Sweet and Sour Meatballs

These sweet and sour meatballs are bursting with tangy pineapples and peppers. It’s an easy, 20-minute version of Chinese takeout.

Save This Recipe!

Just enter your email and get it sent to your inbox! Plus you’ll get new recipes from us every week!

Email *

Save

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.

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 to make Sweet and Sour Meatballs

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. SERVE. Stir in 1 cup pineapple chunks. Garnish with 2 tablespoons sliced green onions and serve warm over rice.

Complete The Meal

Sides

Homemade Fried Rice

25 mins

Recipe Video

Egg Roll Recipe

20 mins

Recipe Video

Baked Cream Cheese Rangoon

17 mins

Chicken Lettuce Wrap Recipe

20 mins

Recipe Video

Asian Recipes

Sweet and Sour Chicken

40 mins

Recipe Video

Asian Meatballs

3 hrs 10 mins

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

40 mins

Sesame Chicken

1 hr 18 mins

Recipe Video

Collections

Asian Appetizers

Asian Dinner Ideas

Easy Dinner Ideas

Quick Dinner Ideas

4.98 from 398 votes

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

By: Lil’ Luna

These sweet and sour meatballs are bursting with tangy pineapples and peppers. It's an easy, 20-minute version of Chinese takeout.

Servings: 6

Prep: 5 minutes mins

Cook: 15 minutes mins

Total: 20 minutes mins

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 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

Balance the flavor. Balance out a too-sweet flavor by adding in something acidic like more vinegar or citrus juice. If the dish is too sour, add a sweetener like brown sugar, pineapple juice, or honey.

Serving size. 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.

Freezer meal. 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 up in the slow cooker or stovetop. 

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or up to 3 months in the freezer. For best results reheat in the oven, but the microwave also works.

Nutrition

Calories: 325kcal, Carbohydrates: 42g, Protein: 11g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 42mg, Sodium: 301mg, Potassium: 480mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 36g, Vitamin A: 1341IU, Vitamin C: 65mg, Calcium: 49mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Recipe FAQ

Adapted from foodnetwork.com