These easy vegan grape jelly meatballs are perfect for appetizers or dinner meals! Needs just 3 ingredients! Make on the stove or in a crockpot!
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If you grew up not vegan or vegetarian, chances are you’ve had jelly meatballs even if you may not have realized it. Today, we are just veganizing that recipe and then giving some tips for making the perfect vegan grape jelly meatballs.
Grape jelly meatballs have been around forever. It’s unclear where the recipe originated from but it’s been around since the last 1960s in cookbooks.
If you have never heard of them you may be a little weirded out. Grape Jelly plus “meat”. Doesn’t sound all that appetizing at first. However, this is one of those things that just somehow seemingly works perfectly.
Traditionally, they are served as an appetizer for holiday get togethers and parties. They are so simple to make but pack a great, unique flavor that it’s really an easy way to impress people.
However, they are also amazing for other meals like dinner too. It’s so easy to whip them up and you can serve alongside vegan mashed potatoes for a complete meal or even put them into some rolls to make like a meatball sandwich.
No matter how you choose, they are a must try!
Frequently Asked Ingredients:
Does chili sauce make these vegan grape jelly meatballs spicy?
No, not at all. In fact, the grape jelly really balances everything out and it’s just this perfect sweet and savory combination.
Where do you find chili sauce in the store?
Traditionally, you can find this near the ketchup and other similar sauces like cocktail sauce. It is usually in a glass jar.
Do I have to use chili sauce?
While the flavor is the traditional sauce to use for these vegan grape jelly meatballs, the answer is that you can switch it up!
You want a tomato based sauce so your favorite BBQ sauce or even just ketchup would be great. The acid from the tomatoes balances out the sweetness of the grape jelly. If you are only using ketchup, we’d recommend seasoning it some more with your favorite spices.
Why is organic grape jelly important?
Grape jelly is traditionally made with sugar. Sugar, in the United States, is not always vegan.
Learn more about why your sugar may not be vegan.
However, if you buy organic grape jelly, then the sugar source is vegan. That’s why we say use an organic grape jelly.
What brand of vegan meatballs are you using?
We are using the Aldi version in the photos. However, Gardein is also great.
Can I use other brands of vegan meatballs?
Absolutely. It doesn’t really matter which brand you use. If they are frozen they are going to take longer to cook than if you use thawed version.
If you are using an unthawed version we would recommend pan frying just a bit to brown the edges and then doing one of the sauce cooking options.
No matter if you choose “fresh” or frozen, you just want to make sure they are cooked to the proper temperature according to the package you are using.
Can I make vegan grape jelly meatballs Top 8 Allergen Free?
Grape jelly should be fine but always double check the labels.
As far as the chili sauce, most of the ones we have seen are fine, but double check to make sure there’s no soy.
Lastly, with the vegan meatballs, most of them contain either soy or gluten or both. However, you could use something like Beyond meat that is soy and gluten free.
Can I prep these ahead of time?
Yes! These will last 5-7 days in the fridge and can be reheated for 30-60 seconds when ready to eat.
If you make ahead and need to reheat the entire batch, we’d recommend doing that over the stove
Is there anything I can do with the leftover sauce?
You will likely have some of the sauce mixture leftover once all the meatballs are gone.
We will save that and either mix into some rice or we will thin it out a little bit with some vegetable stock and make a gravy with it over mashed potatoes. Lots of options to reduce waste.
What other vegan appetizer ideas could I make?
Whether you are having small plates holiday party or just want a few more appetizers for a large party, then we have the answer. Here’s a few more fun ideas:
- Easy vegan stuffed mushrooms
- Vegan Tuscan Stuffed Mushrooms
- Super Easy Vegan Nacho Cheese (put on top of this easy Vegan Nachos recipe)
- Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Bite Size Vegan Italian Meatballs (shape into smaller balls before cooking)
- Vegan Taco Casserole (great for serving with tortilla chips)
- Vegan Egg Rolls
- Instant Pot Tex Mex Rice (great for serving with tortilla chips)
Pin these vegan grape jelly meatballs for later:
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Vegan Grape Jelly Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups organic grape jelly
- 12 oz bottle chili sauce
- 4 lbs frozen vegan meatballs
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
In a crockpot
- Stir together the grape jelly and chili sauce well.
- Add frozen meatballs and stir together. Cook on low for 1 hour or high for 30 minutes or until heated throughout.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Do not overcook or they will begin to breakdown.
On the Stove
- In a large skillet, in batches if needed, stir together the grape jelly and chili sauce well.
- Add frozen meatballs and stir together. Let cook according to the package instructions, about 8-10 minutes.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Do not overcook or they will begin to breakdown.
What brand of chili sauce do you use??
honestly don’t have a preference, just wanted is at the store I’m at has (sometimes even just the Aldi one)
What brand has the best mini vegan meatballs?
Thank you.
Gardein is our go too
How many people does one recipe serve?
8-12
My family absolutely loved these!! They are delicious.
yay for recipes everyone loves! Glad your family enjoyed.
Where is the grape jelly meatballs recipe? I’m having a hard time finding the actual written instructions.
Hey! Thanks for bringing that to our attention. Not sure what happened, but the entire recipe part disappeared. It’s fixed now and you should be able to click “jump to recipe” at the top and it take you right to it or it’s near the bottom of the post.