Apple butter meatballs are a delicious slow cooker recipe just in time for autumn! With almost no prep, these tangy slow cooker meatballs are an easy main course or appetizer.

apple butter meatballs sprinkled with diced green peppers in a white serving bowl

I almost always have a bag of frozen meatballs on hand either my homemade meatballs or a big bag of frozen homestyle meatballs from Costco.

And it’s not because we eat spaghetti and meatballs so much or make meatball subs over and over, though we do enjoy both of those things.

It’s because frozen meatballs are one of the most versatile ingredients you can have on hand.

These apple butter meatballs taste absolutely nothing like meatballs in sauce or even Swedish meatballs, but instead are a sweet yet bold fruity barbecue meatball situation.

It makes them perfect for getting out of dinner rut if you serve them over rice or even for a quick party appetizer.

Possibly the best part of them?

That there’s almost no prep whatsoever!

Ingredients

To make these you’ll need:

Frozen meatballs– If you aren’t using homemade ones make sure you are using original or homestyle store bought frozen meatballs.
Apple Butter– You can make your own but it’s also available in the grocery store and at most pick your own apple orchards.
Barbecue sauce– Your favorite kind.
For serving– Chopped green peppers and rice. Both optional but an easy way to turn these into a meal.

apple butter meatballs in the black bowl of a slow cooker

How to Make

These slow cooker apple butter meatballs are so easy to make!

Just add the meatballs to the bowl of your slow cooker.

Then whisk the apple butter and barbecue sauce together in a separate bowl and pour it over the meatballs.

Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 3 to 3.5 hours, stirring well halfway through cooking.

Prior to serving, stir the meatballs well and then serve warm over rice for dinner or as is with toothpicks as an appetizer.

a wooden spoon scooping apple butter meatballs out of a black crockpot

Storing Leftovers

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Reheat in the microwave until warmed through.

Tips and Tricks

The barbecue sauce really determines how spicy the meatballs will be. Use a mild barbecue sauce for less spicy meatballs or spicy sauce for a sweet and spicy sauce.
While I normally have beef meatballs on hand, this recipe would work beautifully with chicken or turkey meatballs as well.
You can substitute any fruit butter but if you want to keep these feeling autumnal, I recommend sticking to apple butter or using pumpkin butter instead.

a close up of crockpot apple butter meatballs in a white serving bowl

Other Slow Cooker Meatball Recipes

Apple butter slow cooker meatballs are a festive way to get a taste of fall on your dinner table or as an appetizer.

Make them and enjoy!

Looking for other slow cooker meatball recipes?

Try these:

If you’ve tried these APPLE BUTTER MEATBALLS, or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!