• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Closet Cooking

Cooking adventures in a small, closet sized, kitchen. - I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.

  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Top Recipes
    • 30 Minute Meals
    • 6 Ingredient Meals
    • Slow Cooker Meals
    • One Pan Meals
    • By Course
      • Main Course
      • Side Dish
      • Dessert
      • Appetizer/Snack
      • More
    • By Diet
      • Gluten-free
      • Low-carb
      • Vegetarian
      • More
    • By Meat
      • Beef
      • Chicken
      • Lamb
      • Egg
      • Pork
      • Seafood
      • Turkey
      • More
    • By Cuisine
      • Cajun and Creole
      • Chinese
      • Greek
      • Italian
      • Japanese
      • Korean
      • Mexican
      • Thai
      • Vietnamese
      • More
    • By Type
      • Burger
      • Cake
      • Cookie
      • Dip
      • Pasta
      • Pizza
      • Salad
      • Sandwich
      • Soup
      • More
    • By Ingredient
      • Avocado
      • Bacon
      • Cauliflower
      • Mushroom
      • Pumpkin
      • Quinoa
      • Shrimp
      • Strawberry
      • More
  • Cookbooks
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
Never miss a recipe! Subscribe to the email Newsletter!

Hawaiian Meatballs

[heart_this] · Jun 14, 2021 · 10 Comments

Hawaiian Meatballs

Meatballs in a sweet, spicy, salty and tangy pineapple sauce!

I am a big fan of pineapple, especially when used in a savoury dish like these Hawaiian style meatballs! The meatballs are pretty standard with beef, onion, garlic, ginger, egg, and breadcrumbs so the pineapple sauce is the star of the show! The pineapple sauce is a spectacular blend of sweet, spicy, salty and tangy! The sweet aspect comes from brown sugar which also adds a hint of molasses, the spicy comes from chili sauce, salty from soy sauce and tangy both from vinegar and the pineapple itself! The sauce also has ketchup for extra fruitiness, garlic and ginger, Worcestershire sauce and toasted sesame oil for that amazing aroma! Cornstarch is used as a thickener and the sauce just clings to the meatballs and pineapple chucks coating them in pure tastiness! I like to serve these Hawaiian Meatballs over rice with a steamed vegetable, like broccoli.

Hawaiian Meatballs

Hawaiian Meatballs

Hawaiian Meatballs

Hawaiian Meatballs

Hawaiian Meatballs

Hawaiian Meatballs
Hawaiian Meatballs

Hawaiian Meatballs

Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 45 minutes Servings: 4

Meatballs in a sweet, spicy, salty and tangy pineapple sauce!

ingredients
    For the meatballs:
  • 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
  • 1 small onion, grated
  • 1 tablespoon garlic, grated/minced
  • 1 tablespoon ginger, grated/minced
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs (gluten-free for gluten-free)
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce (gluten-free or tamari for gluten-free)
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • For the sauce:
  • 1 (14 ounce) can pineapple chunks (pineapple and juice)
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce (gluten-free or tamari for gluten-free)
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon garlic, grated/minced
  • 1 tablespoon ginger, grated/minced
  • 1 tablespoon sriracha (or to taste)
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
directions
    For the meatballs:
  1. Mix everything well, form into 2 tablespoon balls, place on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 400F/200C oven until cooked and lightly golden brown, about 25-30 minutes.
  2. Toss in the sauce and enjoy!
  3. For the sauce:
  4. Mix everything well, bring to a simmer in a pan until the sauce thickens a bit, about 3-5 minutes.
Option: Serve garnished with toasted sesame seeds.
Option: Serve garnished with sliced green onions.
Tip: Cook rice or pasta while the meatballs bake to serve over.
Nutrition Facts: Calories 655, Fat 37g (Saturated 13g, Trans 2g), Cholesterol 167mg, Sodium 1549mg, Carbs 43g (Fiber 2g, Sugars 24g), Protein 35g

Nutrition by: Nutritional facts powered by Edamam
Similar Recipes:
Thai Meatballs in Curry
Swedish Meatballs
Sriracha Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs
Zucchini Turkey Meatballs in Marinara on Zoodles
Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
Giant Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs
BBQ Ham, Bacon and Pineapple Quesadillas (aka BBQ Hawaiian Pizza Quesadillas)
Ham and Cheese Rolls with Caramelized Pineapple and Onions
Grilled Chicken Teriyaki and Pineapple Salad
Pineapple Sweet Chili Salmon

American, Beef, Food, Gluten-free, Low-carb, Main Course, Recipe

eCookbook Bundle Cover

Get ALL 16 Closet Cooking eCookbooks in a bundle for 70% off! Enjoy some of the tastiest recipes from Closet Cooking along with exclusive cookbook recipes!

Get the Cookbook Bundle Now!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Norma Gedvillas says

    June 15, 2021 at 10:34 pm

    I followed this recipe to the T. The meatballs were very good but the sauce was nothing like yours. Yours has a dark, rich-looking sauce, and mine was not! I will be making more sauce to add to additional meatballs. Are there any suggestions you can offer me? Your recipes are always an inspiration to me. Norma Gedvillas

    Reply
    • kevin says

      June 21, 2021 at 10:08 am

      Hi Norma! Most of the deep colour in the sauce comes from the soy sauce, along with the red from the ketchup; I would guess that a lighter colour of sauce would come from a lighter coloured/brand of soy sauce.

      Reply
  2. Rex Hutcheson says

    June 16, 2021 at 9:30 am

    On white rice with roasted broccoli, this made a good meal.

    Reply
  3. Donna says

    June 16, 2021 at 3:18 pm

    I made this with Impossible Beef – the plant based fake beef. It was delicious. I will make it again. I am also thinking of mincing up some shrimp and making it with shrimp meatballs.

    Reply
  4. Lisa says

    June 22, 2021 at 11:29 am

    This was a very tasty recipe. My family likes veggies in all their dishes, so I added grated carrot and baby corn. Served over rice. So delicious and easy to make!

    Reply
  5. Cheesesteak22 says

    June 22, 2021 at 3:12 pm

    Fantastic Dish! I used chicken instead of beef and added onions and bell peppers, sauted before throwing the sauce in. Served over rotini pasta with steamed broccoli. It ALL went well together and was satisfying.
    Thanks

    Reply
  6. Tracy says

    January 7, 2022 at 7:40 pm

    We loved this. Added a little extra sirrachi

    Reply
  7. Madison says

    November 20, 2022 at 9:26 pm

    Looks yummy and something I can do! Love this recipe – will try it soon. This looks good with with rice!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 20+ Meatball Sauce Recipes – The Kitchen Community says:
    February 16, 2022 at 10:55 pm

    […] 1. Hawaiian Sauce […]

    Reply
  2. 23 Homemade Sauces For Meatballs You Need To Try - Whimsy & Spice says:
    September 5, 2022 at 10:30 am

    […] 1. Hawaiian Sauce […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to the free Closet Cooking email newsletter and get a FREE copy of the eBook:
The Best of Closet Cooking!

About Me

Kevin: I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.
Read More

The Best of Closet Cooking 2023 – FREE eCookbook

The Best of Closet Cooking Book Cover

eCookbook Bundle

eCookbook Bundle

Top Recipes

Chicken and Avocado Burritos
Ham and Potato Corn Chowder
Mexican Street Corn Nachos
Balsamic Garlic Grilled Mushroom Skewers
Baked Firecracker Chicken
Caprese Balsamic Grilled Chicken
Balsamic Soy Roasted Garlic Mushrooms
Cheesy Beef Enchilada Tortellini Skillet
Parmesan Roasted Carrot Fries
Asiago Roasted Onions
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
About | Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy
Copyright © 2007-2023, Closet Cooking Ltd. All Rights Reserved.