Who would have thought such a simple ingredient addition to a classic meatball recipe could make such an amazing flavor difference?! These meatballs with Ritz crackers are some of the best smelling things to ever come out of my kitchen! And the most flavorful I’ve ever eaten. This might just be the perfect meatball.
Original post: March 2017 | Updated: April 2023 and August 2024
Why This Recipe Works
This is a tried and true recipe that was inspired by my Mom’s homemade meatloaf, which my boys absolutely love! One day I was getting ready to make meatballs and thought, Mom’s meatloaf recipe would be so good for these. And with that particularly great idea, here we are!
They only take a few minutes to prep and are done in under 30 minutes. And you won’t believe the taste! Seriously, they have this great buttery flavor you just can’t get from unseasoned breadcrumbs.
I set a bowl of these down with some sauce for my boys while I made the rest. After turning my back for less than a minute, they were gone! I can’t even be sure they used forks. Boys…
If you’re looking for a meatball recipe that’s as easy to make as it is delicious to eat, then you’ve come to the right spot. These Ritz cracker meatballs are sure to be your new favorite way to make homemade meatballs.
- This recipe goes down in history as one of the best smelling things to ever come out of my oven. OMG, it smells amazing every time!
- Just a few minutes of prep required and done in less than 30 minutes!
- They’re the perfect side dish or main dish, either eaten solo or placed on top of a heaping plate of cooked noodles and spaghetti sauce.
- These meatballs were inspired by my Mom’s famous meatloaf recipe (which everyone should try soon… it’s so, soooo good!)
Ingredients for Ritz Cracker Meatballs
This is a fantastically simple recipe that uses basic ingredients to yield such a great flavor.
Ground beef – Use a leaner meat like lean ground beef, ground turkey, ground chicken or venison. For a meat mixture with more flavor, use ground beef, ground pork or a combination of the two.
Crackers – Ritz crackers are the magic ingredient of this recipe and give buttery undertones to the meatballs’ flavor, but feel free to replace with equal amount of crushed saltines or bread crumbs.
Eggs – Eggs act as a binder in meatloaf, so if you cannot eat this ingredient we have a great substitution option. Combine 1/4 cup of water with 1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal and use this amount for every 1 egg called for in the recipe.
Milk – Any variety of milk can be used in this recipe. Almond, skim, 1%, 2% or whole.
Ketchup – Ketchup helps to add flavor to the meatballs, so use your favorite variety.
Onion – Chop the onion very finely to avoid an end result that falls apart easily.
Cheese – Cheese is added to enhance flavor and texture in the meatballs. Use a grated variety of Parmesan cheese or mozzarella cheese.
Favorite flavorings – Fresh parsley, Italian herbs, Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce, minced garlic (or garlic powder), salt and ground black pepper.
How to Make Meatballs with Ritz Crackers
This easy meatball recipe is made in just 4 short steps.
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large, rimmed baking with parchment paper or aluminum foil and spray lightly with cooking spray. Set aside.
Step 2
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix well using a heavy spoon or your hands.
Step 3
Form golf-ball-sized uniform meatballs out of the meatball mixture and place meatballs in a single layer about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet.
Step 4
Bake in the heated oven for 30 minutes.
Serve in a large bowl as a main course or atop a plate of spaghetti. Either way you serve it, pair it with some homemade garlic bread.
What is the Proper Internal Temp For Meatballs?
Insert an instant-read thermometer into the center of the meatball to ensure that the internal temperature of the meatballs is 160 degrees Fahrenheit for safe consumption.
Recipe Notes
- Replace ground beef with turkey for a slimmed down recipe.
- To make these gluten free, either omit the crackers entirely or replace them with a GF variety.
- Add spice to the recipe by adding cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes or hot sauce.
- If the meat mixture seems dry and crumbly before you roll it into balls, drizzle olive oil or a little bit of milk or cream into the bowl and mix together.
- Create classic Italian meatballs by adding up to 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning.
- Add crumbled bacon pieces for smoky bacon meatballs
- Use a medium cookie scoop to form and roll meatballs for best results and to ensure consistency in sizes.
- You can make mini meatballs, but the baking time will be a little shorter.
What to Serve with Meatballs
Sure you can go the obvious route with some spaghetti. But these meatballs are super easy to make and they have a huge return on flavor, making them the perfect party food.
If you are looking for a variety of great ideas about what to serve with meatballs at a party, click that link and read on!
How Long Are Leftover Meatballs Good For?
I get a lot of comments and emails asking How long are leftover meatballs good for? If you have leftovers staring at you from inside your refrigerator and you don’t know whether to toss or eat, read on!
What to Do with Leftover Meatballs
There are so many great ways to use leftover meatballs. Here are a few of my favorite ways.
- Meatball subs. Add homemade marinara sauce to make it extra delicious.
- Sandwich them between small buns to create meatball sliders.
- Chop them up and add to your next pasta dish.
- Make this yummy meatball soup!
- Throw them onto your next pizza, along with your favorite pizza sauce or pasta sauce.
- Toss them together with BBQ sauce and eat cooked meatballs as a main meal.
- Simmer with broth, vegetables and pasta to create a meatball soup.
How to Store Meatballs
Allow meatballs to cool completely before storing them to avoid condensation forming during storage.
When properly stored in an airtight container in the fridge, cooked meatballs last for up to four days.
When stored in a heavy-duty freezer bag or shallow air-tight container in the freezer, meatballs should be used within 3-4 months for best results.
How to Reheat Meatballs
Reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes depending on how many you are reheating. Then heat for 30 second bursts until warmed through to your liking.
Who Makes Ritz Crackers?
Ritz crackers were created in 1934 by Nabisco, the National Biscuit Company. They chose the name to give those suffering from The Great Depression “a bite of the good life” from eating their crackers.
Walt Disney even created a cartoon advertisement for these popular crackers in 1939 featuring Mickey Mouse.
Best Spaghetti Sauce Recipes
Of course, you’ll probably want your meatballs swimming in a big bowl of red sauce so they can absorb all that amazing flavor. I’ve listed a few of my best and easiest ways to make spaghetti sauce from making homemade to zhuzhing up jarred sauce to give it more flavor and texture!
Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce
Easy Spaghetti Sauce from Tomato Paste
How to Make Thick Spaghetti Sauce
Spaghetti Sauce from Canned Tomato Sauce
Best Homemade Meatball Recipes
Easy Crockpot Meatballs
Instant Pot Meatballs
Meatball Sub Casserole
Crockpot Spaghetti and Meatballs
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Meatballs with Ritz Crackers Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large, rimmed baking with parchment paper or foil and spray lightly with cooking spray. Set aside. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix well using a heavy spoon or with your hands.2 pounds ground beef, 28 Ritz crackers, 2 eggs, 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup ketchup, 1/2 cup onion, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup Italian parsley, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 2 cloves garlic, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper
- Form golf-ball-sized balls out of the meat mixture and place 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
- Serve as a main dish or atop a plate of spaghetti.
Notes
- Replace ground beef with turkey for a slimmed down recipe.
- To make these gluten free, either omit the crackers entirely or replace them with a GF variety.
- Add spice to the recipe by adding cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes or hot sauce.
- If the meat mixture seems dry and crumbly before you roll it into balls, drizzle olive oil or a little bit of milk or cream into the bowl and mix together.
- Create classic Italian meatballs by adding up to 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning.
- Add crumbled bacon pieces for smoky bacon meatballs
- Use a medium cookie scoop to form and roll meatballs for best results and to ensure consistency in sizes.
- You can make mini meatballs, but the baking time will be a little shorter.
I see other people have commented on the meatball recipe saying that they used grape jam instead of apricot preserves and so on. You never mentioned grape jam or apricot preserves in this recipe. Am I missing something?
Not at all. They are referencing that’s what they had on hand, so they used it vs going out and purchasing the apricot. But from the collective responses, any jam flavor really works well!
Nice article, thank you for the sharing
You’re welcome! Thanks for stopping by!
Your meatloaf recipe is the only one my family will eat! It’s amazing. We use homemade grape jam in place of the apricot preserves and it’s wonderful. I was wondering how much of the sauce you would make to go with these meatballs in the crockpot? I know they will be a hit at out Christmas Day appetizer luncheon. Thanks for the amazing recipe.
We also use Frosted Flakes in place of the Ritz. That was my husband’s idea. Turns out great!
Seriously such a great idea! Wow! I’ll have to try this next time.
Megan
Michelle, you just made my day. I love this! Grape jam seems to be a common replacement for the topping, so I’m glad you liked it.
Ok so your question about reproducing the sauce for a meatball crockpot creation has my juices flowing. I’m totally going to create a recipe based on this very thing. I’m not sure amounts yet, but stay tuned and THANKS for the inspiration! Let me know how your version turned out if you give it a whirl for Christmas.
Megan