Spicy Crockpot Hawaiian Meatballs with BBQ Sauce and Pineapple
These crockpot Hawaiian meatballs start with a bag of frozen meatballs, a bottle of BBQ sauce, a can of pineapple chunks and a teaspoon of red chili flakes. Prep takes about 5 minutes. The slow cooker does the rest, and the sauce cooks down into a sticky, sweet and spicy glaze.
One batch works two ways. Put the meatballs on toothpicks with a piece of pineapple for a game day appetizer, or spoon them over rice for an easy weeknight dinner.
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- A Quick Look At The Recipe
- What Makes These Hawaiian Meatballs Different
- Ingredients for Crockpot Hawaiian Meatballs
- How to Make Hawaiian Meatballs in the Crockpot
- How Long to Cook Frozen Meatballs in the Crockpot
- Serving Hawaiian Meatballs as an Appetizer or a Main Dish
- Easy Swaps and Variations
- How to Store, Freeze and Reheat Hawaiian Meatballs
- FAQs
- More Recipes to Try
- Spicy Crockpot Hawaiian Meatballs
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- 🍍 Ingredients: frozen meatballs, BBQ sauce, pineapple chunks, red chili flakes and green onions
- ⏱️ Time: 5 minutes of prep, then 2–3 hours on HIGH or 4–6 hours on LOW
- 🍽️ Servings: 8 as a main dish or 12 to 15 as an appetizer (40–50 meatballs)
- 🌶️ Heat: 1 teaspoon of red chili flakes (½ teaspoon for milder)
- 🧊 Storage: up to 4 days in the fridge or 2 months in the freezer
What Makes These Hawaiian Meatballs Different
Many Hawaiian meatball recipes add brown sugar or soy sauce to the BBQ sauce and pineapple. These slow cooker Hawaiian meatballs keep it to five ingredients. The bottled sauce and the pineapple bring the sweetness. The chili flakes go in at the start, so you get spicy Hawaiian meatballs, not just sweet ones.
Sliced green onions also cook with the meatballs instead of just going on top at the end. They soften in the sauce and give it a mild onion flavor. A few fresh ones still go on top before serving.
About the name: “Hawaiian” here means the pineapple BBQ meatballs that show up at a lot of American potlucks. It’s Hawaiian-inspired, not a traditional dish from Hawaii.
Ingredients for Crockpot Hawaiian Meatballs
Frozen meatballs. Use fully cooked frozen meatballs. You need about a 2-pound (32-ounce) bag, or 40 to 50 meatballs, depending on the brand. Beef, pork, chicken, turkey and plant-based meatballs all work. Plain or homestyle meatballs suit the sauce better than Italian-style ones, which are seasoned with herbs.
BBQ sauce. You need 18 ounces, which is one standard bottle. A sweet, tomato-based sauce works best. This batch was made with Kraft Original, but any BBQ sauce you like is fine.
Pineapple chunks. Use a 15-ounce can and drain it before the pineapple goes in. If you add the juice too, the sauce will be thinner and sweeter.
Red chili flakes. One teaspoon gives the sauce its heat. Use ½ teaspoon for a milder pot, or leave the flakes out if you’re cooking for kids or anyone who doesn’t like spice.
Green onions. You’ll need about ½ cup sliced, which is 2 large or 3 to 4 regular green onions. Most of it goes into the slow cooker. Keep a couple of tablespoons for sprinkling on top.
How to Make Hawaiian Meatballs in the Crockpot
1. Add the frozen meatballs
Put the frozen meatballs straight into the slow cooker. They’re already cooked, so they only need to heat through.
2. Add the sauce, pineapple, chili flakes and green onions
Pour the BBQ sauce over the meatballs. Add the drained pineapple, the chili flakes and most of the green onions. Stir until every meatball is coated, then put the lid on.
3. Cook on HIGH or LOW
Cook for 2 to 3 hours on HIGH or 4 to 6 hours on LOW.
4. Garnish and serve
Serve the meatballs warm, over rice as a main dish or on skewers as an appetizer. Sprinkle the rest of the green onions on top.
How Long to Cook Frozen Meatballs in the Crockpot
Fully cooked frozen meatballs take 2 to 3 hours on HIGH or 4 to 6 hours on LOW in a slow cooker. The exact time depends on your slow cooker, the size of the meatballs and how full the pot is.
They’re ready when the center of a meatball reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer. That’s the USDA temperature for reheating cooked food. No thermometer? Cut the biggest meatball in half. It should be steaming hot all the way through, with no cold spot in the middle.
Choose HIGH when you’re short on time and LOW when you can start earlier in the day.
Serving Hawaiian Meatballs as an Appetizer or a Main Dish
As an appetizer
- Slide one meatball and one piece of pineapple onto a toothpick or a short bamboo pick, then set them out on a platter.
- For a party, you can also leave the meatballs in the slow cooker on WARM with a cup of toothpicks next to it. USDA says hot food should stay at 140°F or above, and anything sitting out at room temperature should go back in the fridge within 2 hours.
- For a bigger game day spread, set them out with drunken chili meatballs for a beer-and-chili version, plus a cold dip like this vegetarian 7 layer dip with hummus.
As a main dish
Spoon the meatballs and plenty of sauce over steamed white rice, so the rice soaks up the extra glaze. A crunchy slaw, a green salad or steamed broccoli on the side balances the sweet sauce.
Easy Swaps and Variations
- Different meatballs: For an Italian-style slow cooker dinner, try these crockpot mozzarella stuffed meatballs.
- More tang: stir in a splash of white vinegar.
- A savory note: add a little soy sauce.
- Extra vegetables: add coarsely chopped onion and bell peppers with the sauce at the start.
How to Store, Freeze and Reheat Hawaiian Meatballs
- Fridge: keep leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: let the meatballs and sauce cool, spoon them into a zip-top freezer bag and squeeze out the air. Freeze the bag flat for up to 2 months, then thaw it overnight in the fridge.
- Reheat: microwave a serving for 2 to 3 minutes, or heat the meatballs in a covered pan over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until they’re hot in the center. If the sauce looks dry, add a splash of water or BBQ sauce.
- Reheating for a party: USDA doesn’t recommend reheating leftovers in the slow cooker itself. Heat them on the stove or in the microwave first, then move them to the slow cooker on WARM.
FAQs
Do you have to thaw frozen meatballs before putting them in the crockpot?
Not for fully cooked frozen meatballs. This recipe puts them in straight from the freezer. USDA’s general slow cooker advice is more careful: thaw meat and poultry first. If you’d like to follow it, thaw the bag in the fridge overnight and start checking them sooner. Either way, they’re ready at 165°F in the center.
Can you use raw or homemade meatballs?
Not as written. This recipe is for fully cooked meatballs. If you make your own, cook them all the way first, for example in the oven, and then add them to the slow cooker with the sauce.
How many meatballs per person?
Plan on 5 to 6 meatballs per person for dinner with rice, which is how this recipe serves 8. As an appetizer next to other snacks, 3 to 4 meatballs each is usually enough, so one batch covers roughly 12 to 15 people.
Are Hawaiian meatballs gluten-free?
Only if your meatballs and BBQ sauce are. Many frozen meatballs contain breadcrumbs, and some BBQ sauces contain gluten, so check both labels. The pineapple, chili flakes and green onions are naturally gluten-free.
More Recipes to Try
- Quick cheesy meatball casserole, another easy dinner from a bag of frozen meatballs
- Pineapple pork tenderloin for more pineapple at dinner
- Virgin piña colada mocktail, a pineapple drink for the same party table
Spicy Crockpot Hawaiian Meatballs
Equipment
- Slow cooker (4 to 6 quart)
Ingredients
- 2 lb frozen fully cooked meatballs about 40–50 meatballs, 900 g
- 18 oz BBQ sauce 1 bottle, 510 g
- 15 oz canned pineapple chunks 1 can, 425 g, drained
- 1 teaspoon red chili flakes about 2 g, use ½ tsp for milder
- ½ cup green onions sliced, about 50 g – 2 large or 3–4 regular, divided
For serving (optional)
- cooked white rice for a main dish
- toothpicks or short skewers for an appetizer
Instructions
- Add the frozen meatballs to the slow cooker.
- Pour in the BBQ sauce. Add the drained pineapple, chili flakes and about ⅓ cup of the green onions, saving the rest for garnish. Stir to coat, then cover.
- Cook on HIGH for 2–3 hours or on LOW for 4–6 hours.
- Serve warm, over rice as a main dish or on skewers as an appetizer, garnished with the remaining green onions.
Notes
Nutrition
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