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Need a quick dinner idea that the entire family will love? These BBQ Blackberry Meatballs are perfect and have a ton of flavor! Bake them in the oven, cook them in the slow cooker, or even turn them into an Instant Pot recipe. I always make these for dinner as the main dish, but they would also be great for game day or as an appetizer at any holiday party you plan to attend.

One day, I came up with this recipe when I was trying to make dinner with what I had in the pantry.

I used my homemade meatballs recipe for the base of this dish, but you can also use frozen meatballs from the freezer section or turkey meatballs. The type of meatballs you use is totally up to you.

I have used a few variations of this recipe, but this one is by far my favorite.

How to Make the Best BBQ Meatballs

For this recipe you will need the following simple ingredients —

• Blackberry jam (you can buy store-bought or homemade)
• Meatballs (use homemade or store-bought meatballs)
• Your favorite BBQ sauce (I like the Japanese BBQ sauce from Kinders) (this creates a tangy sauce)
• Optional add — brown sugar for a sweet element

I make my meatballs homemade using ground beef, ground chicken, or ground turkey. You could also use a combination of ground beef and ground pork. Then I bake them in the oven in a casserole dish for 10 minutes at 400 degrees while my sauce is cooking.

In a saucepan, I add the blackberry jam and the barbecue sauce. I mix well and then heat over medium heat until it all comes together. This is the best part of this dish!

Some people have used chili sauce or even made grape jelly BBQ meatballs, but the flavors of the Japanese BBQ sauce give you that umami undertones, which makes these meatballs great served over rice.

Now mix everything together and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until the juicy meatballs are cooked through.

These are great and the perfect appetizer to cart to all the holiday parties. Just put it in your crock pot and you can keep it on the warm setting until ready to serve.

I like to serve these over regular rice, or you can also make fried rice. The sweet jelly flavor in these meatballs goes excellent with fried rice. If you eat low-carb, you can serve it with cauliflower rice. Top it with sliced green onions and some toasted sesame seeds.

Serve it with a salad or some greens like my Honey Butter Roasted Brussels Sprouts.

Store the leftover meatballs in an airtight container. Use them as leftovers the next day or create a whole new meal out of them such as Meatball Sub Sandwiches.

Check Out These Other Delicious Meatball Recipes

• Firecracker Chicken Meatballs
• 3 ingredient BBQ meatballs