Juicy, tender BBQ meatballs baked in a sweet-and-smoky sauce. An easy dinner that my family loves! Freezer-friendly, too!
Homemade BBQ Meatballs
My Sister’s Family-Favorite BBQ Meatballs
I grew up in rural Minnesota and did (do?) a decent amount of cooking from church cookbooks. This recipe for BBQ meatballs originated with a church cookbook recipe and has been ON REPEAT for us for the last 2-3 months. Bjork and the girls have been so happy.
Sweet, savory, sticky and tender meatballs with some mashed potatoes, maybe some mac and cheese, a steamy pile of green beans? How could you not love it?
My sister brought this one into my life, and it is her kids’ absolute favorite. This is the meal that they ask for for every birthday. We even made them for a Christmas Day dinner last year.
Apologies for the messy pic – this is me happily eating the leftovers for lunch the next day with cucumbers, mashed potatoes, and corn from Bjork’s aunt and uncle’s farm!
I want you guys to know that I tried at least 5 variations to this recipe over the last few months. Would it be better with sauteed onions and peppers in the mix? (Not enough to justify the extra work.) Would cream work instead of evaporated milk? (Evaporated milk is far more tender.) Would the sauce work better with or without the vinegar? (The vinegar gives that sweetness a necessary edge.)
I ended up basically coming back to almost exactly how it was written in this little spiral-bound paper church cookbook.
Hope you love these, hope your kids love these.
How To Make BBQ Meatballs
1
Gather Ingredients.
I almost always have all these ingredients on hand (ground beef, egg, oats, ketchup, spices, brown sugar). Super pantry-friendly!
2
Mix and Roll.
You can pack them all into one 9×13 (what my sister does for her family of 6) or you can split them between two baking pans so you can freeze a batch for later (what I do for our family of 4).
3
Cover with Sauce.
Whisk sauce and pour over the top. I divided my sauce between the two pans, since I typically split this recipe in two.
4
Bake!
When they’re done, if it’s not as saucy as you want, add 1/4 cup water to the pan and stir; this emulsifies any oil and gives the sauce a nice texture!
5
Serve with Mashed Potatoes!
Our go-to for serving is mashed potatoes and green beans!
Homemade BBQ Meatballs
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
Description
Juicy, tender BBQ meatballs baked in a sweet-and-smoky sauce. An easy dinner that my family loves! Freezer-friendly, too!
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 2 lbs. ground beef (I used 85/15)
- 1 cup quick oats
- 1 (5-ounce) can evaporated milk
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
Homemade BBQ Sauce:
- 2 cups ketchup
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons liquid smoke
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon each garlic powder and onion powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix Meatballs: Mix together all meatball ingredients. Roll into golf-ball sized balls; divide between two smaller casserole dishes OR arrange all of them in a larger 9×13 baking dish. (I have a family of 4; I divide this into two pans so I can freeze one for later. But my sister does this all in one large pan for her family of 6.)
- Make Sauce: Whisk sauce together. Pour the sauce over the meatballs.
- Bake: Bake meatballs and sauce for 1 hour. Remove from the oven; they’ll be bubbly and some of the oil will have separated. Add 2-3 tablespoons water and give the pan a stir; the water will emulsify the sauce so it clings to the meatballs perfectly.
- Finish: Serve meatballs with mashed potatoes and green beans! These are so tender and so good. Yum.
Notes
I typically get 35-40 meatballs with this recipe.
To freeze: These meatballs can go into the freezer uncooked and covered with sauce. I typically do this in a foil pan to make it extra easy for myself or someone else if I end up giving them away as a meal.
To cook from the freezer: Bake (from frozen) at 350 degrees for 60-75 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through and tender, and the sauce is bubbling. Add a few tablespoons water to loosen and emulsify the sauce as needed before serving.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: bbq meatballs, meatball recipe, meatball dinner
Frequently Asked Questions For This Recipe
Can you use ground turkey or ground chicken instead?
Yep! I would try to get as high a fat percentage as you can though to add more tenderness and flavor.
What can I substitute for liquid smoke?
You can omit it completely, or sub in smoked paprika to add a little bit of smokiness.
How do you freeze and reheat this recipe?
Place the rolled (raw) meatballs in a large foil pan and cover with the sauce. Cover and freeze for up to 6 months. Bake (from frozen) for 60-75 minutes at 350 degrees or until the meatballs are cooked through and tender, and the sauce is bubbling. Add 1/4 cup water to loosen the sauce as needed before serving.
Can you use breadcrumbs instead of quick oats?
Yes! Panko or breadcrumbs will work as well.
How do you make your mashed potatoes?
This is my favorite recipe! Made in the Instant Pot, super easy.
More Meatball Recipes My Family Loves
Filed Under: All Recipes Appetizer Dinner Gluten-Free Kid-Friendly Main Dishes Meat and Chicken Recipes Sheet Pan
February 9, 2026
Nice to meet you!
I’m Lindsay and I ♡ FOOD. I used to be a teacher, and now making food and writing about it online is my full-time job. I love talking with people about food, and I'm so glad you're here.
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What could be substituted for evaporated milk? Member of family has a daity allergy
Also wondering. Our family is dairy-free.
Also wondering how to omit dairy (allergy in family)
Hello! You could try using unsweetened soy milk, but note that the meatballs will not be quite as tender.
Huge fan of all things POY, always have several recipes in the weekly rotation! Would this work well as a meatloaf instead of meatballs? Family vacation coming up (need to serve 12 at once) and thought I’d give it a shot?
Hi Lindsay—
Love your recipes—thanks! This one confused me a bit on the evap milk. Looked like 15 oz can, but mentioned 2/3 cup. Then I realized they come in 5 oz sizes, so you were saying one 5 oz can. It looks odd. Hoping nobody makes same mistake. Maybe take out the 1 before the 5 oz or make a bigger space? Might be helpful for some. Just a thought.
Thank you, this is updated! It is one 5 ounce can.
2 Tablespoons Liquid Smoke?? Not Teaspoons?
Correct!
Thank you for everything! So many of your recipes are now our family favorites! We’re vegetarian…Do you think frozen plant based meatballs would work ok here as a sub? Would you cook them first or just simmer in the sauce? Thank you again! We love POY
Would subsitituing old fashioned oats work instead of the quick oats. That is what I typically have in my house.
How much smoked paprika would you sub for the liquid smoke? These sound delicious!
Clear and mouthwatering recipe; this comforting cooking style pairs perfectly with real food experiences like their paella workshops and live showcooking in Madrid.