Sweet and Sour Meatball Recipe

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Craving a tangy twist to your meatballs? Look no further! This homemade Sweet and Sour Meatball recipe is a perfect combination of sweet and tangy flavors that will leave your taste buds singing. Whether you’re serving them as a party appetizer or a main course, these meatballs are sure to be a hit with the whole family.

Why You’ll Love this Recipe!

These Sweet and Sour Meatballs are an amazing and surprisingly easy recipe to make. With just a few simple ingredients and a bit of hands-on time, you can whip up a batch in no time. Plus, they can be made ahead of time and reheated when needed, making them perfect for entertaining.

A perfect balance between both sweet and sour, these meatballs are a crowd-pleasing option for any occasion. Whether you’re hosting a family dinner or a game night with friends, these appetizers are sure to disappear fast!

Ingredients Needed for Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Just a few simple ingredients are needed for this easy recipe and you probably already have them on hand! Here is what you’ll need:

For the Homemade Meatballs

Of course you can use store-bought meatballs if you prefer. If you want to make them from scratch, here is what you’ll need. It’s very simple, I promise!

• Sandwich Bread and Milk – I know the milk and bread sound kind of weird, but trust me, these meatballs turn out SO tender because of it.
• Ground Beef – For the best flavor, use a ground beef with a higher fat content, like 80/20 or even 85/15. You could also use pork or a combination of beef and pork.
• Garlic and Yellow Onion – great additions for classic meatball flavors.
• Egg – to help hold everything together.
• Pantry Staples– Salt and Black Pepper – it is so important to season while you cook versus just doing it afterward. It makes a world of difference.

For the Sweet and Sour Sauce

The meatballs are going to be cooked in the tangy sauce so it’s super important for flavoring purposes! Here’s what you’ll need:

• Ketchup, Mustard, and Worcestershire Sauce – three condiments that create a tangy and savory mixture of flavors! So, so good.
• Onion and Garlic – more onion and garlic, the two most basic but flavorful ingredients.
• Brown Sugar – this brings the sweetness and stickiness to this recipe. Light or dark brown sugar works fine.
• Pantry Staples– salt and black pepper

Variations:

• Swap ground beef for lean ground turkey, chicken or pork.
• In a pinch for time? You can use frozen meatballs of your choice!
• Add pineapple chunks for extra sweetness
• Experiment with different sauces like grape jelly or oriental sweet sauce

Looking for more appetizers to serve? Check these out: Basic Salsa Recipe, Pepperoni Pizza Rolls Recipe, Classic Coleslaw Recipe, and Carolina BBQ Pulled Pork Frito Bites.

How to Make Sweet and Sour Meatballs

It really is quite fun to make these easy Sweet and Sour Meatballs. Simply mix up the base, form little balls, and cook until brown. Then make your sauce and let simmer for 30 minutes or 3 hours if you want! The longer they sit the better they’ll taste! For the full recipe, including ingredient measurements, check out the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

1. Make the Meat Mixture

In a large bowl, soak the 2 pieces of bread in milk until soggy, about 3 minutes. 

Add in ground beef, onion, garlic, egg, salt and pepper and stir together until well combined, being careful not to overwork the meat.

2. Forming Your Meatballs

Using a cookie scoop, divide the mixture into approximately 24 meatballs. Roll each individual meatball to be evenly round. 

3. Brown the Meatballs

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat on your stove top. Place meatballs into hot pan, in a single layer and brown on all sides.

4. Make the Sweet and Sour Sauce for Meatballs

While meatballs are cooking, measure all sauce ingredients (Ketchup, Mustard, Worcestershire Sauce, onion, garlic, brown sugar and s + p) and whisk to combine in a small bowl. Set aside.

5. Add Sauce to the Meatballs

Once meatballs are brown (not fully cooked through), remove from pan and deglaze with the sauce, scraping the bottom of the pan to get all of those delicious brown bits. Place meatballs back into skillet and coat in sauce. Cover and finish cooking the meatballs for about 30 minutes.

Pro Tip– Cooking time will vary slightly depending on how hot the skillet is and how large the meatballs are. Make sure the meatballs are thoroughly cooked through before serving. When you think they’re done, give them a quick internal temperature check with a meat thermometer. Ground beef should be 160° F.

Garnish with green onion and serve as is as an appetizer or over pasta or white rice for a main dish.

What to Serve with Sweet and Sour Meatballs

If you’d like to serve these sweet and sour meatballs as a main dish instead of an appetizer, I suggest serving it alongside some side dishes! Here are some ideas to make it an easy meal.

• Cilantro Lime Rice
• Easy Fried Rice Recipe
• Famous Butter Rice
• Pan Fried Sesame Butternut Squash Noodles
• Fresh Spring Rolls Recipe with Peanut Dipping Sauce
• Sesame Noodle Salad

Storage + Make Ahead Directions for Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Any leftover sweet and sour meatballs can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge, for up to 4 days.

Make-Ahead

If you wanted to make these in advance, just keep them in your crock pot/slow cooker for the day of the party and by night they will be all slow-cooked and glazed to perfection. Tender, sweet, and delish!

Freeze for later

Yes, you can even freeze these meatballs! Make a double batch and keep them in your freezer for a last minute appetizer or dinner. Allow to cool to room temperature, then store in a freezer safe, airtight container of resealable bag for up to 3 months! Allow to thaw in the fridge until the next day.

Favorite Meatball Recipes to Love!

• Easy Meatball Recipe (perfect for any dish!)
• Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe
• Swedish Meatballs
• Meatball Sub or Hoagie
• Homemade Freezer Turkey Meatballs

This is one of my favorite recipes EVER and think you all will love them too! Try them out for your next gathering or weeknight dinner, and prepare to be impressed! Printable recipe card is below! Have a good week friends! 🙂

If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would give it a star rating and leave your review in the comments! If you have a picture of your finished dish, post it on Instagram using the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.