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Why You’ll Love My Recipe

Whenever anything has the prefix of “Hawaiian”, you can be pretty confident it’s going to have pineapple in it! However, the key component in this recipe isn’t just the pineapple, it’s the sweet and sour sauce that goes over everything and gives each bite an addictive, give-me-more flavor!

There are a million different ways to enjoy meatballs at home, with all kinds of different flavors. One of the least known about, yet possibly one of the most delicious, is the strange-sounding Hawaiian meatball! Tangy, sweet pineapple and fatty, rich meatballs are a match made in heaven!

Looking for something a little more handheld? Give my recipe for Meatball Subs a try!

A bowl of meatballs in brown sauce with herbs sits on a marble surface, surrounded by a plate of white rice, green pepper slices, pineapple chunks, fresh parsley, a spoon, plates, and forks.

Karlynn’s Recipe Notes

Skill Level: These meatballs are easy to make and a delicious twist on a classic!
Total Time: You can have dinner on the table in just 30 minutes! Perfect for a busy weeknight.
Variations: You can turn these meatballs into an appetizer for a potluck or family gathering by putting your meatballs on skewers! Just sub the pineapple tidbits for pineapple chunks and dicing your green pepper into larger pieces to make them a nicely proportioned and easy to spike bite!
Tools For This Recipe: You will need a can opener and mixing bowl to make this recipe!

A white bowl filled with saucy meatballs garnished with parsley sits on a table. In the background, there is a bowl of rice, a green bell pepper, plates, and glasses against a white tiled wall.

What You’ll Need for Ingredients

Ground Meat: The best ground beef for meatballs is 80/20, which is a blend of 80% lean meat and 20% fat. This ratio keeps your meatballs moist and flavorful without being greasy!

Various ingredients are arranged on a white marble surface, including ground beef, an egg, chopped onions and peppers, pineapple chunks, bread crumbs, brown sugar, soy sauce, flour, vinegar, milk, and seasonings in small bowls.

Canned Pineapple: For a sweet and sour sauce like this one, I recommend using pineapple tidbits from a can. While you could use fresh pineapple if you wanted, they can be a little tougher. Canned pineapple are nice and soft and full of pineapple juice and flavor. They also massively cut down on the amount of time you need to spend prepping!

Cracker Crumbs: I use crushed saltine crackers in this recipe because the classic Italian bread crumb can be a little dense, but feel free to use crushed Ritz crackers or panko breadcrumbs instead if you prefer!

How To Make Hawaiian Meatballs

This is a quick overview of the recipe. The full list of ingredients & complete step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.

A glass mixing bowl with ground meat, breadcrumbs, chopped onion, an egg, and seasoning sits on a white marble surface. Surrounding it are small bowls with brown sugar, pineapple, green pepper, soy sauce, and other ingredients.

A glass bowl of ground meat being mixed with a spatula, surrounded by small bowls of brown sugar, chopped green pepper, pineapple chunks, cornstarch, soy sauce, water, and a cracked egg on a marble countertop with a plaid towel.

In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, cracker crumbs, onion, egg, salt, spices, and milk together until well combined.
Cook your meatballs in batches if necessary to avoid crowding the pan and make sure that they are well browned on all sides. Remove the meatballs to a plate or bowl and drain any fat from the pan.
In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and brown sugar until well combined. Add in the reserved pineapple juice, vinegar, and soy sauce and whisk until well combined.
Add the sauce to the pan you used to fry your meatballs. Bring it to a boil and stir for about 1 minute until thickened. Add in in the pineapple and green peppers and stir to combine.
Gently add your meatballs to the sauce and simmer everything together for 1 minute. Remove from heat and serve. I love serving these on a bed of white rice!

A plate of white rice topped with meatballs and sauce is on a table with a bowl of rice, a bowl of meatballs, parsley, two forks, salt and pepper shakers, and a blue plaid napkin.

Karlynn’s Tips and Tricks for the Perfect Hawaiian Meatballs

Mix It Up: Looking for a little extra flavor in your meatballs? Try using a 50/50 mix of ground beef and pork instead of just straight beef! If you’re feeling particularly calorie-conscious, you could substitute the ground beef in this recipe for ground turkey, but even with the sauce they might end up a little on the dry side because turkey has less fat than beef.
Keep It Tender: Make sure not to overwork your meatball mixture while you’re combining it together! The key to tender meatballs is to mix everything together gently until just combined to keep the protein from the meat from getting tough.

Three meatballs with sauce and herbs are served on a bed of white rice, garnished with parsley. The background is softly blurred, showing hints of green vegetables and a white bottle.

Storage Instructions

Refrigerator: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. When you’re ready to eat, you can reheat them in the microwave or on the stove!

Freezer: Let your meatballs cool completely then transfer them to an airtight freezer-safe container or zip top bag; they’ll keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to serve, let everything thaw in the fridge and heat it up on the stove top or in the oven until hot!

More Delicious Meatball Recipes

Love that sweet and sour vibe? Give my mom’s recipe for oven baked Sweet and Sour Meatballs a try!
Rich with a homemade tomato sauce and hearty with rice, give my Classic Retro Porcupine Meatballs a try for a tried and true, easy to make dinner!
It’s hard to beat homemade meatballs in a creamy mushroom gravy, especially when you can just set them up and forget about them! I’m sure you’ll be adding my Crock Pot Meatballs with Creamy Mushroom Gravy to your roster of weeknight meals once you’ve tried them!
Dried cranberries and a blend of ground turkey and ground pork give my Turkey Swedish Meatballs an extra special pop of flavor that will have you and your family asking for seconds!

Meatballs are a fantastic, family-friendly protein that come together quickly and don’t put a lot of pressure on the family budget! There’s no reason to get burned out on tomato sauce either when it’s this easy to make a fruity sweet-and-sour sauce!

Give this recipe a try and tell me how it went for you in the comments below!

Happy Cooking!

Karlynn

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