The History of Grape Jelly Meatballs

Grape jelly meatballs — made by simmering grape jelly and either barbecue sauce or a tomato-based chili sauce together until sticky — rose to popularity in the early 1960s. Commonly called “cocktail meatballs” at the time, recipes for the dish began appearing in community cookbooks early in the decade. While some early versions used a cream-based sauce similar to that used for Swedish meatballs and others called for ketchup and brown sugar, many were made with the now-iconic grape jelly-based sauce. The dish was especially common in community cookbooks compiled for charitable causes, which may have helped spread its popularity even further. Later, formal cookbooks reflected the widespread popularity of the grassroots dish — Marian Burros' and Lois Levine’s 1967 Elegant But Easy Cookbook featured a recipe for “Chafing Dish Meatballs” while “Cocktail Meatballs” were included in the 1978 edition of Betty Crocker’s Cookbook. However, we don’t know who first invented grape jelly meatballs. Their rise in popularity may be connected to the advent of convenience foods in the 1950s. We also know they were often served at dinner parties, which became a very common occurrence in 1950s society. The invention of slow cookers also played a role — grape jelly meatballs were first kept warm in chafing dishes, but when the Crock-Pot debuted in the 1970s, many recipes for cocktail meatballs took advantage of the new technology. Today, the classic dish has endured, and many families continue to make grape jelly meatballs, especially around the holidays.