Classic Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Looking for a delicious and easy dinner recipe? These sweet and sour meatballs with pineapple are a family favorite and sure to be a hit at your next meal. Starting with frozen meatballs means they’re practically effortless!
What you’ll love about this recipe:
- Super Quick: Utilizing premade frozen meatballs slashes prep time. This easy stovetop recipe is done in 20 minutes!
- 7 Ingredient Recipe: Make it with pantry and freezer staples and whatever fresh vegetable you have in the fridge!
- Versatile: Great as a party snack or appetizer or served over rice as a main dish.
Sweet And Sour Meatballs: A Family Favorite Recipe
Whenever I flick through my worn and well-loved big red Betty Crocker cookbook, memories of chilhood family dinners come flooding back. My mom loved that book, and so many of our favorite family recipes came from it.
The sweet and sour meatballs, with their tangy sauce and juicy pineapple chunks, were a particular favorite and a dinner we ate often. My collection of meatball recipes on this site wouldn’t be complete without my own version!
The basics of this recipe are the same you’ll find in that cookbook, but updated to use more modern ingredients (like pineapple canned in juice instead of corn syrup.)
I also use frozen meatballs to help save time. You can swap in your favorite homemade meatball recipe if you prefer, but since the sauce is the star of this recipe anyway, frozen are a great option.
key Ingredients you’ll need
Below is an overview of ingredients you’ll need to make this sweet and sour meatball recipe, along with tips and alternatives. Be sure to read the full recipe at the bottom of the page for the complete ingredient list!
Frozen Meatballs. You know I love a frozen meatball! As I’ve said before, we buy the Wellesly Farms Italian Style Frozen Meatballs from BJs. I like that they’re made from a combination of beef and pork, which is how I would make them from scratch. If you’re shopping in a more traditional grocery store, I also like the Cooked Perfect brand.
Dark Brown Sugar. If you don’t have brown sugar, you can make it yourself by combining 1/2 cup of regular white sugar with 1 teaspoon of molasses.
Bell Peppers. I like to use a variety of colors because it just looks prettier, but you can use whatever color you have on hand!
Low Sodium Soy Sauce. Adds an extra layer of rich umami flavor and depth to your sauce.
Vinegar. I’ve made this recipe with white wine vingar, apple cider vinegar, and distilled white vinegar. All are delicious, so use whatever you have around!
how cornstarch works to thicken sauces
Cornstarch is an amazing thickener and key to a glossy sauce or gravy. Cornstarch i great at absorbing liquid, and when it’s heated to a boil the molecule burst and trap the liquid in a network of starches.
There are a few tips to working with cornstarch though!
First, you’ll always want to dissolve it in a little bit of cold liquid before heating it. Depending on the recipe you’re making, this liquid can be water, broth, or any other liquid ingredient. Since this recipe is for a quick sweet and sour sauce, we can just whisk it into the rest of the ingredients right at the beginning.
If you were making a different recipe that cooks for a longer time, you’d want to add the starch later in the process – if cornstarch cooks too long, that network of starches can break down and will actually make your sauce thinner!
If your sauce is too thin, you can add more cornstarch. But never add it directly to the pan of hot ingredients – that’s a recipe for a clumpy disaster! Instead, mix any additional starch with a teaspoon or two of cold water to create a slurry, then mix that into your hot sauce.
Frequently asked questions
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Yes, feel free to use your favorite homemade meatball recipe if you like! Just be sure that they’re cooked through before adding the sauce and reduce the amount of cornstarch to 1 Tablespoon.
Yes! Mix and match your favorite veggies. I love the classic version with bell peppers, but these sweet & sour meatballs are also great with green beans, broccoli, or snap peas.
I serve these meatballs over rice, which is perfect for soaking up every last drop of that delicious sweet and sour sauce. I also sprinkle them with crushed red pepper flakes for heat and chopped scallion for a little brightness and crunch.
Other recipes you might like:
- How to Make Swedish Meatballs with Frozen Meatballs
- Homemade teriyaki sauce
- 10-Minute Cacio e Pepe
- Coconut Curry Meatballs
- 4-Ingredient Spicy Cranberry Meatballs
Classic Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Ingredients
- ½ cup packed dark brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- ⅓ cup white wine vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
- 1 can (20 ounces) pineapple chunks in juice
- 1 pound frozen meatballs (about 20)
- 2 bell peppers chopped
- cooked white rice, red pepper flakes, and scallions optional for serving
Instructions
- Combine the brown sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl.
- Pour in the vinegar and soy sauce; stir until the sugar and starch is dissolved.
- Add the sauce to a large pan set over medium high heat. Add the pineapple, the juice from the can, and the meatballs. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce to a simmer. Cook, covered, for 10 minutes, or until the meatballs are heated through and the sauce begins to thicken.
- Add the bell peppers. Cover and cook an additional 5 minutes, until tender-crisp.
- Taste the sauce and add additional salt to taste, if desired.
- Serve the meatballs over white rice. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes and scallions, if desired.
