Whether you serve this Hawaiian Meatballs recipe as an easy party appetizer or as a main dish over rice, it’s sure to be hit! All you need is pineapple, BBQ sauce and meatballs, and you can cook them in the slow cooker or on the stovetop.
Want more 30-Minute meals? Try Chicken Taquitos, Taco Salad, or Spaghetti Pie!
Why I love this recipe:
- Versatile – I love serving these as a delicious appetizer at a party, or serving them as a main dish over rice. Either way, they are a crowd pleaser every time!
- 30-Minute Meal – So quick and easy to throw together. These easy Hawaiian Meatballs can be cooked on the stove in under 30 minutes, or thrown into a slow cooker.
- The BBQ Sauce – If you’ve never made my homemade bbq sauce, I encourage you to try it with this simple recipe! It takes this dish to a whole new level!
How to Make Hawaiian Meatballs:
Slow Cooker Method:
Add Meatballs: Spray the bottom of your slow cooker lightly with cooking spray then add frozen meatballs to the bottom of pot.
Add Sauce: Pour homemade bbq sauce and crushed pineapple over meatballs.Â
Cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or HIGH for 2-3 hours then serve crockpot Hawaiian Meatballs warm garnished with chopped green onions, if desired.
Stovetop Method:
- Add homemade bbq sauce and crushed pineapple to a medium pot.
- Add meatballs and stir to coat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer,
- Cook for 8-10 minutes for thawed meatballs, or 14-16 minutes for frozen meatballs.
- Serve warm garnished with chopped green onions, if desired.
More Appetizers:
- French Onion Dip
- Blistered Shishito Peppers
- Tomato and Basil Bruschetta
- Burrata Appetizer
- Bacon Wrapped Dates
- Baked Brie
- Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Cowboy Caviar
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Recipe
Hawaiian Meatballs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 50 – 60 pre-cooked frozen meatballs *, store-bought or homemade
- 2 1/2 cups homemade BBQ sauce (store-bought can be used, but homemade is highly recommended!)
- 1 cup pineapple fresh, diced, or use crushed pineapple from a can, slightly drained
Instructions
Slow Cooker Meatballs:
- Spray the bottom of your slow cooker lightly with cooking spray. Add frozen meatballs to the bottom of pot. Pour pineapple and bbq sauce over meatballs.Â
- Cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or HIGH for 2-3 hours. Serve warm garnished with chopped green onions, if desired.
Stovetop Instructions:
- Add meatballs, pineapple and bbq sauce to a large pot and stir to coat. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low simmer.
- Cover and cook for about 10 minutes for thawed meatballs, or 15+ minutes for frozen meatballs, or until warmed through.Â
Notes
Nutrition
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I originally shared this recipe August 2017. Updated February 2021 and August 2023.
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These were a hit!!!
Delicious and easy. I double-cheated and used frozen meatballs and premade BBQ sauce (Sweet Baby Ray’s Original).
Did you use the Italian style meatballs from costco in this recipe? I am worried about the conflicting flavors but am having a hard time finding regular meatballs that aren’t Italian flavored. Thanks for your help!!
If I don’t have some homemade, I think the Costco ones are great. I think the flavors work, and they’re much higher quality than most store-bought brands.
Quick and easy. And taste great. I made this recipe for my grandson’s birthday party and everyone loved them. Especially my four year old grandson. Who is a picky eater.
5 Stars . Everything is wonderful.
One helpful hint about these frozen meatballs. Don’t microwave them. I did that for a party that I was catering years ago and they became like golf balls. Slow cooker, oven or stove top only for these!
How do you make your homemade bq sauce
Here’s the recipe! https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/best-homemade-bbq-sauce/
Made these last night for our family’s holiday gathering. They were a big bit!
Hosting a party of 35 or more people… I need to make these… My crock not big enough, can I slow bake them instead?
Yes, you could bake them. Bake the meatballs first (according to package or recipe instructions) then add the sauce at the end.
I had somebody make this for me a long time ago and it was so good! I was wondering what kind of store bought bbq sauce you would recommend. There’s just so many different flavors I’m not sure what to pick
I wonder if the crushed pineapple would make the bbq sauce too thin. I think I am going to get the smallest can of crushed pineapple and add in 3/4 cup pineapple preserves. Similar to the recipe for grape jelly meatballs.
Great recipe – loving all that I have tried so far. But how come you make your own sauce but you buy frozen meatballs? I assume this, as you don’t give the simple recipe for making meatballs.
Hi Mary, you can use my homemade beef meatballs (https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/italian-meatball-subs/), or chicken meatballs (https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/baked-chicken-meatballs/).
is one of my go to recipes. Especially after the first time I made them, my husband thought I went to a lot of work. He loves them! Having out of town family on the weekend and going to share my Hawaiian meatballs!
This seems to be our go-to recipe when we’re in a rut and need a dinner idea. The meatballs are easy to make and everyone loves them. We usually serve them over rice…yumm! Thanks for yet another great recipe!
Thank u for sharing ur recipe! I am looking forward to making these for my Christmas Eve party this year. I love finding new yummy ideas…urs is great! Will let ya know how they go. I am going to make homemade meatballs for mine. Can’t wait.
Love these Hawaiian BBQ meatballs! I made them to bring to a New Year’s Eve party and people asked me for the recipe…just made them again for another party and received many compliments. I always make extras to keep handy in our fridge in a plastic container — quick snack to microwave or heat up and serve with brown or white rice for a quick dinner! Your recipes are awesome!
Thank you so much Katie! That makes me so happy to hear. Thank you for taking the time to comment–and thanks so much for following TBFS <3
So easy! I just threw it in the crockpot for lunch and it was quick and yummy!
Mmmm that sounds delicious! Can’t wait to try 🙂
Thank you so much Lauren!!!
I found these on Pinterest and love them!