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Try Crockpot Little Smokies for a quick and easy appetizer idea without any work. With just 3 simple ingredients, this recipe comes together easily in the slow cooker for the best little smokies recipe. The sauce is so delicious and flavorful.
You just need 3 ingredients for this simple but amazing BBQ Little Smokies Crock Pot Recipe! It is our new favorite appetizers for any party. From football food for game day, to any holidays, this cocktail weenie recipe will impress your family or guests.
Also try Beanie Weenies, Candied Bacon, or Crock Pot Bacon Wrapped Smokies.
Table of Contents
Why This Recipe Works
This Crock Pot Lil Smokies is a crowd pleaser and is super easy to make. The 3 simple ingredients combination makes the little smokies taste amazing.
We usually serve as an appetizer but you can also serve as a side dish recipe. These little smokies cook perfectly in a mini crock pot. Check out more mini crock pot recipes.
Ingredients
- Little Smokies – around 30 oz, but you can add more smokies if you want. This recipe is very easy to double for a party.
- Barbecue sauce – Any store bought barbecue sauce will work. We also have a homemade barbecue recipe that would work perfectly too.
- Grape Jelly – Any inexpensive jelly will work.
Scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe in the recipe card.
Little Smokie Recipe Variations
- They can be made into mini corn dogs
- Wrapped in bacon
- Make them into Pigs in a Blanket with crescent rolls.
- Serve them with Diced Pineapple
How to Make Little Smokies
- Place a crock pot liner in the crock pot if you want an easy clean up. Then place the little smokies inside.
- Pour the grape jelly and the BBQ sauce over the smokies.
- Stir to combine.
- Cook on low for 2-3 hours, or on high for 1.5 hours.
- Stir and then serve crockpot BBQ little smokies.
Recipe Tips
- Use Crock pot Liners. I like to use crock pot liners to make clean up a breeze. These plastic bags are worth every penny and save a ton of time.
- Add in brown sugar – if you want your cocktail weenies more sweet then add in ¼ cup of brown sugar. Dark brown sugar or light brown sugar will work.
- Worcestershire Sauce – Consider adding a splash of Worcestershire Sauce. This will add a tangy flavor to the smokes sausages.
- Use toothpicks – Serve little smokies with toothpicks so your family or guests can pick up what they want to snack on.
- Stir in crumbled bacon – For a different flavor, stir in crumbled bacon. Simply cook bacon until crisp. Then crumble and stir in when you add in the other ingredients.
Serving Suggestions
There are so many delicious appetizer recipes that we love. It is a ton of fun to make a bunch of different appetizers for a party.
- Slow Cooker Teriyaki Meatballs Recipe – Each bite is sweet and savory in every bite and so easy with just 4 ingredients.
- Crescent Roll Veggie Pizza Appetizer – Yum! I also like to make a veggie tray for snacking.
- Garlic Ranch Pretzel Recipe is another easy recipe that goes great with little smokies.
If you love smokies, make sure you also try this Bacon Wrapped Little Smokies Recipe.
How Long will BBQ lil’ smokies last in the fridge?
You can store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
These also freeze well. If you have leftover smokies, allow them to cool completely and place them in a freezer bag. Then freeze.
Frequently Asked Questions
When we are serving these Little Smokies, we keep them in the crock pot. We keep a spoon nearby or you can have jar of toothpicks.
I always make sure to serve with more BBQ sauce on the side. This is perfect for those that want extra BBQ sauce for dipping.
Yes, cocktail sausages are the same as little smokies. They are actually beef or pork tiny sausage with smoke flavoring. That is where they get their name little smokies.
Little smokies are pre-cooked. All you are doing is warming them up. I love cooking these lil smokies in the slow cooker. They can also be heated through on the stove top, oven or microwave.
Try these other easy appetizer recipes
- Crescent Roll Veggie Pizza Appetizer
- Pigs in a Blanket Recipe
- Easy Sausage Balls Recipe
- Crock pot Sweet and Sour meatballs
- Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe
We love this little smokies in crockpot recipe. Make sure if you make it that you leave a comment or a star review.
Crockpot Little Smokies
Equipment
- 1 Crockpot I recommend this one!
Ingredients
- (3) 10 oz packages of little smokies (around 30 oz, but you can add more smokies if you want)
- 1 cup BBQ sauce
- 3/4 cup grape jelly
Instructions
- Place a crock pot liner in the crock pot if you want an easy clean up. Then place the little smokies inside.
- Pour the grape jelly and the BBQ sauce over the smokies.
- Stir to combine.
- Cook on low for 2-3 hours, or on high for 1.5 hours.
- Stir and then serve.
This has always been a holiday favorite recipe. I changed out the grape Jelly last time with orange marmalade…. awesome!!!
Made these little smokies many times. So easy and so tasty. Somehow I never make enough Everyone always asks for the recipe
Can’t wait to make this.
As long as the ingredients fit into the crock pot, it will be large enough for this recipe. Generally, I use a minimum of a 3 quart crock pot but you could easily just fill up your 1.5 or 2 quart with the ingredients and cook them from there.
great easy set it and forget it recipe. Everyone loved them and they grape jelly was a surprising ingredient to use but worked so well. I have made them several times even with the large link sausage I just sliced them up.
What is the minimum size crockpot for this recipe? Would a 1.5 or 2 qt be too small?
I have also made these substituting canned chili (without beans). The chili and grape jelly gives it a zesty flavor and people seem to really like it. There is never any left over.
Oh great idea! I’m so glad that it was still delicious with those alternatives!
I made them Keto by using sugar free bbq sauce and sugar free jelly. Still very good.
You can thicken the sauce with a cornstarch slurry (1/4 cup cold water and 1 Tbsp cornstarch) or you can use Xantham Gum to thicken the sauce as well. Thank you
The BBQ sauce got thin & watery heating these up. Any tips on how to keep the sauce from getting watery?
Yessss, I made these for Christmas. I use Kraft Sweet & Spicy, Spicy Honey, Sweet Brown Sugar & Grape Jelly ??
Easy to make & everybody loves them when we gather for game day!
This is a keeper! My family loves these, a easy recipe for any get- together.
sorry forgot to rate 5 stars
MY husband loves this we make it all the time for game day
Theresa..what kind of mustard and how much? That sounds yummy..ty
Delicious!! Great alternative, or in combination with cheese and crackers type snacks, to have with cocktails.
Don’t know why this post put question marks ? when they were exclamation points ?
That’s how I make mine! ?? I never said anything to my Honey because if I told him he wouldn’t eat it ?
Trying it ,there in the crockpot now, we’ll see, I expect them to be awesome!!!!!
These are great! I add mustard instead of BBQ sauce to make it sweet and sour.
These are great! I add mustard instead of BBQ sauce to make it sweet and sour.
These are the best! I add mustard instead of BBQ sauce it makes it sweet and sour!
THESE ARE GREAT AND EVERYONE LOVES THEM! If you want sweet and sour add mustard instead of bbq sauce
Yay! I’m so glad to hear this Christine. Thank you for sharing 🙂
This is one of the things I served at our 2019 St. Patrick’s Day party. They are so simple, yet once I put them out on the buffet table, folks just flocked around them. They couldn’t get enough!
Loved the flavor!