Sweet And Sour Meatballs are a knockout meal with unique sweet and savory flavors. A family favorite and ready in 30 minutes. This makes a great meal prep meal and gets better as leftovers.

Why Make Easy Sweet And Sour Meatballs

This meal comes together in about 30-40 minutes (depending on how quickly you work in the kitchen) It’s a great weeknight meal. It doesn’t take long and requires minimal effort.

This dish has crispy fresh veggies sautéed in it which offers great nutrients. The meatballs are homemade so you know exactly what goes in them, they are insanely good.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs makes for a great meal prep, it holds up well and the sauce and meatballs heat up great. Also try my Kung Pao Shrimp and Beef Fried Rice, both meals have a similar vibe and ease.

Ingredients Needed

Lean Ground Beef. I go for 90/10 ground beef. 

Panko Bread Crumbs. These are Japanese breadcrumbs made from steamed, crustless loaves of bread. They are more flaky than traditional breadcrumbs. 

Eggs. This is use to bind the meatballs together 

Chicken or Beef Broth. Broth is used for the base of the sweet and sour sauce. 

Rice Vinegar. My favorite vinegar! It’s a little sweeter than most and makes a wonderful addition to the sauce. 

Canned Pineapple. We will use the sauce and the pineapples. 

Ketchup. This gives the sauce a tangy, savory depth of flavor. 

All other ingredients and measurements can be found in the recipe card towards the bottom of this post. 

Recipe Variations Substitutions 

Ground Beef. Use ground turkey or chicken if preferred. Cook to internal temperature of 165º. You can also try my Turkey Meatball Recipe in place of the beef.

Broth. Use chicken or beef broth, they can be used interchangeably in this recipe and will both work well. 

Panko. Feel free to use traditional bread crumbs if needed. 

To Make This Recipe Gluten Free; use tamari or coconut aminos in place of the soy sauce. Use arrow root in place of the corn starch. 

Steps To Make This Recipe

Step One. If serving with rice, start the rice according to the package. This typically takes 20 minutes to cook. Combine all the meatball ingredients in a bowl. Form the meatballs into small golf ball size meatballs, add them to a parchment lined air fryer or a baking sheet if baking in the oven.

Step Two. If air frying, cook on 375º for about 7 minutes, turn them over and bake for another 7-10 minutes. If baking in the oven on a cooking sheet, Bake on 375º for 15 minutes, flip the meatballs and bake for another 10-15 minutes.

Step Three. In a large wok or pan, heat the oil over medium/high heat. Add the onion and bell peppers and cook for 5-8 minutes.

Step Four. In a medium bowl, combine all the sweet and sour sauce ingredients together (except the corn starch slurry, this will be added later) whisk well. Set aside.

Step Five. Pour the sweet and sour sauce mixture in the skillet and stir well. Once it comes to a simmer, add the corn starch slurry (corn starch and water mixed). Let it simmer until the sauce gets thick and glossy.

Step Six. Add the cooked meatballs and pineapple chunks to the skillet or wok, toss everything together well. Cook for another 2 minutes to bring the meatballs to heat then remove from heat. Serve over rice, option to garnish with fresh parsley or cilantro.

Recipe FAQs

Recipe Tips

Use a cookie scoop. For the most uniform and evenly cooked meatballs, use a small cookie scoop or ice cream scoop to make them all exactly the same size and shape if needed.

Don’t overcook the meatballs. Use an instant-read digital thermometer to ensure that the ground beef meatballs have reached an internal temperature of at least 160°F (74°C) before serving them! Keep in mind they will cook slightly more if they are added to the sauce too soon.

Other Easy Weeknight Meals To Try

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