
Meatballs are a family favorite at our house. My husband and kids devoured these Slow Cooker Hawaiian Meatballs. What sets these easy slow cooker meatballs apart as “Hawaiian” is the sweet and tangy sauce made with pineapple juice, vinegar and soy sauce. We also add in a little cornstarch to make it a thick, sticky glaze. We also added some pineapple, red bell pepper and green bell pepper in with the meatballs for some Hawaiian flavor.
We like to eat these Hawaiian meatballs over rice for dinner, but you could easily serve them plain as an appetizer. Whichever way you serve them, the will disappear in minutes!
Recipe Ingredient Notes
To make slow cooker Hawaiian meatballs, you need the following ingredients:
- Precooked frozen turkey meatballs
- Canned pineapple chunks
- Green bell pepper
- Red bell pepper
- Brown sugar
- Cornstarch
- White vinegar
- Soy sauce
Equipment Needed
For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:

How to Make Slow Cooker Hawaiian Meatballs
- Spray a slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place frozen meatballs in the slow cooker and top with drained pineapple (reserve the juice and set aside), green pepper and red pepper.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together pineapple juice, brown sugar, cornstarch, vinegar and soy sauce.
- Pour sauce in slow cooker and mix everything to combine.
- Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or until heated through.
- Serve over cooked rice.
Freezer Meal Modification
To make this recipe into a freezer meal, follow the steps listed below:
- Place meatballs, pineapple chunks with juice, diced bell peppers, brown sugar, corn starch, white vinegar, and soy sauce into a gallon-sized freezer bag.
- Place freezer bag into the freezer, and it will last up to 90 days.
- When ready to use, dump ingredients from bag into the slow cooker. Add ½ cup of beef broth or water in with the frozen food.
- Cook as directed above and until heated through.
Recipe Notes
You do not need to thaw frozen meatballs before cooking. Simply place the frozen meatballs directly into the slow cooker, and let the slow cooker do the work for you!
Enjoy More Delicious Hot Appetizers
Whether meatballs, chicken wings, nachos, or quesadillas, there’s nothing to start out a party better than an appetizer. Browse our comprehensive list of hot appetizer recipes.
- Honey Sriracha Ground Turkey Meatballs
- Instant Pot Hawaiian Meatballs
- Instant Pot Italian Meatballs
- Porcupine Meatballs
- Slow Cooker Honey Buffalo Meatballs
- Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs
- Sweet and Sour Meatballs
- Sweet and Tangy Meatballs
- Sweet Polynesian Meatballs

Slow Cooker Hawaiian Meatballs Recipe
Ingredients
- 24 ounces precooked frozen turkey meatballs, 1 package
- 20 ounces pineapple chunks, 1 can, drain and reserve juice
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
- ⅔ cup white vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 6 cups cooked rice
Instructions
- Spray a slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place frozen meatballs in the slow cooker and top with drained pineapple (reserve the juice and set aside), green pepper and red pepper.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together pineapple juice, brown sugar, cornstarch, vinegar and soy sauce.
- Pour sauce in slow cooker and mix everything to combine.
- Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or until heated through.
- Serve over cooked rice.
Make it a great day!
This serves 6-8 (or more depending on serving size. We usually can feed my family of 3 twice with this). I have never tried them as a freezer meal, so I am not sure the best way to go about doing it. I would maybe freeze the everything together before cooking the meatballs so they aren't cooked twice. Let us know how it goes!
I am so sorry about that! I am not sure why it wouldn't have thickened. If you make them again, you could add more corn starch until it reaches your desired consistency.
I didn't use a crock pot, but rather opted to use my plain old non-stick and the results were super.
However, i reduced the amount of sugar and increased the amount of vinegar to have a more tangy than sweet taste.
Thanks for uploading this recipe.
Twitter: @penelopekirui
On a side note, it still smells delicious! I just can't imagine eating it without the thick sauce :)
From Portugal!!!!! Thanks for the wonderfull site!
Tatiana
I think it would be delicious using homemade meatballs! I would brown them first so they stay together and follow the cooking directions on the recipe making sure they are cooked all the way through before serving.
It didn't dawn on me until I saw this...4 hours in the pot & complete water for sauce :( I added about 2 1/2 tbl more of cornstarch...problem solved :)
Thank you!!!
Sinea from Ducks 'n a Row
http:/www.ducksnarow.com
Cost of premade meatballs: $2
Cost of pound of burger: $4
Cost of canned pineapple: $.50
Cost of fresh pineapple: $3
That is a HUGE deal to some of us.