Slow Cooker Asian Meatballs
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These Slow Cooker Asian Sesame Meatballs are sticky, saucy and packed with the perfect balance of sweet and savory flavor. Serve them over rice for an easy weeknight dinner or set out some toothpicks and watch them disappear at your next party!
Slow Cooker Asian Meatballs Recipe
Sticky, saucy meatballs are exactly the kind of crave worthy dish that always leaves people talking. The best part about these Crockpot Asian Sesame Meatballs is that they cook right from frozen, so there’s hardly any prep. I’ve found the trick to the sauce is letting it thicken slowly until it turns glossy and clings to every bite.
We make Asian-inspired dinners on repeat in my house, and our favorites always have lots of sauce involved. That’s why these meatballs fit right in. I usually serve them over rice for a hearty weeknight meal, but they work just as well as a party appetizer. One bite and you’ll completely understand why they disappear so fast!
Wondering what to serve on the side? I love serving my Broccoli Salad with Craisins alongside Asian-inspired dishes like these meatballs, my Sticky Ribs and my Chinese Chicken on a Stick. The crunch and contrast of flavors go perfectly with that sweet and savory sauce!
Why You’ll Love My Asian Meatballs Recipe
- Very little prep: Frozen meatballs go straight into the crockpot, so there’s no browning, baking, or extra pans to wash.
- That sticky sesame sauce: Honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and rice vinegar cook together to create a flavorful sauce.
- Dinner or appetizer: Serve over rice for an easy meal, or set out toothpicks and serve them straight from the slow cooker.
Ingredients
- Frozen meatballs: Homestyle or Angus beef meatballs work well with the sesame sauce.
- Honey: Gives the sauce its sweetness and helps create that sticky finish.
- Soy sauce: Adds the salty, savory flavor that balances the honey and brown sugar.
- Water: Thins the sauce enough to coat the frozen meatballs evenly as they begin cooking.
- Brown sugar: Adds a little extra sweetness and helps the sauce become rich and glossy.
- Sesame oil: A small amount adds that unmistakable toasted sesame flavor.
- Rice vinegar: Adds acidity so the sauce does not taste overly sweet.
- Garlic powder: An easy way to add garlic flavor without any chopping.
- Ground ginger: Adds warmth and works perfectly with the soy sauce and sesame oil.
- Cornstarch: Thickens the sauce as the meatballs cook.
- Sesame seeds: Sprinkle them over the finished meatballs for garnish.
- Sliced green onions: Add a fresh pop of flavor and color right before serving.
Find the full printable recipe with measurements and directions in the recipe card below.
How To Make Crockpot Asian Meatballs
Step 1. In a large measuring cup or mixing bowl, whisk together the water, soy sauce, honey, brown sugar, sesame oil, rice vinegar, garlic powder, and ground ginger.
Step 2. Taste and adjust the sweetness if needed. Once the flavor is where you want it, whisk in the cornstarch until smooth.
Step 3. Place the frozen meatballs directly into the crockpot.
Step 4. Pour the sauce over the frozen meatballs and stir gently until everything is coated.
Step 5. Cover and cook on low for 3 to 5 hours, until the meatballs are fully heated through and the sauce has thickened. Stir about halfway through cooking so the sauce coats the meatballs evenly.
Step 6. Garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds. Serve as an appetizer or spoon the meatballs over white rice for dinner.
Storage Instructions
Refrigerator: Let the cooked meatballs cool, then transfer them with the sauce to an airtight container. Refrigerate for 3 to 4 days.
Freezer: Place cooled meatballs and sauce in a freezer safe airtight container and freeze. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Variations And Add-ins
It’s easy to tweak these meatballs depending on what you have on hand or how you’re serving them. Try one of these simple swaps or additions to change up the flavor.
- Add a little heat: Stir in sriracha or your favorite chili garlic sauce for a little bit of heat without overpowering the sesame flavor.
- Try chicken meatballs: Frozen chicken meatballs work nicely if you want something a little lighter than beef.
- Use turkey meatballs: Plain turkey meatballs are another easy swap and soak up the savory sauce really well.
- Use homemade meatballs: Fresh or frozen homemade meatballs can be used in place of store bought meatballs. If they’re raw, be sure to cook them until they reach a safe internal temperature.
- Add hoisin sauce: A spoonful or two of hoisin can make the sauce slightly richer and give it another layer of sweet and savory flavor.
- Serve them as rice bowls: Spoon the meatballs over white rice and add steamed broccoli, sliced cucumbers, or shredded carrots.
- Make them extra saucy: If you know you will be serving the meatballs over rice, increase the sauce ingredients so there is plenty to spoon over each serving.
Tips And Tricks
This recipe is pretty forgiving, but a few little things can make it even easier. These tips will help with everything from keeping the meatballs intact to getting that sauce just right.
- Give them a little room: A 5-quart or larger slow cooker works well because the sauce can move around the meatballs instead of everything being packed tightly together.
- Do not thaw frozen meatballs first: They can go straight from the freezer into the crockpot, which keeps the prep time at about 10 minutes.
- Use a silicone or wooden spoon for stirring: Frozen cooked meatballs can soften as they slow cook, so stirring gently helps keep them intact.
- Spoon some sauce from the bottom before serving: This gives them an extra glossy coating, especially if they’ve been sitting on the warm setting.
- Add the garnish at the very end: Green onions and sesame seeds look and taste freshest when they are added just before serving.
- Taste test: Before adding the cornstarch to the sauce, taste and adjust the sweetness as needed. I recommend using at least the amounts of honey and brown sugar specified in the ingredients…that will help to achieve the “sticky” glaze.
- Give them time: I find that the sauce starts reducing and getting thicker at 4 hours. If you need to speed things up after the meatballs are fully heated through, you can remove the lid and cook for 15-20 minutes on high so the sauce thickens faster.
FAQs
Plain homestyle, beef, turkey, or chicken meatballs are better choices. Strongly seasoned Italian meatballs can compete with the soy, ginger, and sesame flavors in the sauce.
Yes, minced fresh garlic works well. Add it directly to the sauce before pouring it over the meatballs.
Yes, homemade meatballs work beautifully. Just make sure they’re fully cooked before adding them to the slow cooker.
More Meatball Recipes
- Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
- Sweet and Sour Meatballs
- Bacon Wrapped Meatballs
- BBQ Grape Jelly Meatballs
- French Onion Meatballs
- Honey Bourbon Meatballs
Slow Cooker Asian Meatballs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 36 ounce frozen meatballs
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
- Sesame seeds for garnish
- Sliced green onions for garnish
Instructions
- Place frozen meatballs into crockpot.36 ounce frozen meatballs
- In a large measuring cup or bowl, combine the water, soy sauce, honey, brown sugar, sesame oil, rice vinegar, garlic powder, and ground ginger. Taste and adjust the sauce as needed. Once it has the desired taste, whisk in the cornstarch.1/2 cup honey, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup water, 2 Tbsp brown sugar, 1 Tbsp sesame oil, 1 Tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
- Pour the sauce into the crockpot over the meatballs.
- Cover crockpot with lid and cook on LOW for 3-5 hours or until the sauce has thickened and the meatballs are fully heated through. Stir halfway through cooking to ensure even heating.
- Garnish with fresh chopped green onions and sesame seeds. Serve as an appetizer on its own or as a meal over white rice. EnjoySesame seeds, Sliced green onions
Notes
- This recipe takes 3-5 hours in the slow cooker
- Refrigerator: Let the cooked meatballs cool, then transfer them with the sauce to an airtight container. Refrigerate for 3 to 4 days.
- Freezer: Place cooled meatballs and sauce in a freezer safe airtight container and freeze. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- Give them a little room: A 5-quart or larger slow cooker works well because the sauce can move around the meatballs instead of everything being packed tightly together.
- Give them time: I find that the sauce starts reducing and getting thicker at 4 hours. If you need to speed things up after the meatballs are fully heated through, you can remove the lid and cook for 15-20 minutes on high so the sauce thickens faster.
Nutrition
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About Lisa O’Driscoll
Lisa O’Driscoll is a lifestyle and parenting expert, cookbook author, and the creative force behind Fun Money Mom, a popular blog she’s run since 2014. She’s the author of the children’s cookbook Roll It, Slice It, Mash It, Dice It, designed to get kids excited about cooking. With multiple TV appearances under her belt, she loves sharing her expertise on family-friendly recipes, creative DIYs, and party planning and is always on a mission to inspire and entertain!
