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My family raves over these sweet and sour meatballs. They’re perfectly cooked and coated in a sweet, tangy, garlicky glaze. Multiple cooking options!
If you love cooking meatballs as much as we do, try my lamb meatballs, ground chicken meatballs, and meatballs with gravy next!
Table of Contents
When I need a recipe that works as an appetizer, a party snack, AND a decadent main course, I break out my sweet and sour meatball recipe.
Like air fryer meatballs, this recipe comes together quickly, but the difference is the sauce. It’s sticky and tangy, with a subtle sweetness, heat, and loads of garlic. The sauce alone is good enough to eat with a spoon!
Why I love this recipe
- Versatile. I turn to this recipe when I need a foolproof weeknight dinner, but if you stick some skewers in the meatballs, it doubles as a passed appetizer.
- Use fresh or frozen meatballs. I prefer making meatballs, but if I’m in a pinch, I’ll toss frozen meatballs in the sauce, and they taste great.
- Multiple cooking options. Our preferred method is the stove top (so you get a thicker, caramelized exterior), but I also tested the oven and crockpot for convenience.
- Quick. I’m talking 30 minutes–that fast!
- That sauce! Everyone will be begging you for the sauce recipe (same with my firecracker meatballs!).
Key ingredients
- Ground beef. I typically use 80/20 ground beef, but I also like using a mix of ground beef and ground pork. Avoid lean ground beef, as we need the meat to have some fat so it stays juicy.
- Bread crumbs. Any regular breadcrumbs will do, but I like to use Italian-flavored ones because they work so well with the sauce.
- Onion. For flavor. Personally, I find grating the onion adds some depth of flavor compared to mincing or chopping them up.
- Egg. To bind everything together.
- Salt and pepper. To taste.
- Italian seasoning. For flavor.
- Oil. To sauté.
For the sweet and sour sauce:
- Oil. To sauté the aromatics. Any neutral oil works.
- Garlic. For a smooth sauce, I prefer using minced garlic, but it can be substituted with 1 teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Water. To make the sauce. If I have chicken stock on hand, I’ll use it for more flavor.
- Vinegar. For the acidity. White vinegar is best, but apple cider vinegar will also work. If you don’t have either on hand, use lemon juice.
- Sweet chili sauce. This slightly spicy and sweet sauce is my favorite. Buy any Asian sweet chili sauce from the grocery store.
- Light brown sugar. It adds a lovely color and the necessary sweetness to the recipe.
- Salt. To taste.
- Cornstarch. To thicken the sauce.
How to make sweet and sour meatballs
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Make the meatballs. Combine the beef, breadcrumbs, onion, egg, and seasonings in a large bowl. Shape into small meatballs.
Step 2- Cook. Cook the meatballs in a well-oiled skillet until browned on all sides. Set aside.
Step 3- Make the sauce. Clean the pan, add oil, and sauté garlic. Add water, vinegar, chili sauce, sugar, and salt. Simmer briefly.
Step 4- Finish the sauce. Make a cornstarch slurry and pour it into the sauce. Simmer until thickened.
Step 5- Assemble. Add the meatballs to the skillet, whisk to coat, and serve.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Short on time? Make the sauce up to a week in advance and use frozen, pre-cooked meatballs.
- Chill the meat mixture. While optional, chilling the mixture helps it bind better and makes it easier to handle.
- Keep the meatballs warm. If I’m making these for a get-together, I’ll cook them, transfer them to a baking dish, and keep them warm in the oven on its lowest setting.
- Serve over basmati rice so it soaks up the remaining sauce.
Frequently asked questions
Depending on the size of the rolled meatballs, this recipe will make 12-15 meatballs.
More appetizer recipes to try
- Buffalo cauliflower bites
- Korean chicken wings
- Bacon wrapped dates with goat cheese
- Crab rangoon
- Or any of these appetizer recipes
Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 small onion grated
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
Sweet and sour sauce
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2/3 cup + 2 tablespoons water divided
- 1/3 cup vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce optional
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the beef, bread crumbs, grated onion, egg, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning and mix well.
- Using your hands, shape them into small meatballs, around 1 1/2 inches wide.
- Add oil to a large skillet and place over medium heat. Cook the meatballs until evenly browned on all sides. Remove the meatballs from the pan.
- Wipe the skillet, add oil, and place back over medium heat. Once hot, add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add 2/3 cups of the water, vinegar, sweet chili sauce, sugar, and salt and allow everything to simmer for 5 minutes.
- Mix the cornstarch with the remaining two tablespoons of water to create a slurry. Add it to the skillet and stir well. Continue simmering everything until it thickens.
- Add the meatballs back into the skillet and gently mix until completely coated in the sweet and sour sauce.
Notes
- Add veggies. Sauté sliced peppers and onions before building the sauce for added texture.
- Prefer zero spiciness? Swap the chili sauce for ketchup or grape jelly.
- Swap the sugar for pineapple. For a fun, more layered flavor, skip the sugar and add canned pineapple juice plus pineapple chunks.
- Swap protein. Use ground chicken, ground turkey, or even vegan plant-based meat. Garnish with green onions or fresh parsley for color.
Nutrition
Originally updated September 2023, updated and republished January 2025
So this recipe is also sweet and chilli am I right?
Made this tonight and thoroughly enjoyed it also made the crispy chicken a couple nights ago. I am in my mid eighties and live on my own
Looks very creamy. Very good.
I made this tonight after saving the recipe 21 weeks ago. I made the meatball mix in my food processor as I didn’t want to grate the onion. Onions first, then fresh breadcrumbs (let the onion juices do its thing), then added in the rest of the ingredients.
This is a do again recipe
Love this recipe. My favorite website for all recipes.
Hey Arman,
I was wondering about how many would this make, and about how many would you suggest as a healthy serving size?
Hi Angels! This makes 3-4 servings, depending on how hungry you are 🙂