Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Meatballs are a delicious saucy mix of tangy and sweet, perfect as an appetizer or main meal. This is a dump and go crock pot recipe, and made with only six ingredients. It doesn’t get any easier!

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Slow cooker sweet and sour meatballs are made easily in the crock pot using just 5 simple ingredients. Perfect for an appetizer, dinner, or get-together. This is a dump and go recipe using frozen meatballs.

You had me at “dump and go”. My favorite recipes are ones when you can throw some ingredients in to a crock pot and a couple hours later you are left with a delicious meal. That’s what makes these sweet and sour meatball the best!

These saucy meatballs are sweet and tangy and perfect for an easy appetizer (you can serve them right from the slow cooker), an easy weeknight meal served over a bed of mashed potatoes or rice, or for a party- maybe a Super Bowl party!?

I know the combination of pineapple and ketchup sound so strange, but stay with me on this.

What you’ll need

It’s just six ingredients!

A 7-8 quart crock pot
Frozen meatballs– of course you can use homemade too, they don’t even need to be cooked! Just throw them in fresh or frozen.
Ketchup- for the tang in the sauce.
Brown sugar– for the sweet in the sauce. I’m using light brown sugar. Dark brown sugar can also be used for a more intense flavor.
Worcestershire sauce– to add flavor
Pineapple– I use canned chunk pineapple with the juice. Fresh is great too, if you have it. The pineapple adds to the sweetness.
Cornstarch– to thicken the sauce (don’t use flour)

How to make Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Oil or spray the crock pot and add the meatballs. Drain the pineapple juice into a separate bowl to use in the sauce. Add the drained pineapple to the meatballs.

Prepare the sauce: In the same bowl as the pineapple juice, whisk in the cornstarch, ketchup, worchestershire sauce, and brown sugar. Pour over the meatballs.

Cook on low for 4 hours or on high for 2 hours.

Serving Suggestions

As an appetizer for a party, tailgate or get-together. Turn the crock pot to warm (if you have that function) and serve from the crock pot with toothpicks or those cute little cocktail forks.
As a main entree- serve over mashed potatoes, grits, rice, or pasta with your favorite vegetable or a side salad.
As a sandwich– these are so good in a hoagie bun!

Tips and Suggestions

Use fresh or frozen meatballs for this recipe- Use plain meatballs though, any flavored meatballs such as Italian style will alter the end result.
Refrigerate leftover up to 3 days in an air tight container. Freeze up to 3 months. This is great as a make ahead freezer meal. Just add all the ingredients to a freezer bag and freeze until ready to use. Thaw over night in the refrigerator and dump in the slow cooker. Add additional cook time if the sauce is still frozen.
Add bell peppers or chopped onions to this dish.
Do not use flour in place of cornstarch, the sauce will be weird.

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