Bacon cheeseburger meatballs are made with ground beef topped with cherry tomatoes, cheese, lettuce, and bacon. These bite-sized burgers make an awesome tailgating and backyard party appetizer!
Why this recipe works
What if we told you there was a way to make cheeseburger sliders even smaller? Except this time, we’re kicking it up a notch and adding in bacon that’s skewed together with crisp lettuce, cheese, and a cherry tomato to top it all off. Bacon cheeseburger meatballs of course don’t have a bun either, but if you really wanted to you could cut up some bread and sandwich it all together.
What we love most about these meatballs is that you can serve them with so many dip options! They really do make the perfect party appetizer, and they’re cute too.
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
MEAT – We use 2 lbs of ground beef at about 80/20 ratio. Some love mixing in a bit of ground pork or turkey when making meatballs and you can certainly do that as well.
TOPPINGS – Like a classic bacon cheeseburger, we’re topping with American cheese, bacon, lettuce, and a halved cherry tomato. You can also add some pickle spheres or even onion rounds if you can get it to stay on the skewer!
How to Make Bacon Cheeseburger Meatballs
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl combine ground beef and seasonings.
- Use a 1-2 Tablespoon cookie scoop to make your meatballs.
- You should end up with about 24 meatballs. Line them in rows of 6 on a baking sheet. You can line the baking sheet with tin foil to catch drippings for easy cleanup. Bake for 15 minutes.
- While the meatballs are cooking, cut five strips of bacon into 5 equal pieces per bacon strip. Cook in a skillet over medium heat. Remove and set aside until cool enough to handle.
- Cut each piece of cheese into 6 rectangles.
- Halve the 12 cherry tomatoes (or more if you end up with more meatballs).
- Cut your lettuce into about 1 – 2 inch square pieces.
- Put together your layers with a meatball on the bottom, followed by a piece of cheese, then bacon, lettuce, and capped with a halved tomato. Secure with a toothpick.
- Serve with ketchup, mustard, or any other burger-style dipping sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
One of my favorite bacon cheeseburger sauces is BBQ, but serving these mini burgers with dijon mustard, mayo, ketchup, yellow mustard, and chipotle sauce as well on the side gives your guests lots of options to choose from.
You can store leftover bacon cheeseburger meatballs in an air tight container kept in the refrigerator for up 4 days. To reheat, remove toppings aside from cheese and warm in the oven, air fryer, or microwave. Reapply toppings with a toothpick and enjoy.
Serving Suggestions
When I think of bacon cheeseburger meatballs and what I can serve them with, my mind immediately goes to air fryer french fries and air fryer onion rings. Two easy sides that always complement a burger! However, if you’re just looking for dip options I’d recommend BBQ, mustard, ketchup, mayo, dijon mustard, chipotle sauce, and beer cheese. I like to always offer pickles spheres and sliced jalapeno on the side as well, then place it all on a large party tray for guests to enjoy.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef 80/20
- 5 strips bacon
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 12 cherry tomatoes halved
- 4 slices American cheese
- 3 leaves lettuce large pieces, we used Buttercrunch lettuce
Optional Sides
- pickle spheres
- jalepeno slices
- mustard, mayo, ketchup, BBQ, chipotle sauce for dipping
Things You’ll Need
- Insulated baking sheets
- Mixing bowls
- Cookie scoop
- Tongs
Before You Begin
- You can store leftover bacon cheeseburger meatballs in an air tight container kept in the refrigerator for up 4 days. To reheat, remove toppings aside from cheese and warm in the oven, air fryer, or microwave. Add toppings with the toothpick and enjoy.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- In a large bowl combine ground beef and seasonings. Use a 1-2 Tablespoon cookie scoop to make your meatballs. You should end up with about 24 meatballs. Line them in rows of 6 on a baking sheet. You can line the baking sheet with tinfoil to catch drippings for easy cleanup. Bake for 15 minutes.
- While the meatballs are cooking, cut five strips of bacon into 5 equal pieces per bacon strip. Cook in a skillet over medium heat. Remove and set aside until cool enough to handle.
- Cut each piece of cheese into 6 rectangles.
- Halve the 12 cherry tomatoes (or more if you end up with more meatballs).
- Cut your lettuce into about 1 – 2 inch square pieces.
- Put together your layers with a meatball on the bottom, followed by a piece of cheese, then bacon, lettuce, and topped with a halved cherry tomato.
- Serve with ketchup, mustard, or any other burger style dipping sauce.
