These sweet and sour meatballs are one of those dinners I pull out when I need something easy, but I know everyone likes! They’re saucy, a little sweet, a little tangy, and come together fast.
Why You’re About to Put These on Repeat
- Easy Enough for Busy Weeknights: No fancy steps, no babysitting the stove, just a simple throw it together and call it dinner situation.
- The Sauce is Ridiculously Good: Sweet, tangy, and clingy in the best way. You’ll be scraping the pan and just trying it more than necessary.
- It Disappears Fast: Kids, adults, whoever walks through the kitchen, everyone grabs a bowl, and suddenly there are no leftovers to deal with.
A Reader’s Review
Thanks for sharing this recipe! I made this today, did every step, I had all the ingredients except for Sriracha, but it still turned out so good!
Ruby
Sweet and Sour Meatballs Ingredients
- Meat: Swap the ground beef for ground chicken, ground turkey, or pork.
- Onion: Finely mince or grate your onions. This will evenly distribute the onions, helping to keep the meatballs moist.
- Time Saving Hack! Use frozen meatballs to save time.
- Air Fry the Meatballs: Instead of cooking in the oven, cook in the air fryer at 380°F for 10 minutes, shaking halfway through.
- Sugar: Adjust the sugar to taste, depending on how sweet you like your sweet and sour sauce.
- Vinegar: Swap the apple cider vinegar for rice wine or white vinegar.
- Bell Peppers: Use your favorite color of bell peppers. Cut into even-sized pieces so the onions and peppers cook evenly.
How to Make Sweet and Sour Meatballs
My sweet and sour meatball recipe is so simple. All you do is make your meatballs (or use frozen in a pinch), whip up the sauce, cut up your veggies and pineapple, and you’re good to go! It has the best flavors that everyone will love!
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 450°F, then line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. To a large bowl, add ground beef, finely minced onion, bread crumbs, egg, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix until evenly combined.
- Make Meatballs: Scoop the meatball mixture into 2-tablespoon portions, then roll them into smooth balls. You should get 18-20 meatballs. Place them on the baking sheet and spray them lightly with oil. Bake the meatballs for 18 minutes, until they are fully cooked, rotating them halfway through.
- Make Sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together pineapple juice, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, water, ketchup, soy sauce, sriracha, and cornstarch.
- Cook Veggies: In a large wok or pan, heat vegetable oil over high heat. Add diced green and red bell peppers and onion. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Combine: Reduce the heat to low, then add pineapple chunks, meatballs, and sauce to the pan.
- Simmer & Serve: Simmer the meatballs in the sauce for 4-5 minutes until the sauce thickens. Serve sweet and sour meatballs over rice.
Kitchen Tools For This Recipe
- Small Cookie Scoop: Using a 1½ to 2-tablespoon-sized cookie scoop makes portioning out and shaping the meatballs quick and easy.
- Baking Sheet: Use to cook the meatballs in the oven.
- Wok: Great for stir-frying vegetables at high heat. If you don’t have a wok, you can use a large skillet with high sides.
Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Juicy meatballs tossed in a sweet and tangy sauce that comes together fast and tastes even better over rice.
Servings 4 servings
Calories 510kcal
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 small finely minced onion
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Sauce
- ½ cup pineapple juice
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Other Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 green bell pepper cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 red bell pepper cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 small onion cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup pineapple chunks
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
-
To a large bowl, add 1 pound ground beef, 1 small finely minced onion, ½ cup breadcrumbs, 1 egg, 3 teaspoons minced garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Mix until evenly combined.
-
Scoop the meatball mixture into 2 tablespoon-sized balls and roll them into smooth balls. You should get 18-20 meatballs. Place them on the baking sheet and spray them lightly with oil.
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Bake the meatballs for 18 minutes, until they are fully cooked, rotating them halfway through.
-
In a small bowl, whisk together ½ cup pineapple juice, ½ cup brown sugar, ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar, ¼ cup water, ¼ cup ketchup, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sriracha, and 1 tablespoon cornstarch.
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In a large wok or pan, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil over high heat. Add 1 green bell pepper, 1 red bell pepper, and 1 small onion. Cook for 2 minutes.
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Reduce the heat to low, then add 1 cup pineapple chunks, meatballs, and sauce to the pan. Simmer the meatballs in the sauce for 4-5 minutes until the sauce thickens. Serve over rice.
Notes
Leftover and Make Ahead Instructions
- Fridge- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Reheat: Microwave or stovetop until heated through.
- Freezer- Store in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
- Make Ahead- Make the meatballs the day before and store them in the fridge until you are ready to cook them. You can also freeze the uncooked meatballs. Cook from frozen, adding a few extra minutes to the bake time.
Nutrition
Calories: 510kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 115mg | Sodium: 1258mg | Potassium: 780mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 45g | Vitamin A: 1216IU | Vitamin C: 76mg | Calcium: 101mg | Iron: 4mg
More Meatball Meals to Try Tonight!
source https://therecipecritic.com/sweet-and-sour-meatballs/
Sweet and Sour Meatballs
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Reviewed by Around the food
on
April 11, 2026
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