Crock Pot Hawaiian Meatballs smothered in a sweet, tangy sauce with pineapple and fresh ginger are cooked low and slow, making them tender and juicy. These succulent meatballs are a slow cooker masterpiece and are great served as an appetizer or main dish!
Meatballs are a favorite in my family. Whether it’s Crock Pot Bourbon Meatballs, Easy Party Cocktail Meatballs, or Homemade Meatball With Sauce, they always disappear fast!
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5-Star Comment
Awesome meatballs! A big hit at our get together and everyone wanted the recipe! Was almost like sweet and sour. Will make them many times again! Pate
My boys have always been obsessed with my meatball recipe. I think that Hunter could probably eat them every day of the week and has been known to scarf down at least 4 helpings at a time.
To keep these guys happy, I’ve come up with a new recipe for meatballs that has them totally smitten. I’ve combined meatballs, chunks of pineapple, fresh ginger, and a sweet, tangy sauce for a flavor combination that’s crazy good!
Just like my Bourbon Meatballs, this recipe is cooked in the crockpot. It only takes about 2 hours for the meatballs to cook, which makes everyone in my house super happy.
Ingredients For Crock Pot Hawaiian Meatballs
- Frozen Or Homemade Meatballs
- Canned Pineapple Chunks
- Your Favorite BBQ Sauce
- Soy Sauce
- Rice Wine Vinegar
- Brown Sugar
- Fresh Ginger
- Garlic
Success Tip
If you are short on time and can’t make homemade meatballs, don’t worry, frozen work great in this recipe. These days, meatballs come in all types of varieties, like turkey, chicken, vegetarian, and vegan, so check out the frozen section in the grocery store for one that suits your preference.
How To Make Pineapple Meatballs In The Slow Cooker
This is essentially a set-it-forget-it recipe. Here’s how it comes together:
- Add frozen meatballs to the slow cooker.
- Drain the pineapple chunks and add them to the meatballs.
- Add the BBQ sauce, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and brown sugar to a medium-sized bowl and whisk until blended.
- Using a micro plane, grate fresh ginger and garlic into the sauce. Whisk again and pour the sauce over the meatballs and pineapple. Gently toss everything together, then cover with the lid. Cook the meatballs on high for 2-3 hours and on low for 5-6 hours.
Do The Meatballs Need To Be Thawed?
Nope. Just put the frozen meatballs in the crock pot and let it work its magic.
How Long To Cook Meatballs In The Crock Pot
Since the meatballs are already fully cooked, the temperature and time setting is more about heating the meatballs and infusing them with flavor.
- Cook on high for 2-3 hours.
- Cook on low for 5-6 hours.
The meatballs are fully heated through when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
What To Serve With Hawaiian Meatballs
When I serve these yummy little bites as an appetizer, I like to serve them with Baked Cheese Sticks and Southern Deviled Eggs.
They are fantastic for dinner with Baked Fettuccini with cheese and Roasted Broccoli.
More Crock Pot Recipes You’ll Love
If you tried this Crock Pot Hawaiian Meatballs Recipe or any other recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 pounds frozen meatballs
- 1 20 ounce can pineapple chunks, drained
- 2 cups BBQ sauce
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons chopped chives for garnish
Instructions
- To the bowl of a crock pot, add frozen meatballs and pineapple chunks.
- In a medium-size bowl, whisk together BBQ sauce, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and brown sugar.
- Using a micro-plane, grate ginger, and garlic and whisk into the sauce. Pour the sauce over meatballs then gently toss to coat. Put lid on crock pot. Set to HIGH for 2-3 hours or LOW for 5-6.
- When done, sprinkle meatballs with chopped chives and serve.
Substitutations
- * ¼ teaspoon of dried ginger can be substituted for fresh grated.
- * Apple cider vinegar can be substituted for rice wine vinegar.
Video
Nutrition
Want To Know More About Slow Cooking?
If you are new to cooking with a Crock Pot or just don’t know where to start, I’ve got something to help. I’ve put together a helpful guide with tips and recipes to get you using a slow cooker like a pro!
What I'm Making for Easter!
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Go ahead…steal my menu. This year's feast is going to be amazing!
Rhonda Onstott
I have a question could you use your own homemade frozen pork meatballs?
Sure! Any meatballs you like will work. Of couse, I’m partial to my mine so if you make your own…I say, go for it!
~Donya
Wanda d selix
Love this was so good
Stephanie Odell
I’m Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the rating! ~Donya
Christina
Absolutely delicious. I made these for the first time for an Tropical themed 80th birthday party and they were a hit! Someone even asked who my caterer was. 😉 Here in South Texas, I used Texas Style HEB BBQ sauce which has a peppery kick and the Kirkland meatballs from Costco. We tested the recipe ahead of time and preferred more sauce, so it was doubled. I also omitted the brown sugar. Several people have asked for the recipe and I’m bringing them to the Super Bowl party. Thank you so much!
Kim
Was not prepared for how good these were. Very easy to make. Used Bell and Evans frozen (uncooked) 30 oz chicken meatballs – had to cook those first – then put in crockpot on high for about an hour and a half. SO GOOD. Also halved all the ingredients as I did not have as many meatballs as recipe called for. This will be a repeat in my house.
Thank you, Kim for this awesome comment and the great rating. I am so glad you are cooking with me!
~Donya
Betteann
I’ve prepared this receipt 3 times in past month! Everyone raves about them and asks me to make
Thank you so much Betteann!
Charles
I’m making these for office Christmas party tomorrow. Could i add a cup of rum to the bbq sauce before pouring over the meatball. Thank you.
Jean
I only had a 1 pound bag of meatballs, so I added an onion and a red pepper. This was so good and the veggies were tender crisp, adding just a bit of crunch. Served over sticky rice.
Thanks!
~Donya
Nilda Roos
Can these be frozen?
Meredith Hook
We LOVE this! Served with rice, broccoli and egg rolls! Delish! My teen really enjoyed it! 😃
Thank you so much!
~Donya
Cassie
Definitely a new favorite! The first time we ate it with rice. It was not the best combination. The next time we had some steamed yams so decided to try them with the meatballs. Excellent combination!
This is awesome, Cassie!
Thank you,
~Donya