Easy Sweet and Sour Waikiki Meatballs Recipe with Pineapple Tidbits

Quick to make and packed with tropical flavor, this Waikiki Meatballs recipe pairs meatballs with a homemade sweet and sour sauce with bits of pineapple. Served over rice, it’s a dinner idea the whole family will love.

Why You’ll Love this Waikiki Sweet & Sour Meatballs Recipe

• Quick and Easy Sauce: The homemade sweet and sour sauce comes together in minutes, making this a stress-free option for busy days.
• Versatile with Store-Bought Meatballs: If you’re short on time, swap homemade meatballs for store-bought ones, and it’s just as delicious!
• A Recipe That Stands the Test of Time: A friend shared this recipe with me decades ago through an email that I have folded carefully in my recipe file. She’s an amazing cook and her recipes never let me down. You’ll love this!
• Perfect for Parties: Transform this dish into an appetizer by adding bamboo sticks to each meatball and serving extra sauce on the side for dipping.
• Crowd-Pleasing Flavor: The combination of juicy meatballs, tangy-sweet sauce, and pineapple tidbits is a flavor-packed hit with both kids and adults.

Ingredients Needed for Waikiki Meatballs and Sweet & Sour Sauce

(A printable recipe card with exact measurements is included at the bottom of this post for your convenience.)

For the meatballs

• 1 1/2 pounds lean or extra lean ground beef
• 1/3 cup minced onion
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2/3 cup Panko crumbs, or saltine cracker crumbs
• 1 egg

For the sweet and sour sauce:

• 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed (light or dark brown sugar will work)
• 1 – 15 ounce can pineapple tidbits
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1/3 cup white vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon soya sauce

Step by Step Instructions for Waikiki Meatballs

1. Mix all the ingredients for the meatballs together in a medium sized mixing bowl and shape into balls. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, turning halfway in between – and bake until they are nice and browned. Cut one in half and make sure it is cooked through (not pink inside).

2. To make the sweet and sour sauce, mix together the cornstarch, brown sugar, and ginger with a whisk. Add the syrup from the drained pineapple, vinegar, and soy sauce. Stir over medium high heat until the mixture thickens and comes to a boil. Remove from heat and add the pineapple tidbits.

3. Add the cooked meatballs to the sweet and sour sauce and stir to combine. Serve over rice. (This recipe for how to bake rice in the oven is my favorite.)

More Ideas for Waikiki Meatballs

You can use this simple homemade sweet and sour sauce and serve it over freezer meatballs, if you like to make freeze ahead meals (like I do!).

You could also turn this recipe into a slow cooker sweet and sour meatball recipe by putting storebought (precooked) frozen meatballs in the crockpot and topping with the drained pinapple tidbits. Stir together and add the remaining sauce ingredients and cook on low setting for 2 hours, and then switch on high and cook for 1 hour on high. The higher temperature will thicken and cook the sauce. It should be dark and bubbling around the edges.

If you’d like to add extra color to this recipe, you can add 1/3 cup chopped green pepper to the sauce when you add in the pineapple tidbits.

Other Recipes You May Like

• Homemade Barbecue Meatball Sauce over meatballs makes a wonderful & easy dinner.
• This easy meatloaf recipe is an All American classic!
• Baked hamburger steak can be mixed together and put in the oven quick.
• If you like to get ahead with meals, you’ll love these freezer meals with hamburger

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