Crockpot Sweet and Spicy Kielbasa Bites
These Crockpot Sweet and Spicy Kielbasa Bites are perfect party food and couldn’t be easier to make. To make them, arrange sliced kielbasa in a crockpot and pour the kicked-up sauce on top. The rest is up to the slow cooker. Serve these kielbasa bites straight from the slow cooker with toothpicks for casual eating on game day or, any day, that bite size morsels are on the menu.
Easy Crockpot Sweet and Spicy Kielbasa Bites Recipe
There are certain types of food that have earned the name “party food” at our house. Things like wings, subs, queso and tortilla chips, crudité, dips and chips and the list goes on and on. These kielbasa bites are perfect party food and are ever-so-simple to put together. I tend to serve these as an alternative to meatballs, which are on the top of the list of hot favorites for snacking. In fact, this same sauce would work well with meatballs, too. How to make simple Crockpot Kielbasa Bites:
- Sausage – Kielbasa or any smoked sausage will work.
- Sauce – Chili sauce, pineapple preserves (apricot or orange marmalade will work, too!) barbecue sauce, crushed red pepper flakes, onion powder, granulated garlic and cumin.
- Serving – Wooden skewers or picks for serving.
How to Make the BEST Crockpot Sweet and Spicy Kielbasa Bites Recipe
Kielbasa bites are the epitome of easy stress free entertaining. The sweet and spicy sauce is the perfect crowning touch and can be easily adapted if you need to make a larger or a smaller batch. If you consider yourself saucy, feel free to double the ingredients. Regardless, you can’t go wrong.
- Ingredients you’ll need to make homemade Crockpot Sweet and Spicy Kielbasa Bites: 3 pounds smoked kielbasa, pineapple preserves, chili sauce, barbecue sauce, crushed red pepper flakes, apple cider vinegar, crushed red pepper flakes, onion powder, ground cumin and granulated garlic.
- Kitchen tools you’ll need: A 4 quart or larger slow cooker, sharp knife and cutting board, medium bowl, whisk measuring cups and spoons. You’ll also need wooden or plastic picks for serving.
- If you’re unable to find pineapple preserves you could use apricot preserves or orange marmalade instead.
- To adapt the flavor to include pineapple, you could add one 8 ounce can of crushed pineapple minus juice to the mix along with the preserves you choose to use in place of pineapple preserves.
- Please note: The chili sauce used in this recipe is like Heinz brand or similar. It’s not an Asian chili sauce which usually already has red pepper flakes in the mix.
- Use your favorite brand of barbecue sauce. A thicker bbq sauce works best.
- You can fully assemble this kielbasa and place it into a mixing bowl and cover then place it into the refrigerator to chill until cooking. Pour the entire mixture into the crockpot and cook per the recipe.
- If the insert of your slow cooker is removeable you can put it into that cover and chill, too. Follow your appliances manufacturers recommendation regarding chilling the crock and reheating, it may need some time on the counter to warm before heating.
- Serve these kielbasa bites as an appetizer or over cooked rice for a main dish meal.
- Store Crockpot Sweet and Spicy Kielbasa Bites in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat in a saucepan over medium heat on the stovetop.
More Recipes for Kielbasa to Make
- Sheet Pan Kielbasa and Yukon Gold Potato Hash makes for an easy and filling family meal.
- Elegant and hearty Chicken and Smoked Sausage Cassoulet.
- Braised Cabbage and Potatoes with Smoked Sausages proves that food doesn’t have to be fancy to be delicious.
- Sheet Pan Shrimp Boil is beefed up with kielbasa.
- If you’re looking for another fun way to enjoy kielbasa in the summer months, try turning it into kabobs like these Hawaiian Kielbasa Kabobs from The Seasoned Mom.
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Helpful Kitchen Items:
Crockpot Sweet and Spicy Kielbasa Bites
Ingredients
- 3 lb smoked kielbasa 1/3 inch slices
- 1 12 oz chili sauce (i.e. Heinz)
- 1 10 oz jar pineapple preserves
- 1 cup thick smoky barbecue sauce I.e. Sweet Baby Rays
- 1-2 tsp red pepper flakes Adjust to your taste
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
Instructions
- Spray the inside of a 6-quart oval crockpot with cooking spray. Fill with the sliced kielbasa.
- In a medium mixing bowl whisk together rhe chili sauce, pineapple preserves, barbecue sauce, pepper flakes, vinegar, garlic salt, onion powder and cumin.
- Pour the sauce evenly over the kielbasa.
- Cook on high for 2 hours or on low for 4 hours.
- Keep warm until serving.
Where do you get the pineapple preserves ??
Pineapple preserves are found with the other jams and jellies. Some supermarkets may not carry them. In that instance, online or ask the grocery store you shop at if they can get them.
How are these served?
Thank u:)
With picks as an appetizer. I suppose you could also enjoy them over rice as an entrée.
Do not have access to Pineapple Preserves. What else will work? I have Apricot Preserves but not sure that would be a good substitute?? Can I thicken crushed pineapple?? Or, would it be best to just skip the preserve part?
Apricot preserves or peach preserves will work well. That is, if you enjoy those flavors. You could certainly adapt using crushed pineapple as you’ve already thought of, cooked with some granulated sugar and thickened with a little cornstarch (mixed with cold water or pineapple juice) it will work too.
Transporting this at Christmas- any reason i couldn’t make when get there and put in oven at 350 for 30 minutes?
You could make this on the stovetop, too, sure.
I love this sauce over the Kielbasa and was wondering if this would work poured over little smokies or meatballs?
Yes, it could be.
Could I use a can of crushed pineapple and it’s juices in place of the pineapple preserves? I can’t find pineapple preserves and I don’t care for peach or mango preserves. Thank you!
Hi Kelly, it would work but, not be quite the same. Pineapple preserves have a fair amount of sugar obviously, and it melts forming a thicker sauce. In a pinch, you could use crushed pineapple, I just wanted to make you aware it will be different.
Great recipe! Making for the second time. This time for the Super Bowl. Thanks for sharing.
Awesome, Laurie, thank you!
Can this be made without the pineapple preserves it looks good but i have a severe intolerance to pineapples
I can be made with another flavor such as peach or mango.
We made this yesterday and it was so good! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Thanks for the great looking recipe! Are these pretty sweet? Is 1 tsp vinegar enough to cut through the sweetness of the preserves? Thanks again
In my opinion yes, but adapt to your taste.
Thanks. Making this for the game on Sun! Go Falcons!
Boooo lol
Yum! I love the use of pineapple preserves! Thanks for sharing the recipe, Melissa!
My pleasure, Deb!