BBQ Cola Meatballs

My family loves this recipe. I made it twice now for dinner and served it over rice. I will admit to cheating and using prepared frozen meatballs. I make the sauce and then throw the meatballs in frozen and cook 3+ hours.

I have made this recipe 4 times now and have learn a few things. Only let it cook 4 hours or less because the meatballs will become greasy after that. I use red onion for a milder flavor. I also use store bought frozen meatballs in the bag and double the sauce and that works well. This is truely a great recipe to have. Enjoy!

Made this recipe this afternoon, and it was great. It was easy to make and so good. Will definately make it for the Super Bowl Get together.

Such a good flavor! I did double the sauce recipe because you can never have enough sauce espically when entertaining some people take a small amount of sauce others dredge their food in it. meatballs were very tasty with the ranch mix. worth making and not very time consuming. Once the meatballs are done, put them in a crock pot and let them cook. thanks for the recipe!

I always get tons of compliments on this recipe. I have made it 3 times--the first time I missed the ranch dressing package but it was still delicious so I just left it out. Otherwise I make it exactly as listed here and I always give people the link to the recipe!

Used frozen meatballs, brought them to a boil in a pan, then cooked them on med. heat for 20 min. in the pan, then transfered them to the preheated crockpot for 45 min. on low, and I doubled the sauce. They were perfect!

I used frozen chicken and cheese meatballs with the sauce, family loved it.

I made these for the game and they were awesome! I used 1 lb ground pork and 1/2 lb ground beef and I added about 2 tbs grill seasoning and 1 tsp. minced garlic to the meat. The sauce was really good- but I doubled it and added about 2 tbs brown sugar and 1 tbs minced garlic. Everyone loved them and I will adding them to my favorites. Thanks!

These were great, I didn't add the peppers and onions to the sauce because the kids would never eat them and I made these for my sons birthday party. I had to make copies of the recipes for 5 or 6 people. I loved them and I am not a meatball person. lol

Gone within minutes! I decided last minute that I wanted to add appetizer meatballs to my menu. I didn't have cola so I used Dr. Pepper, and we added our own hot sauce (RefinersFireHotSauce.com). It was a smash hit. My guests kept asking about how to make them.

Made them exactly as the recipe stated and they were amazing! My kids loved them and said they were by far the best meatballs they had ever had.

I used Coke Zero as well as red pepper instead of green. I'm not the only person who ate these meatballs and thought there was WAY too much bread crumbs in this meatball. Even making it, I had to add a half cup of water to get the meatballs to make actual meat BALLS and not meat crumble. My son made the comment of "Mom, can you make meatballs next time with more meat and less ball, please?" Plus, the combination of the ranch dressing mix with the barbeque sauce was just not for us. I really won't be trying this again and most of this dinner was wasted.

I make these for every New Year's Eve! They are always a huge hit!

Delicious. I made these for a holiday party. I ended up handing out the recipe to several friends. They were a hit!

Made this for a party and I should have made two batches! Being lazy, I opted for heating up frozen Swedish meatballs rather than making them from scratch. Just heated them up according to package instructions and placed in slow cooker with the sauce.

I made this for dinner last night and it was a hit! Even my husband liked the meatballs and he's a hard man to please when it comes to food! I doubled the recipe, but next time I will cut back on the vinegar and black pepper, it was a little bitter and spicy. Overall tho, a great recipe!

This were so easy to make. Everyone at my party loved them.

I quadrupled the recipe for a party (but only doubled the amount for the green pepper), and it turned out pretty good! It doesn't have the overly sweet sauce, so if you don't care for stuff too sweet, this is for you! I also used frozen Italian meatballs instead of making them from scratch.

My italian hubby, who, long ago burned out on meatballs, was not excited about this recipe. But,he and everyone else loved these meatballs. They were a big hit. NO leftovers. I will make dbl. sauce next time. Easy slow cooker meal

Everyone liked these!

I made the sauce as written exactly and it was horrible. I made 5 cocktail meatball recipes from this site and did a taste comparison. This was the worst of all 5. The best was sweet & sour meatballs. Will not make again.

The sauce was too sour for me.

I ended up adding a can of tomato paste because it was a little too "vinegary" for me, but otherwise it was pretty good!

Like some other reviewers, I found myself using frozen meatballs simply to save on time during a busy work week. I followed the other directions with the addition of some shallots in the sauce. I will admit that during cooking, it had a very strong vinegar aroma, so I wasn't sure I would like it. But the taste was good, so overall a good recipe.

I didn't make the sauce yet, but the meatballs were terrific. I omitted the grated onion and baked them as directed- quick and easy and good flavor.

I made the sauce exactly as the recipe calls for and got rave reviews from the potluck I took them to! I did cheat and use pre-made meatballs because I was short on time. It's a good, fast potluck dish that I'll for sure do again!

I ended up adding a can of tomato paste because it was a little too "vinegary" for me, but otherwise it was pretty good!

These are a hit for any potluck! Very easy to make and very tasty!

Pretty good. These taste just like sloppy joes.

After reading previous reviews, I made this recipe (for my book club) using double the sauce and a little less vinegar. Thay all loved it & wanted the recipe.

I did not care for these meatballs at all! Neither did the guests at my party -- no one went back for seconds and some had trouble eating the few on their plates. I was totally embarrassed that I had made them!! The only reason I am giving them two stars is they were very good plain, without the sauce. The sauce had too much of a vinegar bite which stayed with me most of the evening -- I kept eating other food to try to get rid of it. It goes without saying that I will not make these again.

Wow! Always a hit. I doubled the sauce (I'm a saucey girl) and everyone gave rave reviews. I've made these several times, for different groups, and always run out.

I made these for a party over the holidays and they flew out of the crockpot. I doubled the sauce as I was serving with bread. Excellent.

These are great! More sauce is always a good idea.

I would have to agree with being too vinagary. We added some brown sugar and some garlic salt, and it turned out great.

YUMMY!!!!!!DELICIOUS!!!!!!!GREAT!!!!!

These were a hit at our holiday party! I used frozen meatballs, and omitted the vinegar since some reviewers thought that the sauce was too vinegary. I doubled the amount of meatballs, and quadrupled the amount of sauce, since some reviewers had mentioned that there wasn't enough sauce. There probably would have been enough sauce if I had just tripled the sauce recipe. In any event, I got a lot of compliments on this recipe!

This was excellent. I am always on the lookout for fast and easy recipes that my family will actually eat, and this is going to the top of the list. I put them in the slow-cooker, added some egg noodles just before serving, and man! Was it a big hit! FANTASTIC!!

Made this for a baby shower and it went over very well. Everyone raved about it. I added a 1/2 cup of brown sugar to the recipe.

I made this for my son's grad party and everyone raved about them. I am making them again next week for another party.

It turned out to be pretty darn good meatballs! I took a short-cut by using precooked meatballs, but the sauce was great just using minimum ingredients. More kid-friendly taste than for grown-ups, I guess.

This was a great recipe. I tweaked it a bit - I put 2tbsp of brown sugar in it and added about 1tbsp of chile powder. Everyone loved it. It definitely tasted better when I let it sit for about 15 minutes without heat and the sauce thickened up. I received rave reviews from everyone!

These were OK. Probably won't make again, we prefer a sweet meatball rather than a BBQ one.

These are good, but I agree with some, a little too much apple cider vinegar. I'll just put in less of that next time! Thanks!

Used store bought meatballs. They smelled great and tasted good. The sauce was lighter than the traditional BBQ sauce we are used too - people were split 50/50 on which they liked better. I will make these again.

this was good, however I'm only giving it 3 stars because it would be a great appetizer, but I made to have as dinner, and the sauce was just too strong to eat for dinner. but I would make it again for an appetizer.

pretty good , not my favorite though.

These are great the first time around and even better the second! I use any that are left (if any are left) to make sandwiches the next day. I just warm them up in spegetti sauce and put them on bread and it is the best meatball sub!

These were very tasty, had a lot of veggies in the sauce, but not nearly enough sauce. I kept the recipe and might make it again, but nothing spectacular.

This was a great recipe. We doubled the amounts and had it as a main course and served it over white rice. Delicious!!! Whole family loved it!

INSTEAD OF AN APPETIZER I MADE THIS AS A MAIN DISH...I SERVED IT WITH RICE AND CORN ON THE COB. IM GOING TO USE THE LEFTOVERS FOR MEATBALL SANDWICHES TOMORROW NIGHT.

Too vinegary. No one would eat this.

This is really very good (and intriguing since it contains Pepsi). I have to reserve 5 star ratings for the really spectacular meals or else I would rate too many things 5 star. This is 4.5, so thanks a lot. I would comment that as a main dish, this recipe serves only about 8, not 18 (a typo I wonder? Or maybe 18 appetizer servings). Also, I don't have a slow-cooker, but it worked well in a normal pot simmering on low for about 40 minutes.

First, if the meat balls are to be covered in the sauce, you need to make twice the amount the recipe calls for. The only thing I did differently was to make twice the amount of sauce and I used about half a cup of BBQ sauce instead of the ketchup because I ran out of the ketchup. I don't know if it was the BBQ sauce or what but these didn't do it for me... If it was the BBQ sauce, I don't recomend subbing for the ketchup...

I added 1 t red pepper flakes it kicked it up a notch and was great! Thanks

Sorry, but I did not think this recipe was anything special...no distinct flavor, nothing great. Neither my husband nor I cared for it. I make Meatballs in a Wine Sauce that is much better than this. Just kind of blah.

These were really easy to make. They tasted great also.

I only made the sauce for store bought premade turkey meatballs. Its been a staple for 5 years.

Everyone liked them a lot.I found them a bit dry so next time I'll make a bit of extra sauce to keep the meatballs juicy.Taste pretty good though.

we used the dry italian rather yhan the ranch and they were great

This is a keeper! I particularly love the sauce. Big hit at a holiday party last night! I made the sauce ahead in a crockpot and then added the meatballs after the flavors had time to blend. Yummy!

These were really yummy and tangy. Used red wine vinegar instead of the apple cider. Was good that way too.

I followed this recipe exactly (very easy to make), and it turned out great. It simmered on low for approx. 5 hours before I tasted it, and they were hot and yummy. They were a hit at the Super Bowl party, and I will definitely use this recipe again.

This is a great addition to my meatball recipes. I love baked meatballs, and find this recipe a way to sauce them up so they go good with rice or mashed potatoes, as a meal.

Tangy. Used only 1 TBSP of Cider Vinegar as others recomended.

these meat balls are very nice but i don't care for the sweetness in the sauce so if you can substitute a nice sauce that would be yummy.

Made this recipe for Super Bowl Sunday. The meatballs were the best ever. Just finished them off today in a meatball sandwich. Try them, you're definitely going to like them.

This recipe was a great hit at a party. I thought I made more than enough meat balls (100) however I ran out very fast. Gave the recipe to most of the guests.

I thought this was a great recipe. Its a kid friendly meal that you can serve as an appetizer or as a main course. I made it with white butter rice and peas. I like the tang and my kids love the sweet. Will make again for sure.

The taste turned out pretty great considering I'm an "easy" cooker. The only thing I would change the next time would be to exclude the bell peppers (am not a big fan). But the party liked this recipe!!

This was okay. I couldn't taste the cola (although I added more than the recipe called for) - maybe I added too much black pepper, since it seemed to have a decent amount of heat to it and wasn't very sweet. No green pepper, about 1.75 cups of cola, and about 1/2 the vinegar as per the other reviews. Assembled the sauce and cooked it down for a good hour at a fast simmer, broiled the meatballs and added them to the sauce, simmering for about 30 minutes. Served over rice.

These were tasty but VERY sweet and the taste seems to stay with you for a long time. If I make these again I will use less vinegar too as they were tangier than I like.

We made these for a New Years Day neighborhood party and they were a big hit. We used the precooked frozen meatballs for convenience.

I made this for a Girl scout meeting and despite the fact someone else had brought meatballs mine went very quickly. I must admit I took the shortcut that many did and used the already prepared frozen meatballs but this gave a different flavor to the MB. I do agree that it's not good over pasta but for an appetizer or buffet you go chef!!!

Excellent. I made double the sauce which I think was a good idea. I also made entree sized meatballs. We put them on sub rolls & enjoyed them. The meatballs are also very good by themselves. A keeper.

These meatballs are wonderful. I make them for parties and tailgating parties outside! Everyone loves them! I add small rolls on the side and people put the meatballs in the rolls! Great recipe!

This recipe was so awesome! It was incredibly easy and it was a great hit!

Very good. Had a yummy unique flavor.

Not that good. The bread crumb taste was too obvious. The sauce was pasty.

I used frozen turkey meatballs with the sauce. My husband loved it, and didn't even mind that he was eating the turkey.

Ate it first at a potluck, now its become a family favorite (and anyone else who eats it)

Pretty good, worked well with diet root beer instead of cola, thanks for the recipe~!

BBQ Cola Meatballs does not pretend to be haute cuisine...but I gave it 5 stars because it perfectly fits the bill for a good, everyday crowd pleaser. I doubled the sauce recipe and used a frozen pack of 36 meatballs - so I guess my rating is only good for the sauce. In any case, this is good stuff!

This is a great dish for casual gatherings like Superbowl parties. I absolutely loved them! They make great sandwiches too!

My husband liked these although I wasn't all that impressed. (I like the Cajun Appetizer meatballs from this website much, much better!) I increased the sauce by half and, as others mentioned, the sauce did have a slight vinegar taste.

I went exactly by the recipe and my family did not care for this at all. Possibly less bread crumbs might be better.

I used 5# of frozen meatballs and quadrupled the sauce. I added 1/2 cup brown sugar and decreased pepper, season salt and wochestershire by half. Terrific for potluck.

Very, very tasty! Made for our New Yrs party and they were a hit.

Even my picky husband liked this. Thank you.

My family and I loved this. I’m going to reduce the apple cider vinegar next time, perhaps to 75% of what is listed in the recipe. I also think that Heinz chili sauce would give this sauce a more complex texture than ketchup, so I’ll try replacing some ketchup with it next time. Other than that, I doubled the sauce as recommended. This recipe is definitely a keeper.

I served these at a party the other night, or I should say I put the sauce on some store bought meatballs. We had 66 people, and we had rave reviews on them!!

I loved this recipe! Great flavor from the sauce!

My whole family loves these. Very easy to make and a great slow cooker dish, great for entertaining as an appetizer or just for the family as a new version of spaghetti and meatballs.

THIS RECIPE IS A KEEPER WILL USE IT MANY TIMES. MADE IT FOR DAYTONA 500 RACE PARTY EVERYONE LIKED IT

Very, very tasty! Made for our New Yrs party and they were a hit.

I made these for a party and they were the first to disappear! Very tasty and the sauce is delicious over rice or potatoes. This is a keeper.

Huge hit at my hubby's office holiday party! Had a tough time not nibbling myself! Very Tasty!

Outstanding recipe! These meatballs held such good form and were very flavorful! We'll be making these again, for sure! :o)

Sweet and sour -- wonderful! They were a hit at our New Years party.