This two-ingredient Candied Kielbasa is the perfect easy appetizer to serve for Thanksgiving, holiday potlucks, or game day. These bite-size morsels are sweet, savory, quick to prepare, and totally addicting.
Slow Cooker Candied Kielbasa
If you’re a sausage fan, get ready for Candied Kielbasa to become your new go-to party appetizer. Made with just sliced kielbasa sausage and brown sugar, this easy appetizer barely even needs a recipe. Just toss them into a slow cooker, cover, and let it rip for a few hours. As it cooks, the brown sugar creates the most amazing caramelized glaze over the juicy sausage.
Serve straight from the slow cooker with a jar of toothpicks on the side. Or, turn this into a complete meal by serving over rice, egg noodles, or sauteed veggies. Any leftovers can be easily reheated over the stovetop and turned into breakfast hash, added into casseroles, or eaten with a side of sauerkraut.
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Ingredients in Candied Kielbasa
- Kielbasa – you’ll need about 2 pounds of your favorite kielbasa sausage or Polish sausage.
- Brown Sugar – you can use either dark brown sugar or light brown sugar to make the sweet caramelized glaze.
How to Make Candied Sweet Kielbasa
- Slice the kielbasa. To prepare the kielbasa, cut into 1″ bite-size pieces.
- Cook. Place the kielbasa into a slow cooker and sprinkle the brown sugar over the top. Cover and cook on low for 2-3 hours, or until the kielbasa is warmed through and the brown sugar has dissolved. Stir to coat the kielbasa in the sweet glaze.
- Serve. Serve this slow cooker appetizer warm with toothpicks. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Kielbasa is the Polish word for sausage and can be used to refer to any sausage from Poland. In the United States, you will most often find a U-shaped Polish smoked sausage marked as kielbasa. It can be made from pork, beef, turkey, or a combination.
For parties, I like to serve Candied Kielbasa with a jar of toothpicks so that guests can serve themselves. You could also serve this alongside rice, sauteed veggies, or egg noodles to make it a complete meal.
The easiest way to keep your kielbasa warm during a party is to serve it out of the crock pot and leave it on the warm setting. If you plan to leave it out for longer than a couple of hours, you may want to stir it occasionally.
Yes! If you prefer to make Candied Kielbasa, you’ll begin by adding the sausage into a hot pan until they are pan fried. From there, sprinkle the brown sugar over the top and add about ½-1 cup of any combination of honey and ketchup. Continue to simmer for about 20-30 minutes, or until the sugars have caramelized and the sausage is warm.
Storing and Reheating
- Refrigerator: store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- To reheat: reheat leftovers in a microwave, or transfer to a pan and warm over medium heat while stirring occasionally.
Candied Kielbasa Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds kielbasa
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
Instructions
- To prepare the kielbasa, cut into 1" bite-size pieces. Place the kielbasa into a slow cooker and sprinkle the brown sugar over the top.
- Cover and cook on low for 2-3 hours, or until the kielbasa is warmed through and the brown sugar has dissolved. Stir to coat the kielbasa in the sweet glaze.
- Serve this crock pot appetizer warm with toothpicks. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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This Candied Kielbasa recipe is the perfect easy appetizer to make for holiday get togethers or game day. It uses just two ingredients and is made entirely in the slow cooker.
