Here’s a sweet-and-savory Hawaiian Meatballs recipe — tender meatballs in a tangy pineapple glaze, perfect as an appetizer or main dish 🍍🍖
🍍 Hawaiian Meatballs
🧾 Ingredients (Serves 4–6)
Meatballs
- 1 lb ground beef (or mix beef & pork)
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 1 egg
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Sauce
- 1 cup pineapple juice (or juice from canned pineapple)
- ½ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp water (for thickening)
Optional:
- Pineapple chunks
- Sliced green onions for garnish
- Sesame seeds for garnish
🔥 Instructions
1. Make the Meatballs
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
- In a bowl, mix ground meat, breadcrumbs, milk, onion, egg, garlic, salt, and pepper.
- Form into 1–1.5 inch meatballs and place on a baking sheet.
- Bake 15–20 minutes until cooked through.
2. Make the Sauce
- In a saucepan, combine pineapple juice, ketchup, brown sugar, soy sauce, and garlic powder.
- Bring to a simmer.
- Stir in cornstarch slurry to thicken.
3. Combine
- Toss baked meatballs in the pineapple sauce until well coated.
- Optional: Add pineapple chunks and cook another 2–3 minutes to heat through.
4. Serve
- Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.
- Serve as an appetizer with toothpicks or over rice for a main dish.
💡 Tips:
- You can also cook the meatballs entirely in a slow cooker: pour sauce over raw meatballs and cook on low 4–5 hours.
- For extra flavor, add a splash of ginger or a pinch of red pepper flakes to the sauce.
- Leftovers reheat well for lunch bowls or sandwiches.
I can also give you a crockpot Hawaiian meatballs version that’s super hands-off if you want.
Do you want me to give that slow-cooker version?
