Crockpot Asian Pork Meatballs

Crockpot Asian Pork Meatballs

Made with ground pork, pineapple, sweet chili sauce, and hoisin sauce, these Crockpot Asian Meatballs are so flavorful and tender. A delicious twist on classic pork meatballs, these can be enjoyed as an appetizer or full meal.

Prep Time20

Cook Time6 15

Total Time6 35

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Asian

Keyword: asian meatballs, asian meatballs recipe, pork meatballs recipe, shrimp and pork meatballs

Servings: meatballs

Ingredients

FOR THE MEATBALLS

1 & 1/2 pounds ground pork
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
1 large egg
3 cloves garlic , minced
2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
3 scallions , thinly sliced, green part only
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

FOR THE SAUCE

20 ounce can pineapple chunks , undrained
1/2 cup sweet chili sauce
1/4 cup beef broth
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a sheet tray with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix together the pork, bread crumbs, egg, garlic, ginger, scallion, sesame oil, salt, and pepper until well combined (I like to use my hands for this.)
Portion the meatballs into 1.5 tablespoons and roll them into a ball with your hands. Place on the prepared sheet tray, not touching.
Bake the meatballs for 15 minutes until they are lightly golden on the tops.
Place the meatballs into the body of a greased 6-quart slow cooker.
Add the pineapple with the juice.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the sweet chili sauce, broth, hoisin, soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil. Pour the sauce into the slow cooker and stir everything gently to combine.
Cover and cook over low heat for 6-8 hours or on high for 2-4 hours. Stir every so often so nothing burns on the sides.
Optional, if you would like a thickened sauce, during the last hour of cooking whisk together 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water. Pour into the slow cooker while stirring, place on high heat. Make sure to stir every 15 minutes.
Serve as an appetizer or over rice as a main dish.

Notes

Switch up the protein. You can use ground beef, ground chicken, or ground turkey in place of pork, or your favorite mix.

Add some heat. Kick up the heat by adding some sriracha or your favorite hot sauce to the mix.

Serve as an appetier or meal. If serving these meatballs as an appetizer, you can put it on the warm setting and serve right out of the slow cooker. As a meal, we love them over cooked hot rice.

Make ahead and storage. Instructions for making the meatballs ahead and storing leftovers is included in the article.

Using store-bought meatballs. If you prefer to use store-bought meatballs, you certainly can, but note they will not have the great flavor of these, which taste like the filling of a pork dumpling.

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