and mix well. Add to the meatballs to the pot and stir gently to coat the meatballs, taking care not to break them. Serve warm with your choice of garnish.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.