This fun and easy appetizer recipe for Crock-Pot Cheesy Little Smokies is so gooey and good. Mini little smokies sausages are heated up in a cheesy barbecue sauce. Everyone at your party will love the flavor of these fun little bites!
Slow Cooker Cheesy Little Smokies
These yummy Little Smokies are a fantastic appetizer to serve at your next party! I recently brought two different slow cookers full of these Cheesy Little Smokies as well as a more Classic Crock-Pot Little Smokies to a church potluck and they were both a big hit with everyone.
This cheesy version is super delicious warm and gooey. I personally used Velveeta cheese because to be honest I LIKE Velveeta. But I totally get that not everyone is a fan. If you are Velveeta adverse you can use a good quality Gouda cheese instead. Gouda cheese melts nicely without getting oily and greasy as long as you don’t over cook it.
The addition of barbecue sauce adds some great smoky-sweet flavor that compliments the mini cocktail sausages and the cheese.
Outside of church potlucks these cheesy little sausages would be great served as a Game Day appetizer or at a causal birthday party or family get-together.
Special Diets
Crock-Pot Cheesy Little Smokies Recipe
Ingredients
- 28 Ounces Little Smokies Sausages
- 2 Pounds American Cheese (Such As Velveeta Brand OR a Good Quality Gouda Cheese)
- 24 Ounces Bottled Barbecue Sauce (Your Favorite Brand)
Instructions
- Open the packages of Little Smokies sausages and drain off any excess liquid that may be in the package. Add the drained Little Smokies to a 5 quart or larger slow cooker.
- Cut the American cheese (or Gouda if using) into 1 inch chunks and scatter the chunks over the top of the sausages in the slow cooker.
- Evenly pour the bottled barbecue sauce over the cheese and sausages.
- Stir to mix a bit, and then cover and cook on LOW for 2 hours stirring every 30 minutes to ensure the cheese is melting evenly.
- Turn slow cooker to the WARM setting and set out cocktail toothpicks to allow your guests to easily serve themselves straight from the slow cooker.
Notes
Nutrition
regarding the amount of little smokies…. Are you saying 28-36 oz.? The way you separated the 3 and 6 is unclear… to me anyway. Thanks
I don’t even know where the 3 and the 6 came from Robyn. The recipe should read 28 ounces Little Smokies (I have edited it). Thanks for letting us know!
This was not a winner for me. I used Velveeta, Ray’s No Sugar Added Barbecue Sauce, and Hillshire Farms Cheddar Lit’l Smokies. I also used a slow cooker liner.
Result – the Velveeta never melted completely and most surprisingly the mix melted through the slow cooker liner – which has never happened to me with any other recipe.
I really liked the idea – so maybe next time I’ll try a different melting cheese, no liner, and a little more liquid to thin out the sauce.
I am sorry that this recipe didn’t work for you Alisa, I have never heard the mix melting through the liner before. I wonder if perhaps your liner had a hole in it somewhere? That is so weird.
I hope you will try the recipe again!
I was really excited when I found this recipe. I tried it for a work function. I made sure to cut the Velveeta up really small. I couldn’t get the cheese to melt all the way. Hardly anyone tried it.
Any tips on how to get the cheese to melt?
Hi Erica, I have never had a problem with Velveeta melting in the slow cooker. That being said, each slow cooker is a little bit different in how long it takes for it to come up to temperature. Next time I would try cooking on HIGH for an hour or two which should melt the cheese faster. Then you can turn it down to LOW to continue melting the Velveeta. Then set it to WARM to keep the cheese and Little Smokies warm while serving at your party. Hope that helps for next time!