Tender Slow Cooker Hawaiian Meatballs are a culinary win-win. They are super delicious bathed in a sweet and tangy pineapple sauce with a hint of Asian Chili Sauce and made super easy to prep in advance in the slow cooker!
Every birthday growing up, each sibling excitedly chose their favorite “birthday meal” that Mom would make for our special family birthday dinner. I always looked forward to my birthday for this reason alone (I was always higly food motivated ) and always picked either Chicken Divan or Waikiki Meatballs. I just couldn’t get enough of those melt in your mouth meatball morsels. To this day, Waikiki meatballs (or Hawaiian), is one of my favorite meals.
To update this classic, I kept the meatballs very similar to the original, but I mixed up the sauce with the addition of ketchup and Asian Sweet Chili Sauce which add an extra depth of flavor, spice and “YUM” to the already delectable sauce.
To make these Hawaiian meatballs in the slow cooker, I just wanted to dump and run, but adding a cornstarch slurry at the end of cooking and simmering did not produce the silky, thickened sauce we know and love. So this meal is almost dump and run. To remedy the thin sauce problem, simply simmer the sauce a few minutes on the stovetop then pour all over your meatballs, pineapple and bell peppers and then you can walk away while your house fills with the enticing aroma of the islands.
And when you can’t stand the Hawaiian siren calls any longer, lift your slow cooker lid and tender, juicy mouthwatering Hawaiian meatballs, pineapple and peppers infused with the luscious paradisical sauce await. Aloha!
Slow Cooker Hawaiian Meatballs
Ingredients
MEATBALLS
- 1 large egg
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- ¾ cup crushed saltine crackers
- ⅓ cup dried minced onion
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
HAWAIIAN SAUCE
- One 20 ounce can pineapple chunks in 100% pineapple juice (juice only in the sauce)
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup ketchup
- ⅓ cup white vinegar
- ¼ cup Asian sweet chili sauce
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1 to 2 teaspoons Sriracha or Asian hot chili sauce
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS
- 1 medium red bell pepper (seeds and ribs removed), chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 medium green bell pepper (seeds and ribs removed), chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
- pineapple chunks, from the 20 ounce can listed above
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add egg and gently whisk. Add all remaining meatball ingredients and mix until well combined. Roll meat mixture into approximate 1 inch balls. Place meatballs onto prepared baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes, or until lightly browned.
- Meanwhile, strain the pineapple juice from chunks and add water to equal 2 cups juice/water. Set the pineapple chunks aside.
- Add the water/juice plus all remaining Hawaiian sauce ingredients to a medium saucepan and whisk until smooth. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer until thickened, stirring constantly.
- Add the meatballs to your slow cooker, followed by the pineapple and red and green bell peppers. Pour the Hawaiian sauce over everything.
- Cover and cook on LOW heat for 2 hours or until meatballs are cooked through, gently stirring an hour after cooking. Keep warm until serving. Serve over rice (or serve as cocktail meatballs).
Notes
- This recipe makes plenty of sauce, so be sure to serve with rice.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Here are a few more meatball recipes you might enjoy:
- Slow Cooker Honey Buffalo Meatballs by Carlsbad Cravings
- Swedish Meatballs by RecipeGirl
- Asian Meatballs with Hoisin Blackberry Glaze by Just a Taste
- Slow Cooker Cranberry Meatballs by Carlsbad Cravings
- Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup by Two Peas and Their Pod
Disclosure: I’m working with Eggland’s Best in 2016. They are providing the eggs that I use in my recipes.
i want to make these for my sisters birthday luau. How many does 6 servings mean in meatball count? There will be 40 people, i would like 2-3 each. thank you.
Hi LaDonna, I have not made these in so long that I’m not remembering exactly how many meatballs this makes! It might be best to make them (make half a recipe, perhaps) to try them out. And then you can figure out how many you will need.
These sound amazing. But I’m sad I don’t see a Chicken Divan recipe which you mention was your other favorite.
Wow! I’m soooo going to make these for dinner! But what do I serve with them?
I’d serve them over rice!
Sounds nice. Thank you.