Guinness Meatballs (Slow Cooker Recipe)
Slow cooker Guinness meatballs are tender, flavorful, and simmered in a rich beer barbecue sauce situation. This meal takes only minutes to put together but your crockpot does the heavy work! Treat yourself to a cozy main or a yummy appetizer for Game Day or even St. Patrick’s Day!
Slow cooker Guinness meatballs are the kind of recipe that feels a little special without any extra effort.
It’s so easy, you don’t even have to make homemade meatballs to enjoy this rich, savory dish.
Nope.
Make it easy and use store bought meatballs, dressed up with the most delectable combination of barbecue sauce, full bodied Guinness beer, rich tomato paste, and sweet brown sugar.
The slow cooker makes it magically come together into the yummiest main dish to serve over a pile of mashed potatoes or served as an appetizer for Game Day parties and more.
Ingredients
To make this you’ll need:
- Meatballs– A 32 ounce package of your favorite variety.
- Olive oil– You could use another light oil if needed.
- Aromatics– A small, peeled and diced yellow onion and minced garlic.
- Guinness beer– You could substitute another dark lager but Guinness is very distinctive tasting so the difference will be noticeable.
- Tomato paste– A full 8 ounce can. This will give the sauce body
- Barbecue sauce– Your favorite kind
- Sugar– Brown
- Other Flavorings– Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, and thyme
How to Make
These slow cooker Guinness meatballs are very easy to make!
Just put the meatballs to the bowl of your slow cooker.
Then heat the oil in a large skillet set over medium high heat.
Once the oil’s hot, saute the onions, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender.
Stir in the garlic and saute for 60 seconds.
Then whisk the beer, tomato paste, barbecue sauce, sugar, Worcestershire, mustard, and thyme together in the skillet to combine them.
Bring the sauce to a boil then immediately reduce the heat to low and simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring often.
Pour the sauce evenly out overtop of the meatballs and give everything a stir to evenly coat the meatballs.
Put the lid on your slow cooker and cook the meatballs on LOW for 2-3 hours.
Serve plain, with a side of steamed rice, or over mashed potatoes.
Storing Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheat them in the microwave until warmed through.
Tips and Tricks
- Don’t skip sauteeing the onions on the stove top or cooking the sauce. The onions won’t soften enough in the slow cooker and the sauce won’t reduce properly if you skip this step.
- This recipe is best with beef meatballs but you can really use any kind of meatballs you like.
- For a zesty twist, use a spicy barbecue sauce.
Other Slow Cooker Meatball Recipes
Slow cooker Guinness meatballs makes a deliciously easy appetizer or main dish.
Make it and enjoy!
Looking for other slow cooker meatball recipes?
Try these:
- Party Meatballs
- Mongolian Meatballs
- Easy Swedish Meatballs
- Mississippi Meatballs
- French Onion Meatballs
If you’ve tried this SLOW COOKER GUINNESS MEATBALLS or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Guinness Meatballs (Slow Cooker Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 32 oz pkg frozen meatballs
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion peeled & finely diced
- 1 1/2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 1/2 cups Guinness beer
- 1 8 oz can tomato paste
- 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp dried thyme leaves
Instructions
- Add the meatballs to the bowl of your slow cooker.1 32 oz pkg frozen meatballs
- Heat the oil in a large skillet set over medium high heat. Once the oil's hot add the onions, stirring to combine. Saute until softened, stirring occasionally, until tender.1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1 small yellow onion
- Add the garlic and saute for 60 seconds.1 1/2 tbsp minced garlic
- Add the beer, tomato paste, barbecue sauce, sugar, Worcestershire, mustard, and thyme to the skillet then whisk together until everything's evenly combined.1 1/2 cups Guinness beer, 1 8 oz can tomato paste, 1/2 cup barbecue sauce, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp dried thyme leaves
- Bring the sauce to a boil then immediately reduce the heat to low and simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring often.
- Pour the sauce evenly out overtop of the meatballs, then give everything a stir to evenly coat.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 2-3 hours.
- Serve plain, with a side of steamed rice, or over mashed potatoes.
Notes
- Don't skip sauteeing the onions on the stove top or cooking the sauce. The onions won't soften enough in the slow cooker and the sauce won't reduce properly if you skip this step.
- This recipe is best with beef meatballs but you can really use any kind of meatballs you like.
- For a zesty twist, use a spicy barbecue sauce.
Nutrition
