Stove Top Little Smokies in Sauce

Sweet and fruity these stove top little smokies can be made very quickly in a skillet with a simple jelly and cranberry sauce.

If you like this recipe you may also enjoy our BBQ Kielbasa Bites and Cocktail Meatballs.

Cocktail Sausages Recipe

A couple packages of little smokies cocktail sausages can be heated up on the stove top in under 10 minutes. Three simple ingredients, whole berry cranberry sauce, raspberry jam and cornstarch mix together to create a perfect appetizer recipe for entertaining.

Sweet and smoky with a delightfully surprising flavor from the jam and cranberry sauce these Stove Top Little Smokies are delicious! We often thing of ketchup of bbq sauce, but this recipe creates a fun twist.

Cranberry little smokies have an eye appealing coating of sauce that tastes so great. We enjoy eating them on toothpicks while grazing at a party or tailgate.

Just like our Pepperoni Pinwheels these little smokies with cranberry sauce make a great snack for a card night too.

Why This Recipe Works

• This appetizer is ready in 20 minutes.
• Easy to enjoy with a fork or on toothpicks.
• The flavors are brighter and have more of a fruity twist than you expect making the Little smokies extra enjoyable.
• Using the stove top makes this the fastest way to heat up these mini pre-cooked sausages.

Ingredients Needed to Make Cocktail Sausages in Sauce

• Little Smokies – Cocktail size smoked link sausages – 2 packages or 2 pounds works well in this recipe.
• Cranberry Sauce – We use an entire 16 ounce can of whole berry cranberry sauce.
• Raspberry Jam – seedless raspberry jam works great, you can substitute other flavors if necessary.
• Cornstarch – Will help thicken the sauce so it can stick to the lil smokies.
• Green Onions – I love the fresh flavor that slices of green onions adds to this appetizer.

Stove Top Little Smokies Recipe

The fastest way to make little sausages is to heat them up over medium high heat in a skillet on the stove top.

Smoked sausages of any size are typically precooked, but always read the label to be sure.

Precooked meat can be eaten cold, but these taste better warmed and served with our sauce or BBQ sauce.

What Are Cocktail Sausages?

Small smoked sausages are generally known as cocktail sausages, mini sausages, or cocktail weiners that are typically made of pork or beef and shaped into small bite size pieces for appetizers and party food.

While the ingredients may be similar to Kielbasa or Smoked Sausage, the meat in little sausages has a finer grind and uses smaller casings to create more appropriately sized servings that can be eaten in one bite.

Smoky meat in a sweet cocktail sauce is so simple to heat up on the stove. Allow the cranberry sauce and raspberry jam to thicken in corn starch and the sweet sauce sticks nicely to the mini sausages.

How to Make Little Smokies on The Stove

Cut open packages of lil smokies and pour into a medium to large skillet.

Set the heat to medium or medium high.

Stir the cornstarch into the raspberry jelly and pour over the little sausages.

Add the entire can of cranberry sauce. Use your wooden spoon to flatten the sauce and stir it in.

As the mixture heats up it will be easier to stir.

Stir occasionally to prevent burning until the mixture boils. Then turn the heat down to low.

Cook without a lid for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the meat is warm all the way through.

The sauce should be thick by this point and easily coating the sausages.

Sprinkle with slices of onion.

Turn skillet to low or keep warm in a crock pot on low to serve.

Cocktail Sausages Cooking Time

These little sausages are ready to eat in about ten minutes when cooking over medium high heat.

An additional 5 to 10 minutes of cooking time will allow any sauce the sausages are being cooked in to thicken and stick to the casing to add extra flavor.

We love that little smokies are ready in less than 20 minutes on the stove.

What Goes with Little Smokies For Dinner?

Sautéed Squash & Zucchini and a Veggie Tray add some fresh veggies to the meal.

Roasted Vegetable Pasta mixes starch and perfectly cooked veggies for maximum flavor.

Three Corn Casserole goes almost any meal that we make because of the mild and enjoyable flavors.

Brown Rice Salad with Spinach is a wonder additional to a protein packed meal with little sausages.

More Easy Recipes With Sausage

Kielbasa and Noodles with Cabbage makes a wonderful one skillet meal!

Cajun Sausage Pasta is a modern and delicious meal inspired by trending recipes on Tiktok.

This Smoked Sausage Skillet Meal is one of the most colorful and eye appealing combinations we have.