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Hawaiian meatballs are the PERFECT main course for your dinner! You don’t want to miss out on these! They are drenched in the most delicious sauce and packed with flavor.
I love meatballs for any occasion. Give them to me as the main course, appetizer, or even a side dish, and you can’t go wrong! Try out these Swedish meatballs, these grape jelly meatballs, or these Asian meatballs! They are all SOO good!
What are Hawaiian Meatballs?
Hawaiian meatballs are cooked and then doused in a sweet and sour pineapple sauce. The sauce covers the meatballs and is filled with deep, rich flavors like brown sugar and then mixed with various peppers. Then, once everything is cooked and mixed, you eat it on top of rice, and just like that, you’ve created a meal that your family will forever label as their favorite!
Not only are these Hawaiian meatballs packed with flavor, but they are super easy to make! Once you whip up the homemade meatballs and sauce, you will realize that the entire meal only takes 40 minutes from start to finish! Serve this over some delicious coconut rice and pair it with some rolls. You are going to love these meatballs!
Ingredients in Hawaiian Meatballs
There are two separate parts to this recipe. The meatballs and then the sauce. Luckily, they are both super easy to make and only use common ingredients that you probably already have at home! See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact measurements.
- Olive Oil: You will Use this to cook your peppers in
- Sweet Peppers: Use red orange or yellow peppers, any combination cut into chunks!
- Green Onion: I like to use green onion as a garnish because it brings flavor and color to the dish.
- Rice: Serve theis meal on some rice.
Hawaiian Meatballs
- Ground Beef: You could also use ground turkey instead.
- Bread Crumbs: I like to use Panko bread crumbs for this recipe. They bring in a nice flavor and texture.
- Onion: Dice up the onion into small pieces. They you will have flavor in every meatball!
- Egg: A large egg will mind the meatballs together.
- Garlic Powder: This adds a flavor that goes really well with the onion.
- Salt: When you use salt in a recipe, it enhances the flavors of the other ingredients.
- Ground Ginger: The ginger adds a unique and sublt flavor to the meatballs!
Sauce
- Chicken Broth: You can use water instead but I like the flavor that the chicken broth brings in.
- Canned Pineapple Chunks: Make sure that you keep the pineapple juice!
- Soy Sauce: My favorite soy sauce to use is this soy sauce.
- Brown Sugar: I love the contrast of sweet that this brown sugar brings to the sauce!
- Vinegar: This adds some tang to the flavor.
- Cornstarch and Water: This will help thicken this sauce to be more of a glaze.
How to Cook Hawaiian Meatballs
If you have never had Hawaiian meatballs before then, you are in for a delicious surprise! These meatballs are so yummy and perfect for families. Even my most pickiest of eaters love them!
Meatballs
- Preheat and Prep: Pre-heat oven to broil. Line a large baking sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Mix and Form Meatballs: In a large bowl, combine all the meatball ingredients and mix until incorporated. Form into tablespoon sized meatballs and place them on the the prepared pan. You should get about 20 meatballs total.
- Broil and Bake: Place in the oven on broil for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, set the oven to bake at 375°F. Bake the meatballs for an additional 10 minutes, or until cooked through.
Sauce
- Cook Peppers: While the Hawaiian meatballs are baking, heat a large pot over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, and the chopped bell peppers. Stir to cook and soften the peppers for about 3 minutes. Remove from the pot and set aside.
- Cook Chicken Broth and Pineapple Juice: In the same pot over medium high heat, add the chicken broth and the juice of the canned pineapple, about 1 cup. Reserve the pineapple chunks for later.
- Combine: Add the soy sauce, vinegar, and brown sugar. Whisk to combine and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Thicken: In a small bowl, combine the water and cornstarch. Whisk until the cornstarch is dissolved. Pour into the pot and stir. Allow the mixture to simmer for 5 minutes while stirring occasionally so the bottom doesn’t burn. Cook until sauce is thickened.
- Add Meatballs to Sauce: Add the cooked meatballs, cooked peppers, and pineapple chunks. Stir and warm all the ingredients together for about 3 minutes.
- Garnish and Serve: Serve with rice and chopped green onions for garnish.
How Long Do Leftover Meatballs Last?
If you have leftovers of these Hawaiian meatballs, then you should consider yourself lucky! They taste just as good, if not better, the next day!
- In the Refrigerator: Once your meatballs have cooled, then place them in an airtight container in your fridge. They will last for 3-4 days.
- To Reheat: Cook your meatballs on the stover on low until they are heated through. Then, add them to a fresh batch of rice and you will never know that you were eating leftovers!
More Delicious Hawaiian Recipes
If you can’t always be in Hawaii then the next best thing is to eat as if you are, right?? These Hawaiian recipes are so delicious! In fact, I think the hardest part about any of them is just picking my favorite. Chicken, rice, rolls, or a classic poke bowl? Good luck choosing!
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Hawaiian Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 lb ground beef or ground turkey
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup onion, diced
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground ginger
Sauce
- 1/2 cup chicken broth or water
- 20 oz canned pineapple chunks (keep the juice!)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup vinegar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups sweet peppers, cut in chunks (red, orange, yellow- any combination)
- green onion, for garnish
- rice for serving
Instructions
Meatballs
- Place in the oven on broil for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, set the oven to bake at 375°F. Bake the meatballs for an additional 10 minutes, or until cooked through.
Sauce
- While the meatballs are baking, heat a large pot over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, and the chopped bell peppers. Stir to cook and soften the peppers for about 3 minutes. Remove from the pot and set aside.
- In the same pot over medium high heat, add the chicken broth and the juice of the canned pineapple, about 1 cup. Reserve the pineapple chunks for later.
- Add the soy sauce, vinegar, and brown sugar. Whisk to combine and simmer for 3 minutes.
- In a small bowl, combine the water and cornstarch. Whisk until the cornstarch is dissolved. Pour into the pot and stir. Allow the mixture to simmer for 5 minutes while stirring occasionally so the bottom doesn't burn. Cook until sauce is thickened.
- Add the cooked meatballs, cooked peppers, and pineapple chunks. Stir and warm all the ingredients together for about 3 minutes.
- Serve with rice and chopped green onions for garnish.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi, I would like to make these with fresh pineapple. Is there an alternative I could use for the canned pineapple juice?
Thanks in advance.
You could use orange juice or apple juice substituted 1 for 1!
The flavors are certainly there even with cutting the vinegar to 1/4 cup. I also used turkey for the meatballs adding another element of yummy. Will make it again!
I love this recipe. I was worried about the amount of vinegar in it and I should have listened to myself. If you do this recipe don’t put vinegar. Aside from that it’s pretty tasty.
Very good tasty easy recipe.
I’m going to try with fresh pineapple and add chicken stock for pineapple juice from can.