These sweet and sour meatballs make an easy weeknight meal that everyone will love but are equally delicious and served as party fare!
You’ve probably had sweet and sour meatballs at some point in your life, but you’ve never really had them until you’ve tried these. I know that sounds braggy, but wait, this recipe comes straight from my Grandma’s handwritten recipes so it’s actually, her recipe, not mine!
This is a recipe she would make for us when she was babysitting. I think she used it as a way to control all of us kids at dinner. We were all on our best behavior when she told us she was serving easy sweet and sour meatballs for dinner. No fussing or fighting from the herd because we all wanted our share!
It’s shocking how excited people get when you whip out the sweet and sour meatballs at an office Christmas party. They love it, and a lot of it has to do with nostalgia. Many of us grew up eating these, especially at family gatherings and special occasions. This year is no different, so save this recipe because you’ll want to keep it handy!
If you love meatballs as much as we do, I hope you’ll try our Italian baked meatballs, porcupine meatballs, chicken parmesan meatballs, and Sicilian meatballs next!
What I Love Most About This Recipe
- The meatballs are moist and tender!
- Wow, this recipe for sweet and sour meatballs is really packed with flavor. It caters to every taste bud you have!
- It’s so easy to make – even when you double or triple the batches for a potluck!
- This dish brings me back to the sweet meatballs served at countless family parties and at Grandma’s dinner table!
What Are Sweet And Sour Meatballs?
Little round flavor bombs of joy! A spin-off of your traditional meatball (kind of like BBQ meatballs) this dish can be served as an appetizer or main course. Instead of the Italian spices and sauces, you would typically find in a meatball dish, our sweet meatball recipe revels in flavors like ginger, pineapple, vinegar, and garlic.
Sweet And Sour Meatballs Ingredients
- Breadcrumbs: I use soft breadcrumbs. I remove the crust from a few pieces of sandwich bread and pulse them into coarse crumbs in the food processor.
- Milk: I use whole milk.
- Meat: I like 80/20 ground beef for the best flavor.
- Egg: Large egg.
- Salt + Pepper: Creates the perfect seasoning base.
- Ground Ginger: I like the dried ginger rather than fresh ginger in this recipe.
- Garlic Powder: Adds just the right amount of mild garlic flavor.
- Brown Sugar: I use light brown sugar but dark would also work. Be sure to pack it when measuring.
- Ketchup: Add sweet tomato flavor to the sauce.
- Vinegar: I use white vinegar but apple cider vinegar is really nice as well.
- Worcestershire sauce: Adds great depth of flavor to the dish.
- Pineapple Chunks: I like these meatballs with pineapple chunks. The sweet and sour meatballs Pioneer Woman suggests contain only pineapple juice. I’ve always preferred these with chunks and absolutely LOVE them in this dish!
- Onion: Use white or yellow onion.
- Bell Pepper: Use any color bell pepper.
Tips
- Meat: If you’re feeling a little red meat guilt, I understand, I’ve been there. You can lighten up these delicious sweet sour meatballs by subbing ground turkey or chicken for beef! Less fat with no flavor sacrifice!
- Frozen Meatballs: In the crockpot version of this dish, store-bought frozen meatballs come into play. You can use my meatballs here as well, by making them ahead of time and then freezing them. You will likely have to extend the cooking time. Most frozen meatballs are packaged fully cooked. This way, your slow cooker sweet and sour meatballs are completely homemade!
- Sweet and Sour Sauce: If you’re feeling the urge to go store-bought, deny it. The sauce for this recipe is so easy to make. Don’t take a shortcut. It’s worth it, I promise.
How To Make Sweet And Sour Meatballs
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Pulse the sandwich bread in a food processor to make soft breadcrumbs.
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In a large bowl, add breadcrumbs and milk and stir. Allow breadcrumbs to sit until milk is absorbed.
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Add beef, egg, salt, pepper, ginger and garlic powder.
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Mix until all ingredients are evenly distributed.
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Form into meatballs about 2 inches in diameter and arrange in a single layer in the prepared baking dish.
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In a medium bowl, mix together the first 5 ingredients for the sauce until well combined.
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Add the can of pineapple chunks with all the juice, onion, and green pepper and mix.
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Pour sauce over meatballs and bake uncovered in a preheated oven for 1 hour or until there is no longer any pink left in the meat.
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Serve over cooked rice.
***See the full instructions below.
How To Make Sweet And Sour Meatballs In The Crockpot:
Of course, I have a recipe for sweet and sour meatballs crockpot style. I am all about convenience…and these are really convenient.
- Mix together the sauce as directed in the recipe instructions, and pour into a lightly sprayed slow cooker.
- Place the package of frozen meatballs in the sauce, tossing well. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.
Affectionately referred to as “sweet and sour meatballs pineapple slow cooker delight” by my family and friends, you’ll find this to be a recurring request for dinner from those close to you!
Serving Recommendations
I like to serve these over cooked rice. On the side, we like brown sugar carrots, roasted broccoli, southern style green beans, or Arkansas green beans!
We also like a batch of quick Bisquick biscuits, cat head biscuits, or butter swim biscuits. All three are super easy and quick to put together, and none of them require needed, rolling, or cutting out!
How to Store and Make Ahead
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? These meatballs can be kept in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Can You Freeze This? These little meaty gems freeze quite well! Whether you want to freeze a large batch or just your dinner leftovers, simply portion out these yummy sweet sour meatballs any way you’d like, and into the freezer they go! Their flavor holds up incredibly well, just be sure to follow all freeze guidelines.
- Make-Ahead Tips: But of course. Crockpot method aside, simply make the meatballs as you normally would right up until they’re supposed to go into the oven.
- Instead of baking them, cover them tightly and pop them in the fridge. Make the sauce in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate it as well.
- Remember with sweet n sour meatballs, we’re working with raw meat, so bake them later that same day or within a 24-hour time period.
- Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety check out these links for meatballs and freezing guidelines.
More Yummy Ground Beef Recipes
- Stuffed Peppers
- Best Taco Meat
- Taco Mac And Cheese
- Stove Top Stuffing Meatloaf
- American Chop Suey
- Spaghetti With Ground Beef
- Taco Lasagna
- Bisquick Impossible Taco Pie
- Beefaroni
- Southern Meatloaf
More Meatball Recipes!
- Cranberry Meatballs
- Bisquick Sausage Balls
- Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs
- Baked Ziti with Mini Meatballs
- Spaghetti and Meatballs
- Greek Turkey Meatballs
Have You Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 2 cups soft fresh bread crumbs
- 1 cup milk
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 3/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Sauce:
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1 cup water
- 4 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 (20-ounce) can pineapple chunks in juice including juice
- 1 small white onion
- 1 medium green bell pepper chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF (177ºC) and spray a 9X13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, add breadcrumbs (2 cups) and milk (1 cup) and stir. Allow breadcrumbs to sit until milk is absorbed. Add beef (2 pounds), egg (1 large), salt (1 1/2 teaspoons), pepper (3/4 teaspoon), ginger (1 teaspoon), and garlic powder (1/2 teaspoon). Mix until all ingredients are evenly distributed. Form into meatballs about 2 inches in diameter and arrange in a single layer in the prepared baking dish.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the first 5 ingredients for the sauce until well combined. Add the can of pineapple chunks with all the juice, onion (1 small), and green pepper (1 medium) and mix.
- Pour sauce over meatballs and bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 1 hour or until there is no longer any pink left in the meat. Serve over cooked rice.
Fans Also Made:
Notes
- Meat: If you’re feeling a little red meat guilt, I understand, I’ve been there. You can lighten up these delicious sweet sour meatballs by subbing ground turkey or chicken for beef! Less fat with no flavor sacrifice!
- Frozen Meatballs: In the crockpot version of this dish, store-bought frozen meatballs come into play. You can use my meatballs here as well, by making them ahead of time and then freezing them. You will likely have to extend the cooking time. Most frozen meatballs are packaged fully cooked. This way, your slow cooker sweet and sour meatballs are completely homemade!
- Sweet and Sour Sauce: If you’re feeling the urge to go store-bought, deny it. The sauce for this recipe is so easy to make. Don’t take a shortcut. It’s worth it, I promise.
Nutrition
Hi,
Do you think panko breadcrumbs would work or traditional breadcrumbs? I don’t own a food processor.
Thank you!
Hey Diane. Hmmm. Well, the panko crumbs are significantly drier. That will change things, I’m just not sure how much. Sorry I’m just not 100% sure!! All that said, I’d go for it!
will let you know!
Have you ever tried it with ground chicken? *trying* to cut back on beef (not easy!)
Thanks.
Hey Lucie. Funny you should ask because I was just thinking myself that would be a tasty modification but I haven’t done it yet. If you do, please let me know how you like it. My only thought is they might not be quite as tender because of the lower fat in chicken.
Part of the cooking instructions seem to be missing. Also, the commentary refers to decreasing the amount of sugar in the recipe to 1/2 cup as making the dish taste average, but the ingredients list calls for 1/2 cup. ???
Thanks.
Wow L.S. thank you! I’ve ammended the recipe. The sauce is supposed to have 2/3 cup of brown sugar and it bakes for approx. 1 hour. Thanks again for your help! 🙂
Sounds yummy! How long do you bake it?
Hi Rita it bakes approx 1 hour 😉