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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.
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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
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!