Combine meatballs, pineapple, bell peppers, and a delicious sauce to create an easy slow cooker dinner or appetizer with a Hawaiian flare.
Jump to RecipeOne of my favorite fruits is pineapple. So any chance I get to make a meal using pineapple is a wonderful day for me! And, the boys love pineapple just as much as I do, so I can usually convince them to eat almost anything with that in it. Hawaiian Meatballs are a favorite because of the pineapple!
I always love a good slow cooker meal. It makes dinner so quick and easy. Plus, when you live somewhere like south Texas that’s usually hot most of the year, the slow cooker is a great way to have a warm meal without heating the entire house when using the oven.
The only thing the boys picked around in this meal was the peppers. But, I was proud that they both tried them. I’m also learning to like bell peppers as we use them in more and more recipes. So I also ate my veggies with this one.
Another bonus to this recipe is getting so many food groups in at once. You have fruit in it with the pineapple, veggies with the pepper, and meat with the meatballs. Oh, and grains if you serve the meal over rice as we prefer.
We often eat this for dinner, but it also makes a great appetizer. You can serve it at a party or bring to a potluck by keeping the slow cooker on warm.

Hawaiian Meatballs Step by Step
Ingredients
- 2 lbs meatballs (frozen, precooked)
- 1 pineapple (chunked, juice reserved)
- 1 red bell pepper (diced)
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 2 tbsp A.1. sauce
Preparation
Add the meatballs, diced pepper, and pineapple chunks into your slow cooker. We like to use red bell pepper for the recipe, but you can use whichever color you prefer.

In a small mixing bowl, whick the juice from the pineapple with the brown sugar, vinegar, and A.1. sauce. Pour the sauce over the meatballs and stir to coat.

Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours. Serve on a bed of lettuce or over rice if desired.


Recipe
Originally Published On: March 21, 2019
Last Updated On: July 27, 2023

Hawaiian Meatballs in the Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 lbs meatballs (frozen, precooked)
- 1 pineapple (chunked, juice reserved)
- 1 red bell pepper (diced)
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 2 tbsp A.1. sauce
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Add meatballs, diced pepper, and pineapple chunks to the slow cooker
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk the juice from the pineapple, brown sugar, vinegar, and A.1. sauce
- Pour the sauce into the slow cooker
- Carefully stir to coat everything with the sauce
- Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or until heated through
- Serve over a bed of lettuce or rice if desired
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
More Hawaiian-Inspired Recipes
- Easy Hawaiian Sliders Recipe with Ham and Cheese
- Hawaiian Lit’l Smokies in the Slow Cooker
- Hawaiian Chicken Wraps: An Easy Summer Meal
- Hawaiian Meatballs in the Slow Cooker
- Hawaiian Chicken
Pineapple Recipes to try
- Grilled Pineapple Pork Chops
- Pineapple Bread Casserole
- Pineapple Coconut Dessert Bars
- Hawaiian Chicken Wraps: An Easy Summer Meal
- Crystallized Pineapple: A Sweet Snack with Only 3 Ingredients
- Pineapple Shrimp Stir Fry
- Hawaiian Chicken
- Strawberry Pineapple Daiquiri Frozen Drink Recipe
- Carrot Cake with Pineapple Filling
- Hawaiian Meatballs in the Slow Cooker
- Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
- 5 Ingredient Rum Runner Cocktail Recipe
- Hawaiian Lit’l Smokies in the Slow Cooker
- Frozen Piña Colada
- Fluffy Frozen Fruit Salad
- Tropical Yogurt Parfait
- Frozen Fruit Cups: The Perfect Summer Treat
- 5 Cup Salad Recipe: A Perfect Cool Summer Dessert
This looks amazing! I’ve been in such a cooking mood lately and will definitely be giving these meatballs a try 🙂
xo, Lisette
I hope you enjoy! They are so easy to make and delicious.
This sounds like a great recipe. I really need to get a slow cooker – it would be so handy for when we’re busy!
Oh my gosh, I love the slow cooker when I know we will have a busy night.
Sounds delicious! I’m blessed that my kids love their veggies so the only thing I’ll add to this when I attempt to make it is more veggies. I’ll let you know how it goes 🙂
Lucky! I have a hard time getting my boys to eat their veggies.
This is new take on meatballs for me and I happen to love the flavor of pineapples! So I will definitely try this recipe. Thanks for sharing!
The pineapple adds so much tang to the meatballs, it’s a perfect combination.
Oh my husband loves Hawaiian meatballs! I will show him this recipe!
I hope the recipe is everything he is looking for if it’s a favorite of his.
Easy to make and looks delicious! I’m bookmarking this to try within the next couple weeks!
I hope you get a chance to try it. The recipe really is so yummy and simple.
I love pineapple too and it’s definitely not a fruit I cook with often though. Mostly because I eat it too fast! These sound delicious!
We have that problem a lot. When we cut a pineapple I have to separate it into two containers, one that we can eat, and the other for a meal when I need it!
What a great way to dress up store-bought meatballs! This looks so tasty and easy!
Yes! Plain meatballs can be boring, but this adds so much flavor in a quick and easy way.
My dad love meatballs and my mum loves pineapples so this will be something they will both enjoy. Will try to cook it by this week.
Oh wow, this sounds like the perfect meal for them, then, since it combines something they both love!
What an awesome combination! I love including pineapple into my recipes, and this is so original!
Me too! Pineapple is one of my favorite fruits.
I have never had anything but spicy style meatballs. These look like they would be such an amazing addition to a meal. Yum!
I’ve only had meatballs a few ways as well. But this is one of my favorites because of the sweet and tangy flavor from the pineapples.
Yum, this looks like such a great recipe! I love anything I can make in my slow cooker, can’t wait to try these!!
The slow cooker is such a life saver when we know we have a busy night!
I’ve never had Hawaiian meatballs before. They look great. Also, your photos are looking so bright and clear. Live them!
Thank you! Working on photography has been a big goal this year for my recipes.
I need to do get a slow cooker so I can make this! This sounds and looks so delicious!
The slow cooker makes busy nights so much easier! I love having meals that I can prep in the morning and have ready when we need them in the evening. Especially on nights we have Cub Scouts after school, it makes dinner so easy.
This looks really good – and easy to make too! I definitely need to invest in a slow cooker – makes cooking meals so much easier when we’re all busy!
Oh man, you really should. The slow cooker is great for easy meals and I even like it in the summer for meals like this because you aren’t heating up the oven!
This sounds so tasty! We have really been enjoying Hawaiian flavors lately. Can’t wait to try this!
We love pineapple, so Hawaiian flavors are always welcome here, too!
Oooh, this looks and sounds so delicious! What kind of noodles and sauce do you recommend to eat with these meatballs (can you eat them in regular spaghetti)?
I’ve never had them with noodles. They have so much flavor the way they are, I eat them just as a meal of meatballs with the pineapple and bell pepper. I don’t know if they would work in regular spaghetti because of the flavor.