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Crockpot Hawaiian Meatballs are full of sweet, tangy, and savory flavors. This is a flavorful and easy dinner recipe. Juicy meatballs are slow cooked in a pineapple barbecue sauce with peppers and onions until saucy and delicious. Perfect served over rice or noodles for a family-friendly meal!
Table of Contents
A Sweet & Savory Meatball Recipe
This is a set-it-and-forget-it slow cooker meal that’s a total crowd-pleaser. The sauce combines pineapple, soy sauce, brown sugar, barbecue sauce, and ginger for that irresistible Hawaiian-inspired flavor.
Add in some peppers, onions, and a touch of spice from red pepper flakes, and you’ve got a hearty meal with the perfect balance of sweet and savory.
Why You’ll Love Slow Cooker Hawaiian Meatballs
- Family-friendly – The sweet and savory sauce is a hit with both kids and adults.
- Effortless slow cooker meal – Just dump, stir, and let your crockpot do the work.
- Versatile – Serve over rice, mashed potatoes, noodles, or spaghetti squash.
- Great for gatherings – Works as a main dish or appetizer for parties and potlucks.
- Customizable – Use chicken or turkey meatballs, add more spice, or swap in fresh ginger.
These slow cooker Hawaiian meatballs are great for weeknight dinners, potlucks, or game day appetizers.
You can use frozen or thawed meatballs to make prep even faster, and everything cooks together right in the crockpot.
Ingredients For Crockpot Hawaiian Meatballs
For exact amounts, see the recipe card below.
- Frozen Cooked Homestyle Meatballs – avoid the Italian flavored
- Onion
- Bell Peppers
- Green Onions
- Pineapple Chunks with Juice
- Garlic
- Brown Sugar
- Soy Sauce – I like low sodium, but normal will work.
- Rice Wine Vinegar
- Barbecue Sauce – Use your favorite
- Ginger Powder – Or use freshly grated
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Cornstarch
Recipe Tips & Variations
- Swap in chicken or turkey meatballs for a lighter option (just avoid Italian-flavored).
- Use any color bell pepper you like. Red and green together add nice color and flavor contrast.
- Freshly grated ginger adds an extra punch of flavor in place of ground ginger.
- For more heat, increase the red pepper flakes or add a dash of sriracha to the sauce.
How To Make Crockpot Hawaiian Meatballs
- Prep the veggies – Chop the onion and bell peppers into chunks. Slice the green onions, keeping the white and green parts separate. Drain pineapple, reserving the juice.
- Layer the crockpot – Add onions, bell peppers, pineapple chunks, and the white parts of the green onions to the crockpot.
- Mix the sauce – Whisk together the reserved pineapple juice, garlic, brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, barbecue sauce, ginger, and red pepper flakes.
- Add meatballs – Place frozen or thawed meatballs into the crockpot. Pour sauce over the top
- Stir mixture to coat everything in the sauce.
- Cook – Cover and cook on Low for 3–5 hours or High for 2–4 hours, until vegetables are tender.
- Thicken the sauce – About 20 minutes before serving, whisk cornstarch with some hot sauce from the crockpot until smooth. Stir back in, cover, and cook until thickened.
Serve – Mix in the green parts of the green onions and serve over your favorite base.
Storage & Reheating
- Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Freeze cooled meatballs and sauce in a freezer bag or container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Reheat: Warm in the microwave or on the stovetop until heated through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Just make sure they’re cooked through before adding them to the slow cooker, as this recipe is designed for fully cooked meatballs.
They’re delicious over steamed rice, mashed potatoes, noodles, or even in a hoagie roll as a sandwich.
Absolutely! Just make sure your crockpot is large enough (I recommend at least 7-quart size) and increase the cook time slightly if very full.
Yes! You can assemble everything in the crockpot insert (without cooking) the night before, cover, and refrigerate. The next day, let the crock warm up to room temperature, then just place it in the slow cooker base and cook as directed.
More Delicious Meatball Recipes
Easy Baked Meatballs
Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs
Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Meatballs
Easy Meatball Pasta Bake
Salisbury Steak Meatballs
Slow Cooker Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs
If you make these Crockpot Hawaiian Meatballs, let me know! Just leave a comment with a star rating below. I’d love to hear from you!
Crockpot Hawaiian Meatballs
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Frozen Cooked Homestyle Meatballs (thawed or frozen)
- 1 large Onion, chopped
- 2 Bell Peppers chopped
- 4 Green Onions chopped, white parts separated
- 1 20-ounce can Pineapple Chunks with Juice (drain & save the juice)
Sauce
- Reserved Pineapple Juice
- 4 cloves Garlic pressed
- ¼ cup Brown Sugar
- ¼ cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce (or use regular)
- ¼ cup Rice Wine Vinegar
- 1 ½ cups Barbecue Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Ginger Powder (or fresh, grated)
- ½ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
To Thicken
- 2 ½ Tablespoons Cornstarch
Instructions
Prep
- Prep the vegetables: Chop the onion and bell peppers into ½” chunks. Slice the green onions and separate the thicker white & light green parts (set the green parts aside). Separate the pineapple chunks from the juice (save the juice).
- To the crockpot add the onion, bell peppers, pineapple chunks, and the white parts of the green onions. Mix together.
Make the Sauce
- In a bowl, whisk together the pineapple juice, pressed garlic, brown sugar, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, barbecue sauce, ginger powder, and red pepper flakes.
- Add the meatballs to the crockpot, then pour the sauce over them. Stir to combine and coat the meatballs.
Slow Cook
- Cover and cook on Low for 3-5 hours or High for 2-4 hours, or until the vegetables are at the desired tenderness.
Add the Thickener
- About 20 minutes before serving, add some of the hot sauce from the crockpot to a small bowl and carefully whisk in the cornstarch until smooth. Then stir it into the meatballs, cover and cook until thickened, about 20 minutes.
Serve
- Right before serving, stir in the reserved green onions.
- Serve over rice, potatoes, spaghetti squash, or noodles.
Notes
Tips
- You can use turkey or chicken meatballs, but I don’t recommend the Italian flavored as it will clash with the flavors of this recipe.
- Use any color bell pepper you like. I prefer 1 red bell pepper, and one green for both color and flavor.
- Fresh grated ginger can be used in place of the powdered.
Storage
- Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Freeze cooled meatballs and sauce in a freezer bag or container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Reheat: Warm in the microwave or on the stovetop until heated through.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
