This post may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure policy.
These Crockpot Sweet and Sour Meatballs are so yummy and easy to make! With homemade meatballs, pineapple chunks, and a tangy sweet sauce, you are gonna love it!
Featured with this Recipe
This Crockpot Sweet and Sour Meatballs recipe came from the Williams Family way back when our blog began. Since then I have made it dozens of times! They are super easy! If you are in a rush, you can cook this over the stovetop, but cooking it in the crockpot gives the meatballs time to soak up all the sweet and sour flavors. Also, I doubled the sauce recipe on this because my family loves to eat the sauce over rice… if you aren’t a big sauce fan, feel free to half the sauce part.
Ingredients in Crock Pot Sweet and Sour Meatballs
For the Meatballs
- Ground Beef – you can also use ground turkey
- Cracker Crumbs – ritz crackers are my favorite, or you can use bread crumbs
- Red Bell Pepper
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Onion
- Milk
- Kosher Salt and Black Pepper
- Egg
- Ginger
For the Rest
- Cornstarch
- Brown Sugar
- Soy Sauce
- White Vinegar
- Ketchup
- Green Bell Pepper
- Red Bell Pepper
- Pineapple Tidbits
- Rice for Serving
Homemade Meatballs or Store-Bought Meatballs
This recipe includes an actual recipe for meatballs if you want to make your own… but the last few times I have made these I have bought the frozen meatballs at Costco and used those! I have also used the Italian meatballs from Costco and those taste great too (I just feel less guilty eating the turkey meatballs and my kids don’t even know the difference)! I just dump in the meatballs with the sauce (and veggies and pineapple) and dinner is DONE. It is one of those great fix-it and forget-it Crockpot meals.
What to Serve on the Side
Of course these delicious sweet and sour meatballs go great with rice on the side, but there are other options to consider. A slightly healthier alternative to white rice is quinoa. While still carrying carbohydrates, quinoa packs high protein and fiber into every bite, while decreasing the calorie count by 40 per cup. If you want to go even healthier, consider cauliflower rice, which has roughly 2.5 grams of carbs per cup (compared to 45 grams of carbs per cup for white rice).
Frequently Asked Questions
We like to brown them on the stovetop or in the oven to get that crispy outside, and then cook them the rest of the way in sauce for flavor!
You can substitute the egg with plain yogurt, buttermilk, or even applesauce.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
Read More: The Best Hawaiian Dessert Recipes
More Yummy Hawaiian Flavors
Can’t get to the islands as often as you’d like, but still enjoy the flavor of Hawaii? This crockpot sweet and sour meatballs isn’t the only way to go. Check out these great options:
- Hawaiian Style Chicken and Long Rice
- Authentic Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
- How to make a Hawaiian Plate lunch
Or keep your crockpot cooking even more tasty dishes like these:
How to Make Crockpot Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Crockpot Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Equipment
- Crock Pot Slow Cooker
Ingredients
For the Meatballs:
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 2/3 cup cracker crumbs
- 1/2 red bell pepper finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes or more to taste
- 2/3 cup chopped onion
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons ginger
For the Rest…
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 1 green pepper chopped
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 14 ounces pineapple tidbits divided into juice and tidbits
Instructions
- Mix meatball ingredients together and roll into meatballs. Brown and cook over medium heat in large skillet until cooked through (Or you can roll them and bake them in the oven at 425 for 13-14 minutes).
- In a small mixing bowl, mix cornstarch and brown sugar. Drain pineapple juice into brown sugar mixture with soy sauce, vinegar, and ketchup.
- Add meatballs, peppers, and pineapple tidbits to crock pot and pour sauce over.
- Cook on low for 2-4 hours or until sauce is thickened.
- Serve over rice.
This has become one of my family’s favorite recipes. We have it at least once a month. So good and easy.