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If you’re looking for an easy, flavor-packed dish, these slow cooker Mississippi meatballs bring all the zesty, savory goodness of the classic pot roast—just in bite-sized form! Simmered in a rich, buttery sauce with zesty ranch seasoning and pepperoncini peppers, every bite is packed with flavor. Whether you serve them over mashed potatoes, noodles, or as a crowd-pleasing appetizer, they’re effortless to make and impossible to resist. Just toss everything in the Crockpot and let it work its magic—dinner (or party snacks) have never been easier!
Discover how to make slow cooker Mississippi meatballs and a rich and spicy sauce in your crockpot for a hassle-free, delicious dinner everyone will want on repeat.
You might also enjoy this Italian wedding soup with chicken meatballs, some creamy meatball stew, Swedish meatballs, or Salisbury steak meatballs.
Why You’ll Love It
Simple to make: There’s not much more to do here than simply add your ingredients to a slow cooker and switch it on.
So much flavor: This dish pairs tender meatballs with spicy pepperoncini, rich beef broth and ranch dressing mix for phenomenal flavor in every forkful.
A versatile dish: You can enjoy slow cooker Mississippi meatballs as an appetizer, snack or main course.
Slow Cooker Mississippi Meatballs Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Meatballs: They don’t need to be thawed first. You can make your own with ground beef or pork if you prefer.
Ranch seasoning mix: Use an envelope of ranch dressing powder to add flavor.
Beef broth: Opt for low-sodium. Or try my beef bone broth recipe!
Butter: For richness. Use unsalted butter.
Pepperoncini: Also keep some of the juice.
Au jus gravy mix: For a rich and meaty sauce.
How to Make Crockpot Mississippi Meatballs
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Add the ingredients to your crockpot: Add the meatballs, pepperoncini juice and beef broth to the slow cooker, and then sprinkle the ranch seasoning and au jus gravy mix on top, stirring to combine. Add the butter slices and pepperoncini peppers on top.
Cook and serve: Cover and cook on low for about 4 hours or until the meatballs are heated through, stirring halfway through the cooking time. Serve hot, garnished with chopped fresh parsley if liked.
Substitutions and Variations
Make it less spicy: Substitute more beef broth or water for the pepperoncini juice.
Extra sauce: If you’re going to serve this over mashed potatoes or rice, for example, you can add ½ cup of water or beef broth. This won’t change the cooking time.
Thicker sauce: Reduce the amount of beef broth used.
Add mushrooms: Add 8 ounces of sliced fresh mushrooms.
Optional add-ins: Add some onion powder, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, Dijon mustard, or even onion soup mix if you like.
Pepperoncini peppers: Use either whole or sliced ones, and adjust the amount if you want less or more. Banana peppers would also work and you can throw in a few extra peppers for a spicier result.
Meatballs: Use any frozen meatballs you want, such as turkey, Angus beef or Italian style. You can even use homemade meatballs.
Serving Suggestions
As an appetizer: Serve small portions with homemade bread or some salad.
As the main course: Enjoy your Mississippi meatballs with mashed potatoes or egg noodles. You could end with an iced espresso and something sweet like chocolate delight or blueberry cheesecake bars.
How to Store Mississippi Meatballs
Store: Keep leftover meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator and eat within 3 days.
Freeze: You can freeze them in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Thaw: Defrost them in the refrigerator overnight.
Reheat: You can warm them back up in a pan on the stove or in the microwave.
Top Tips
You don’t need salt: The ranch seasoning mix and au just mix contain enough sodium to make the dish perfectly salty, so don’t add any more. Also, use low-sodium beef broth or the kind with no salt added.
Use a large slow cooker: I recommend using at least a 5-quart crockpot to make this. If you fill a slow cooker more than about ¾ full, it will struggle to cook your food evenly and the food on top will steam rather than simmer.
Cool completely before storing: Let the meatballs cool to room temperature before storing them, so you don’t get condensation in the container which would make the dish watery.
Using fresh homemade meatballs: The cooking time might be higher, so I recommend cooking on low for about 5 hours or until the meatballs are at least 160°F inside.
Slow Cooker Mississippi Meatballs FAQs
Sure, you can give each person 2 or 3, along with perhaps some bread or salad, or you can serve them as finger food, offering toothpicks or little forks so everyone can serve themselves.
Swedish meatballs are typically served in a creamy sauce, while Mississippi meatballs are in a beef, spicy pepperoncini sauce. They’re both delicious!
Best Crockpot Mississippi Meatballs Recipe
Slow Cooker Mississippi Meatballs
Equipment
- Slow Cooker 5-Quart at Least
Ingredients
- 36 Ounces meatballs, frozen
- 1 Envelope ranch seasoning mix, 1-Ounce
- ½ Cup beef broth, low sodium, or water
- ½ Cup unsalted butter, 1 Stick, sliced
- 1 Cup pepperoncini peppers, sliced
- ½ Cup pepperoncini juice
- 1 Envelope au jus gravy mix, 1-Ounce
Optional Garnish:
- parsley, freshly chopped
Instructions
- Add the meatballs to a slow cooker.
- Add the pepperoncini juice and beef broth, and then sprinkle the ranch seasoning mix and au jus gravy mix on top, stirring to mix.
- Add the butter and the pepperoncini peppers on top.
- Cover and cook on low for 3 to 5 hours, or until the meatballs are heated through, stirring halfway through cooking.
- Serve hot, garnished with chopped parsley if liked.
Notes
Use a large slow cooker: I recommend using at least a 5-quart crockpot to make this. If you fill a slow cooker more than about ¾ full, it will struggle to cook your food evenly and the food on top will steam rather than simmer.
Cool completely before storing: Let the meatballs cool to room temperature before storing them, so you don’t get condensation in the container which would make the dish watery.
Using fresh homemade meatballs: The cooking time might be higher, so I recommend cooking on low for about 5 hours or until the meatballs are at least 160°F inside.
Nutrition
Enjoy this mouthwatering slow cooker Mississippi meatballs recipe, paired with mashed potatoes or egg noodles, or even some crusty bread. The sauce is rich and beefy, and the pepperoncini peppers add a kick of heat, although you can adjust the amount. This crockpot recipe offers similar flavors to a Mississippi pot roast, just using meatballs instead of the beef.
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Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
These meatballs were a huge hit with my sons. So easy and packed with flavor!