Description
Tender beef meatballs browned quickly, then slow cooked in a sweet-hot honey buffalo sauce with Frank’s, honey, and apricot preserves. Perfect weeknight dinner, family dinner, and meal prep.
Ingredients
Scale
Meatballs
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 2 eggs
- 22 saltine crackers, crushed (approx. 1 cup)
- 1/3 cup dried minced onion
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Honey Buffalo Sauce
- 1/4 cup Frank’s Red Hot Original Sauce, plus more to taste
- 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 cup apricot preserves
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add eggs and gently whisk. Add all remaining Meatball Ingredients and mix until well combined. Roll meat mixture into desired meatball size. Place meatballs onto prepared baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes, or until lightly browned.
- Meanwhile, add all of the Honey Buffalo Sauce Ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk to combine (only use 1/4 cup hot sauce at this point. You can add more hot sauce to taste at the end of cooking).
- Line the bottom of your slow cooker with meatballs, drizzle with some Honey Buffalo Sauce, then remaining meatballs followed by the remaining Sauce.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 2–4 hours, gently stirring every hour. When done, taste and stir in additional hot wings sauce to reach your preferred heat level. Keep warm until serving.
Notes
- For best texture, don’t skip the quick oven-browning step.
- Start with 1/4 cup hot sauce, then add more at the end to control spice.
- For meal prep, store meatballs in sauce so they stay juicy and reheat well.
- Prep Time: 20 Minutes
- Cook Time: 2–4 hours on LOW
- Category: Comfort
- Method: Slow Cook
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Serving
- Calories: 400kcal
- Fat: 20g
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Protein: 25g
Keywords: Buffalo Meatball Crockpot