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Hawaiian Meatballs smothered in a sweet tangy sauce with pineapple and fresh ginger are cooked low and slow in the crock pot. These succulent meatballs are a slow cooker masterpiece and are great served as an appetizer or main dish!
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 meatballs. 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 Game Day 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.
These meatballs are terrific served with Herbed Rice or Smoked Gouda Grits as a main dish. They are the ultimate appetizer for parties, get-togethers, the holidays, or when you’re feeding a crowd.
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
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 This Recipe
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 in with the meatballs.
- To a medium-size bowl, add the BBQ sauce, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and brown sugar 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.
That’s it! Get ready for your house to smell amazing and your mouth start to water.
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.
More Crock Pot Recipes You’ll Love
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- Crock Pot Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Crock Pot Chicken Thighs
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.
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!
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5 stars for sounding good but wondering if this can be a freezer meal if I freeze the pineapple and meatballs together and leave the sauce frozen in another ziplock bag. I tried another recipe and while the sauce was good, it never thickened. Seems like this version will not slip off the meatballs the same way.
Thanks for the outstanding rating. This makes a great freezer recipe.
~Donya
This was delicious and it did save my other recipe. Thanks
Awesome! Thanks for the terrific rating.
~Donya
I havent tried this yet but its on my list for this week. You said cook on High/low my crock pot has a temp settings from Simmer to 400 degrees! How high and how low?
Since I’m unfamiliar with that crock pot, I don’t have a recommendation. The recipe has low and high times given.
Wow wow I made these to put over rice. Delicious always!!!
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!
Thanks so much for the great comment and the terrific rating!
~Donya
Hi Donya,
I know you said to pick your favorite bbq sauce. But there are so many different ones out there.
I am curious which bbq sauce you use for this recipe.
Thanks so much!
Robin
I tend to use Sweet Baby Ray’s original sauce.
~Donya
Pretty good but I think next time I will add some chopped green pepper to make it more like a sweet and sour
I added large chunks of yellow and red bell pepper and I cut on onion in 6 sections lengthwise 15 minutes before they were done cooking. It turned out wonderful. I served them with rice. It was really good.
Hey there Telina!
I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, adding peppers and onions was a terrific idea, I bet that added some wonderful flavors! Thank you so much for your interest in this recipe and your kind words, I really appreciate your support! Let me know if you ever have any questions about a dish, I’m always happy to help!
~Donya
Could I use raw frozen meatballs if desired.
Hey there Gary!
Thank you so much for your interest in this recipe, I think you’re really going to love it, these meatballs are great for game days or an easy weeknight meal! I would recommend using pre-cooked frozen meatballs, you can bake your own meatballs and then freeze them if you prefer, but you want them to be cooked fully before putting them into the crock pot. I hope that this is helpful, let me know how everything turns out if you give it a try, I’d love to hear what you think!
~Donya
Any thoughts on doing this in an insta pot? What would you recommend for the cooking time?
Hey there Tori!
Thank you so much for your interest in this recipe, that’s a great question! I’ve never actually tried to make these meatballs in the Instant Pot, I always use the Crock Pot, but it should still work. I would recommend adding your frozen meatballs and the sauce to the Instant Pot and pressure cooking on high for 5 minutes and then do a quick release of the steam valve. You may have to experiment with the timing for the Instant Pot, but I would start with a 5 minutes pressure cook. Let me know how everything turns out, I hope you enjoy the recipe!
~Donya
Absolutely loved this recipe! I made it with pre cooked meatballs on the stove and just let it simmer for 20 minutes. Next time will add more pineapple. I paired it with a seasoned quinoa and broccoli. I got a lot of compliments. I will definitely be making this again. Thanks so much for sharing!
Hey there Idalia!
Wow! I am so happy to hear that y’all enjoyed this recipe, it sounds like you made an absolutely delicious meal! Adding extra pineapple is never a bad idea, the sweet and tangy flavor it gives this dish is absolutely irresistible. Thank you so much for your kind words of support, if you ever have any questions about a recipe please don’t hesitate to ask!
~Donya
I use chicken teriyaki pineapple meatballs (Costco) and this is one of my very picky daughters’ favorites!! I find them asking for it every other week
Hey there Jess!
Thank you so much for your kind words and for sharing that Costco find, I will definitely check out those Teriyaki pineapple meatballs, I bet the flavors are perfect in this recipe! I am so happy to hear that y’all have been enjoying this dish, if you liked this one then you should check out my Crock Pot Bourbon Meatballs, they’re just as simple to make! Let me know if you ever have any questions about a recipe, I’d be more than happy to help!
~Donya
Absolutely amazing my family loved them and hubby said this one can go in to the recipe box for sure
Hey there Carrie!
Wow! I am so happy to hear that everyone enjoyed this recipe, the flavors are pretty hard to beat! If you liked this dish, you should check out my Pineapple Coleslaw recipe, it makes the perfect side dish for the Hawaiian Meatballs, the pineapple flavor is very complimentary. Thank you so much for your kind words and your fantastic rating, I really appreciate your support! If you ever have any questions about a recipe, please don’t hesitate to reach out and ask!
~Donya
I am going to try your recipe on Father’s Day. Sounds delicious thank you
Hey there Hazel!
I am thrilled to hear you’re giving this recipe a try, I’m sure your father will love it! These Hawaiian Meatballs have an irresistible flavor and they’re so easy to make, please feel free to reach out if you have any questions about the recipe, I’d be more than happy to help!
~Donya
Thoughts on timing for refrigerated meatballs? (A la Costco for example)
Hey Stephanie.
I would do high for 2 hours and low for 3-4. If you are using the Costco brand, I think they are pre-cooked, so you are looking for the meatballs to be heated through and cooked long enough to absorb the flavors of the sauce. Let me know how you like the recipe.
Have a great day!
~Donya
Can the meatballs be fresh? Not pre-cooked?
Hey there Britney!
Thank you for your interest in this recipe, that’s a good question! You can totally use fresh homemade meatballs instead of pre-cooked, the key to this recipe is that you need the meatballs to be frozen. If you’re making homemade meatballs, then I would recommend shaping them and then freezing them overnight before you start your Crock Pot recipe. I hope this helps, let me know how everything turns out!
~Donya
What size crockpot?
Hey there!
Thank you so much for your interest in this recipe, it’s perfect to serve this time of year so I really hope you enjoy! I usually use either a 6 or an 8 quart crock pot, I’ll put the link for the slow cooker I own below. The size of crock pot you want to use really depends on the size of the crowd you’re feeding, if you’re hosting a larger event then a larger crock pot would be a good idea. I really hope you enjoy this dish, if you have any questions about the recipe please feel free to reach out!
https://amzn.to/3mg9vvx
~Donya
I added chopped red pepper and some garlic powder. I also used sweet/sour sauce instead of bbq.
Hey there Ann!
Thank you so much for sharing! It sounds like you’ve made some delicious additions, I’ll have to try it with sweet and sour sauce, that sounds amazing. I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe, thank you for your support!
~Donya
I made this for the gang at work in a crockpot. It was a huge hit. I used ground ginger and garlic powder. I also went with pineapple tidbits. Next time I will use more pineapple. I like the sweet of them. Overall, very good. Thanks!
Hey Loree!
Thank you so much for this fantastic review, and your sweet comment, it warms my heart to read! I completely agree with you, I love the pineapple it’s the best part. I’m glad everyone enjoyed this recipe, thank you for your support!
~Donya
What BBQ sauce do you suggest?? I’m not fond on Sweet Baby Rays.
Hey Cindy,
I hear ya. I think something like Kraft, the original recipe will work great. Simple and not too sweet.
I think that might work beautifully. Let me know what you decide.
Have a great day and enjoy the recipe!
~Donya
I’m going to pair these with Hawaiian rolls to make little meatball sandwiches
Hey there Lainie!
I love the way you think, these Crock Pot Hawaiian Meatballs will be fantastic served rolls, making them into sandwiches is a great idea! If you enjoy this recipe, you should check out my Game Day Crock Pot Meatballs, they’re just as simple to make and the flavors are amazing. Thank you for all your support, let me know if you ever have any questions about a recipe, I’d be more than happy to help!
~Donya