Literally the BEST and the easiest weeknight dinner you can make. My kids want it on the menu weekly. These easy sweet and sour meatballs can be made as an appetizer or main course for dinner, with store-bought meatballs, or homemade. No matter which way you make them they are delicious and fool-proof!
Homemade meatballs are an inexpensive way to create a meal the whole family will love! I will often make a double batch of the meatballs and then freeze half to add a sauce later on for a second meal.
What makes this easy sweet sour meatballs the best are the variety of ways to cook them!
- pressure cooker (preferred method)
- stovetop
- slow cooker
Instant pot sweet and sour meatballs are my favorite because they cook more quickly and don't heat up the house! Plus, I think the meatballs come out so delicious when cooked this way.
If you also enjoy using your pressure cooker to prepare meals, then you definitely will love this frozen roast in the Instant pot or this pressure cooker bone-in chicken recipe.
Ingredients to Make Sweet Sour Meatballs
Making homemade meatballs is super easy to prepare with easy-to-find ingredients you can find in most grocery stores.
- Ground beef or turkey: Both work great and you can pick the level of fat you prefer but the meatballs are a little healthier when made using ground meat with a lower percentage of fat.
- Eggs: Lightly scrambled and works to bind everything together.
- Bread crumbs: Regular, whole wheat, or gluten-free are all great options.
- Parmesan cheese: For some umami, cheesy flavor.
- Sour cream: Our secret meatball ingredient that's a MUST!
- Dried oregano, onion salt, and table salt: The foundation of flavor in homemade meatball mixture.
- Fresh parsley: Optional but adds a nice splash of color when serving them up.
- Chili sauce: A tomato-based sauce that adds a tanginess and a tad bit of bite to the sauce on the meatballs. It's usually found by the ketchup in the condiments aisle! I usually spot it on the top shelf.
- Grape jelly: The "sweet" part of sweet sour meatballs.
Do I Have to Make Homemade Meatballs?
NO! you can use your favorite meatballs from the store. WHAT ARE THE BEST FROZEN MEATBALLS? We love Rosina homestyle or Italian-style meatballs. I do highly recommend making homemade meatballs however, their flavor and texture are so much better.
How to Make Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Let's walk through making this recipe step-by-step. We're going to start with the homemade meatballs and then move on to the sauce.
I prefer to use lean ground beef or a ground turkey when making these homemade meatballs.
Here is how to make them:
- Place the meat in a large bowl.
- Add the breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese.
- Add two slightly beaten eggs, sour cream, oregano, salt, and onion salt
- Gently mix together.
HINT: I also love to add a small handful of fresh parsley if you have that on hand.
- Next, shape the meatballs into similar-sized balls.
- Place them on a parchment sheet until you are ready to cook.
- In a large bowl combine your jelly and chili sauce.
- Whisk them together until well combined.
PRO TIP: To make meatballs that are more uniform in size, use a cookie scoop or melon ball to scoop the meatballs and then roll them with your hands.
- Brown the meatballs on all sides in a deep skillet or Dutch oven.
- Add your sauce to the meatballs and cook using your preferred method.
Check the recipe card below for detailed instructions for making sweet n sour meatballs using the pressure cooker, stove top and slow cooker.
How to Cook Sweet Sour Meatballs
Pressure Cooker: This one is my preferred method because it's all done in one step and the meatballs ALWAYS come out fluffy and moist in just fifteen minutes.
I often find they more easily dry out and have a denser texture when cooked on the stove top or oven. You can brown the meatballs on each side before inserting them into the pressure cooker but it is not a must.
Stove Top: In this method you definitely want to brown the meatballs first. They don't need to be fully cooked before you add your sauce because they will continue cooking in the sauce.
This method is great because the browning adds really nice flavor and color to the meatballs.
Slow Cooker: This method is great to use when you don't have time to wait for them to cook. Set them up in the slow cooker with the sauce and cook for 6-8 hours.
You can also brown your meatballs before adding them to the slow cooker.
How to Serve Sweet N Sour Meatballs
Once the meatballs have simmered and the sauce is thickened they are ready to eat!!
AS A MEAL: Serve as a meal with your favorite side dish!
Here's a few of our favorite side dishes that easy sweet n sour meatballs go AMAZING along side.
- Jasmine rice, brown rice or even cauliflower rice
- Mashed potatoes
- Homemade french bread or crusty bread
- Roasted veggies or any simply cooked veggie
- Noodles or pasta
AS AN APPETIZER: Keep the meatballs warm and in the sauce and serve with toothpicks. Want some more appetizer inspiration perfect for a party? Here's my favorites to serve with these sweet sour meatballs.
- Loaded Cheesy Wedges
- Beer and Cheddar Fondue
- Coconut Chicken Tenders
- Black Bean Dip
- Hot Artichoke Dip
Expert Tips
- For same sized meatballs, use a scoop, tablespoon measure or melon ball to measure out the meat and shape into balls.
- Use lean ground meat to make healthier meatballs. If using fattier beef, I suggest browning them first and draining off the extra fat before adding the sauce.
- Add some parsley. To the meatball mixture and on top for a splash of color and a bit of additional flavor.
FAQS
The secret to great meatballs are making sure you have binding ingredients to hold the meatballs together as well as seasonings to add flavor. Breadcrumbs and eggs work as a binder in our recipe and flavor is added using a simple combination of spices and our special ingredient, sour cream.
They are quite tasty served with rice or pasta where they can be eaten on top and the sauce soaks into the side dishes on the top. However, simple vegetables and mashed or roasted potatoes are also easy sides to serve with them.
Yes, if you choose to use storebought meatballs or have frozen meatballs on ahnd, you can cook frozen meatballs in any sauce. I recommend making sure you have plenty of sauce to fully cover them and cook for additional time to allow them to fully thaw out in the sauce.
More Meatballs Recipes
If you like this meatball recipe, you'll also love these Asian Pork Meatballs. And for a lightened up meatball, check out these Easy Greek Chicken Meatballs.
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Easy Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 2 lb lean ground beef or ground turkey
- ½ cup seasoned bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon onion salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
- 2 egg slightly beaten
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
- ½ cup sour cream*
Meatball sauce
- 1 cup heinz chili sauce usually on the top shelf by ketchup
- 1 cup red currant or grape jelly
(usually the whole bottle) - ½* cup water
Instructions
Stove Top Instructions
- Combine ground beef or turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, onion salt, milk, garlic salt, cheese, and oregano. Mix together until fully combined.
- Shape the meat into bite-sized meatballs. Brown meatballs in a little oil and drain excess fat.
- Brown on all sides, but since you will be simmering in the sauce for 20 minutes they don't need to be cooked through.
- In a separate bowl combine chili sauce, jelly, and water and pour over meatballs in the frying pan. Heat stirring occasionally until jelly is melted. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until sauce has thickened. Serve with rice, or as anappetizer in chafing dish or fondue pot.
Pressure Cooker Instructions
- Combine ground beef or turkey, bread crumbs, egg, onion salt, milk, garlic salt and oregano. Mix together well.
- Form the mixture into bite-size meatballs. Loosely pack them into an instant pot.
- In a separate bowl combine chili sauce and jelly. Pour over meatballs and seal the lid. Cook on high for 10 minutes, then use ick release. Simmer on saute setting if you want your sauce to thicken.Â
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Combine ground beef or turkey, bread crumbs, egg, onion salt, milk, garlic salt and oregano. Mix well.
- Shape the meat into bite-size meatballs. Loosely pack them into a slow cooker.
- In a separate bowl combine chili sauce and jelly. Pour over meatballs and cover with a lid. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
Video
Notes
- For same-sized meatballs, use a scoop, tablespoon measure or melon ball to measure out the meat and shape it into balls.
- Use lean ground meat to make healthier meatballs. If using fattier beef, I suggest browning them first and draining off the extra fat before adding the sauce.
- Add some parsley. To the meatball mixture and on top for a splash of color and a bit of additional flavor.
Nutrition
Kerry Sarris says
Super yummy! I substitute ground chicken for beef and then I just added a little extra bread crumbs then I brown the meatballs just on the outside in the frying pan and then I put them in the pressure cooker and just cook them for 8 minutes on high pressure best chicken meatballs. I thought the sour cream was a weird ingredient but I think it made them super moist.
Linda Bailey says
I have made it 3 times and it is good. My questions is: Your ingredient list lists 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese but the directions never mention it. When is it supposed to be used?
Desarae says
I'm sorry! it's added to the meatballs. I will update the recipe card.
LISA FORD says
Do you pour the sauce over the meatballs in the pressure cooker?
Desarae says
yes! cook it in the pressure cooker with the meatballs and sauce together.
michelle taylor says
Delicious. A definite keeper and so easy. Will have to double this next time. No leftovers. Lol Thank you.
sarahSa shea says
Can these be doubled if using the instant pot method?
Desarae says
yes!! you can totally double it :)
cindy says
my family ate and ate this all down! It's going on our menu as a regular.
SONi CHRISTENSEN says
Hi Des,
Quick question...the recipe calls for sour cream, but the instructions reference milk, not sour cream. Your picture shows sour cream in with all the other ingredients...so I'm guessing the instructions are a type-o??
I'm going to make this for sunday dinner, so i just want to make sure I do it right. Thanks so much!!!! I love all your instant pot recipes!!!!
Desarae says
Hey Soni! sorry for the confusion- you can use either. I'll clarify that better in the post right now! I prefer to use sour cream. But many traditional meatball recipes use milk. A friend of mine used swore by sour cream as her secret ingredient for meatloaf and meatballs. It helps it not get dried out in the cooking process- especially when you dont use a pressure cooker.