A holiday favorite, these Slow Cooker Hawaiian Meatballs come together simply in a single pot with pantry staples. Set them on the appetizer at party time and watch them disappear.
Simple Slow Cooker Hawaiian Meatballs Recipe
These meatballs are more than slightly addicting and satisfy all the sweet and sour cravings.
Slow cooker meatballs are a holiday party staple, but are also perfect for game day gatherings and can easily be converted into a main dish meal.
When it comes to entertaining, set these right next to the charcuterie board on the appetizer table and watch the crowd gather.
Ingredients for Hawaiian Meatballs
Pantry staples and frozen meatballs are what make this recipe so easy to throw together. However, you can easily make homemade meatballs if you are so inclined and have a favorite recipe.
ketchup – use your favorite brand and if you prefer some heat, use spicy ketchup to turn it up a notch
brown sugar – feel free to use golden brown or dark
rice wine vinegar – make sure it’s not the seasoned version otherwise it will be too sweet
soy sauce – low-sodium is key
Worcestershire sauce – flavor booster
fresh garlic
frozen meatballs – about 25 -30 meatballs works well for a 6 quart slow cooker
pineapple chunks – using canned makes the prep for this dish a lot quicker, but I’ve also used fresh during the holidays when it’s in season and its sweetest
scallion – green parts only
GET THE FULL (PRINTABLE) SLOW COOKER HAWAIIAN MEATBALL RECIPE BELOW. ENJOY!
What Brand Frozen Meatballs Should I Use
I find Costco’s Italian beef meatballs to have some of the best flavor and Trader Joe’s is also good (nut not as good as the Costco brand). Pork meatballs are great with Hawaiian flavors if you can find them and if you want to keep it light, chicken or turkey meatballs are also perfect.
How Can I Make These Meatballs A Main Dish?
Spoon them over rice and serve them as a meal. They are also really good over coconut rice for extra Hawaiian flavor.
Serve over buttery egg noodles with lots of sauce.
Place one (or two) meatballs and sauce in a King’s Hawaiian Roll and serve as sliders.
Make a Hawaiian meatball sub using French bread or a crusty baguette ~ add cheese.
Before serving over rice add a stir-fry mix and peppers and onions for an extra boost of flavor. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
How Long Can I Store These In The Fridge?
Place them in an airtight container and store them up to four days in the refrigerator.
Do Meatballs Need To Be Defrosted?
They do not! Not having to defrost them is one of the biggest timesavers in a recipe like this. If your meatballs are not frozen you can easily shave some time off the slow cooker when it comes to cooking.
Can The Recipe Be Doubled Or Tripled?
Yes. However if you are tripling the recipe you’ll want to use a second slow cooker.
More Easy Meatball Party Appetizers
- Kicked-Up Classic Cocktail Meatballs
- Chicken Meatballs with Chipotle-Honey Sauce
- Chimichurri Meatballs
- Slow Cooker Sweet and Smokey Cocktail Meatballs
- Mesquite Barbecue Meatballs
- Mini Turkey Chipotle Meatballs
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Slow Cooker Hawaiian Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup golden or dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar (not seasoned)
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 25-30 frozen meatballs (beef or pork)
- 1 can (20 oz) pineapple chunks, drained
- 1 scallion, sliced
Instructions
- Whisk together the ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce and garlic in the slow cooker.
- Stir the pineapple and meatballs into the sauce.
- Cover and set to low for 5-6 hours or high for 2-3 hours.
- Sprinkle with the scallions and serve warm. Â Â Â
Nutrition
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