Teriyaki Pineapple Meatballs are the perfect family-friendly meal. These easy-to-make, flavorful meatballs are an easy dinner recipe, with meatballs coated in a homemade pineapple teriyaki sauce, so tender and saucy. They're yummy over rice or noodles for an easy weeknight dinner your whole family will love! The best part of this dish is how easy it is! These meatballs are perfect for any occasion - from a weeknight dinner to the big game day! They make an excellent main dish, or just enjoy them as an appetizer!
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You can make these easy-to-make teriyaki meatballs at home with minimal effort. I like to keep the ingredients on hand when I'm craving them.
These pineapple and teriyaki meatballs can be ready in about 30 minutes if cooked on the stove, and they are full of fantastic flavor!
Want to make this teriyaki meatballs recipe even faster? Use frozen meatballs to make this an even quicker meal! I love to keep a bag of frozen meatballs in the freezer to grab them for a quick and healthy meal!
You can make your own homemade teriyaki sauce with pineapple, or use your favorite store-bought sauce if you are in a hurry.
This recipe was inspired by my low-carb meatballs made without breadcrumbs. These meatballs are made with the same ingredients. Check out my sweet and sour meatballs recipe for homemade meatballs that are not low carb,
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Why you will love these pineapple teriyaki meatballs
EASY: These tender meatballs make a great meal for dinner, and they can be made in minutes. Plus, they use basic meatball ingredients you probably already have on hand.
DELICIOUS: These delicious teriyaki meatballs are made with homemade sauce and full of flavor!
MAKE AHEAD: You can make these homemade meatballs in the morning and cook them later in the day.
PERFECT APPETIZER: These delicious teriyaki meatballs make a great party appetizer. To keep them hot, place meatballs in a slow cooker with the delicious teriyaki sauce and keep it warm on low heat. Make a double batch, so there is enough to feed a lot of people!
FREEZER MEAL: Turn these into a handy freezer meal by making a big batch and freezing them in freezer containers or a freezer bag for later use. I like to keep a bunch of meatballs in the freezer for a quick meal that I can cook in the slow cooker or air fryer on busy weeknights!
VERSATILE: These are the ultimate classic meatballs, made with a ground beef mixture, creating a flavorful dish that can be served with rice, spaghetti squash pasta, cauliflower rice, or zucchini noodles. Serve them with a toothpick for a delicious appetizer everyone will love!
Ingredients
Only a handful of basic ingredients are needed for this easy yet nutritious meatball recipe.
Meatball Ingredients:
- Lean ground beef. If you do not have lean ground beef, the best substitution would be any ground meat such as a mixture of ground beef and ground pork for a flavorful meatball. If wild game is more your style, venison would make an amazing substitute. You can also make healthier turkey meatballs using ground turkey, which is also an option!
- Almond flour. Almond flour is a great alternative to bread crumbs if you’re looking for gluten-free options. It can be used in equal quantities and has a nutty flavor. If you’re on the keto diet, pork rinds are also an option that work in equal quantities. Another great substitute is parmesan cheese
- A large egg. I used an organic egg.
- Garlic powder. I used garlic powder, but you could also use 2 garlic cloves, chopped very fine.
- Onion powder. I used onion powder, but you could also finely chop ½ an onion and add it to the meatball mixture. Not a fan of onion? Leave it out altogether.
- Black pepper. I love the sweet and spicy flavor of black pepper mixed with these meatballs. Add course ground black pepper for a more vibrant taste.
- Sea salt. You can really taste the difference that sea salt makes. If you don't have any, just use ordinary table salt from the supermarket instead.
Teriyaki Pineapple Ingredients:
- Crushed pineapple, with juice. Fresh, crushed pineapple is the best way to flavor this dish. As an alternative you could use canned pineapple chunks, but I highly recommend using fresh. I used canned because that's what I had in my house when cooking today.
- Brown sugar, or cane sugar. If you want to avoid refined sugar altogether, use a few tablespoons of honey or maple syrup to sweeten the sauce.
- White vinegar
- Corn starch
- Soy sauce
- Garlic powder
- Ground ginger, optional
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Teriyaki Pineapple Meatballs
Following this recipe for teriyaki pineapple meatballs is a fantastic simple dinner option. It'll please everyone!
Step 1 - Mix Ingredients. Get all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. My favorite method is to use your hands to mix up the meatball mixture.
Step 2 - Form the Meatballs. I like to make my meatballs about 1-1.5 inches in diameter, smaller if you want mini versions. You can use a small ice cream scoop or cookie dough scoop for this to get an evenly sized meatball. You could also use a kitchen scale to ensure that all your meatballs are the same size. A cookie dough scoop is what I prefer- it's not too big or small.
Step 3 - Cook in a Pan or Bake in the Oven. To cook in a frying pan, add two tablespoons of olive oil or vegetable oil to a large skillet and preheat on medium heat. Next, add meatballs to the skillet and brown them. Flip them over to brown on all sides.
To cook meatballs in the oven, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the cooked meatballs in a single layer. Set your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and wait for the meatballs to brown. This should take around 40-45 minutes.
Step 4 - Make Pineapple Sauce and Serve
Whip up the teriyaki pineapple sauce while the meatballs are cooking. Just add all the ingredients to a medium saucepan, and cook over medium heat until it comes to a simmer and thickens, stirring frequently.
When the meatballs are done baking in the oven, add them to a saucepan full of teriyaki pineapple sauce, or pour the sauce over the meatballs before serving.
Serve pineapple teriyaki meatballs on a bed of jasmine rice, or serve them with cauliflower rice or noodles. Have extra pineapple sauce at the side for dipping too!
Substitutions
Make a few simple swaps to this recipe to suit your tastes.
- Meatballs - You can easily make this recipe using frozen meatballs if you don't have the time. Just cook them for a little longer.
- Almond flour - You can use Panko breadcrumbs, oatmeal, crackers, bread, or pork rinds instead.
- Brown sugar - You can use cane sugar or raw sugar in place of brown sugar
- Pineapple - You can use fresh pineapple and pineapple juice instead of canned pineapple.
Variations
Some great tasting variations for this easy meatball recipe are:
- You can change the type of meat you use. For example, make chicken meatballs by using ground chicken instead of beef, or make turkey meatballs with ground turkey.
- Sliced green onion for garnish
- Sesame seeds for garnish
- Chopped bell peppers
- Spice it up with a bit of red pepper flakes
- Add some fresh ginger to the sauce
- The meatballs are low carb - feel free to make your own sauces! Chili garlic sauce goes great with them, and you can serve them as an appetizer. They're easy to make & taste fantastic!
Equipment
You need a large mixing bowl and a rimmed baking sheet or frying pan to make this easy recipe.
Storage
Fridge: Cooked meatballs will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days.
Freezer: These meatballs can be frozen (once cooled) in an airtight container for up to two months.
Top Tips
- Make sure the meatballs are all the same size for even cooking. To get them to the perfect consistency, use a small ice cream scoop or kitchen scale to measure out equal sized meatballs.
- Do not overmix the meatballs in order to avoid tough meatballs.
- As you brown the meatballs, keep the lid on so you prevent water from evaporating.
- Don't overcook the meatballs! Just brown them on the outside to pack as much flavor as possible.
What to serve with teriyaki pineapple meatballs?
- Jasmine rice or white rice
- Brown rice
- Steamed vegetables
- Snow peas
- Smoked Corn on the Cob
- Mashed potatoes
- Egg noodles
- Ultra Crispy Air Fryer Potatoes
- Cauliflower rice
- Roasted vegetables
- Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries - Ultra Crispy
I hope you enjoyed this Teriyaki Pineapple Meatballs Recipe. If you try it out and like it, I would appreciate it if you could take a moment to leave a star rating below. Also, please leave a comment below saying how much you enjoyed it and what other types of recipes/ingredients would be interesting for me to write about in the future.
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📋 Recipe
Easy Teriyaki Pineapple Meatballs Recipe
Equipment
- Rimmed baking sheet
Ingredients
For the Meatballs:
- 1½ pounds lean ground beef
- 3 tablespoon almond flour
- 1 egg large
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
For the Teriyaki Pineapple Sauce:
- 14 oz can crushed pineapple with juice
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoon corn starch
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Combine ground beef, almond flour, egg, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Mix together well. Using your hands works the best.
- Shape meatballs into 1.5" balls. You will get approximately 21 meatballs this size.
- Place raw meatballs in a single layer on a lined baking sheet. Place meatballs in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 40-45 minutes, until the meatballs are nicely browned OR cook them in a frying pan. To do this, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil or vegetable oil to a large skillet and preheat on medium heat. Next, add meatballs to the skillet and brown them. Flip them over to brown on all sides.
- Add all of the ingredients for the teriyaki pineapple sauce to a medium saucepan. Whisk the ingredients together, and heat over medium heat. Heat until the sauce comes to a boil and thickens, stirring frequently.
- Serve cooked meatballs with teriyaki pineapple sauce.
- Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Make the meatballs the same size for even cooking. To make the perfect meatballs, use a small ice cream scoop or kitchen scale to get them the same size.
- Do not overmix the meatballs; otherwise, they will not be as tender.
- Keep the lid on the skillet to prevent evaporation when browning the meatballs.
- Do not overcook the meatballs. They need to be nicely browned on the outside.
Nutrition
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
Celeste65
why can't I see any ratings for this recipe? it looks good I'd really like to make this recipe but I want to know what the ratings are
Jeri Walker
The ratings are in the recipe card right below the description. 🙂