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!
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Judy
First time making, added a jar of Mango/habanero jam and Hawaii barbecue sauce, it was the hit of the party! Thank you!
You are so welcome. Thank you for the terrific rating!
~Donya
Lynn
These meatballs are FANTASTIC! It’s one of our favorite crockpot recipes now. We’ve served them as a party appetizer as well as a dinner entree, served over rice with a salad on the side. Thanks for another great recipe, Donya!
WOW! Thank you, Lynn. Also, I appreciate the terrific rating.
~Donya
Csndace
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
Teresa
This was delicious and it did save my other recipe. Thanks
Awesome! Thanks for the terrific rating.
~Donya
Heidi Espach
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.
Colette Kuznicki
I have one that is just temperatur, it’s really not a slow cooker it’s more like a small oven. That’s how I have always used it. But that’s me.
Pate
Wow wow I made these to put over rice. Delicious always!!!
Pate
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
Robin
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
Tina Bowens
Pretty good but I think next time I will add some chopped green pepper to make it more like a sweet and sour
Telina Lund
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.
Donya
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