Meet your new weeknight dinner hero: slow cooker BBQ meatballs. These are tender, juicy, full of flavor, and cooked low and slow in a tangy BBQ sauce with sweet onions and a splash of zesty Italian dressing. They’re perfect for family dinners, meal prepping, game day appetizers, or any time you need a crowd-pleasing dish that requires minimal effort.
I originally published this recipe in 2015 and have since added new photos and a few more success tips.
Just like my recipe for classic slow cooker turkey meatballs, this recipe has all the key components of an ideal homemade dinner: Easy. Flavor-packed. Make-ahead friendly. This is the kind of comfort food you’ll crave all year round!
Lots to Love About These BBQ Meatballs:
- Lean and protein-packed
- Easy to prep, then let the slow cooker work its magic
- Make-ahead and freezer-friendly
- Tangy, smoky, sweet, or spicy—use your favorite BBQ sauce for a flavor you love
- Works as a hearty main dish, or a party appetizer
These tangy-sweet slow cooker BBQ meatballs are so versatile—enjoy them in a hearty sub roll as BBQ meatball sandwiches, on their own alongside a salad or coleslaw, on a bed of mashed potatoes, or with cornbread.
Tell Me About These BBQ Meatballs
- Flavor: The combination of smoked paprika, sweet onion, and BBQ sauce makes every bite irresistibly savory with just the right hint of spice and sweetness.
- Texture: By using lean ground turkey, we’re able to keep the meatballs light, moist, tender, and still full of flavor. Compared to many recipes, the meatball mixture is light on the breadcrumbs. Too much can take away from the meatball’s texture, so add just enough to help bind.
- Ease: Brown the meatballs on the stove to lock in flavor, and then let the slow cooker do the rest. Easy-peasy!
Simple Ingredients
For the meatballs, I always use ground turkey that’s about 93% lean, 7% fat. You could use ground beef or chicken instead, if you prefer. You also need an egg to bind the ingredients together. Breadcrumbs are another binding agent, and you can use panko, regular, whole wheat, Italian seasoned (you could make your own with homemade croutons), or even gluten free.
Mix everything together, and then roll the mixture into balls.
Sear the Meatballs First
We can skip pan-searing when making chicken meatballs that bake in the oven, but this step is necessary for today’s recipe. Gently searing the turkey meatballs in a skillet on the stove browns the exteriors and seals in all the juicy moisture. (Flavor, flavor, flavor!) If you skip this step, the meatballs will just crumble apart in the crockpot.
This step only takes about 10–15 minutes total, and then it’s the slow cooker’s turn to take over.
Choose Your Favorite BBQ Sauce
While these flavorful turkey meatballs are the star of the show, the BBQ sauce plays an important supporting role. There are so many varieties of BBQ sauce out there, ranging from smoky to sweet to tangy to spicy… some with a vinegar base and others with mustard… use your preferred style!
You’ll also add Italian dressing for extra flavor. Again, you can use your favorite store-bought Italian salad dressing here, or try this homemade Italian dressing.
Layer the onions, half of the BBQ sauce, and half of the Italian dressing in the bottom of your slow cooker. Place the seared turkey meatballs on top, then pour the remaining sauce and dressing over the meatballs. And your work here is done! Pop that lid on and let the slow cooker do its thing.
You can cook on low for about 5 hours, or speed things up by cooking on high for about 3 hours.
A Helpful Make-Ahead Dinner Recipe
There are many ways to get a jump on dinner with this turkey meatballs recipe. Having company over tomorrow? Brown the meatballs as instructed and keep them in the refrigerator until the following day, then transfer them to the slow cooker. Or freeze now to enjoy during the colder months. Or cook today, then reheat tomorrow just before dinnertime. See recipe Note below.
Description
Juicy, flavorful, and so easy—these slow cooker BBQ meatballs simmer in a tangy-sweet sauce made with BBQ sauce, onions, and a splash of Italian dressing. Perfect for weeknight dinners, meal prep, or game day appetizers!
- 1 large egg
- 2 pounds (907g) 93% lean ground turkey*
- 2/3 cup (40g) panko breadcrumbs
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 Tablespoon)
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 medium sweet onion, sliced
- 1 and 3/4 cups (420g) BBQ sauce*
- 1/2 cup (120g) store-bought or homemade Italian dressing
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- Beat the egg in a large mixing bowl. Add the ground turkey, panko bread crumbs, garlic, oregano, salt, paprika, and pepper. Mix everything up just so the ingredients are combined—avoid over-mixing, which can make the meatballs tough.
- Roll the mixture into balls, about 1.5 heaping Tablespoons or 40g each. Place all rolled meatballs on a large baking sheet.
- Place the onion slices in the bottom of the slow cooker, then top with half of the BBQ sauce and half of the Italian dressing (the rest will go on top).
- Coat a large skillet with the olive oil and bring to medium-high heat. Lightly brown the meatballs in batches for about 1 minute on each side. (Do not skip this step! Locks in the flavor and helps set the shape so the meatballs do not fall apart.) Layer the meatballs into the slow cooker as you’re browning each batch. Once all browned meatballs have been added to the slow cooker, pour the remaining BBQ sauce and Italian dressing on top.
- Cover and cook on low for 5 hours or on high for 3 hours. Serve warm with sauce and onions.
- Store leftovers covered tightly in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Prepare meatballs through the browning step; cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day or freeze up to 2 months. Add to slow cooker and cook as directed. OR you can fully prepare 1 day in advance, refrigerate, then cook in the slow cooker on low for 45 minutes or until warmed. Freeze cooked meatballs in sauce for up to 2 months. Defrost before reheating as desired.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowl | Baking Sheet | Slow Cooker (4 quarts or larger) | Large Skillet
- Meat: You can use any ground meat you prefer; I always use turkey.
- Panko: Panko is sold in most major grocery stores. I prefer panko breadcrumbs for texture, but you can use regular, whole wheat, or seasoned breadcrumbs instead. To make your own breadcrumbs for this particular recipe, you can trim the crusts from 2 slices of stale bread. Cut bread into pieces and pulse in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. Spread breadcrumbs on a baking sheet and bake at 250°F until dry, about 12–14 minutes.
- BBQ Sauce & Italian Dressing: Use your favorite BBQ sauce and Italian dressing, or try my homemade Italian dressing. These make up the sauce, so make sure you like their flavor.
- No Slow Cooker? No Problem! Add the shaped meatballs to a large skillet coated with 1 Tablespoon olive oil and sauté until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Place on a large baking sheet. Repeat with all meatballs since they cannot all fit into the pan at once. Turn off heat. Pour off any excess oil. In a very large pot, add the sliced onions and half of the BBQ sauce and Italian dressing. Add the meatballs and pour remaining BBQ sauce and Italian dressing on top. Turn the heat to low-medium and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, the flavors blend, and the meatballs are cooked through, about 25–35 minutes.
