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    Home » Recipes » Appetizers & Dips

    3-Ingredient Hawaiian Meatballs

    Published: Aug 2, 2021 · Modified: Apr 3, 2023 by Kelsey Smith

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    3-Ingredient Hawaiian Meatballs
    3-Ingredient Hawaiian Meatballs

    Try these easy 3-ingredient Hawaiian meatballs made with pineapple chunks, sloppy joe sauce, and frozen meatballs in the slow cooker.

    Manwich (or any sloppy joe sauce for that matter) is a tomato puree-based sauce with a great blend of seasoning. This tangy tomato-based sauce would also taste fantastic over chicken or pork.

    The whole family will love these easy meatballs. Hawaiian meatballs are versatile because they can be used as your main dish over white rice on busy weeknights, or they make for a great appetizer and perfect party food. Take your cook-and-carry Crockpot and a pack of toothpicks.

    This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Hawaiian Meatballs in a bowl with an Instant Pot.

    Hawaiian meatballs are perfect for game days because they're the perfect party snack. For more easy meatball recipes, try these Instant Pot BBQ meatballs or these meatballs in pasta sauce.

    Recipe Highlights

    • Easy recipe: This family favorite is a dump-and-go slow cooker recipe with simple ingredients.
    • Flavorful: Manwich is a tangy sauce with so much flavor. It's a delicious alternative to barbecue sauce.
    • Perfect appetizer: Double the recipe to feed a crowd at your next potluck. Keep them warm in the crock pot.

    Ingredients

    This recipe calls for just three ingredients.

    Frozen meatballs, sloppy joe sauce, and pineapple chunks.
    1. Frozen meatballs. Fully cooked frozen meatballs. I use Kroger brand homestyle meatballs.
    2. Sloppy joe sauce. I use Manwich or Kroger brand. This can be found at the grocery store with other canned pantry goods.
    3. Can of pineapple chunks. Drain the pineapple juice. I use canned Dole Pineapple Chunks or fresh pineapple if I have it.

    See the recipe card for quantities.

    Directions

    Dump all three ingredients (meatballs, sloppy joe sauce, and drained pineapple chunks) into the bottom of the slow cooker. Add the meatballs, the pour sauce and pineapple chunks over top.

    Tip: This recipe can be made with a slow cooker liner for easier cleanup.

    Frozen meatballs, sloppy joe sauce, and canned pineapple layered in the slow cooker.

    Toss the ingredients so the sauce covers the meatballs.

    Frozen meatballs, sloppy joe sauce, and pineapple chunks tossed together in the slow cooker.

    Cook on HIGH for 2–3 hours.

    Top-down view of Hawaiian meatballs in a bowl over rice.

    Cooking Tip

    Don't cook these meatballs for too long. With the slow cooker, it's tempting to let dishes cook for a long time, but this really only needs two hours to do the job.

    This recipe calls for precooked meatballs, so the goal here really is to fully warm through the meatballs and allow the flavors to come together. If you cook for longer (say, overnight) you'll possibly end up with burnt sauce and overcooked meatballs.

    To Serve

    You can serve this over rice, as meatball sliders on King's Hawaiian Rolls, or using toothpicks for a potluck or party. To garnish, I recommend cilantro (pictured) or green onions.

    Substitutions

    • Frozen meatballs: You can use any type of fully-cooked frozen meatball with this recipe (homestyle meatballs, Italian meatballs, turkey meatballs, chicken meatballs, etc.) but they must be fully cooked. The cook time here is not appropriate for raw meat. The 26 oz frozen meatballs from Kroger have about 27 meatballs total for reference. You could also try homemade meatballs, though the cooking time will vary.
    • Sloppy joe sauce: If you want a tomato-based Hawaiian meatball sauce similar to my sloppy joe creation, you can use your favorite BBQ sauce and a little bit of ketchup instead. Use a cup of BBQ and a half cup of ketchup (or go full barbecue with 1-½ cups BBQ sauce).
    • Pineapple chunks: You can use canned crushed pineapple instead, but I prefer the chunky pineapple in the finished dish. The chunks are also better if you plan to serve this potluck-style.
    Hawaiian Meatballs.

    Equipment

    My slow cooker is a Crockpot 6-Quart Cook-and-Carry, but this Easy Slow Cooker Hawaiian Meatballs recipe is small enough for a 4-quart slow cooker.

    Storage

    Store leftover Hawaiian meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Be sure to cover the container tightly to prevent air from getting in and drying out the meatballs. Reheat covered in the microwave until heated through.

    Crockpot recipes

    Craving more recipes like this? Try one of these:

    • Cream cheese sausage dip
      3-Ingredient Sausage Cream Cheese Dip
    • Velveeta Sausage Cheese Dip
      Velveeta Sausage Cheese Dip
    • 4-Ingredient Crockpot Chicken served over egg noodles
      4-Ingredient Crockpot Chicken
    • Crockpot Hamburger Hashbrown Casserole
      Crockpot Hamburger Hashbrown Casserole

    📖 Recipe

    Slow Cooker Hawaiian Meatballs
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    3-Ingredient Hawaiian Meatballs

    3-ingredient Hawaiian meatballs in a sweet and tangy sauce made with frozen meatballs, sloppy joe sauce, and pineapple chunks in the slow cooker.
    5 from 1 vote
    Recipe by: Kelsey Smith
    Prep time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook time: 2 hours hours
    Total time: 2 hours hours 5 minutes minutes
    Servings: 9

    Equipment

    • Slow cooker

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 26 oz frozen meatballs fully cooked
    • 15 oz sloppy joe sauce
    • 8 oz pineapple chunks drained

    Instructions
     

    • Add meatballs, sloppy joe sauce, and pineapple to the bottom of the slow cooker. Toss ingredients so the sauce covers the meatballs.
    • Cook on HIGH for 2-3 hours. The meatballs should be cooked to 165ºF (74ºC).

    Notes

    Serving size is based on 6 meatballs per person.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 254kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 15gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 59mgSodium: 253mgPotassium: 266mgFiber: 1gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 18IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 15mgIron: 1mg
    Course: Appetizer
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Crock-Pot, meatballs, slow cooker
    Tried this recipe?Rate it to let me know how it was!

    Tell me what easy appetizer you want to see next!

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      Smoked Gouda Cheese Dip
    • Instant Pot Grape Jelly Meatballs
      Instant Pot Grape Jelly Meatballs
    • Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip
      Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip
    • Tofu Spring Rolls.
      Tofu Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce

    About Kelsey Smith

    I am a freelance content writer by day, mommy by night, and a blogger in between. I live in Knoxville, Tennessee with my husband, Xavier. When I'm not working, you might find me here, sharing comfort food recipes.

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    1. Kelsey says

      October 17, 2021 at 11:06 pm

      5 stars
      The Manwich sauce is amazing with these meatballs.

      Reply

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    Kelsey Smith

    Hi, I'm Kelsey! I am a freelance content writer for college-level textbooks by day, mommy by night, and a blogger in between. I live in Knoxville, Tennessee with my husband, Xavier. When I'm not working, you might find me here, sharing easy comfort food recipes.

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