Crock Pot Sweet Chili BBQ Kielbasa is a 3 ingredient gluten-free appetizer recipe that couldn't be simpler. Perfect for parties and game day!
It’s about to get real Midwest up in here! Little smokies or, if we’re feeling bold — cocktail weenies — were a staple at all social gatherings I attended growing up here in Iowa.
Christmas party ➡️ crock pot full of cocktail weenies. Church potluck ➡️ giant vat of little smokies. Graduation party ➡️ you get the idea. No meat-eating person I know could resist a tiny hotdog on a stick coated in bubbling BBQ sauce.
Well today we’re saying goodbye to appetizer past, and hello to appetizer present with Crock Pot Sweet Chili BBQ Kielbasa!
Little smokies are swapped for sliced kielbasa smothered in a mixture of BBQ sauce and Thai Sweet Chili sauce before being slow cooked until sizzling. Each smokey, sweet, and slightly spicy bite of this crock pot appetizer recipe is totally addicting and perfect for sharing.
My Mom always has a bunch of appetizers out on holidays to nibble on before the big meal – chips and guacamole, meats and cheeses, hummus and crudites, a pickle and olive platter – and now we’ve got Crock Pot Sweet Chili Kielbasa to add to the mix.
This three, yes THREE, ingredient appetizer recipe is perfect to have bubbling on the countertop with a bowl of toothpicks nearby so everyone can snag a bite or 17 as they’re walking by.
This recipe is great for holidays and parties, but also perfect for game day when you want a salty/spicy/sweet bite to eat in between plays that will compliment the cold drink in your hand. Game day, holidays, any day is a good day to get this seriously simple and mouthwatering gluten-free appetizer recipe ready!
Start by slicing kielbasa into 1″ rounds or into ovals by slicing on the diagonal then add to a 6 quart crock pot (a 4 or 5 quart slow cooker would work just fine too.)
Next, stir together sweet chili sauce and your favorite BBQ sauce then pour over the kielbasa and stir to combine.
I like Grama’s Sweet Chili Sauce, Sky Valley Sweet Chili Sauce, Frank’s Sweet Chili Sauce, and A Taste of Thai Sweet Chili Sauce, in that order. What can I say, I like sweet chili sauce!
Cover then cook the kielbasa on low for 3 hours, or on high for 1-1/2 – 2 hours, or until the kielbasa are hot, then remove the lid and let the sauce thicken up for 10-15 minutes before serving with toothpicks.
That’s all she wrote — told you it doesn’t get easier than this recipe!
Whether you serve slow cooker appetizer as a holiday or game day nibble, or for any reason in between – enjoy!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2, 13.5 oz packages kielbasa, Johnsonville recommended
- 1 cup sweet chili sauce
- 1 cup bbq sauce
Directions
- Slice kielbasa into 1" rounds then add to a 6 quart crock pot (could use a 4 or 5 quart as well.) Whisk sweet chili sauce and bbq sauce together in a bowl then add to crock pot and stir to combine.
- Cook on low for 3 hours or high for 1-1/2 - 2 hours, or until hot. Let crock pot sit with the lid off for 10-15 minutes after cooking to help sauce thicken up a bit.
Notes
- This recipe can be easily doubled - increase cooking time by an hour or until kielbasa is hot.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Recipe looks great. Planning to try it this Sunday for Super Bowl party. One question, could I do it in oven or stove?
Either would work!
Oh my, I can feel my stomach rumbling.
You had me cracking up at the little smokies reference! Little smokies with Cookies BBQ sauce was definitely a staple at holidays at my grandmas in Iowa! I now live in Boston but I will always be an Iowa girl at heart!!! This recipe looks awesome!
I made these for NYE and they were SO good and easy to make! Definitely our go-to party snack now :) Thanks!
thank you for actually leaving a review!!
I took these to 2 Holiday gatherings and everyone loved them. So easy too! Thanks for the recipe!
So glad to hear that, Ashley! Thanks so much for the feedback!
Do you think I could use the same ingredients (minus the kielbasa) with meatballs as an appetizer?
Absolutely!
Totally hear you on the little smokies memory!! My mom made them all the time for special events.
How would your recommend cooking instead of a crockpot. Only going to be three of us so I will half the recipe and I don’t have a small crockpot.
You could just simmer on the stovetop!
I’ll have you know that I made bacon-wrapped little smokies as one of the apps I made for a party I hosted last wknd (along w/ your Kung Pao chicken meatballs & Balsamic BBQ meatballs). Someone else brought them as well! Lil smokies are alive & well! Especially when wrapped in bacon. ;) These look yummy too (& MUCH easier!).
Ummm, say no more – bacon wrapped little smokies!? Brilliant!
Yum! This looks great!
I had to google “lil smokies”(I seem to have left the house with my north jersey showing, how embarrassing)and all these goodies sounds like the food down in the Polish and German neighborhoods closer to Rutgers–everyone really enjoys that, too. A friend does a version of your recipe except its seared(I’m not a meat eater but its also well-received).
PS there’s a website for a Pulaski Meats in Linden, NJ <–recommend!
This looks so good, and easy to make to boot. These would be perfect if you’re hosting people for Christmas.
Oh these look so good. Love the combination of sweet chili and bbq sauce. Do you have favorite bbq sauces?
I have tried super hard to like “healthy” BBQ sauces but they just don’t cut it for me. That said I like my homemade BBQ sauce (https://iowagirleats.com/2015/05/08/crock-pot-bbq-chicken-with-homemade-bbq-sauce/) or KC Masterpiece!