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These Crock Pot Sweet and Sour Meatballs are a delicious and easy recipe. Meatballs, pineapple chunks, and bell peppers slow cook in a tangy, sweet sauce. A great recipe for busy weeknights!
A Fan Favorite for Weeknight Meals
Here are just a few raving reviews we’ve received for this recipe since sharing it online in 2013.
“I LOVED these. I never eat leftovers, but there’s no way I was going to let these go to waste. This recipe is definitely going in my favorites! And it was easy too!” – Lauren
“Tried these for dinner last night. This is a “do again” recipe! Very easy and very yummy.” – Wendy
“I’m not sure, if 5 stars, is enough for this recipe. It’s freaking amazing. ❤️❤️❤️❤️” – Barbie
I couldn’t agree more! This Crockpot Sweet and Sour Meatballs, aka Hawaiian Meatballs, is one my family has enjoyed for years – especially on busy weeknights. The recipe came from the Williams Family way back when our blog began. Cooking the meatballs in the crock pot gives the meatballs time to soak up all the sweet and sour flavors.
I doubled the sauce recipe in the recipe card. This is because my family loves to eat the sauce over rice and we love lots of sauce. If you aren’t a big sauce fan, feel free to halve the sauce part.
Ingredients for Crock Pot Sweet and Sour Meatballs
MEATBALLS: Ground beef is the base ingredient for the meatballs. Ground turkey or Impossible ground beef can be used for a healthier meatball. You will add cracker crumbs, finely chopped red bell pepper, red pepper flakes, chopped onion, milk, kosher salt, black pepper, an egg, and ginger to the beef for the meatball mixture.
PEPPERS AND PINEAPPLE: In addition to the meatballs, pineapple tidbits are added to the crock pot. Purchasing canned pineapple tidbits is convenient and cost efficient, but fresh pineapple can also be used. For the peppers, make it colorful! Green and red bell peppers not only add color, but also crunch and flavor.
SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE: The sweet and sour sauce is the star of the show in this dish! It is absorbed by the meatballs as they slow cook and creates a tangy topping for rice or noodles. The sauce starts with mixing cornstarch and brown sugar together, then whisking in pineapple juice, soy sauce, white vinegar, and ketchup. The sauce is poured over the meatballs, chopped green bell pepper and red bell pepper, and pineapple tidbits in the crock pot.
Homemade Meatballs vs Frozen Meatballs
This recipe for meatballs is delicious with the sweet and sour sauce, but I will admit I have substituted the frozen turkey meatballs at Costco on days I’m short on time. You can also use the frozen Italian meatballs from Costco. They also taste great. I just feel less guilty eating the turkey meatballs and my kids don’t even know the difference! I just pour in the meatballs with the sauce, 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).
Questions About Sweet and Sour Meatballs
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!
The cornstarch mixed with the wet ingredients in the sauce will thicken as the crock pot heats the sauce. If the sauce isn’t as thick as you want it to be after cooking, make a cornstarch slurry by mixing a tablespoon of cornstarch with a tablespoon of cold water in a small bowl. Make sure the cornstarch is completely dissolved in the water. Stir the slurry into the sauce in the crock pot, replace the lid, and let it cook for 15-20 more minutes.
The key to keeping meatballs from falling apart in a crock pot is browning the meatballs before adding them to the crock pot. You can brown the meatballs in a skillet on the stove top, or bake them in the oven.
Store leftover meatballs and sauce in an airtight container. Keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a sauce pan on the stovetop. The sauce and meatballs can also be frozen and kept in the freezer in a freezer safe container or resealable freezer bag. Thaw in the refrigerator, then reheat in the microwave or on the stove.
More Meatball Recipes
So many great dishes feature meatballs! Here are a handful of our favorite meatball recipes:
Instant Pot Meatballs
Crock Pot Swedish Meatballs
Party Appetizer Meatballs
Air Fryer Meatballs
Danish Meatballs
Meatballs in Cream Sauce
How to Make Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Crock Pot Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Equipment
- Crock Pot (Slow Cooker)
Ingredients
For the Meatballs:
- 1 ½ pounds ground beef
- ⅔ cup cracker crumbs
- ½ red bell pepper finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes or more to taste
- ⅔ cup chopped onion
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons ginger
For the Sauce and Vegetables:
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 14 ounces pineapple tidbits divided into juice and tidbits
Instructions
- Mix meatball ingredients together in a bowl.
- Roll into meatballs with hands or I like to use a cookie scoop and place on lined baking sheet. Bake 425 ℉ for 20 minutes. (Or you can brown and cook over medium heat in large skillet until cooked through)
- 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.
I’m not sure, if 5 stars, is enough for this recipe. It’s freaking amazing. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
This has become one of my family’s favorite recipes. We have it at least once a month. So good and easy.