I’m letting you in on my secret go-to potluck dish: Brown Sugar Kielbasa, a crowd pleasing recipe that only has two ingredients and cooks all by itself in the slow cooker while you’re at work. The only downside is that it’s not vegetarian, but it sure does feed a bunch of people with very little effort! I bring this to every Super Bowl party, baby shower, and potluck around, and everyone always asks for the recipe after.
All you need for ingredients is 3 packages kielbasa, any variety — I use turkey, because it’s a little less fatty and greasy — and 1 package (1 lb.) of dark brown sugar (light brown sugar is OK if dark is unavailable).
You want a rough ratio of two or three packages kielbasa to one package sugar, but this recipe is flexible enough that you can add or subtract a kielbasa link and it’ll turn out fine. The sugar cooks over either low or high heat until it forms a liquid sauce.
To cook it, slice the kielbasa into quarter-size pieces and place them in the slow cooker, then pour the entire box of sugar on top of the kielbasa, and stir quickly to combine.
Cover and cook on low for 5 hours (or on high for 2 1/2 hours). It will look very, very dark when it’s done. And that’s it! Ready to serve warm.
Set it overnight or while you’re at work, and when you get home you can take your slow cooker directly to the potluck or party. You’ll have perfectly cooked kielbasa chunks swimming in a sweet, syrupy brown sugar sauce.
Variations work very well with this recipe — mustard, onions, green peppers, fruit preserves, canned fruit, jelly, beans, bacon, garlic and chilli are all great additions here. Just read the comments below for even more inspiration! I think my favorite reader suggested change is to add in some ginger beer. How good does that sound? If you make tasty modification, don’t forget to share them!
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I am making this right now – can’t wait to taste it when it’s done!
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Oh great Michelle, I hope you like it!
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I’m making this tonight for new years, and it smells so good! I’ve done this before with lil smokies and bacon, so I know this will be yum!
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That’s awesome! We didn’t make it this year, but we have done so in years past. It’s so easy and definitely a crowd-pleaser.
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Much easier than the bacon-wrapped smokies. Would like to see a picture of the finished product though.
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Will do! next time I make it 🙂
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Is it 3 lbs of keilbasa to 1lb of sugar?
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Hi Donna,
Roughly — I think most packages of kielbasa have about 14 oz. each, and there’s 16 oz. to a pound, so I use 3 packages per 1 lb. box of sugar.
It’s a very forgiving recipe, so the small difference wouldn’t make or break the flavor if you are buying in one-pound increments. Enjoy!
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I agree, loved this recipe and have used many times. This last time I sautéed onions and a green pepper to kielbasa then took my brown sugar and used a bottle of chili sauce and poured over top. Was wonderful. Ty
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I wished there was an after pic.
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Can anyone guesstimate how many people a single recipe (3 pkgs. kielbasa) might serve?
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I have brought this to gatherings with anywhere from 20 to 40 people and it does really well serving big crowds when served in a party spread alongside chips & dip, cheese and crackers, a veggie platter, etc. It always runs out!But I think because it’s very sweet, people don’t load up on just this; they balance it with other foods available. Honestly, if you have a lot more people, you can double this to your heart’s content if your slow cooker can handle the capacity.
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does the kielbasa turn mushy? I’m worried since it’s already cooked that it’ll be soggy
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If it’s straight out of the package it won’t turn mushy. If you’ve already cooked it, then yes it could break down. I’d start the sugar first then add the kielbasa for the last bit. Let me know how it turns out!
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Does it have to be kept hot?
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Hi Debbie,
I’ve left it out at parties without keeping it warm and it’s been fine. If you leave it all day, the sugar will eventually get pretty thick and harden, but I usually just serve it straight from the slow cooker dish (either still in the whole thing or just the inner bowl set on trivets) and it’s always been fine. It tastes good at room temp!
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I make this all the time!! I also add some spicy brown mustard…YUM. :):)
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Jennifer, I love that idea! I’m going to try it next time. I love spicy brown mustard.
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If I use light brown sugar, will it taste different than if dark?
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I’ve never tried it but I am sure the taste would differ only slightly. All sugar breaks down the same way due to heat, which is the key to this recipe working. Good luck! Let me know how it turns out if you try it.
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I always buy the lower fat turkey kielbasa, any experience using that with this yummy sounding recipe?
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I have started doing that, too, and it comes out AWESOME. In fact now I can’t make it any other way because it tastes too fatty and salty to me.
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I’m making this now. I added half a pound of cooked bacon, some Dijon mustard, and a clove of garlic (chopped). My house smells insane right now! Thanks for sharing your recipe! Love the blog!
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I am DEFINITELY going to try that!!
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How much mustard did you add? A teaspoon, a tablespoon, a cup?? I don’t want to add too little or too much.
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I am making this for my xmas eve appetizer night, can’t wait to try the bacon, had to come back to the site, to see if the bacon was cook before hand, along with the Dijon mustard, and clove garlic.
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I made this recipe for an Origami Owl party I had. I was hesitant at first because there wasn’t a picture to go by. Plus I had never tried it before. Well, I was not disappointed. It turned out wonderful. The only thing I did different was during the last half hour, I added a can of cut up (drained) pineapple to it. You would think that this recipe would be really sweet but it’s not.
Thanks for the recipe. It’s a keeper!
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I love the idea of adding drained pineapple! By the way, what’s an Origami Owl party? Sounds fun…
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Check out http://www.pamelaturner.orgamiowl.com It’s living lockets. Amazing products! I can give you info if you wouldn like! I sell it. Contact me with any questions!! 🙂
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http://www.pamelaturner.origamiowl.com
Sorry, missed a letter in the first comment.
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Is the sauce supposed to turn dark brown, almost black? I thought I burned mine until I tasted it and it tasted fine, but the sauce was very very dark, and there is no “after” picture so I wasn’t sure if I did it right.
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Yes! The sauce turns extremely dark brown as it liquefies. The lack of an “after” shot is a big problem that I’m working on fixing ASAP. It sounds super corny, but the absolute truth is that by the time I put this out as an appetizer, it gets eaten so fast that I never grab a pic. I’m hoping to fix this soon!
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Would using coconut sugar instead of the brown sugar work? It’s very similar to brown sugar, just lower on the GI
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Good question! I don’t know the answer, but I’d love to hear your experience if you try it!
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Have you ever tried this with Cajun sausage instead of the Kielbasa? Cajun is a little spicy and with the brown sugar, I’m thinking it could be an incredible mixture!
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Um, that sounds AWESOME!
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I think so too! I’m going to try it for my party next Friday night! Thank you so much for sharing this!
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Just wondering how much sugar to use for just one package of the kielbasa. Would like to try this for family before taking somewhere?
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I would say you can safely halve it — I’ve never done less than two kielbasa links, but I am sure you could do one and use half the sugar, and just keep an eye on the time since it likely won’t need as long. Two kielbasa links gets eaten very, very quickly though, so you may want to do two!
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I have a party to go to tonight and was at a loss of what to bring. So happy I came across your recipe since I have everything on hand. The only additional thing that I added is a chili powder mixture I make that I also usually add to the brown sugar when I make the Lil’ smokies wrapped in bacon. Thank you and I know already it will be a hit.
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Oh, I am so glad! I love the idea of adding chili powder. Hope it’s a hit!
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I’m making this for the first time tonight. Every year our neighbors get together for caroling. Tonight is the night and I’m bringing this. Will let you know how it turns out. Also if it looks ‘yummy’ enough, I hope to post an ‘after picture’.
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What do you serve this with?
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I usually have it in a potluck setting, with finger foods like a veggie tray, cheese and crackers, chips and dip, etc. It’s very sweet, so it’s not much of a standalone dish, but does great in a buffet with either brunch or dinner food (waffles, eggs, fruit, ham, etc.)
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It really shines at things like a house-warming or a work potluck/shower!
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I do this a lot, but in the oven. Usually I do it at 375 for about forty minutes–I think. Just watch it until the sugar has melted into a sauce and the edges of kielbasa has turned a little brown. Yummy!
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Good tip! Thanks for sharing!
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Thank you so much for sharing! I received a slow cooker for Christmas and now I know what to make with it first!
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Awesome! I love mine and I hope you will get a lot of use out of yours, too!
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I wanted to see an after picture. I think I will making this tomorrow night. Thanks so much!
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Good stuff, I will make it again.
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I added a large drained can of pinto beans, a regular rinsed can kidney beans, and a whole sliced onion to mine. It was AMAZING!!! Everyone raved about it!!
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OMG, I LOVE this idea. Makes it more of a meal in a way!
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I am making this for the Super Bowl tonight . I bought turkey and I realized it says smoked is that ok
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Sure, why not? It’ll just be a slightly different flavor I bet!
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Reblogged this on Great Cooking Ideas and commented:
Talk about SIMPLE! I just can’t wait to try this. Thank you organicglory.wordpress.com
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You are so welcome! I hope you enjoy it!
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I made this tonight to test before my potluck Tuesday. It was good, but so dark I thought I’d done something wrong. I saw another comment on here about how dark it gets, which put my mind at ease. Thanks for posting!
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I am so glad it turned out well! I should edit the post to mention how dark it gets — so many people have mentioned it!
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I mix the dark brown sugar with spicy mustard before adding it to crockpot. I bring this easy dish to all picnics and family functions. Everyone loves it.
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Great tip!
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I made this for my husband but just did 1 sausage and half a bag of brown sugar and it was amazing! It has now became a weekly meal, I like to serve slice potatoes baked in butter and garlic and corn on the cob. GREAT RECIPE!!
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that’s awesome!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
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I made this for my husband and used 1 sausage and half a bag of brown sugar and served with sliced potatoes baked in then oven with garlic, red peppers, salt, pepper and butter and corn on the cob and he was amazed at how good it was, this has now turned into a once a month meal in our house! Thanks for the amazing recipe!
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My kItches smell great. Trying it for the first time. Thanks for such an easy idea
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So glad! I like easy recipes 🙂
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making it right now. do you know if you can make ahead and freeze it?
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I have never tried that, but i’d assume that if you do, the sugar will re-harden…so you’ll want to allow ample time for it to completely liquefy again through reheating. Let me know how it turns out!
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Making this for the first time to serve at my Halloween party this weekend. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I was getting tired of the same thing every year. This sounds awesome!
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I have a picture of the finished product but am unsure of how to upload it in the comments. I must admit, the end result looked a bit scary but it turned out great and was a big hit at my potluck.
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Love this recipe!! Thank you! I made it again and added about a half cup of ginger beer,love the taste of ginger!
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WHAT a good idea! I love the taste of ginger, too. That is an inspired contribution!
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Love easy and delicious! Thinking about adding in some chili sauce for a little bite. Any thoughts?
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Someone else recently said that to me too! I think it sounds like a really good idea actually.
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Sounds perfect and easy (my style)! Just found out a friend is bringing what I planned to bring to a holiday party tomorrow. Will try this, but how long is too long in the crock pot? I leave for work at 6:30 am and party is at 6:30 pm.
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If your crock pot sets to “warm” once it’s done cooking it should be ok. The kielbasa will probably just look darker because it’ll absorb more color from the sugar but it’ll taste the same.
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Wow, thanks for the superfast response. Unfortunately, my crockpot isn’t that kind but found out my son can put it on later for me. So, it’s off to ready it and put in fridge!
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For anyone that has added spicy mustard – how much of that do you mix with brown sugar? Since it’s said to be sweet, does that just kick the sweetness down a knotch? Appreciate the help! Looking to make this Christmas Eve so if someone could answer before then, that’d be great!
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It looks YUMMY. I am trying this foe a New Year’s party.
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I made this SOOO good I also made a Dijon glaze with the left over sauce in the pot for dipping!! Hahah people were asking for the recipe! Just take the extra sauce from the bottom of the crock pot and add Dijon mustard to your taste liking yum!!!
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Great tip!!
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Great simple Recipe. Thank You. I have made it a bunch of times. This week I pan fried it with onions and peppers then the last 20min I added brown sugar. It was amazing. My family loved it 🙂
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Wow that sounds excellent. I’ll have to try that soon 🙂
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Making it for the buffet at my son’s wedding Saturday. I usually make a sauce using a jar of red currant jelly to one cup of ketchup which I heat in a sauce pan and then pour over the kielbasa in the slow cooker. Really good but I wanted something simpler for this, thanks!
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That’s a great idea too! Thanks for the tip and congrats on the wedding 🙂
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I have made this MULTIPLE times since finding your recipe. My husband loves sauerkraut, I’m OK with it, kids despise it! But they will eat it prepared this way😂 I serve it as a main entree, along with a salad. Today I’m putting it in the oven for lunch — we got snowed in, so hubby is home to eat with us.
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that is so nice to hear!!
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