# Honey Garlic Meatballs

Frozen meatballs in a sticky honey, soy and garlic glaze, cooked in the slow cooker and served over rice with sesame seeds.

 

 

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## Honey Garlic Meatballs

Recipe by Iren Pavlenko

 

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0.0 from 0 votes ** 

Course: Main CourseDifficulty: Easy

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

4

hours 

Frozen meatballs in a sticky honey, soy and garlic glaze, cooked in the slow cooker and served over rice with sesame seeds.

### Ingredients

- 2 lb frozen fully cooked meatballs
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp cold water
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 2 sliced green onions
- 3 cups cooked rice

### Directions

- Whisk the honey, soy sauce, ketchup, garlic, vinegar, ginger, pepper flakes and water in a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Add the frozen meatballs and stir until they are coated.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours, or HIGH for 2 to 3 hours.
- Stir once halfway through so the sugary sauce does not catch on the edges.
- Check a meatball in the center of the pot. It should read 165°F.
- Stir in the cornstarch slurry and cook 15 minutes with the lid on, until the glaze coats a spoon.
- Switch to WARM and keep the meatballs under the sauce.
- Serve over rice with sesame seeds and green onions.

 

### Notes

 

Soy sauce is salty, so taste before adding more. Do not leave on HIGH all the way, because honey scorches. Reheat leftovers in a saucepan with a splash of water. Do not feed honey to children under one year.

 

  

## What makes these honey garlic meatballs sticky

 

The glaze is mostly honey and soy, and that much sugar clings to the meatballs as it reduces. The cornstarch slurry at the end turns thin sauce into a coat you can see on the spoon. Without it you get a puddle, not a glaze.

 

Garlic is generous here, five cloves, and it mellows as it cooks. Ginger adds a quiet warmth in the background. If the glaze looks thin when the meatballs are hot, do not rush it. The slurry needs its 15 minutes with the lid on to thicken properly.

 

## Swaps and a warning

 

Maple syrup works in place of honey, though the flavor is rounder and less floral. Tamari keeps it gluten-free. Skip dark soy sauce, which turns the glaze almost black and bitter. Sriracha in place of pepper flakes adds heat and a little tang.

 

## Serving ideas

 

Steamed rice is the classic base. Roasted broccoli or quick-pickled cucumbers cut the sweetness nicely. For a party, spear them on toothpicks and keep the pot on WARM.

 

## Leftovers and the usual slip

 

Reheat in a saucepan, not the microwave, so the glaze does not seize. Add a spoonful of water as it warms. The common mistake is walking away on HIGH for the whole cook, which burns the honey on the crock walls.