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These sweet and sour meatballs are bursting with tangy pineapples and peppers. It’s an easy, 20-minute version of Chinese takeout.
Sweet, Sour + So yummy!
These sweet and sour meatballs are one of our FAVORITE weekday dinner ideas when we’re craving Asian-inspired food.
The sauce has all the complexity, richness, and balance of a takeout dish. But because it uses pre-made meatballs, it takes less than 20 minutes to make! So anytime we’re craving Chinese takeout, we make this easy recipe instead!
There’s a rich sweetness from brown sugar and ketchup, some tang from the vinegar, pineapple chunks, and pineapple juice, and a fresh element from peppers and scallions.
For more sweet and sour favs, check out our: Sweet and Sour Chicken and Sweet and Sour Pork.
WHY WE LOVE IT:
Ingredients
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOK TIME: 15 minutes
- ½ cup brown sugar loosely packed – light or dark brown sugar
- ½ cup rice vinegar – add more for a more sour flavor
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2¼ cups pineapple juice, divided – add more for a sweeter dish
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 25 all-purpose meatballs (frozen is fine) – ground beef, ground turkey, or ground chicken
- 2 bell peppers chopped (optional) – or other veggies like carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, and onions
- 1 cup drained small pineapple chunks
- 2 tablespoons sliced green onions for garnish
- rice for serving – Instant Pot Brown Rice or Crock Pot White Rice
- optional spice – Add heat with chili flakes or minced chilis when you add the meatballs and peppers for a deep, spicy kick. Or replace some of the ketchup with sriracha.
- balance flavor out a too-sweet flavor – Add in something acidic like more vinegar or citrus juice. If the dish is too sour, add a sweetener like additional brown sugar, pineapple juice, or honey.
How Much to Serve
- For a party appetizer plan 2-3 (2-inch) meatballs per person.
- For the main entrée plan 4-5 (2-inch) meatballs per serving. Keep warm in a crock pot.
how to make Sweet and Sour Meatballs
- SAUCE. Add ½ cup brown sugar, ½ cup rice vinegar, ¼ cup ketchup, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and 2 cups of pineapple juice to a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil.
- In a small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and the remaining ¼ cup of pineapple juice, whisking to get out all the lumps.
- MEATBALLS. Whisk into your skillet and 25 meatballs and 2 chopped red bell pepper. Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes until the sauce has thickened and the meatballs are heated through.
- SERVE. Stir in 1 cup pineapple chunks. Garnish with 2 tablespoons sliced green onions and serve warm over rice.
How to Thicken the Sauce
In a separate bowl mix 1-2 teaspoons of cold water with an equal amount of cornstarch. Pour the mixture into the sauce and simmer.
Complete The Meal
Sides
Homemade Fried Rice
20 mins
Egg Roll Recipe
20 mins
Baked Cream Cheese Rangoon
17 mins
Chicken Lettuce Wrap Recipe
20 mins
Asian Recipes
Sweet and Sour Chicken
25 mins
Asian Meatballs
3 hrs 10 mins
Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken
40 mins
Sesame Chicken
1 hr 18 mins
Collections
Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Ingredients
- ½ cup brown sugar, loosely packed
- ½ cup rice vinegar
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2¼ cups pineapple juice
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 25 all-purpose meatballs, frozen is fine
- 2 bell peppers, chopped (optional)
- 1 cup drained small pineapple chunks
- 2 tablespoons 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 the remaining ¼ cup pineapple juice, whisking to get out all the lumps. Whisk into your skillet.
- Add meatballs and chopped peppers. Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes until the sauce has thickened and the meatballs are heated through.
- Stir in pineapple chunks. Serve warm over rice. Top with green onion.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Cook the sauce according to the recipe and simmer to thicken. Remove from the heat and cool. Add meatballs and peppers, place in a freezer-safe container, and freeze for up to 3 months. You can heat them in the slow cooker or stovetop.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or 3 months in the freezer. For best results reheat in the oven, or on the stovetop, but the microwave also works.
Adapted from foodnetwork.com
If you have apple cider vinegar instead of rice vinegar, would that work, or would it change the flavor too much?
While there is a flavor difference (rice vinegar is mild and slightly sweet, while apple cider vinegar is tangier and fruitier), you can use apple cider vinegar in this recipe without the overall flavor being too affected.
This looks delicious. Where do I get pineapple juice? I want to make this recipe. Thank you.
Delicious. I don’t think the ratio of liquid to cornstarch is quite right. Because the sauce didn’t thicken I increased the cornstarch effectively making it double the amount in the recipe.
Actually really good but my meatballs made it extra spicy because I used Italian meatballs and I added a teaspoon of chilly flakes to the sauce. Everyone loved it so it’s a hit for me!!
Tastes very vinegary. I won’t use this recipe again
Thanks for the feedback and for giving the recipe a try!
Lively recipe. Thankyou. Evwryone
Liked it. I did add extra cornflor and some peas.
My family DEVOURED this. The only additions I did were a couple shakes of onion & garlic powders, some black pepper, and added carrots. Did a little more cornstarch for a thicker sauce. Used a bag of frozen turkey meatballs. Served it with white rice. The only feedback each of them had was “MORE.” Guess I’m making a double batch next time!
I know a lot of your recipes have instructions for making ahead of time. Any suggestions on that for this dish?
Yes, you can definitely make this ahead. Just store in an airtight container in the fridge and then reheat on the stove or in the microwave when you’re ready to serve and eat.
I put mine in Crock-Pot and added ginger and garlic great recipe thank you 😀
I added mushrooms and onion to recipe as well as garlic and ginger
Went together quickly. Great tangy sweet taste. My whole family loved it. Used her recipe for the meatballs, made them with pork. Would make again with NO Changes.
This is delicious but I add a few more ingredients, green peppers, onion and water chestnuts to add a little crunch. My family loves it.
This recipe was delicious! It seemed like takeout, it made tonight’s dinner special.
I read the other comments and really had my mind set on doing something different, quick and easy… Check! Check and Check!
I added one more ingredient to the sauce, one half a tablespoon of finely minced garlic. We’re trying to include more veggies so in addition to the red bell peppers, I also added green bell peppers (as suggested by another reviewer), carrots, onion and mushrooms. Plus, I used half pineapple juice, half orange/pineapple juice blend (it’s what I had on hand) Yummy! The whole family thoroughly enjoyed it!
Served with white rice and fresh steamed broccoli!
I actually give this 5 stars, not 3. Not sure how that happened before.
Try it, you won’t be disappointed.
Yvette Bonilla
I didn’t actually make this recipe, but if I measured when I cook, I’d say this is my recipe that Ive used for years and it’s tasty. I have a few slight variations: I sautée chunks of onions and peppers in a bit of oil first, then add the sauce ingredients. To cut the sweetness a bit and add another “sour” element, add about a teaspoon of sweet pickle relish.
I use this for homemade meatballs or chicken breast strips (toss in seasoned flour and sauté until almost cooked through). Easy recipe to make ahead in quantity and bake off for a pot luck and everyone raves as it’s different and fresher than Swedish meatballs.
Was wanting something sweet-and-sour for dinner one day. In something very quick. Found this recipe that you can use frozen meatballs for (my lazy meal). Me and my husband ate almost all of it in one sitting it was so so good. Don’t forget to put the pineapple in. Asked our 17-year-old to make it and she did a great job. Just forget the pineapple chunks. So if it seems too sweet, look and see if the pineapples in it because the pineapple will counteract the sweetness and won’t give it that sweet and sour taste. We are going to make this once a month now.
I’ve made this many times. It’s one of my husband’s favorites. The only difference is I add Green Pepper. Specifically green pepper takes the dish to a whole new level. You must try it..yummm 🙂
Thanks for the suggestion! So glad you enjoy the meatball recipe!
I’ve tried this a few times, and I can never get the sauce to thicken!! What am I missing?
You can try adding a little more cornstarch to the water mixture, then add to the sauce. That should help thicken it a bit more.
So easy to make and tastes like it’s from a Chinese restaurant!
Also I forgot to add that I put broccoli and red peppers in it which was yummy!
This is the best recipe i have tried thank you
You’re welcome! I’m so glad you enjoyed the meatballs!
Turned out delicious! I added red pepper, salt, and pepper along with pouring the juice from the canned pineapple (mixed with a little extra cornstarch).
Simple recipe and it makes for great leftovers!
I plan to make homemade meatballs because of my daughter’s food allergies. Do you think this would still turn out OK in a slow cooker? I usually cook meatballs about 6 hours on low but wasn’t sure if this sauce would work well slow cooked.
Yes, I suppose it would. I haven’t made it in the slow cooker, but I think this sauce would be just fine being slow-cooked. You may want to bump the heat to high towards the end to help it thicken a bit, but again, I haven’t made this one in the crock pot, so not 100% sure how it’ll turn out. You’ll have to let us know how it goes! 🙂
I was coming to ask the same question. How did it turn out in the slow cooker?
Could I use white wine vinegar instead of rice vinegar?
Yes, you could! I haven’t tried with the white wine, but it would still taste delicious I’m sure.
The recipe says this serves 6 with 25 meatballs. Looking at the picture that’s only 4 small pineapple chunk size meatballs per person. Assuming the portion sizing is meant for children only?
The meatball size will depend on which meatballs you get… or you can make homemade, too. With the peppers and pineapple and rice, we’ve found about 4-5 meatballs per serving feeds an adult. But you can definitely increase the amount of meatballs. You may want to double the sauce if you love lots of sauce. But, adding a few extra meatballs to the recipe would be just fine if you feel like you need more.
Love this recipe and so does my family. ❤️ wondering if I can somehow make a large batch and freeze 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.)
Great recipe very easy to put together my family loved it.
This sauce is too sweet and the pineapple juice is all you taste.
Thanks for the feedback and for giving the recipe a try!
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 was a very easy dish. I had 4 grand daughters over for dinner. We used speghetti noodles instead of rice. I will double the batch next time. Great for leftovers.
Oh my, this was SO good!!!! Husband and I both loved it!!! Definitely added to our favorite list of recipes.
Oh I’m so glad you enjoyed the meatballs! Thanks for sharing!
Sauce was delicious! We ate it with wildmeat meatballs. Added a tiny bit more cornstarch and 1/4 cup less pineapple juice for less sugar 🤗
Ooh I have never had wildmeat meatballs. Sounds exciting and delicious! I’m so glad you enjoyed the sauce. Thanks for sharing!
This recipe is a big hit with my family. I use Gardein meatless meatballs. I also double the sauce as I like lots of sauce. In addition I add carrots, pineapple tidbits, a bag of frozen stir fry peppers and onions, and today I am adding Brussels sprouts. Once I whisk in the cornstarch and pineapple juice mixture I add the meatballs, pineapple, etc. and leave it in the crockpot for several hours to cook the veggies and get that flavorful sauce really imbedded in the meatballs, etc. Yummy served over brown rice!
Yum!! Sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing what you do. I’m so happy to hear this recipe is a winner with your family!
This is a post script. I made more sauce to go with leftovers. Perhaps one should just make the sauce to taste. This time I would have preferred a bit less vinegar and perhaps a bit more sugar. I still love the recipe.
Thanks for your feedback. Glad you enjoyed the meatballs!
This is a delicious recipe, and easy! I used Shady Brook Farm turkey meatballs, not frozen, and they were great, even with their Italian seasoning. I am so glad that they are finally back. I used green and yellow peppers, and onion chunks. I threw in some broccoli florets. They lose their bright green color but tasted crisp and good. Ten minutes is a good amount of time to get the vegetables done but not mushy. I did add again as much cornstarch near the end of cooking–mixed in water first of course. I question adding the scallions, but my husband loved them.
Thanks for sharing what you used. Love the addition of the extra veggies. So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe!
Made this for my wedding reception/cocktail hour, multiplied the recipe by 6 so there would be enough for everyone to have some. Took about two hours for the sauce to cook and it didn’t really thicken up at all but they still tasted amazing! Will definitely make these again but maybe not as large a batch
Oh what a fun way to use this recipe! I wonder if it could have used a bit more cornstarch to thicken since the quantity was so large? I’m glad you enjoyed the flavor though and will make again!
Best recipe ever…just cut the rice wine vinegar to 1/4 cup or less….1/2 burns!!
Thank you for your recipe!!♥️
So glad you enjoy the recipe and have found a way to make it your own too. Thanks for trying it!
I am trying to eat more plant based meals. I made this recipe with Beyond Meatballs(Italian style). Slow cooked it for 35 minutes and added broccoli the last 5 minutes. It turned out great!
Ooh that is good to know! Thanks for sharing! Glad you enjoyed the recipe.
This recipe is awesome!! So wonderfully easy, and our littles loved it! We have a couple of pineapple allergies in the family, so I subbed orange juice; still turned out perfect!
Oh I’m so glad to hear it was a hit. That’s a great idea to sub with orange juice. My little like this recipe as well! Thanks for sharing!
The best sweet and sour sauce ever
Thank you!! So glad you like the dish!
We just love this recipe!!!!
Thank you!!
You’re welcome!! I’m so glad to hear you love it!
I love how this recipe comes together so easy. But I must say I cut the brown sugar amount by half and the ketchup amount by half and the sauce was still too sweet for my husband and I. Next time I will use less sweetener to get the right balance for us. The pineapple juice itself is sweet so we may try making it with out sugar. Otherwise, we loved it. Thanks!
Those all sound like great suggestions! Let me know how it goes next time you try it. I’d love to hear how it turns out!
I keep meatballs in the freezer, for convenience. This is one of the recipes I’ll use them for, and I just realized I never commented and thanked you.
Our family doesn’t like very sweet food, so I reduce the brown sugar and cut WAAYY back on pineapple chunks and juice. If I have it on hand, I use spicy catsup (if not, add a little something for a bit of heat). I add some black pepper and hon dashi. Finally, my kid hates bell peppers, so I substitute some broccoli.
Looks like a lot of adjustments, but it doesn’t feel like it when I’m cooking. 🙂 Husband and daughter both enjoy this with my changes. Thanks so much for the recipe!
All of your substitutions sound amazing! Thanks so much for sharing what you do. I’m so glad your husband and daughter enjoyed it!
This recipe was highly rated, so I gave it a try. It was not good. Maybe just not our taste. I wouldn’t make it again. Giving it two stars because the recipe is well written and the ingredients should taste good together.
I’m sorry it didn’t turn out to your liking. Thanks so much for trying it!
Delicious
Happy you think so 🙂 Thank you!
I must say my family love this sweet and sour meatball recipe!! I make it quite often!!
I do use 1/2 the vinegar though!
It’s very potent in full in the recipe!
Thank you!
Glad your family likes it! Thank you!
Kristyn, these are awesome. So fast and easy but full of flavor. Husband and son both love this dish and I always make extra and freeze for quick lunches. One thing that some might like is to add a little ‘heat’.
Perfect for freezing! Glad they both love them! Thank you!
I also add cayenne pepper!
Yumm!
This recipe is so good! Kids love it! Great way to slice up meatballs
Made this for dinner tonight. Every bite was gone and begged for more.. Next time I will have to make more..
This is such a great recipe! I love how the sauce turns out nice and thick! I also really like that there’s not a ton of ingredients, so it’s a recipe I can make from my pantry staples.
My family loved this recipe. It has a nice balance of flavors and is so easy to throw together! I love the sauce!
Making these tonight. So far they smell amazing! My entire kitchen smells wonderful. Will add another comment a bit later to let you know what my husband and daughter though.
Thank you for trying them 🙂 They smell so good!
Thank you so very much. I have finicky Grandchildren, and they love these things. The only problem is that I have to take them out to get them, and we all know that’s not an option with the pandemic. I have made them yet but will experiment on myself and follow the recipe. Hopefully, a Grandpops could earn some points. Thank you again. I appreciate you. 🙂
I hope you do earn points!! Hope they are a hit! Thank you!
My family just loves this recipe!!
♥️♥️♥️
I’m so glad!! Thank you!
So much flavor packed in such a delicious appetizer! Making these again for our next football get together!
These meatballs are so tasty!! Love the asian flavors..it’s a nice change!
This recipe was absolute perfection! So glad i tried it, im adding it to my forever recipe collection
I am so glad you tried it, too! That makes me so happy! Thank you!
Love this recipe! Make it often!
Happy to hear that! Thank you for letting me know!
How many pounds of meat is this sauce for? I would like to make my own meatballs instead of frozen. Thank you.
It might be close to 1 lb. Hope that helps 🙂 Enjoy!
Easy and delicious! I had just purchased the IKEA frozen meatballs (chicken for my husband and vegetarian for me) and wanted to use them in an easy recipe. I sauteed a red bell pepper and added it to the mix. Thanks for the recipe. It was perfect!
Sounds yum! Love the ones from IKEA! Thank you for letting me know!
How much peppers bell peppers do you use It’s not stated in the ingredients
I usually just use one bell pepper, sometimes two. It just depends on how much you like them.
I am excited to try this. I know this may be a funny question but not quite sure do I add the frozen meatballs to the sauce or do I need to cook them in the oven first. Thanks
I like to buy ones that are already precooked, so you would just need to add them to the sauce & follow the recipe, but if they aren’t cooked, then yes, you would cook them first.
Very good, I added onion as well as bell pepper and a little spicy chili sauce served over rice with egg rolls and it was a hit.
Sounds delish!! Thanks for sharing what you did!
Flavour is spot on! Thank you.
You are so welcome! Thank you for letting me know! Glad you liked it!
I changed this up a little… I didn’t have soy sauce so I used Worcestershire sauce instead And used half white vinegar and half apple cider vinegar and added twice as much cornstarch for a thicker result. But this was amazing! Definitely one of my favorite recipes! The whole family loves it.
Glad to hear!! Thank you for sharing what you did!
Wow this was good!!! Adding it to our monthly list!
Glad it made the rotation!! Thank you so much!
No mention of red and yellow peppers.
Sorry..I need to add those as optional. You could add them when you add the meatballs, so they can become tender. Enjoy!!
We had this last night for dinner and it was a hit! Will keep this on the rotation for sure.
Used cubed Chicken instead of meatballs and served over rice. It went over excellent and will definitely make again. Maybe next time with the meatballs.
That is a great idea! Thanks for sharing that! Glad you liked it!
I like this recipe because its made with frozen meatballs. All you have to do is add the extra ingredients and you have dInner!
I love that this is a beef version for sweet and sour. The sauce Is really easy to make and so delicious.
I love the flavors in these meatballs! My youngest son keeps asking me to them again!
oh yum! I’ll be making these!
My family loved this! Will be making again and again
Love that I can make this from home versus ordering take out! One of my favorite recipes!
What a great take on meatballs!! Love sweet & sour flavors! We will definitely make these again!
Oh this looks amazing…. So filling and fresh. Perfect for summer!
Made this today, instead of canned pineapple and juice I blended fresh pinApple and chopped some up, so delicious, thank you.
Perfect!! Thank you for letting me know!
I am going to try your recipe today. I have a huge of meatballs in the freezer and need a new recipe other than spaghetti and meatballs. I, too, am a Luna. Hehe!
Yay for Lunas! I sure hope you like these!
Even my husBand liked this, and he doesN’t like anything ??
Woohoo!! So, glad he does! Thank you!
Where did you find rice wine vinegar? All I can find in my local stores ( Wal-mart, Target, Publix, Fresh Market) is rice vinegar. Also ketchup is not listed in ingredent list, but is listed in the directions. Is it required or optional? If required how much? Picture shows bell peppers but no mention of them in recipe, so do we use them or not? Thanks for the clarification, can’t wait to try.
I use this recipe all the time leave the veg and meatballs out and use it for a dipping sauce for spring rolls ect
I use any vinegar it works all the same. I just make my meatballs cook them in the oven make the sauce bring it to a boil then throw the veg in cook until veg are tender then put the meatballs in the sauce simmer for about 20 minutes serve with rice.
Sounds great! Thanks for sharing that!
Hello.im reading the instructions it says to add ketchup, but doesnt so how much in the recipe?
The original recipe doesn’t list ketchup in the ingredients but it’s referenced in the instructions. How much do you use? Thanks!
In the comments someone says 1/4 cup ketchup but you’re right, it’s not listed as an ingredient in the recipe until it says to add it but then you don’t know how much.
Looks so good! I’m cooking this tonight for Sunday fam dinner..???? got 3 ‘lil kids to feed.
Yay! Let me know what they all think! Hope everyone loves it!
Forgot to update! 🙂 but it was a hit! I add shredded carrots to my meatballs. Brought the leftover in my workplace the following day and share it with my colleagues. They also love it! Thank you.
Thankyou. No seriously. THANK YOU!!! I made this up and added a few more veggies for my veggie loving kids – and kept the meatballs for my carnivore hubby and brother. The sauce is A-MAZE-ING! So so so yummy! It has to be said – it tastes better than my local Chinese Restaurant. This is going on the “must make again and again” list because it’s heavenly.
Tonight I am so thankful for you!
Wow..thank you so much!! I’m so happy to hear everyone loved it! Thank you 🙂
How is this in crockpot with just meatballs and sauce? No pineapple or peppers. How long in crockpot if so? Thanks much!
I haven’t done them in the crock pot. It’s done over the skillet, but you could probably transfer it to a crock pot, if you need to. You stir in pineapple chunks & you could add the peppers, until they are heated through. Hope that helps!
Sooo Yummy In Eating As Like As In Looking
Thanks @lilluna
Your Recipes Always Rocks
You’re welcome! I hope you’ll give it a try! Thank you!
The display is so pretty. Why did you omit putting in the peppers in your recipe
I did add peppers, but they are the red and yellow ones 🙂
At what point did you add the peppers? Making this tonight. Looks yummy!
Oh, sorry. When I add the meatballs 🙂 Hope that helps!
This will be dinner tonight for my family of 6!! I may double the recipe so the kids can take some for lunch.
Hope you all enjoy them!!! Thanks so much for stopping by!
These meatballs look really good.
They are!!! Hope you’ll give them a try! I’d love to know what you think 🙂
Added half a can of crushed pineapple to sauce, 1/4 cup ketchup,and all the juice from the canned pineapple(1/2 cup) with 1 cup water. Excellent and will make again! – Zomick’s
Sounds yum! Thanks so much for trying it! Glad you liked it 🙂
I want to make this recipe but I don’t have rice vinegar can I use regular white vinegar
You could use apple cider vinegar or lemon or lime juice. Hope that helps!
They are just optional 🙂 Thank you for trying it!