These juicy cocktail meatballs are ready in just 30 minutes. They are the best appetizer! Coated in a wonderfully flavorful sauce, they are simply irresistible.
It's easy to keep them gluten-free and low-carb by avoiding fillers such as breadcrumbs and opting for sugar-free ketchup and maple syrup when making the sauce.
![Cocktail meatballs are dipped in sauce.](https://healthyrecipesblogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/dip-in-sauce.jpg)
I love all kinds of meatballs, including turkey meatballs, pork meatballs, and chicken meatballs. But these cocktail meatballs are especially fun because of their size. They are also extra flavorful, thanks to the simple yet delicious three-ingredient sauce.
In fact, I like these meatballs so much, that I often serve them to my family for dinner. Why wait until we host when we can enjoy them whenever we feel like it? They truly are very easy to make.
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Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make these meatballs. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
- Olive oil spray: You’ll use it to grease the pan and lightly spray the meatballs before baking them. This is an optional ingredient - I don't always use it.
- Ground beef: I use lean ground beef (85/15).
- To season: Kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. I often add chili powder, too.
- For the sauce: Ketchup (regular or unsweetened), Dijon mustard, and maple syrup (real or sugar-free).
Variations
- Add a teaspoon of chili powder to the meatball mixture.
- When making the sauce, the mustard is optional, so you can omit it if you want.
- Sometimes, I make the sauce with ½ cup of ketchup, two tablespoons of sriracha sauce, and two tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce. Combined with chili powder in the meatball mixture, this mildly spicy version is delicious.
Instructions
Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps for making these meatballs:
Place the ground beef and spices in a bowl and mix them together.
Form the mixture into 24 small meatballs. Arrange the meatballs on a parchment-lined, rimmed baking sheet. Bake them for 10 minutes at 400°F.
While the meatballs are in the oven, whisk the sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring them to a gentle boil over medium-low heat, then lower the heat to low and keep the sauce simmering until the meatballs are ready.
Add the cooked meatballs to the sauce and turn to coat. Transfer them to a serving platter, brush them with more sauce (I use a pastry brush), and serve.
![Dipping the meatballs in sauce.](https://healthyrecipesblogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/dip-in-sauce.jpg)
Expert Tip
Since the meatballs are fully cooked when they emerge from the oven, simmering them in the sauce can result in them being overcooked.
On the other hand, I prefer to bake them first, because this ensures they are fully and evenly cooked.
So, instead of adding the cooked meatballs to the sauce and simmering them, I simmer the sauce while the meatballs are in the oven, and then simply add them to the sauce and turn to coat.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, absolutely! This recipe works well with ground pork. It's also good with ground chicken, as long as you use ground chicken thighs and not chicken breast.
I highly recommend using lean ground beef (85/15) in this recipe. I tried making it with extra-lean ground beef (93/7) and felt that the meatballs turned out too dry.
Yes, or you could simply omit the mustard. It adds an interesting layer of flavor to the sauce but is not mandatory.
Serving suggestions
You can obviously serve these cocktail meatballs as a party appetizer. If you have extra sauce left, place it in a small bowl next to the meatballs so that people can dip (hopefully not double-dip!) their meatballs in the extra sauce.
You can also serve them for dinner. I like to serve them on top of mashed cauliflower, and again, I don’t let any of the sauce go to waste – I pour any extra sauce on top of the meatballs.
I also sometimes serve these meatballs with a side of creamed spinach, as shown in the photo below.
Storing Leftovers
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 4 days. Reheat them in the microwave, covered, at 50% power.
You can also freeze them for up to three months. Spread them on a wax paper-lined tray and freeze them for a few hours. Once frozen, you can place them in freezer bags and thaw a few at a time.
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Recipe Card
Baked Cocktail Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef 85/15
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt or ½ teaspoon of any other salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoom chili powder optional
- Olive oil spray extra-virgin, optional
Sauce (see variation under notes):
- ½ cup ketchup regular or unsweetened
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup maple syrup real or sugar-free
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix the beef with the salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and (if using) chili powder.
- Form the mixture into 24 small meatballs, each weighing around 20 grams. I weigh them on a kitchen scale, but you can eyeball it.
- Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet, not touching each other. Spray them with olive oil (optional), then bake them until cooked through, for 10 minutes.
- While the meatballs are baking, whisk together the sauce ingredients (ketchup, mustard, and maple syrup) in a medium saucepan. Heat the sauce over medium-low heat. Bring it to a gentle boil, then lower the heat to low and simmer while the meatballs are in the oven.
- Remove the meatballs from the pan with a slotted spatula. Toss them in the sauce until well-coated.
- Transfer the meatballs to a serving plate and use a pastry brush to brush them with more sauce. Serve them with any remaining sauce for dipping.
Video
Notes
- A nice variation on the sauce: Use ½ cup of ketchup, two tablespoons of sriracha sauce, and two tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce. When combined with adding chili powder to the meatballs, this results in a mildly spicy flavor profile.Â
- I often use extra-lean ground beef in my recipes. But in this recipe, the meatballs are too dry if using extra-lean ground beef, so it’s best to use lean ground beef.
- The nutrition info assumes that unsweetened ketchup and sugar-free maple were used.Â
- You can make this recipe with ground pork.Â
- You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 4 days. Reheat them in the microwave, covered, at 50% power. You can also freeze them for up to three months. Spread them on a wax paper-lined tray and freeze them for a few hours. Once frozen, you can place them in freezer bags and thaw a few at a time.
Nutrition per Serving
Disclaimers
Cup measurements refer to the standard American cup, which is 240 milliliters. Most of my recipes are low-carb (or keto) and gluten-free, but some are not. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate, and the carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them. Please read these Terms of Use carefully before using any of my recipes.
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