Saucy and juicy Sweet and Sour Meatballs are tossed in your favorite sweet and sour sauce along with peppers, onions, and pineapple served over rice.
We love to serve sweet sour meatballs over a bed of fluffy white rice, paired with my Crispy Chicken Egg Rolls and some Cream Cheese Wontons it’s a complete meal!
This is a super easy Asian inspired recipe I pull out during the week because it’s so quick to make. The homemade sweet and sour sauce recipe is from my Sweet and Sour Chicken, and it’s PERFECT on top of the meatballs!
Sweet and Sour Meatball Recipe
The star of sweet and sour meatballs is the tangy sweet and sour sauce, with a combination of vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, and 2 different types of sugar to bring ALL the flavor! My favorite part is the added juicy pineapple chunks and sweet bell pepper for pops of color and flavor.
Ingredients for Sweet and Sour Sauce
Here’s the basic list of ingredients you’ll need in order to whip up Sweet and Sour Meatballs. As always, you can find the full ingredient list in the printable recipe card below.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – helps bring the tangy, sour flavor to the meatballs
- Sugar – a combination of white granulated sugar and brown sugar is the sweet flavor
- Cornstarch – thickens the sauce slightly to keep it a nice glaze texture
- Soy Sauce – adds savory depth to the flavor of the sauce
- Garlic – fresh is best, minced or paste adds the most flavor
- Ketchup – adds a combo of sweet and sour to the sauce and adds a pop of color
Ingredients for Meatballs
- Meatballs – frozen or homemade meatballs work well
- Bell Peppers – red and green are used here, you can switch up the colors if desired
- Pineapple – canned (and drained) or fresh cut into chunks
- Onion – yellow or another sweeter variety is best
How To Make Sweet and Sour Meatballs
First we make the sauce and cook the vegetables separately, then add them together! I’ll walk you through the steps to make both the sweet and sour sauce and the meatballs.
Make The Sauce
In a small bowl, combine the sugar, apple cider vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar and garlic in a bowl. Whisk together and set aside for later.
In another small bowl combine 1 Tablespoon of water and the cornstarch, stir together and set aside. This will be the thickener for the sweet and sour sauce.
Cook The Vegetables
In a large skillet, heat up 1 Tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Once it’s nice and hot, add in the yellow onion, chopped bell peppers, and pineapple chunks and cook together for about 3 minutes, until the pepper and onions have lightly charred and softened.
Add The Sauce
To the vegetables, add the bowl of sauce ingredients and bring to a simmer. Pour in the cornstarch and water mixture and cook the sauce until it starts to thicken, about 1-2 minutes.
Add The Meatballs
Add prepared (cooked) meatballs to the sauce, to simmer until well heated through.
Serve over a bed of fluffy cooked white or jasmine rice. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips and Substitutions
- Go as colorful as you want with the bell peppers, orange, red, yellow, or green!
- If you prefer smaller pineapple pieces, use pineapple bits instead of large chunks.
- Want it spicy? Add 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes to the sauce ingredients as it cooks.
- Want it more sour? Add another Tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar or omit the same amount of sugar.
Make Ahead and Storage
Refrigerate: Once cooked and cooled, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
To Freeze: Once cooled, transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Common Questions
About 2 weeks refrigerated, if it is made ahead stored separately from the meatballs and vegetables.
A combination of sweet ingredients like sugar, sometimes the juice of a fruit (pineapple) and sour and savory ingredients like vinegar and soy sauce with a few other spices to flavor it.
Using peeled chopped apples or oranges is an acceptable substitute, they are sweet and will take on the flavor of the sauce without overpowering the dish like other fruits might.
Simmered in a sauce is the best way to make sure they’ll stay nice and juicy and not dry out.
More Delicious Meatball Recipes
We like to eat meatballs a few different ways, not just with pasta and Homemade Marinara Sauce! Here are a few of our favorite ways to eat them.
- Super Easy Swedish Meatballs
- Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs
- Chicken Parmesan Meatball Skillet
- Super Easy Crock Pot Spaghetti Squash with Meatballs
I hope you enjoy this recipe for homemade sweet and sour meatballs as much as we do! Make sure to let me know how you like it in the comments below!
Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
For the Meatballs
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 cup pineapple chunks, fresh or canned (drained)
- 30 meatballs, prepared or frozen *see notes
Instructions
For the Sauce
- Combine the sugar, apple cider vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar and garlic in a small bowl. Set aside for later.
- In a separate small bowl combine 1 tbsp of water with the 1 tbsp of cornstarch. Set aside for later.
For The Meatballs
- In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, add in the onion, bell peppers and pineapple and cook about 3 minutes, until the peppers and onions have lightly charred.
- Stir the sauce ingredients into the peppers and onions and bring to a simmer. Pour in the cornstarch mixture and cook until the sauce starts to thicken.
- Add the prepared meatballs to the sauce and simmer until heated through. Serve over rice and enjoy!
I made the sweet and sour meatballs . I shared them with my family and we loved them. Thank you for sharing this recipe<3
These were so good. I will surely make them again
This recipe is so good and tasty. It’s so easy to make and hardly takes any time. Shawn has the best and easiet recipes for quick dinners. I have been trying her reicpes for about 3 years and I have always been happy with the outcome of every recipe I’ve tried. They are always sooooooo good!
This looks so good!