These sweet and sour Hawaiian pineapple BBQ meatballs are made from scratch, then they slow cook to perfection with bbq sauce and crushed pineapple. You can substitute frozen meatballs for a super easy crock pot meal. Serve slow cooked Hawaiian meatballs on sub rolls for busy weeknight dinners. Serve mini slow cooked meatballs with toothpicks for a memorable party app. They’re especially appropriate as a Hawaiian luau party recipe!
Making the sauce for slow cooked Hawaiian pineapple BBQ meatballs
These crockpot meatballs marinade for hours in a sweet and sour sauce that is as simple as it is addictive. The two ingredients? Crushed pineapples and BBQ sauce.
Should you use homemade or store bought meatballs in the crock pot?
This recipe for Hawaiian pineapple BBQ meatballs includes a recipe to make meatballs from scratch.
But you don’t have to make the meatballs from scratch.
Frozen meatballs will do if you’re in a rush.
But, if you’ve never made meatballs at home, give it a try.
Homemade meatballs are easy to make and don’t take very long. I make them in large batches and freeze them to make these Hawaiian pineapple BBQ meatballs on busy week nights.
When you make your own meatballs, you can add spice, or pack them with extra onion and bell peppers for flavor.
How to make homemade meatballs for the slow cooker
For these slow cooker Hawaiian meatballs from scratch, I used ground beef, eggs, breadcrumbs, onion, orange pepper, garlic, salt, and pepper. All of the ingredients are mixed together in a large bowl until combined.
Then the scooping begins.
Using a meatball scoop, portion out equal-sized meatballs and arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Small 1″ meatballs are ideal for serving on toothpicks or with mini forks.
Larger 2″ meatballs are better for eating in a sandwich or over rice as a meal.
Once the meatballs are divided into balls, it’s time tow brown them.
You can bake or pan fry the meatballs. Your choice.
The meatballs don’t have to be cooked all the way through, just browned on the outside so they stay together while the meatballs slow cook in the crock pot.
How to pan fry meatballs
To pan fry them, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan on medium. Add meatballs, stirring regularly to brown all sides.
How to bake meatballs
Arrange meatballs on a baking tray so they don’t touch. Bake meatballs 20 minutes at 375.
Slow cooking Hawaiian pineapple BBQ meatballs
Place browned meatballs in the crock pot and pour the pineapple BBQ sauce on top.
Cook 4 hours on high, stirring occasionally to redistribute the sauce.
Make an easy weeknight dinner by serving slow cooker Hawaiian pineapple BBQ meatballs on hoagie rolls or on top of rice.
Or make mini meatballs and serve them with toothpicks or mini forks for a party.
These are perfect for a luau party.
Do you need brown sugar to make slow cooker Hawaiian meatballs?
I don’t use brown sugar in my recipe and it’s deliciously sweet and sour.
This Hawaiian meatball recipe has no added sugar beyond the BBQ sauce and crushed pineapples.
We like to buy in bulk once a month at Costco so we always have leftover ground beef to make scratch made hamburgers. To help them last longer, we vacuum seal burgers to cook sous vide style later.
Tasty Tips and notes for making slow cooked Hawaiian pineapple BBQ meatballs
- These slow cooker pineapple BBQ meatballs are a great appetizer. Serve them with mini forks or toothpicks.
- Serve Hawaiian BBQ meatballs as a main dish over rice or in sandwich rolls.
- You can substitute a bag of frozen meatballs.
- Want an easy freezer meal? Freeze made from scratch meatballs for a couple months. Pack individual servings in airtight containers so they are easier to reheat. Pre-package the BBQ pineapple sauce in plastic bags, so it is easy to thaw over night and cook them in the crock pot when you want to make them again.
- Add some spice to this recipe by adding crushed red pepper in the meatballs.
- Use a meatball scoop set to make perfect appetizer and entree sized meatballs.
- If you’re doing the meatballs from scratch, you can use ground turkey, lean ground beef or pork.
- Store these slow cooked Hawaiian BBQ meatballs in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- You can use them as an easy snack by reheating them in the microwave!
- Planning a Hawaiian luau? Check out this pineapple mimosa recipe and ideas for throwing a luau party.
If you’re a big BBQ fan, check out this recipe for 24 hour sous vide beef ribs. The sous vide technique makes really, really tender ribs and they’re slathered in BBQ sauce.
Hawaiian Pineapple BBQ Meatballs Recipe (Sip Bite Go)
These sweet and sour Hawaiian pineapple BBQ meatballs are made from scratch, but you can sub frozen meatballs for a super easy crock pot meal. Serve slow cooked Hawaiian meatballs on sub rolls for busy weeknight dinners. Serve mini slow cooked meatballs with toothpicks for a memorable party app.
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- ½ cup onion chopped
- ½ cup orange pepper chopped
- 2 tbsp garlic diced
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp pepper
Sauce
- 20 oz pineapple crushed
- 1 cup BBQ sauce
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 1-2 rimmed cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Mix together ingredients for meatballs (eggs, breadcrumbs, onion, orange pepper, garlic diced, ground beef, salt, pepper). Using an ice cream scoop, portion out equal-sized meatballs, either 1" or 2". Smaller meatballs are better for serving on toothpicks. Larger meatballs are better for eating in a sandwich or over rice as a meal.
Bake or pan fry meatballs. To bake them, arrange meatballs on a baking tray so they don't touch. Bake meatballs 20 minutes at 375.
To pan fry them, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan on medium. Add meatballs, stirring regularly to brown all sides. The meatballs don't have to be fully cooked inside since they'll finish cooking in the crock pot.
While meatballs are cooking, make the pineapple BBQ sauce. Mix together crushed pineapple and BBQ sauce.
Place partially cooked meatballs in the crock pot and pour the sauce on top. Cook 4 hours on high, stirring occasionally to redistribute the sauce. Serve on rolls, on rice, or with toothpicks for an appetizer.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- These slow cooker pineapple BBQ meatballs are a great appetizer. Serve them with mini forks or toothpicks.
- Serve Hawaiian BBQ meatballs as a main dish over rice or in sandwich rolls.
- You can substitute a bag of frozen meatballs.
- Want an easy freezer meal? Freeze made from scratch meatballs for a couple months. Pack individual servings in airtight containers so they are easier to reheat. Pre-package the BBQ pineapple sauce in plastic bags, so it is easy to thaw over night and cook them in the crock pot when you want to make them again.
- Add some spice to this recipe by adding crushed red pepper in the meatballs.
- Use a meatball scoop set to make perfect appetizer and entree sized meatballs.
- If you’re doing the meatballs from scratch, you can use ground turkey, lean ground beef or pork.
- Store these slow cooked Hawaiian BBQ meatballs in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- You can use them as an easy snack by reheating them in the microwave!
- Planning a Hawaiian party? Check out ideas for throwing a luau party.
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Hello game day!! These meatballs sound and look so good and I am pining for my next game day!
These look so tasty Jenna, I wish I was having them for dinner! They are so versatile too, would suit almost any occassion, thanks for another great recipe!
Love the Pineapple and BBQ flavor to making these Meat Balls moist, juicy and delicious. A must try dish for sure.
These look perfect for a get together!