These homemade BBQ meatballs are tender, flavorful, and baked in the oven with a sweet and smoky homemade barbecue sauce. This oven-baked BBQ meatballs recipe is a classic Amish favorite that's perfect for dinner, potlucks, feeding a crowd, or planning ahead.
The meatballs freeze beautifully, making them a great option for meal prep. Keep a batch in the freezer so you can bake BBQ meatballs anytime you need an easy dinner.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love These Homemade BBQ Meatballs
- Ingredients
- How to Make BBQ Meatballs in the Oven
- Baked BBQ Meatballs for our Amish/Mennonite Wedding Dinner
- How to Freeze BBQ Meatballs
- How to Bake Frozen BBQ Meatballs
- What to Serve with Homemade Barbecue Meatballs
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Amish Recipes with Ground Beef
- 📖 Recipe Card
Why You'll Love These Homemade BBQ Meatballs
- Tender and flavorful - These oven baked BBQ meatballs stay juicy while the sauce becomes rich and caramelized.
- Great for dinner or appetizers - These homemade BBQ meatballs work as a hearty main dish or an easy party appetizer.
- Perfect for feeding a crowd - This recipe makes a large batch, making it ideal for potlucks, gatherings, or family dinners.
- Easy to make ahead - The meatballs can be prepared in advance and refrigerated or frozen until you're ready to bake them.
- Great freezer meal - Keep a batch of these homemade meatballs in the freezer for a quick and easy dinner on busy nights.
Ingredients
- Ground Beef: The base of the meatballs, providing rich flavor and protein. I like using a mix of ground chuck and ground round.
- Evaporated Milk or Half & Half: Adds moisture to keep the meatballs tender and juicy.
- Crushed Saltine Cracker Crumbs: Help bind the meatballs and keep them from becoming too dense.
- Quick Oats: Absorb moisture and give the meatballs a softer texture.
- Eggs: Help hold the meatball mixture together.
- Chopped Onion: Adds savory flavor.
- Salt, Chili Powder, Garlic Powder, Black Pepper: Simple seasonings that give the meatballs a warm, savory flavor.
BBQ Sauce Ingredients
- Ketchup: The base of the sauce, adding sweetness and tang.
- Brown Sugar: Sweetens the sauce and helps it caramelize while baking.
- Chopped Onion or Dried Onion Flakes: Adds savory depth.
- Liquid Smoke: Gives the sauce a subtle smoky barbecue flavor.
- Garlic Powder: Adds extra savory flavor.
How to Make BBQ Meatballs in the Oven
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Mix the meatball ingredients.
- Combine the seasonings, cracker crumbs, oats, eggs, onion, and milk. Stir until blended.
- Add the ground beef.
- Mix just until combined. Overmixing can make the meatballs tough.
- Shape the meatballs.
- Roll the mixture into about 1½-inch meatballs and place them in a single layer in a baking dish or rimmed baking sheet.
- Prepare the BBQ sauce.
- Stir together the sauce ingredients and pour the sauce evenly over the meatballs.
- Bake.
- Bake uncovered for 40-50 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce is bubbly.
Baked BBQ Meatballs for our Amish/Mennonite Wedding Dinner
I was a member of the Beachy Amish/Mennonite church when my husband and I got married almost twenty-one years ago. The Beachy group does not consider themselves Amish, but they are still very conservative with a lot of rules.
We invited between three and four hundred guests to our wedding. Thankfully, the Beachy churches have a church house, so the wedding and meal were held there rather than on a family farm like many Amish weddings.
After a two-hour church service with the ceremony at the end, we served a large family-style meal. Preparing the wedding meal is often the biggest part of a plain wedding, and family and church friends always help with the cooking and serving.
Since we had butchered a cow several weeks before the wedding and had plenty of ground beef, we decided to serve homemade BBQ meatballs along with scalloped potatoes, peas and carrots, coleslaw, buns with honey butter, and berry cheesecake desserts.
This is the same homemade BBQ meatball recipe we served at our wedding, and it's still one of my favorite meals for feeding a crowd.
(You can read more about Amish wedding customs in another post I wrote.)
How to Freeze BBQ Meatballs
These homemade BBQ meatballs freeze very well, which makes them perfect for meal prep or feeding a crowd. When we prepared food for our wedding, my mom had us make the meatballs ahead of time and freeze them so some of the work was already done.
To freeze the meatballs before baking:
- Mix the meatball ingredients and shape them into balls. ( A cookie scoop or meat baller are handy tools for the job.)
- Place the meatballs in a single layer on parchment-lined baking sheets.
- Freeze until solid.
- Transfer the frozen meatballs to airtight freezer bags.
They will keep well in the freezer for several weeks and even up to a couple of months.
How to Bake Frozen BBQ Meatballs
You don't need to thaw the meatballs before baking.
- Place the frozen meatballs in a single layer in a baking dish.
- Pour the BBQ sauce over the top.
- Cover and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.
- Remove the cover and bake another 30 minutes, until hot and bubbly.
Another Freezing Option
You can also prebake the meatballs before freezing.
- Bake the meatballs on a large baking sheet at 375°F for about 25 minutes, until browned. Let them cool completely, then freeze.
- When ready to serve, place the frozen meatballs in a baking dish, cover with BBQ sauce, and bake for 25-30 minutes until heated through.
Serving Meatballs for a Potluck
If you're taking these homemade BBQ meatballs to a potluck, you can also warm them in a slow cooker. If the meatballs are prebaked, they can be stacked in the crockpot with the BBQ sauce poured over the top.
What to Serve with Homemade Barbecue Meatballs
These oven-baked meatballs in barbecue sauce pair well with many different sides for dinner.
Of course, Scalloped Potatoes are a great side dish with meatballs. Creamy Amish Mashed Potatoes, as well as Crispy Parmesan Potatoes, are great options.
Barbecued Meatballs go well with Pennsylvania Dutch Potato Filling, Buttered Noodles, Amish Potato Salad, and the list goes on, as you will see in my post on what to serve with meatballs.
Frequently Asked Questions
For the juiciest, most flavorful meatballs without being too greasy, I recommend using a mixture of ground chuck and ground round. Ground chuck has plenty of flavor and fat to keep the meatballs moist, while ground round is leaner, so your meatballs won't be overly greasy. Avoid extra-lean meat - it can make the meatballs dry and tough.
Yes! These Amish BBQ meatballs are perfect for make-ahead meals. You can shape the meatballs a day in advance and refrigerate them, or freeze them unbaked for later. When ready to serve, just pour the BBQ sauce over the meatballs and bake. This is great for busy weeknights, potlucks, or meal prep.
Absolutely. To make this recipe gluten-free, simply replace the saltine crackers with gluten-free crackers or breadcrumbs and use certified gluten-free oats. The meatballs will still be tender, flavorful, and bake up perfectly with the BBQ sauce.
Store cooked meatballs in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave, oven, or a slow cooker with the BBQ sauce.
More Amish Recipes with Ground Beef
I hope you enjoy these delicious and easy, oven-baked homemade BBQ meatballs. If you try this Amish recipe, I'd love it if you left a comment and star rating below. Thank you!
These simple baked barbecued meatballs are perfect with homemade scalloped potatoes.
📖 Recipe Card
Homemade Oven-Baked BBQ Meatballs Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 lb. ground beef
- 1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk (or 1 ½ c. half & half)
- 1 c. crushed saltine cracker crumbs (about 28 crackers)
- ¾ c. quick oats
- 2 eggs
- ½ c. chopped onion
- 2 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- ¾ tsp. black pepper
BBQ Sauce:
- 2 ½ c. ketchup
- ¾ - 1 c. brown sugar
- ¼ c. chopped onion, or 2 tsp. dried onion flakes
- 1 tsp. liquid smoke
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Combine the seasonings, milk, oats, crumbs, and eggs. Mix well.1 c. crushed saltine cracker crumbs (about 28 crackers), ¾ c. quick oats, 2 eggs, ½ c. chopped onion, 2 tsp. salt, 2 tsp. chili powder, 1 tsp. garlic powder, ¾ tsp. black pepper, 1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk (or 1 ½ c. half & half)
- Add the hamburger and mix only to combine. Overmixing will create tough meatballs.3 lb. ground beef
- Roll the mixture into 1 ½" balls and place single-layer into a baking dish.
- Spoon the barbecue sauce over the top of each meatball and bake, uncovered, for approximately 45 - 50 minutes.
- If you want to freeze some of these meatballs for later use. Shape the meatballs and place them in single-layer on parchment-lined cookie sheets. Freeze until solid. Then store the meatballs in freezer bags until ready to bake. Place frozen meatballs in a baking dish, pour the sauce over them, and bake for approx. 1 hour.
Barbecue Sauce:
- Combine all the ingredients and stir until sugar is dissolved. Spoon the sauce over the top of each meatball.2 ½ c. ketchup, ¾ - 1 c. brown sugar, ¼ c. chopped onion, or 2 tsp. dried onion flakes, 1 tsp. liquid smoke, 1 tsp. garlic powder
Notes
Nutrition
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Anna
We love these!