These slightly sweet and savory cranberry meatballs are the perfect appetizer for any gathering. They are made with beef and pork and coated in a cranberry hoisin sauce. Bring these to any gathering and watch them disappear.
Everyone needs a great meatball recipe, especially for football season and the holidays. If you bring these to any gathering, you will watch them quickly disappear and the best part is that it only takes 30 minutes to make these. These are also great if you happen to have a leftover can of jellied cranberry sauce from after your Thanksgiving meal. It is the perfect way to use it up and still make something fabulous.
In this recipe
There are quite a few ingredients in this recipe, and some may not already be in your pantry, but they are still quite easy to get. They are what also make this recipe stand out.
Hoisin sauce: this is going to add a rich umami flavor to the sauce as well as counteract the sweetness.
Ground beef/pork: I like to use a 1:1 ratio of beef to pork however you can make these meatballs will just ground beef or ground pork. This also works well with ground turkey.
Hot sauce: this is a special ingredient and will give a little bit of heat to the sauce. It also acts to balance out the hoisin and cranberry. I like to use Frank’s Red Hot for this, but Cholula is a great one as well.
Balsamic vinegar: this is one that no one sees coming. The acidity in the vinegar will help with the fattiness of the meatballs and is complement to the hoisin and cranberry.
Making the meatballs
This is a recipe that you are going to be getting your hands a bit dirty. Gloves are your friend for this recipe as you will have to touch raw meat a lot. While I show all of the ingredients in the mixing bowl for the meatballs, I have found it easier to mix all of the spices with the breadcrumbs and mix in the eggs first. It will be a little soupy, but I find I don’t have to mix as long to incorporate the breadcrumbs this way.
While mixing it this way I have found that you don’t overwork the meat this way nearly as much. The best way to tell if it is ready is to press a patty the size of your hand into your palm, turn your palm upside down and the meat clings for a couple of seconds before falling off. If you overwork the ground meat you might end up with though meatballs and no one wants that.
A cookie scoop is your friend.
I have found this the best way to evenly portion out the meatballs, so they are all roughly the same size. This is important because you will ensure that they all cook at the same rate and evenly as well. Another little trick is to use a baking rack when cooking the meatballs. This will allow all sides of the meatball to cook evenly, and you will not let the bases sit directly in the fat that drips out of them and making one side soggier.
Cranberry hoisin sauce for the win
One of the reasons that I love hoisin sauce is that it adds a great depth of flavor to the sauce and helps reduce the sweetness. While they will have a sweetness to them it is tempered by the hoisin, vinegar and soy sauce making these meatballs very easy to eat. The best part about it is that the sauce takes only five minutes to make. A whisk will be easier to help break up the jellied cranberry sauce to make sure it is nice and smooth.
How to make this in 30 minutes.
The first thing I want to do is get the oven nice and hot. Once it starts preheating get to work on the meatballs. If you go the route of mixing the eggs into the ground pork and beef first, then it should only take a couple of minutes to mix in everything else. From there scoop and roll the meatballs. You will have between 30-36 meatballs depending on how generous your scoops are.
I have found that this takes about 5-10 minutes. Once the meatballs are ready pop them in the oven for another 15 minutes. While the meatballs are cooking you can get the sauce started. Once it gets hot enough the cranberry sauce will start to melt and dissolve. You will want to constantly whisk because you don’t want the sugar from the sauce to burn. Once it starts to bubble remove it from the heat. The meatballs should be done after you finish the sauce and all that is left is to toss/mix them in a bowl.
Looking for other meatball recipes?
Easy Cranberry Meatballs
Equipment
- 2 tablespoon scoop
- Lined sheet pan with baking rack
- Saucepan
- Mixing Bowl
- Whisk
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- ½ tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
Cranberry Hoisin Sauce
- 14 ounce cranberry sauce jellied, one can
- ¼ cup hoisin sauce
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar packed
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1½ tablespoons hot sauce
- ½ tablespoon ground ginger
Instructions
Making the meatballs
- Preheat the oven to 400°F, 200°C, or gas mark 6.
- In a mixing bowl combine the beef, pork, breadcrumbs, eggs, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, salt, and cumin. Mix until everything is evenly combined.
- Use the 2-tablespoon scoop to portion out the meatballs. Roll into a ball and place onto the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.
Making the cranberry hoisin sauce
- While the meatballs are cooking combine the cranberry sauce, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, tomato paste, hot sauce, and ground ginger. Bring to a boil while whisking constantly and then remove from the heat.
- Place the meatballs in a large mixing bowl, pour the cranberry hoisin sauce on top and toss or stir to combine.
Nutrition
