Slow Cooker Meatballs and Gravy is an easy and comforting dinner made with frozen meatballs and a rich homemade gravy. The slow cooker does all the work, creating tender meatballs in a flavorful gravy made with simple pantry ingredients.
This recipe is perfect for busy days because it only takes a few minutes to prep. Just add everything to the crockpot and come home to a warm, hearty meal the whole family will love.
This Slow Cooker Meatballs and Gravy is easy to prep as we start with frozen meatballs. The brown gravy is made with packet seasoning mix and simple spices. The combination of the ingredients creates a meal that everyone will love.
Meatballs make a great appetizer, but we also love to serve as a main dish recipe. If you love this recipe, you may like Crock pot Meatball Recipes, Crock Pot Mississippi Meatballs and Crock Pot Hawaiian Meatballs.
For even more easy dinners, take a look at our Crock Pot Dinners for Busy Nights Series.
Why You’ll Love Slow Cooker Meatballs and Gravy
Save steps and ingredients and make Slow Cooker Meatballs and Gravy with frozen meatballs. This crockpot recipe melts away weeknight stress because this rich and hearty dish is ready after a long day at work!
The Crockpot does all the work, no stovetop babysitting and makes the meatballs taste just as good as homemade. Serve this over egg noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes for the perfect family dinner.
My kids love the gravy and it is perfect for pouring over green veggies too!
Recipe Snapshot
- Cooking Method: Slow Cooker / Crockpot
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 4–6 hours
- Difficulty: Easy
- Best For: Busy weeknight dinners
- Flavor: Savory and comforting
Ingredients
- Frozen Meatballs – Use your favorite homestyle meatballs. Beef, turkey meatballs, or pork meatballs all work well in this recipe.
- Brown Gravy Mix – Packet gravy mix makes this recipe quick and flavorful with very little prep.
- Cream of Mushroom Soup – Adds creaminess and richness to the gravy. Try Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup Recipe
- Onion Powder – If you are out, see Best Onion Powder Substitutes. You can even use packet onion soup mix
- Garlic Powder – See The Best Garlic Powder Substitute
- Worcestershire Sauce – Try making Homemade Worcestershire Sauce Recipe
- Fresh Chopped Parsley – Optional topping
How to Make Meatballs and Gravy in the Slow Cooker
Step 1 – Place the frozen meatballs in the slow cooker.
Step 2 – In a medium bowl, whisk together the brown gravy mix and water until smooth.
Step 3 – Add the cream of mushroom soup, onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, salt and Worcestershire sauce to the gravy mixture. Whisk until well combined in a large bowl.
Step 4 – Pour the gravy mixture over the meatballs in the slow cooker, stirring gently to coat all the meatballs.
Step 5 – Cover and cook on Low for 4-6 hours or on High for 2-3 hours, until the meatballs are heated through and the gravy is hot and slightly thickened.
Step 6 – Stir gently halfway through cooking time if possible.
Step 7 – Serve hot, garnished with chopped parsley, if desired. Enjoy for an easy those busy weeknights.
Pro Tips & Variations
- Slow Cooking – We usually cook on low but you can also cook on HIGH for 2-3 hours if desired.
- Gravy Consistency – The gravy should thin out initially as the meatballs release juices, then thicken as it cooks. If it’s too thick at the end, add a little water or beef broth. If it’s too thin, mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water and stir it in during the last 30 minutes of cooking.
- Spicy – For a hint of spice add in ½ tsp of red pepper flakes.
- Creamy Texture – Add in ½ cup of sour cream for a creamy texture.
- Use quality frozen meatballs – Homestyle frozen meatballs tend to have the best texture for slow cooking.
Serving Recommendations
Meatballs and Gravy is delicious served with a side of Best Mashed Potatoes and Sautéed Green Beans. We also like to add a side of 30 Minute Dinner Rolls to make sure to get every last drop of the gravy.
For even more ideas, see What to Serve with Meatballs.
FAQs
There is no need to thaw meatballs before placing in the slow cooker. The meatballs will cook and heat through in the delicious sauce.
Yes this is a great recipe to double, especially if feeding a crowd. Just make sure to cook in a large enough slow cooker so everything cooks evenly.
Store the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Place the meatballs and gravy in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight when ready to serve.
Reheat the leftovers in the microwave or on the stovetop in a saucepan.
Slow Cooker Meatballs and Gravy
Ingredients
- 2 pounds frozen meatballs
- 2 0.87 ounce packets brown gravy mix
- 2 cups water
- 1 10.5 ounce can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- Fresh chopped parsley for garnish optional
See how we calculate recipe costs.
Instructions
- Place 2 lbs of frozen meatballs in the slow cooker.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 (0.87 oz) packets of brown gravy mix and 2 cups of water until smooth.
- Add 1 (10.5 oz) can of cream of mushroom soup, 1 tsp of onion powder, 1 tsp of garlic powder, ½ tsp of pepper, and 1 tsp of Worcestershire sauce to the gravy mixture. Whisk until well combined.
- Pour the gravy mixture over the meatballs in the slow cooker, stirring gently to coat all the meatballs.
- Cover and cook on Low for 4-6 hours or on High for 2-3 hours, until the meatballs are heated through and the gravy is hot and slightly thickened.
- Stir gently halfway through cooking time if possible.
- Serve hot, garnished with chopped parsley, if desired. Enjoy!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Facts
More Easy Slow Cooker Meatball Recipes
Slow Cooker Meatballs and Gravy is a simple and comforting dinner that’s perfect for busy nights. If you make this recipe, we’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment and a star rating and let us know how your family enjoyed it.
Enjoyed the meatballs a gravy recipe! I cut the recipe down for two! Will be fixing this again!
Hey Linda – Wahoo! I’m thrilled it was a hit and easy to reduce the portion to fit your family!
I love the gravy meatball recipe thanks for sharing and I will be making that soon for me and my brother and yes we love meatballs and gravy with mashed potatoes ????????????????????????? keep up the awesome work good job God bless you and your family and thanks for sharing and I’m glad I’m joined then with you guys to get more recipes thanks again
Robin – Thank you so much for the positive review and the kind words! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Family really enjoyed this and they aren’t fond of meatballs. Thank you for sharing.
That’s great to hear Sharon! Thanks so much!
We don’t like mushrooms so what would you substitute for the cream of mushroom soup.
Julia – You can easily use another cream based soup. Either cream of chicken soup or cream of celery soup would work in this recipe.
These are my favorite meatballs! Perfect any night!
Yay! I’m so happy. Thanks for leaving your feedback Mandi!
Great recipe. I served with spatzle which would have been great had I not over salted them. Next time it will be with mashed potato’s though.
Jerry – I’m so glad you loved the recipe. Thanks so much!
Can I use something other than cream of mushroom soup?
Melanie – Any cream based soup would work instead. Cream of chicken or cream of celery soup would work in this recipe.
What could I do to make a smaller batch for just 2 people with not too much leftover?
This Slow Cooker Meatballs and Gravy was so easy to make! My entire family cleaned their plates and requested I make it again.
Casey- That’s great to hear. Thanks for leaving a comment!