Crock Pot French Onion Meatballs: A Comfort Food Game Changer! – If you’re looking for a comforting, hearty, and oh-so-delicious meal, let me introduce you to my new favorite comfort food — Crock Pot French Onion Meatballs. This dish takes frozen meatballs and turns them into an absolute flavor bomb with minimal effort. It’s the kind of recipe that will have everyone asking for seconds, and you’ll be thrilled with how easy it is to make.

Crock Pot French Onion Meatballs in a slow cooker, with a wooden spoon scooping some up

Crock Pot French onion meatballs are a total comfort food recipe that will win you over with one bite. Frozen meatballs upgrade with garlic, onion, French onion soup, spices, Gruyere cheese, etc. Serve these French onion meatballs with mashed potatoes, rice, noodles, or veggies. Pair it with some dinner rolls to soak up the extra sauce on the plate.

Crock Pot French Onion Meatballs on a white plate over mashed potatoes

I love all things French onion-flavored, so I thought sharing more tasty dishes you might enjoy would be fun. Try these French onion pork chops, French onion soup rice, or even this French onion creamy sausage pasta.

Crock Pot French Onion Meatballs in a bowl with a fork poked into one

Reasons You Might Love These French Onion Meatballs

Crock Pot Recipe: Toss your ingredients in your Crock Pot, turn it on, and walk away. This is a hands-off meal that takes minimal effort to prep.
Big Flavor: I love the rich onion flavor of these meatballs smothered in a rich beefy sauce—such a comfort food recipe.
Versatile in Serving: These meatballs can be served as appetizers or main dishes. They can also be packed into a slider bun, served with mashed potatoes, or eaten plain.
Budget-Friendly: This budget-friendly dinner can be made using minimal and affordable ingredients. Living in a tight money economy, we sometimes need cheaper meals.

Also, check out my slow-cooker French dip sandwiches for another easy dinner idea.

Ingredients

Meatballs: For this recipe, I used pre-made frozen meatballs. You can use any brand you want or even make homemade meatballs.
Onion: Sweet onion is best for this recipe, as you want it to have a light onion flavor instead of being hot and overpowering.
Garlic: Fresh garlic that has been minced is best.
Beef Broth: Beef broth is the base for this recipe and will richen its flavors.
French Onion Soup: Reach for a can of condensed soup, which will help give your dish a stronger French onion flavor.
Balsamic Vinegar: This will help create an acidic component that will give these meatballs a nice zest.
Spices: Fresh thyme, black pepper, and parsley are used.
Cornstarch is the thickening agent used to make the sauce in the Crock Pot more gravy-like.
Cheese: Gruyere cheese will give a nice tangy bite to the top of the meatballs you sprinkle on top.

sauce in a glass bowl for making Crock Pot French Onion Meatballs

Variations To the Recipe

Swap the balsamic vinegar with white wine vinegar for that same tangy flavor for the dish.
Fontina, mozzarella, or even provolone cheese can be used instead of the Gruyere cheese. For added flavor, you can also use multiple cheeses for the recipe.
White or red wine can be added to this meatball recipe to help richen up the flavor even more.
You can substitute a packet of beef gravy mix for the cornstarch. Mix the gravy in at the same time as the other ingredients so it cooks with the meatballs the whole time.
Top the meatballs with cheese and then broil to help create that perfect melted cheese on top of the meatballs.

Crock Pot French Onion Meatballs in a slow cooker getting some scooped out with a wooden spoon

Storing Leftovers

Refrigerate the meatballs in a sealed container for 3-4 days. Then, you can reheat them in the microwave, in a skillet, or even in the oven.

You can also freeze any meatballs and sauce you don’t eat. Just dish them up and freeze for 2-3 months. Then, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight, then heat it as you wish.

Crock Pot French Onion Meatballs in a bowl with some bread to the side of the bowl

Tips For Success

If the sauce doesn’t thicken after the first round of cornstarch, do a second round. This will help thicken it more. You have to give it some time to allow the cornstarch to thicken.
Don’t overcook the meatballs, or they can dry out a bit.
You can use a crockpot liner to help make cleaning the meatballs less messy. Many brands sell these, and they are BPA-free.
If you use homemade meatballs, just make sure they are frozen when you start; that way, they are slow-cooked.
Using a low-sodium beef broth because the French onion soup is very high in sodium.

Crock Pot French Onion Meatballs on topped of mashed potatoes on a plate

FAQs For French Onion Meatballs

How do you serve these meatballs?

You can serve them as an appetizer by sticking them on toothpicks and placing them on a tray for a party. You can also serve them over rice, mashed potatoes, or even egg noodles. The last option I like is making them into a sub sandwich.

Can I use any type of meatballs?

Yes, any pre-cooked frozen meatballs will work just fine for this recipe, from ground turkey to beef or even Italian sausage-style meatballs. Just know that the number of meatballs will vary in flavor.

Can I double this recipe?

Yes, you can easily double the recipe if you have a large enough slow cooker. Just make sure you have enough room in the slow cooker.

Crock Pot French Onion Meatballs with some being scooped out of slow cooker with spoon

Here’s the deal: these meatballs are upgraded with the rich, savory flavors of French onion soup, garlic, onions, and a blend of spices. They’re slow-cooked to perfection in the crock pot, soaking up all that delicious goodness and becoming tender and flavorful. The kicker? A generous topping of Gruyere cheese that melts into the sauce, adding a creamy, melty texture that makes every bite irresistible.

What I love about this recipe is how simple it is to prepare. No need for hours of prep or fancy ingredients — just toss your frozen meatballs into the crock pot, pour over the French onion soup, sprinkle in the garlic, onions, and spices, and let it all simmer together while you go about your day. By the time you’re ready to serve, you’ll have a rich, savory dish that feels like it took hours to make, but only took minutes to prep.

Crock Pot French Onion Meatballs in a white bowl

The slow-cooking process lets the flavors meld together beautifully, with the meatballs soaking up all the savory, onion-packed goodness from the soup. The result is a melt-in-your-mouth bite that’s warm, comforting, and absolutely addicting. And that Gruyere cheese on top? It melts into the sauce, creating a creamy, cheesy layer that elevates these meatballs to a whole new level of deliciousness.

Crock Pot French Onion Meatballs in a white plate with a fork lifting one up

This Crock Pot French Onion Meatballs recipe is perfect for a cozy weeknight dinner, a party appetizer, or even as a hearty lunch. Serve them with crusty bread to soak up all that savory sauce or over a bed of mashed potatoes or rice for a complete meal. No matter how you serve them, they’re sure to become a go-to comfort food favorite.

Crock Pot French Onion Meatballs in a white dish

So, if you’re craving something rich, cheesy, and absolutely satisfying, give these Crock Pot French Onion Meatballs a try. Trust me, once you take that first bite, you’ll understand why they’re such a game changer!

Crock Pot French Onion Meatballs

Reasons You Might Love These French Onion Meatballs

Ingredients

Variations To the Recipe

Storing Leftovers

Tips For Success