Crockpot Sweet & Sour Meatballs

These crockpot sweet and sour meatballs are coated in a sticky pineapple BBQ sauce with garlic, soy sauce, and just enough tang to balance the sweetness! These are easy enough for a weeknight dinner over rice, but I’ve also been known to serve them at parties with little toothpicks, and trust me when I say that they disappear FAST. Just so versatile, and a recipe you can make on repeat!

I’ve been on a real meatball kick lately, and I think you’d be hard pushed to find a more dependable meal that everyone at your table will happily dig into. But if you’re like me, you like to shake things up a little.

Need more ideas? Check out my crockpot Korean BBQ meatballs, crockpot cherry cola meatballs, crockpot Mexican meatballs, Swedish meatballs, and one-pot turkey meatballs!

What You’ll Need

Note: As always, I’ve included a printable recipe card at the bottom of this post!

• Frozen meatballs – The easy shortcut that makes this recipe perfect for weeknight dinners, parties, and potlucks.
• Pineapple chunks – Add sweetness and juicy bites.
• Red bell pepper – Brings freshness, color, and a little crunch to balance the rich sauce.
• BBQ sauce – Creates the sticky savory base of the sauce and adds smoky flavor.
• Brown sugar – Helps balance the tanginess and gives the sauce its glossy finish.
• Soy sauce – Adds salty savory depth that keeps the sauce from tasting overly sweet.
• White vinegar – Gives the sauce that signature sweet-and-sour tang.
• Garlic – Adds warmth and savory flavor throughout the sauce.
• Ginger powder – Brings a subtle warmth that works really well with the pineapple and soy sauce.
• Green onions – Fresh topping that brightens the whole dish right before serving.

How To Make Crockpot Sweet & Sour Meatballs

• Add the frozen meatballs, pineapple chunks, and chopped red bell pepper to the slow cooker.
• In a bowl, whisk together the BBQ sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger powder.

• Pour the sauce over the meatballs and stir gently to coat everything evenly.
• Cover and cook on low for 4–5 hours or high for 2–3 hours, until the meatballs are heated through and the sauce is hot and bubbling.

• Give everything a good stir so the meatballs are fully coated in the sweet-and-sour sauce.
• Finish with sliced green onions before serving.

Troubleshooting

All my recipes are thoroughly tried and tested, though real life happens and sometimes you might want to make some tweaks or fix small things that aren’t quite to your liking!

• The sauce is too thin

Take the lid off for the last 20–30 minutes of cooking so the sauce can thicken up a bit.

• The sauce tastes too sweet

Add a splash more vinegar or soy sauce to balance it out.

• The peppers got too soft

Add them halfway through cooking next time if you prefer them with a little more bite.

• The meatballs are breaking apart

Make sure you’re using fully cooked frozen meatballs and stir just gently once everything starts heating through.

Storage & Reheating

Store leftover sweet and sour meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or warm gently on the stovetop or in the slow cooker until heated through.

The sauce thickens slightly in the fridge, but loosens back up nicely once reheated. If needed, add a small splash of water while warming.

How To Serve for Easy Weeknight Dinners

Theseare so good served over rice, mashed potatoes, or noodles for an easy comfort dinner.

For extra texture and freshness, serve with steamed broccoli, snap peas, or a quick cucumber salad on the side.

How To Serve at Parties

These are such a hit at parties! Serve them with toothpicks for an easy appetizer, or pile them onto Hawaiian rolls if you want to turn them into little sliders. Super cute and low fuss.

They also fit right in on a game day or potluck table alongside things like chips, dips, wings, and pasta salad.

Crockpot Sweet & Sour Meatballs

Crockpot sweet and sour meatballs are sticky, saucy, and packed with sweet-and-savory flavor from pineapple, BBQ sauce, soy sauce, and garlic. They’re ridiculously easy to throw together with frozen meatballs and work just as well for easy family dinners as they do for parties and potlucks.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 4 hours hrs

Total Time 4 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Main Course

Servings 8

Ingredients

  

• 3 lbs frozen meatballs
• 20 oz can pineapple chunks drained with juice reserved
• 1 red bell pepper chopped
• 1 ½ cups BBQ sauce
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• ¼ teaspoon ginger powder
• 2 tablespoons green onions for topping

Instructions

 

• Add the frozen meatballs, pineapple chunks, and chopped red bell pepper to the slow cooker.
• In a bowl, whisk together the BBQ sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger powder.
• Pour the sauce over the meatballs and stir gently to coat everything evenly.
• Cover and cook on low for 4–5 hours or high for 2–3 hours, until the meatballs are heated through and the sauce is hot and bubbling.
• Give everything a good stir so the meatballs are fully coated in the sweet-and-sour sauce.
• Finish with sliced green onions before serving.

Tried this one? How did it turn out for you? I’d really love to hear your thoughts, and you can leave a comment and a star rating below. It helps other readers, and it also helps me to create and develop more recipes you’ll love making in your own kitchen!