These Sweet and Sour Meatballs are made with frozen meatballs and pineapple chunks and are covered in a DELICIOUS homemade sweet and sour sauce!! It’s the perfect appetizer or dinner idea served over rice or noodles.
We love all things sweet and sour, including: Sweet and Sour Chicken and Sweet and Sour Pork. These meatballs are also favorites, and especially because they are simple and have a delicious sauce also filled with peppers and pineapples.
Easy + so flavorful!
We LOVE meatballs!! We may not have always liked them as a kid, but now that we are grown up, we can’t get enough of them!! We have all sorts of versions here on the site, including a homemade meatball version and have loved trying out different recipes with them.
Sometimes we take the easy route and just buy frozen meatballs, like what we did with today’s recipe for these easy sweet and sour meatballs.
We’ve been long time fans of all things sweet and sour (if you are too, you’ll love our sweet and sour chicken recipe), and we were excited to try a meatball version. We were so happy with the result. Not only was the recipe simple, but the flavors of the meatballs, sauce, and veggies were amazing! We have a homemade sweet and sour sauce we LOVE, but this is a quicker and more simple version that we loved too!
How to make Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Like I mentioned, this sauce is easy and quick!! Here are the ingredients needed to make it:
- brown sugar
- vinegar
- ketchup
- soy sauce
- pineapple juice
- cornstarch
SAUCE. To make it you will add the brown sugar, vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce and 2 cups of the pineapple juice to a large skillet. Bring this to a boil.
THICKEN SAUCE. While the sauce is bowling, mix cornstarch with ¼ cup of the remaining pineapple juice, whisking to get out all the lumps. Add this to your boiling sauce mixture.
ADD REMAINING INGREDIENTS. From there you will turn the heat and add the meatballs and peppers. Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook 8-10 minutes, until sauce has thickened and the meatballs are heated through. Stir in pineapple chunks.
Serve these delicious meatballs over rice or noodles and you’re set! Or just keep warm in a slow cooker and serve at your next party!!
RECIPE FAQ + SIDE IDEAS
How to store meatballs? Allow the meatballs to cool and store in an airtight container. They’ll keep in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months.
How to reheat? The easiest way is in the microwave, however, the oven works well and keeps the flavor and texture. To bake these, place in an oven-safe dish for 8-10 minutes at 350.
We LOVE these meatballs are so excited to make them more often! Check out the recipe below and let us know what you think. We hope you love them as much as we do! 😉
what to serve with these meatballs?
There are so many great dishes that go well with these meatballs, but here are a few on the site we love:
For more meatball recipes, check out:
- Easy Homemade Meatballs
- Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
- Buffet Meatballs
- Asian Meatballs
- Barbecue Pineapple Meatballs
- Pesto Chicken Meatballs
Sweet and Sour Meatballs Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Brown Sugar loosely packed
- 1/2 cup Rice Vinegar
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 2 1/4 cups Pineapple Juice
- 1 tbsp Cornstarch
- 25 All-Purpose Meatballs (frozen if fine)
- peppers chopped (optional)
- 1 cup Drained Small Pineapple Chunks
- 2 tbsp Sliced Green Onions for garnish
- Rice for serving
Instructions
- Add brown sugar, vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce and 2 cups of pineapple juice to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil.
- In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and remaining ¼ cup pineapple juice together, whisking to get out all the lumps. Whisk into your skillet and add Meatballs and chopped peppers. Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook 8-10 minutes, until sauce has thickened and the meatballs are heated through.
- Stir in pineapple chunks. Serve warm over rice.
Adapted from foodnetwork.com
Very quick and easy recipe! We loved it! I added a couple tablespoons of Sriracha to give it a nip and to counter the sweetness a bit. Will be making this again for sure, I’ll just cut the amount if sugar for our liking! I’m sure this will be excellent with chicken as well! Thank you!
You’re welcome! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe. A little sriracha sounds tasty. Thanks for sharing what you did.
This sauce is too sweet and the pineapple juice is all you taste.
Thanks for the feedback and for giving the recipe a try!
Great recipe very easy to put together my family loved it.
My Quilting Club loved this and several quilters asked for the recipe!! (I added red, yellow, and green pepper pieces and sprinkled the top with sesame seeds just before serving.)
Love this recipe and so does my family. ❤️ wondering if I can somehow make a large batch and freeze it?