This is an easy recipe for sweet and sour meatballs that will make your taste buds happy. You'll love the sweet and sour flavor of these meatballs. Plus, they're perfect for a party or any get-together. Serve them up with some rice on the side and you're good to go! Or try one of the many other ways of serving up this versatile meatball recipe!
I hope you enjoy this recipe! ❤️ If you give it a try, please let me know how it turned out for you in the comments section at the bottom of the page or share a pic of your om noms on Instagram and tag @dishesanddustbunnies! ❤️
Ahhhhh, sweet and sour meatballs.
When I'm having a tough day and don't feel like cooking too much, this sweet and sour meatballs recipe is one of my go-to recipes. It's especially easy if I have some meatballs already prepared and in the freezer just waiting for me to make them saucy! 😉
I wouldn't consider this an authentic Asian sweet and sour sauce, but it is absolutely delicious nonetheless! It's an American/Canadian version of sweet and sour sauce made with some common ingredients such as ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, and mustard. If you haven't tried mixing these ingredients before, do it. You won't regret it!
These easy sweet and sour meatballs also make a great appetizer or dish to bring to a gathering or potluck dinner. This sweet and sour meatball recipe has everyone in my house smacking their lips and asking for more, so I just know you'll enjoy it as well!
I hope you enjoy this recipe! ❤️ If you give it a try, please let me know how it turned out for you in the comments section at the bottom of the page or share a pic of your om noms on Instagram and tag @dishesanddustbunnies! ❤️
Be sure to see the recipe card at the bottom of the post for full ingredients & instructions!
How to Make Sweet and Sour Meatballs – Overview
You can find the full recipe details, including ingredient amounts and the full instructions at the bottom of this post, but first here's a quick overview on how to make sweet and sour meatballs.
You can use homemade meatballs for this recipe or you can use store bought frozen meatballs – either way, it'll be yummy!
In a mixing bowl, mix the sauce ingredients (packed brown sugar, white vinegar, mustard, and ketchup) and set aside until needed. In a pan on medium heat, cook the diced onion in a bit of cooking oil until they're softened. Add the sauce and combine. Increase the heat and simmer the sauce for about 10 minutes, until it thickens slightly.
Next, the meatballs (homemade or store bought) are added to the sauce and gently stirred to combine. Be careful to avoid breaking apart the balls! Don't break those balls! 🤣
Reduce heat and allow the meatballs and sauce for 20-30 minutes or until the sweet and sour sauce has thickened to your liking.
As a meal, serve over rice with a side of steamed veggies such as broccoli (frozen Asian stir fry veggies are great too!).
What to serve with sweet and sour meatballs
One nice thing about sweet and sour meatballs is that they are very versatile. You can serve them by themselves as an appetizer, as a finger food or you can incorporate them as an ingredient as part of a main course.
Rice and Pineapple – Sweet and sour meatballs are delicious served over steamed white rice. Drizzling the rice in sweet and sour tangy sauce makes for an appetizing quick and easy dinner. Step up the flavor by tossing in some pineapple chunks! My mouth is watering just writing that! Steamed veggies such as broccoli can be added to the rice for additional nutrition and flavor.
Sliders – Making meatball sliders is an idea that works perfectly for parties or get-togethers with the whole family. Take your meatballs, put them on mini buns, top with a dollop of sweet and sour sauce. Add coleslaw. Put some cheddar or mozzarella cheese right inside the sliders for a fully cooked finger food meal. 😋
Meatball, quinoa and veggie bowl – Sweet and sour meatballs are quite a rich dish with all their sweetness, so I like to throw in some steamed veggies, such as broccoli, on the side for a good balance. To make a healthy meat and veggie bowl just add meatballs to some quinoa or brown rice and top it with grilled veggies such as green pepper, again pineapple chunks always play well with the sweet and sour flavors.
Stir-fry – You can use your meatballs as the meat in a stir-fry.
Noodles – Another great option is to serve the meatballs over some cooked noodles. Again, you could add veggies to the noodles for an even more filling meal.
Salad – A small bowl of simple green salad on the side goes great with sweet and sour meatballs. The acidity in the dressing pairs well with the sweetness of the meatballs.
Bread – It’s always nice to have some dry bread to sop up any meatball sauce that’s left on your plate!
Mashed potatoes – Usually sweet and sour meatballs are served over rice, but you can absolutely serve them over mashed potatoes too!
As you can see, there are many different ways that you can serve sweet and sour meatballs. Here are a few of my recipe ideas that all work wonderfully when paired with sweet and sour meatballs:
Be sure to see the recipe card at the bottom of the post for full ingredients & instructions!
Recipe variations
Sweet and sour meatballs are yummy but they can be further tricked out with a variety of additional flavors!
Pineapple Juice and Pineapple Chunks – To give your sweet and sour meatballs a squirt of the tropics, take the recipe here and mix in a quarter cup of pineapple juice. Throw in some pineapple chunks too!
Mango and Guava Juice – These juices also hold flavors that nicely compliment the sweet and sour sauce. Mix in ¼ cup of mango or guava juice to the recipe.
Grape Jelly – Instead of brown sugar you can use grape jelly and it will add a fruity dimension to the sweetness.
Apple Cider Vinegar – Instead of the white vinegar called for in this recipe, you can substitute it for the apple cider variety for a different tangy flavor.
Sriracha or Chili Sauce – Give a little heat to the sweet by adding ½ tablespoon of sriracha sauce or chili sauce to your sweet and sour sauce. If you want to turn up the heat, make it a full tablespoon of sriracha or chili sauce, but you may want to start with ½ tablespoon and add more flavor to taste.
Soy sauce – If you want to give the dish an Asian flair, add a tablespoon of soy sauce or hoisin sauce to the existing recipe. A little soy sauce also works great with the pineapple juice/mango juice/guava juice variation of these meatball recipes.
Enjoy!
Is it better to bake or pan fry meatballs?
It really depends on your preference! Baked meatballs tend to be a little bit more dry, while pan-fried meatballs are usually more moist. However, both methods can produce delicious results. If you're looking for a crispy exterior, then baking is the way to go. You can also drizzle some sauce on dryer meatballs to make them more moist. Personally I like to use a large skillet to pan fry my meatballs as it produces the best results!
I have some great tips for when it comes to making amazing meatballs, so be sure to check out this post on how to make the perfect basic meatballs!
Alternative Cooking Methods (slow cooker/crock pot, instant pot, etc.)
Yes, you can cook sweet and sour meatballs in a slow cooker/crock pot or an instant pot! Slow cooker sweet and sour meatballs are easy peasy!
Slow Cooker/Crock pot: Simply add all of the sauce ingredients to the slow cooker/crock pot, then add the meatballs. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours cooking time.
Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker: To cook sweet and sour meatballs in an instant pot, simply add all of the sauce ingredients, then the meatballs and cook on manual for 10 minutes. Allow a natural release for 5 minutes before releasing the pressure manually.
Can I make Sweet and Sour Meatballs ahead of time?
Yes! You can make these sweet balls a day or two ahead of time and refrigerate them. If you're getting swamped with party preparations (or just life stuff!) and you want easy meatballs, to save even more time you can use store bought frozen meatballs and cook them in the sauce included in this recipe.
Can I freeze Sweet and Sour Meatballs?
Yes! Freezing your sweet and sour meatballs is a great way to keep them fresh and delicious. To freeze, simply place the cooked meatballs and sauce in individual containers.
When you're ready to eat, simply thaw the frozen meatball lot in the fridge overnight and then reheat in the oven or stovetop. When reheating, you may need to add a little water to the pot if the meatballs seem to have absorbed a lot of the sauce.
Leftovers – How to Store and Reheat
How Long are Sweet and Sour Meatballs Good for?
Stored in an airtight container, sweet and sour meatballs will keep for up to 4days in the refrigerator or for 2 months in the freezer.
To reheat: To reheat sweet and sour meatballs, first preheat your oven to 350°F. Bake for 10-12 minutes in an oven safe dish. You can also warm up leftover meatballs in a pot on the stove if you like.
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Sweet and Sour Meatballs
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 8 Servings 1x
Ingredients
Sweet and Sour Sauce Ingredients:
- 3 cups brown sugar
- 1½ cup vinegar
- 2 tbsps mustard
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1 onion, halved then thinly sliced
Additional Ingredients:
- 2 – 3 lbs meatballs (you can use my homemade meatball recipe or use store bought)
- Optional: 2 cups chopped broccoli or other veggies you prefer, steamed and served on the side
- Optional: steamed white rice, If serving the meatballs as a main course
Instructions
- If using my homemade meatball recipe, please prepare them first. If using store bought meatballs, heat and cook according to directions.
- Whisk together the sauce ingredients in a mixing bowl and set aside until needed.
- In a large pan, set to medium heat, cook the onions in a little cooking oil until they're softened.
- Once the onions have softened, add the sauce and combine.
- Turn up the heat and cook the sauce for about 10 minutes.
- Add the meatballs to the sauce and combine. Be careful to avoid breaking apart the balls.
- Turn the heat down and simmer for 15-20 minutes uncovered. The sauce should start to thicken as it simmers.
- As a main course, serve over white rice with steamed veggies OR as an appetizer, serve plated with toothpicks on the side. Please see my note below for more info.
Notes
Oven Instructions: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Add prepared meatballs to a lidded baking dish along with onions and sauce ingredients. Put the lid on and cook for 35 minutes. Remove the lid, gently stir around the meatballs and cook for another 20 minutes so the sauce can thicken.
If you want a HUGE amount of sauce to go with your balls, you can double the amount of sauce ingredients in the recipe. Doubling the sauce is especially great if you're using this recipe as a main course served over rice. If you're planning on using this recipe for appetizers you can probably get away with using the amount exactly as stated in the recipe – the appetizer version won't need as much sauce since they're usually served on tooth picks and plated. It's up to you though! 🙂
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 35 mins
- Category: Main or Appetizer
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: Asian/Chinese Inspired
