This easy slow cooker porcupine meatballs recipe takes just 10 minutes of hands-on prep, then the crockpot does the rest. Tender beef meatballs with rice cooked right inside (that’s the “porcupine” part) simmer low and slow in a rich, tangy tomato sauce, no canned soup required. It’s the kind of old-fashioned comfort dinner that always disappears fast, and it’s simple enough for a busy weeknight.
If your grandma made porcupine meatballs, these will taste like home. The slow cooker version keeps everything traditional but does most of the work for you. You mix, scoop, pour, and walk away.
Oven baked meatballs are also fantastic, but I love a good saucy meatball. These porcupine meatballs are made for spooning over something. Pile them on white rice or on top of mashed potatoes with a chopped veggie salad on the side.
Crockpot Porcupine Meatballs
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Hands-off cooking. Mix, scoop, pour the sauce, and simmer!
- One-pot meal. The rice cooks inside the meatballs, so there’s no extra pot to wash.
- Freezer-friendly. Double the batch and freeze leftovers for an easy dinner later on.
- Kids love it. Simple, familiar flavors that even picky eaters usually love.
Helpful Tools
- 6-quart slow cooker – A 6-quart lets you fit all 24 in one layer so they cook evenly.
- Large mixing bowl
- Cookie scoop – A 1.5 Tbsp scoop gets you 20-24 evenly sized meatballs.
Ingredients
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe, why you need them, and possible substitutions. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card with measurements.
Jump
- Ground beef: I use lean ground beef (90/10). Just enough fat for flavor without all the excess grease. The sauce keeps them plenty moist.
- Egg: For binding. Lightly beat it before adding it to the meat mixture.
- Aromatics: Finely diced white onion and minced garlic.
- Long-grain white rice: This will cook right in the meatballs, so no need to cook it separately. Rinse it well.
- Seasoning: Italian seasoning, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and Montreal steak seasoning.
- Tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes: The base of the homemade sauce.
- Beef broth and Worcestershire sauce: Cuts through the acidity of all the tomato with umami flavor.
- White sugar, garlic powder, salt, and pepper: For seasoning. The sugar also helps to balance the acid and mellows out the sauce.
How to make Slow Cooker Porcupine Meatballs
This section shows you how to make this recipe, with process photos showing the steps to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
Jump- Step One: In a large mixing bowl, lightly beat the egg. Then, add the ground beef, diced onion, minced garlic, rice, and seasonings. Use your hands to gently mix everything until just combined. You don’t want to overwork it or the meatballs can turn out tough.
- Step Two: Use a cookie scoop to portion out the meatballs, roll them gently, and arrange them in a single layer in the basin of the slow cooker.
- Step Three: In a medium bowl, combine the sauce ingredients and pour it evenly over the meatballs in the slow cooker.
- Step Four: Cover and cook on LOW for 4-5 hours until the meatballs are fully cooked through and the rice is tender. Serve over rice, garlic mashed potatoes with lemon basil roasted veggies, or straight out of the slow cooker as is!
Every slow cooker runs differently. Times given are a general recommendation and should be tested in your own slow cooker and adjusted as needed.
- Use 90/10 ground beef. Leaner beef means you won’t end up with a layer of grease on top of the sauce.
- Using a 1.5 Tbsp cookie scoop, you’ll get 20-24 meatballs. No scoop? A regular tablespoon or just your hands works fine.
- I like to wear food safe gloves when handling raw meat. Less ick.
- Rinse the rice first. It pulls off the extra starch so your meatballs aren’t gummy.
- Don’t swap in instant rice. Long grain white rice (I use Ben’s Original) holds up over the long cook. Instant rice turns to mush.
- Keep them in a single layer. This helps the meatballs cook evenly. If they’re a little crowded, give them a gentle nudge halfway through.
- Broth vs. water. Water works fine in the sauce, but beef broth adds an extra layer of depth.
Storage & Reheating
How to store leftovers
Store leftover porcupine meatballs in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Freezing Instructions
Cool them completely, then transfer them to a freezer-safe container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Reheating Instructions
Warm gently on the stovetop or in the microwave until heated through.
The rice cooks right inside the meatballs, and as it swells it pokes out of the surface so they look a little spiky, like a porcupine. It’s an old-school name for an old-school recipe.
Nope. That’s the whole point. The uncooked rice cooks inside the meatballs while they simmer in the sauce. Just rinse it first to wash off the extra starch so your meatballs aren’t gummy.
Don’t. Long grain white rice (I use Ben’s Original) holds up over the long cook. Instant rice turns to mush.
Need more crockpot meatball recipes? Try these:
Slow Cooker Coca Cola Meatballs
Slow Cooker Cranberry Meatballs
Slow Cooker Firecracker Meatballs
Slow Cooker Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs
Click here to view my entire collection of meatball recipes.
Slow Cooker Porcupine Meatballs
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 1 pound ground beef I use 90/10
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- ½ cup white onion finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup long grain white rice uncooked, rinsed
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon Montreal steak seasoning
For the Sauce
- 15 ounces tomato sauce
- 15 ounces crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup beef broth or water
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons granulated white sugar
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
To Make the Meatballs
- To a large mixing bowl, lightly beat the egg and then add in the beef, diced onion, minced garlic, rinsed uncooked rice, and seasonings.1 pound ground beef, 1 large egg, ½ cup white onion, 2 cloves garlic, ½ cup long grain white rice, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon Montreal steak seasoning
- Use your hands to gently combine the mixture until everything is fully incorporated.
- Use a cookie scoop (I use a 1½ Tablespoon) to portion out the meatballs. Gently roll them between your hands to smooth them and then place them in a single layer in a 6 quart slow cooker. You should get 20-24 meatballs.
To Make the Sauce
- To a medium mixing bowl, add the can of tomato sauce, can of crushed tomatoes, and seasonings. Mix together and then pour over the meatballs.15 ounces tomato sauce, 15 ounces crushed tomatoes, ½ cup beef broth, 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Cover and cook on LOW for 4-5 hours.
- Once fully cooked, serve over white rice, mashed potatoes, or as-is.
Notes
- Using a 1.5 Tbsp cookie scoop, you’ll get 20-24 meatballs. No scoop? A regular tablespoon or just your hands works fine.
- Rinse the rice first. It pulls off the extra starch so your meatballs aren’t gummy.
- Use 90/10 ground beef. Leaner beef means you won’t end up with a layer of grease on top of the sauce.
- Make sure the meatballs sit in a single layer so they cook evenly. If they’re crowded, give them a gentle nudge halfway through. Otherwise, avoid lifting the top while cooking.
- Don’t skip the rice rinse step, and don’t swap in instant rice. Long grain white rice (I use Ben’s Original) holds up over the long cook. Instant rice turns to mush.
- Water works in place of beef broth, but the broth adds a little more depth to the sauce.
- Serve over white rice, mashed potatoes, or just as-is. Leftovers reheat great and freeze well for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Another hit! Making this for my wife together with mashed potatoes and side salad.
Yay, thanks, Tre 🙂