Can you make sweet and sour meatballs in a slow cooker, crockpot, or Instant Pot?

Yes. For a slow cooker or crockpot, prepare the meatballs and sauce as written, searing the meatballs in a skillet. Then, transfer the meatballs and sauce ingredients to the slow cooker and keep warm on the low setting for up to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. For an Instant Pot, sauté the meatballs using the Sauté function until browned, add the sauce, then pressure cook on High for 5 minutes with a quick release. Switch back to Sauté if needed to thicken the sauce.

How do you prevent sweet and sour meatballs from falling apart?

The key is to use a higher quality and lean ground meat, avoid over mixing the meat mixture, and form the meatballs gently. Add breadcrumbs or almond flour to help bind everything together and keep the texture tender. Cook the meatballs in a hot skillet until lightly browned on all sides, which helps them hold their shape before the sauce is added.

What can I do if my sweet and sour meatballs are too runny?

If the sauce seems runny, I either let it cook a little bit longer or increase the heat so it comes to a rolling simmer. Or, I whisk 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 2 tablespoons cold water in a small bowl to create a slurry, and slowly whisk it into the sauce. Once that mixture comes to a simmer, it will thicken the sauce up in about 30 seconds.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs Recipe

Servings: 4-6 (24 meatballs) 1x

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Ingredients

For the Meatballs:

2 lbs lean ground pork (90-96% lean)
¼ cup bread crumbs
¼ cup thinly sliced green onions, plus more for garnish
1 ¼ teaspoons garlic powder
1 ¼ teaspoons onion powder
¾ teaspoon fine salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

For the Sauce:

⅓ cup unsweetened ketchup
8 ounces crushed pineapple in 100% pineapple juice
2 tablespoon water
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot starch

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Instructions

In a large bowl, combine the ground pork, bread crumbs, green onions, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
Mix to combine (I use my hands) and divide and shape the meat mixture into 24 small meatballs. about 1 tablespoon each.
Place a large skillet over medium-high heat on the stovetop. When the pan is hot, add meatballs in a single layer. If using a skillet that tends to stick, mist it first with nonstick spray.
Cook the meatballs until they are lightly browned all over and cooked through (internal temperature reaches 160℉), turning them often, about 10-14 minutes total. The time it takes to cook through depends on the size of the meatballs.
While meatballs are cooking, in a small bowl, combine all of the sauce ingredients; stir well until the cornstarch is dissolved.
When meatballs are browned on all sides, add sauce and stir to coat each meatball. Bring sauce to a simmer and cook until the sauce thickens, 4-6 minutes.
To serve, sprinkle with additional green onions and serve warm.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Notes

May use ground turkey or ground chicken in place of the ground pork.

For gluten free, sub an equal amount of almond flour or gluten-free breadcrumbs for the regular bread crumbs.

May use apple cider vinegar, rice wine vinegar, or white vinegar in place of rice vinegar.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size: ¼ of the recipe or 6 meatballs
Calories: 355
Fat: 11 g
(Sat Fat: 3 g)
Sodium: 763 mg
Carbohydrate: 21 g
(Fiber: 1 g
Sugar: 10 g)
Protein: 42 g
Cholesterol: 138 mg

Dietary

Dairy-Free Egg-Free High Protein Nut-free

Recipe By: Jessica Beacom