Slow Cooker Hawaiian Meatballs
Get ready for a little taste of the islands — without ever leaving your kitchen. These Slow Cooker Hawaiian Meatballs are the ultimate combination of sweet, savory, and tangy, with juicy pineapple, tender meatballs, and a sticky-sweet sauce that tastes like sunshine in a bite. Think sweet and sour meatballs with a tropical twist — and all made right in your slow cooker.
Perfect for weeknight dinners, potlucks, or game day spreads, this recipe is as easy as it gets. Just toss everything into your crock pot, let it simmer low and slow, and a few hours later you’ll have a crowd-pleasing dish that smells amazing and tastes even better.
Eat it over rice, or with mashed potatoes for a full meal.
Why You’ll Love These Hawaiian Meatballs
We love meatballs over here: Crockpot Grape Jelly Meatballs, Porcupine Meatballs, or Mongolian Beef Meatballs, it doesn’t matter, we are fans! I even wrote a whole guide for meatballs: The Ultimate Guide to Meatballs. So here is why you will love this recipe:
- No prep required: Thanks to frozen meatballs, this recipe is basically dump-and-go.
- Big flavor: The sauce combines BBQ, soy sauce, vinegar, and brown sugar for that irresistible balance of sweet, savory, and tangy.
- Versatile: Serve them as an appetizer, over rice for dinner, or on slider buns for an easy party bite.
- Crowd favorite: Everyone loves a saucy, sticky meatball — especially one with a pop of pineapple in every bite.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- 32 ounces frozen meatballs (or make your own Meatballs)
- 1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained
- 2 cups BBQ sauce
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon dried ginger
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons chopped chives, for garnish
How to Make Hawaiian Meatballs in the Slow Cooker
- Add the base: Place frozen meatballs and pineapple chunks into your crock pot.
- Whisk the sauce: In a medium bowl, or right in the crock, combine BBQ sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and brown sugar.
- Combine and cook: Pour the sauce over the meatballs and toss gently to coat.
- Slow cook: Cover and cook on HIGH for 2–3 hours or LOW for 5–6 hours.
- Garnish and serve: Sprinkle with chopped chives before serving.
Tips & Tricks
- Use your favorite BBQ sauce: A smoky or tangy one works best to balance the sweetness of the pineapple.
- Add veggies: Bell peppers or onions make a great addition if you want more texture and color.
- Make it a meal: Serve over steamed rice, mashed potatoes, or even noodles.
Make-Ahead & Storage
You can make these meatballs ahead of time and reheat them on the “warm” setting for parties or gatherings. Leftovers store well in the fridge for up to 4 days — if they last that long!
The Easy, Saucy, Crowd-Pleasing Recipe You’ll Make Again and Again
This is one of those recipes that delivers big flavor for minimal effort. Sweet, sticky, and just a little tangy — it’s everything you love about comfort food with a tropical twist. Whether you’re feeding your family or a hungry crowd, these Slow Cooker Hawaiian Meatballs are guaranteed to disappear fast.
More Slow Cooker Recipes
- Slow Cooker Marry Me Chicken Soup
- Slow Cooker Ribs
- Crockpot Grape Jelly Meatballs
- Crockpot Smore Fondue
- Crock Pot Smothered Pork Chops
- Crockpot Chipolte Pork Tacos
Slow Cooker Hawaiian Meatballs
Equipment
- 1 slow cooker
Ingredients
- 32 ounces frozen meatballs
- 20 ounces Pineapple chunks not drained
- 2 cups BBQ sauce
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon dried ginger
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped chives for garnish
Instructions
- Make the sauce: In the bowl of your slow cooker, whisk together the BBQ sauce, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, dried ginger, and minced garlic until smooth and well combined.
- Add the meatballs and pineapple: Pour in the frozen meatballs and drained pineapple chunks. Stir gently to coat everything evenly in the sauce.
- Cook: Cover and cook on HIGH for 2–3 hours or LOW for 5–6 hours, stirring once or twice during cooking to ensure the meatballs are well coated in the sauce.
- Finish and serve: Once heated through and saucy, stir again to make sure the sauce is evenly distributed. Sprinkle with chopped chives before serving.
Notes
Serve these meatballs over rice for a complete meal, or keep them warm in the slow cooker for parties.
Try swapping the BBQ sauce for a teriyaki-style sauce if you want a slightly different flavor profile.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat beautifully.
Nutrition
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
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