Ingredients
Scale
For the Meatballs:
- 1 bag (24-32 oz) frozen cooked meatballs (beef, turkey, or chicken)
- 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
For the Firecracker Sauce:
- ½-¾ cup hot sauce (Frank’s RedHot recommended)
- ½ cup honey
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- Optional: ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (for extra heat)
For Garnish:
- 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- Optional: fresh cilantro
Instructions
Stovetop Method:
- Prepare Sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together hot sauce, honey, minced garlic, soy sauce, and red pepper flakes (if using) until well combined. Set aside.
- Cook Meatballs: Heat butter or oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add frozen meatballs and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until heated through and slightly browned on the outside.
- Add Sauce: Pour the firecracker sauce over the meatballs. Stir to coat every meatball evenly with the sauce.
- Simmer and Glaze: Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens and becomes sticky-glossy, coating the meatballs beautifully. The sauce should reduce and cling to the meatballs.
- Serve: Transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with chopped green onions, sesame seeds, and cilantro if desired. Serve hot with toothpicks for appetizers or over rice for a main dish.
Slow Cooker Method:
- Place frozen meatballs in slow cooker.
- Whisk together hot sauce, honey, garlic, and soy sauce. Pour over meatballs and stir to coat.
- Cook on HIGH for 2-3 hours or LOW for 4-5 hours, stirring once halfway through.
- Set to WARM for serving at parties.
Notes
- Start with ½ cup hot sauce and add more for extra heat—you can always add but can’t remove.
- The sauce will thicken as it cooks and reduce—don’t worry if it seems thin at first.
- For thicker sauce, simmer longer; for thinner sauce, add water 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Can use homemade meatballs instead of frozen—just ensure they’re pre-cooked.
- Adjust sweetness by varying honey amount to your taste.
- Best served hot, within 2-3 hours of making for optimal texture.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5-6 meatballs
- Calories: 385
- Sugar: 19g
- Sodium: 985mg
- Fat: 22g
- Saturated Fat: 9g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 26g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 19g
- Cholesterol: 68mg