Crock Pot Sweet and Sour Meatballs (+Video)

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Crock Pot Sweet and Sour Meatballs are a delicious and easy recipe! Meatballs, pineapple and peppers are all coated in a homemade sweet and sour sauce!

FROZEN MEATBALLS WITH A HOMEMADE SAUCE

I could not wait to share this recipe for Crock Pot Sweet and Sour Meatballs with you today. It turned out so good that even my picky eaters enjoyed it. It was so simple to make and my house smelled AMAZING while it cooked. The sauce is a wonderful blend of sweet and tangy. And the meatballs came out so tender! It may sound like a weird combination of flavors but it really works so well. If there is one recipe I wish people would make from my site, it is definitely this one!

sweet and sour meatballs shown on white rice on a white plate with a glass of iced tea in the background.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Do I need to thaw the meatballs first?

Nope! The meatballs go in frozen.

Can I make my own homemade meatballs?

I wouldn’t suggest it. Mainly because homemade meatballs will release a lot of fat as they cook and you might end up with a greasy mess. Perhaps if your meatballs had already been pre-cooked that would work. Just make sure they aren’t Italian style meatballs. Those flavors do not work well with this. Also, I have only made this with frozen meatballs so this is all just guessing on my part. If you try it and it works for you, please let me know!

How do I serve these sweet and sour meatballs?

If you want to serve these as an appetizer, just serve them as-is and with small bowls and forks on the side for guests to help themselves. Or if you want to make it more like a meal, you could serve them with rice.

Can I cook these for longer?

Technically yes, but at some point, you’ll want to switch it over to high to help the sauce thicken. Getting it hot helps that cornstarch activate to thicken the sauce. Unless maybe you have a slow cooker that naturally runs hot, you may not need to. I’ve only ever tested this out this one particular way but if you have tips or have tried making it a different way, please comment below.

How do I store leftovers?

Leftovers can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and can be frozen for up to 3 months. Reheating in the microwave or on a pot on the stove is your best option.

fully cooked sweet and sour meatballs in a black oval slow cooker with a silver spoon inserted into the meatballs.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)

frozen homestyle meatballs – use your favorite here, I know different areas carry different brands and it seems like there are varying sizes of the bags too. I used a 28 ounce bag but if yours is a little less or a little more – that’s fine, it will still work. Just make sure you don’t get the Italian flavored meatballs because the seasoning in those won’t work well with this recipe.
canned pineapple chunks in 100% juice – you need the kind in 100% juice not syrup because you are going to use that juice to make the sauce and the syrup is just too sweet and not the right consistency to make this sauce. If you can’t find the pineapple chunks, you can use pineapple tidbits.
green pepper – you could also go with a red or yellow pepper here. I suppose you could leave it out if you really hate peppers.
brown sugar – this is the sweet part of the sweet and sour sauce. Because brown sugar has molasses in it, it’s also adds a nice depth of flavor. I would not substitute this with regular sugar or a sugar substitute if possible.
vinegar – I have not tried this with apple cider vinegar so I honestly couldn’t say if that flavor would work well here. I like apple cider vinegar but I’m not sure I would like it in this.
soy sauce – if you are sensitive to sodium, you could go with a low sodium soy sauce here.
cornstarch – this is going to help thicken the sauce. Don’t use flour, it doesn’t work as well and you’ll end up with lumps in your sauce.

frozen meatballs, pineapple, soy sauce, brown sugar, green pepper, cornstarch.

HOW TO MAKE SLOW COOKER SWEET AND SOUR MEATBALLS:

First, drain the juice from the can of pineapple into a medium bowl (you’ll need that later for the sauce.) It should give you about a cup of pineapple juice.

draining the pineapple juice from the can into a bowl.

Place frozen meatballs into a 4-6 quart crock pot.

frozen meatballs shown at the bottom of an oval black slow cooker.

Then top meatballs with pineapple chunks and green peppers.

chopped green peppers and pineapple chunks shown on top of the frozen meatballs in a slow cooker.

Add brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce and cornstarch to the pineapple juice you set aside earlier. Whisk it all together well.

pineapple juice, brown sugar, cornstarch and soy sauce whisked together in a clear bowl.

Pour sauce over meatballs.

pouring sweet and sour sauce into crock pot over green peppers, pineapple and meatballs.

Cover and cook on low for 2 hours. After a couple of hours, switch the crock pot to high and cook for an additional hour. Doing this will thicken the sauce. After an hour, the sauce should be thicker and bubbling around the edges.

a silver spoon holding up some sweet and sour meatballs over the crock pot.

You can serve them just like this or over some rice to make it a meal!

closeup photo pf sweet and sour meatballs on white rice.

CRAVING MORE RECIPES?

Originally published: December 2015
Updated and republished: May 2023