This Easy Crockpot Kielbasa Appetizer is a delicious, sweet, and savory party bite made with minimal effort! You only need 10-15 minutes of preparation, dump everything in the slow cooker, walk away, and in a couple of hours, you'll have this amazing dish.
This Slow Cooker Kielbasa appetizer is popular during the holidays and makes a great New Year's Eve snack! They are also the perfect appetizer on a game day during football season, for your next party, or for bringing along to a potluck any time of year! This recipe was inspired by my Air Fryer Kielbasa.
Jump to:
- 🥘Ingredient Notes
- 📖Variations & Substitutions
- 🔪Step-by-Step: How to Make this Slow Cooker Kielbasa Appetizer
- Expert Recipe Tips
- 🥗 What to serve with Kielbasa Crockpot Appetizer
- 🌡️Storing Slow Cooker Kielbasa Party Bites
- 👪 Serving Size
- 🔢WW Points
- ❔Recipe FAQ's
- Didn't find the answer you're looking for?
- 🥘More Appetizers to try!
- 📋 Easy Crockpot Kielbasa Appetizer recipe
When you are Ukrainian you eat a lot of Kubassa, Kielbasa, Kovbasa (or however you prefer to spell it). If you love kubassa, be sure to try my Ukrainian Breakfast Sandwich and my Ukrainian Daughter's Crock Pot Casserole!
But I really didn't think that there was much more you could do to it to make it taste even better than it already does.
Then I made this... and WOW! You can make kubasa even better!
🥘Ingredient Notes
This delicious recipe is made with pantry ingredients and ingredients you'll have on hand. You will need the following simple ingredients for this kielbasa sausage recipe:
- Kielbasa (kovbasa, kubassa).* It may say 'garlic sausage' on it, and that's fine to use.
- Onion and Celery. Make sure these are very finely chopped!
- Unsalted butter. There is enough salt in these ingredients; you don't need to add salt to your butter.
See recipe card full list of ingredients and quantities.
📖Variations & Substitutions
- Sugar - you can use white granulated sugar instead of brown sugar
- Spicy Sauce - add some red pepper flakes, sriracha, or a little of your favorite hot sauce for a little kick
- Diary-free - substitute vegan margarine for the butter
- Ketchup - you could use homemade bbq sauce (barbecue sauce) or store-bought instead
🔪Step-by-Step: How to Make this Slow Cooker Kielbasa Appetizer
Prep: Spray inside of slow cooker with non-stick spray
Cut the Kielbasa ring in half.
Remove casing from kielbasa by peeling it back
Slice kielbasa into ½ in rounds
Place kielbasa in the bottom of the slow cooker
Mix remaining ingredients together in a medium bowl
Pour ingredients evenly over kielbasa
Cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4 hours, until the onions and celery are cooked through.
Expert Recipe Tips
- Easy cleanup. Use a crockpot liner for quick and easy cleanup!
- Easy serving. If you want to make serving easier, just put the skewers into the pieces of kubassa, right in the crockpot! You can leave some extra skewers on the side, too!
- Brown for a deeper flavor (optional). For an even richer, slightly caramelized flavor, quickly sear the sliced kielbasa in a skillet over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes before adding it to the slow cooker. This adds depth without much extra effort.
- Uniform slicing matters. Try to keep the kielbasa slices as evenly sized as possible so they cook and absorb the sauce at the same rate-this prevents some pieces from becoming overly soft while others stay firm.
- Finely chop vegetables for the best texture. The onion and celery should be chopped very small, so they melt into the sauce rather than staying crunchy, creating a smoother, more cohesive glaze.
- Stir once, halfway through. If possible, gently stir the kielbasa once during cooking to ensure the sauce coats every piece evenly and prevents sticking around the edges.
- Adjust sweetness to taste. Kielbasa brands vary in saltiness and sweetness. If your sausage is already slightly sweet, reduce the brown sugar by 1-2 tablespoons and taste near the end of cooking.
- Sauce too thin? Remove the lid for the last 20-30 minutes on HIGH to help the sauce thicken naturally, especially if your slow cooker runs hot or produces excess moisture.
- Keep warm without overcooking. If serving at a party, switch the slow cooker to WARM once fully cooked and stir occasionally. Avoid keeping it on HIGH for extended periods, as the kielbasa can become overly soft.
- Perfect for make-ahead entertaining. These kielbasa bites taste even better the next day. Reheat gently in the slow cooker on LOW or in a covered saucepan on the stove with a splash of water or ketchup to loosen the sauce.
🥗 What to serve with Kielbasa Crockpot Appetizer
I love to serve these kielbasa bites along with other appetizers for a finger food buffet or as a main course with Lazy Perogi Casserole (shown), Ukrainian Cabbage Rolls, and Borscht with canned beets.
OR make it a complete meal and a really easy dinner, and serve this easy kielbasa recipe with frozen perogies and canned beets.
🌡️Storing Slow Cooker Kielbasa Party Bites
Fridge: Store these brown sugar kielbasa bites in an airtight container for up to 3 days. These can also be made ahead (up to 3 days).
Freezer: You can also freeze them in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
👪 Serving Size
This easy recipe makes 34 kielbasa pieces. However, you can half, double, or triple the recipe by clicking on the serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust.
🔢WW Points
This recipe is 4 pts per kielbasa bite using regular kielbasa, but if you use turkey kielbasa, it's only 2 pts per kubasa bite!
❔Recipe FAQ's
Absolutely. If you don't have a slow cooker, you can make this on the stovetop. Use a large skillet or saucepan, combine the ingredients, and simmer on low heat for about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally
You can safely keep them on the warm setting for up to 2 hours. Be sure to stir occasionally to prevent the sauce from thickening too much or sticking to the sides.
Reheat leftovers in the microwave, on the stovetop, or in a slow cooker on low. Add a splash of water or additional sauce if the mixture seems dry.
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So if you're looking for kielbasa appetizer recipes or a delicious and easy crockpot recipe, this easy kielbasa appetizer recipe is the perfect party food that the whole family will love!
And if you're looking for more easy crockpot appetizers, try my Slow Cooker Cranberry Turkey Meatballs
🥘More Appetizers to try!
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📋 Easy Crockpot Kielbasa Appetizer recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 750 gram -ring of kielbasa (about 1.5 lbs) - garlic sausage is fine to use too
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 stalks celery, finely hopped
- 1 tbsp butter
- ½ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1½ tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 tbsp paprika
Instructions
- Cut kielbasa in half.
- Remove casing from kielbasa by pulling it back and off.
- Slice kielbasa into ½ in rounds
- Place kielbasa in the bottom of slow coker
- Mix remaining ingredients together in a medium bowl
- Pour ingredients evenly over kielbasa
- Cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4 hours, until the onions and celery are cooked through.
Notes
- Easy cleanup. Use a crockpot liner for quick and easy cleanup!
- Easy serving. If you want to make serving easier, just put the skewers into the pieces of kubassa, right in the crockpot! You can leave some extra skewers on the side too!
- Brown for deeper flavor (optional). For an even richer, slightly caramelized flavor, quickly sear the sliced kielbasa in a skillet over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes before adding it to the slow cooker. This adds depth without much extra effort.
- Uniform slicing matters. Try to keep the kielbasa slices as evenly sized as possible so they cook and absorb the sauce at the same rate-this prevents some pieces from becoming overly soft while others stay firm.
- Finely chop vegetables for best texture. The onion and celery should be chopped very small so they melt into the sauce rather than staying crunchy, creating a smoother, more cohesive glaze.
- Stir once, halfway through. If possible, gently stir the kielbasa once during cooking to ensure the sauce coats every piece evenly and prevents sticking around the edges.
- Adjust sweetness to taste. Kielbasa brands vary in saltiness and sweetness. If your sausage is already slightly sweet, reduce the brown sugar by 1-2 tablespoons and taste near the end of cooking.
- Sauce too thin? Remove the lid for the last 20-30 minutes on HIGH to help the sauce thicken naturally, especially if your slow cooker runs hot or produces excess moisture.
- Keep warm without overcooking. If serving at a party, switch the slow cooker to WARM once fully cooked and stir occasionally. Avoid keeping it on HIGH for extended periods, as the kielbasa can become overly soft.
- Perfect for make-ahead entertaining. These kielbasa bites taste even better the next day. Reheat gently in the slow cooker on LOW or in a covered saucepan on the stove with a splash of water or ketchup to loosen the sauce.
Terri Gilson says
This Slow Cooker Kielbasa Appetizer takes my Ukrainian favorite to a whole new level. It's so simple - just toss everything in and forget about it for a couple hours. The result is an incredible dish that's perfect for parties, game days, or anytime you want to impress without the stress.