Crockpot meatballs and gravy is an easy slow cooker dinner that takes about five minutes of actual work and turns simple, already-cooked meatballs into a full family meal with a thick, savory gravy, the kind so good people go back for a second helping just to get more sauce on their plate. It’s so simple; all you do is put frozen cooked meatballs in the slow cooker with a beef broth base, let it cook, and then thicken it into gravy in the last 30 minutes. It’s a full dinner, not an appetizer, and it stretches to feed a hungry family without much work on your part. Serve it over mashed potatoes for a classic combination, or do it the Southern way and spoon it over rice.
When I had all six kids still at home, I watched the grocery budget closely, especially with three teenage boys eating their way through the kitchen. When meatballs went on sale, I didn’t want to just make an appetizer out of them. I wanted a real dinner out of a sale bag of meatballs. This recipe for rich gravy-covered meatball dinner became a favorite, and nobody felt it was a budget meal.
It was good as written, second time I spiced it up with sweet paprika and mustard powder. will definitely keep this recipe.
—Wesley Unwin
Main Ingredients
Here’s a quick overview of the key ingredients for this recipe. For the full list of ingredients and exact measurements, jump to the recipe card.
Helpful Ingredient Tips
- Cooked meatballs: Grab already-cooked meatballs from the grocery freezer, or make your own with my eggless meatball recipe, which uses heavy cream instead of eggs as the binder for juicy, tender meatballs. Either way, they need to already be cooked before they go in the crockpot. Raw meatballs will make the sauce greasy. You can also use cooked turkey, chicken, or pork meatballs here if that’s what you have on hand. The gravy works with any of them.
- Beef broth: This is the base of your gravy, so grab a good-quality boxed stock or canned broth. It gives the whole dish its savory backbone.
- French onion soup: You want the condensed kind in the can, and don’t add water to it. I’ve made this with the soup diluted and undiluted, and undiluted wins every time. That concentrated flavor is what makes the gravy taste rich and umami instead of thin.
- Garlic: Minced garlic in a jar works just fine here and saves you a step. It rounds out the savory flavor without asking much of you.
- Worcestershire sauce: Just a tablespoon, but it adds depth you’d miss if you left it out.
- Bay leaf: It gives the gravy a subtle earthy background flavor while it cooks low and slow. Just remember to fish it out before serving. Bay leaves aren’t meant to be eaten.
- Heavy whipping cream: This is what turns your broth into a creamy gravy in the last half hour of cooking.
- Cornstarch: Whisked into the cream, this is your thickener. It’s what takes the sauce from broth to gravy.
How To Make Crockpot Meatballs and Gravy
You’ll need a 6-quart slow cooker for this recipe. Here’s how it comes together.
Step 1: Place the cooked meatballs in the slow cooker. Add the beef broth, condensed French onion soup, minced garlic, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Stir well so everything is combined. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours.
Tip: I always brown my meatballs first if I’m making them from scratch. I learned that skipping this step leaves you with a greasy sauce, and the meatballs fall apart faster in the crockpot too.
Step 2: About 30 minutes before the cook time is done, remove and discard the bay leaf. In a jar, combine the heavy whipping cream and cornstarch, then shake vigorously until the cornstarch is fully dissolved with no lumps. Stir the cream mixture into the slow cooker. Cover and continue cooking on high for the remaining 30 minutes, or until the gravy has thickened. You’ll know it’s ready when it coats the back of a spoon.
Tip: If you’re short on time, you can skip the last 30 minutes in the crockpot. Just pour most of the sauce into a saucepan, bring it to a boil on the stove, whisk in the cream and cornstarch slurry, and keep whisking until it thickens back up. If you want more detail on this method, I’ve got a full guide to thicken sauce in a slow cooker.
Ways to Change Up This Slow Cooker Meatballs and Gravy
Whether you call it crockpot meatballs and gravy or slow cooker meatballs and gravy, this recipe is a great base that you can make your own.
- Mushrooms are my favorite add-in. I use baby bella or white button, sliced and stirred right into the broth.
- I’ve also made it with a cup of fresh sliced onions, and with sliced sweet bell peppers for a little color and bite.
- And if you like your gravy thicker than the recipe makes it, just double the cornstarch to 4 tablespoons when you’re making the slurry; it’ll come out rich enough to really cling to the meatballs. This is fantastic served over crockpot mashed potatoes if you want to keep the whole meal in the slow cooker.
- If you’re a gravy person like me, you’ll also want to try my hamburger steaks with onion gravy. It’s another one that stretches simple ingredients into a real dinner.
Make-Ahead Tips for Meatballs and Gravy in the Crockpot
This crockpot meatballs and gravy recipe works two ways if you want to get ahead of dinner.
- I usually make the whole thing start to finish the day before, gravy and all, then reheat it right in the slow cooker on high for 1 to 2 hours and switch it to warm until I’m ready to serve.
- If you’d rather have that fresh-thickened gravy taste instead, you can cook the meatballs in the broth mixture the day before and stop there, without adding the cream and cornstarch yet. The next day, you reheat everything on the stovetop in a large pan, then stir in the cornstarch and cream slurry to thicken it fresh right before serving.
Either way, this is one less thing you have to think about on a busy night or before company comes. If you’re feeding a bigger crowd, this one doubles easily. Just use a larger slow cooker to give the meatballs room, or check my crockpot ideas for feeding a crowd for more make-ahead options.
My Favorite Slow Cooker Tools
Questions about Crockpot Meatballs and Gravy
Can I cook this slow cooker meatballs and gravy recipe on low instead of high?
No, this recipe needs to cook on high the whole time. The gravy thickening step depends on the high setting to set up correctly, and it will not thicken the same way on low.
Can you freeze crockpot meatballs and gravy?
No, I don’t recommend freezing this one once it’s cooked. I’ve seen the cream in the gravy separate when it thaws, so this is best made fresh or kept in the fridge for 3 to 4 days instead.
Crockpot Meatballs and Gravy
Ingredients
- 1 pound cooked meatballs, thawed if frozen (use high quality, low fat meatballs for the best flavor)
- 2 cups beef broth
- 10.5 ounces French onion soup, condensed (canned)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (jarred minced garlic works in a pinch)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
Combine and Cook
- Place the cooked meatballs in a 6-quart slow cooker. Add the beef broth, condensed French onion soup, minced garlic, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Stir well to combine.1 pound cooked meatballs, 2 cups beef broth, 10.5 ounces French onion soup, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 bay leaf, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- Cover and cook on high for 4 hours. Do not cook on low, the gravy will not thicken properly with this method.
Thicken the Gravy
- About 30 minutes before the cook time is done, remove and discard the bay leaf.2 cups heavy whipping cream, 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- In a jar, combine the heavy whipping cream and cornstarch. Shake vigorously until the cornstarch is fully dissolved with no lumps.
- Stir the cream mixture into the slow cooker. Cover and continue cooking on high for the remaining 30 minutes, or until the gravy has thickened and coats the back of a spoon.
Gina’s Notes and Tips
Variation
For a thicker gravy, double the cornstarch to 4 tablespoons in the slurry. For a faster method, remove most of the sauce to a saucepan after cooking, bring it to a boil, whisk in the cream slurry, and bring back to a boil, whisking continually until thickened. Storage: Store in an airtight, sealed container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Reheating: Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until heated through. If you are serving the meatballs for dinner, you could place them back in a crock pot on high and reheat for an hour or so, then turn it to warm when ready to serve. Freezing: Freezing is not recommended once the meatballs are cooked in the gravy. The cream in the gravy separates when thawed.
Tried this recipe?
Please consider Leaving a Review!Hospitality with Crockpot Meatballs and Gravy
This recipe grew out of feeding a big family on a real grocery budget, and that is exactly why it makes such good hospitality food, too. You do not need a fancy spread to make people feel welcome. You just need a full pot and a table with room at it. Try building a Budget Friendly Dinner around this one. Set the crockpot going in the morning, add a simple side of rice or mashed potatoes, and let the gravy do the heavy lifting on flavor without spending much at all. If you want more ideas along these lines, I’ve got a whole post on cheap cuts of meat that taste high-dollar. Nobody has ever asked me what the meal cost. They just ask for the recipe. Pull up a chair, fill the plates, and let the conversation be the real point of the evening.
it was good as written, second time I spiced it up with sweet
paprika and mustard powder. will definitely keep this receipt.
Thanks for sharing the add-in ideas. Glad you enjoyed it.