Spicy Sweet & Sour Party Meatballs
These spicy meatballs are one of my favorite snacks to make for a game day party. I purposefully named these Spicy Sweet & Sour Meatballs because the spicy takes the lead, followed by sweet, savory and tangy flavors. You can tame the heat down a little bit by leaving out the red pepper flakes or even using less hot sauce, but I think your guests can handle it. You just have to know your audience, and our friends love this spicy sauce.
Like any good party food, you can make most of the recipe ahead of time. No one wants to have their hands in a bowl of ground beef while guests are arriving. You can prep the meatballs a day in advance and even bake them a day ahead. You can also make the meatballs way in advance and freeze them. When ready to use just thaw them in the fridge overnight. Then reheat them, make the sauce and toss them when it’s time to serve.
You can keep these warm in a slow cooker or just serve them right away. They still taste delicious at room temperature and they won’t last long anyway. I like to serve them right from the pan, just add cocktail picks.
Spicy Sweet & Sour Party Meatballs
Prep time: 15 min | Cook time: 15 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: about 30 meatballs
Ingredients
Meatball Ingredients
1.5 lb lean ground beef
1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs (use gluten-free breadcrumbs, if needed)
2 garlic cloves, grated
1/2 medium onion, grated
1 egg
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Sauce Ingredients
1 cup Frank’s Redhot Original sauce
1 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
½ tsp salt
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
Optional Garnishes
sliced green onions
Equipment
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Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Grate 1/2 of an onion and 2 garlic cloves into a large mixing bowl using a box grater. Add the rest of the meatball ingredients. Use your hands to mix all of the ingredients together.
3. Using a medium cookie scoop, portion meat into about 1.5” meatballs. I like to make these a little smaller than regular meatballs, so they are bite sized. Shape meatballs by rolling between the palms of your hands to form a ball. Line them up on a nonstick baking sheet or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 15-20 minutes until meatballs are cooked through to at least 160 degrees F.
4. While the meatballs are cooking, prepare the sauce. Combine the sauce ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a high simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce thickens a bit. Turn off the heat. Reserve 1/2 cup of the sauce for dipping.
5. When meatballs are done cooking, toss the meatballs in the sauce to coat.
6. You can place these in a slow cooker to keep warm or if you are serving right away, just plate and serve with a side of the remaining sauce. I like to use a cast iron skillet and just serve right from the pan with cocktail picks.
