Asian Sweet and Sour Meatballs Recipe

Asian Sweet and Sour Meatballs are easy to make, full of flavor and perfect for entertaining. 

Meatballs for Everyone!

I’m a big fan of the meatball. They are a great appetizer for pretty much any occasion, are a tasty compliment to many dishes (think Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs!), and can be a main course meal. So versatile!

And the type of ground meat you use as a base is also so varied. While you can’t go wrong with a traditional ground beef meatball – ground pork, ground turkey, ground chicken, even ground lamb all make for some wonderful meatballs.

You can also experiment with different ground meat combos. One of my favorites is the combination of lean ground beef and pork in this Classic Swedish Meatball recipe my dear Grandma made for our family for decades. Our whole family looked forward to those homemade meatballs every time we visited!

Making the Asian Sweet and Sour Meatballs

For these sweet and sour asian meatballs I decided to go with the traditional ground beef as the base. A lot of meatball recipes utilize ground beef as it is typically less expensive and easier to find than some other ground meats.

​The rest of the meatball ingredients for these meatballs are easily found in your local grocery store. You know I like a simple recipe that doesn’t take a lot of time, and this one qualifies.

​Simply combine the beef, onions, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, water chestnuts, and breadcrumbs in a large bowl. I like to make the meatballs about 1″ in diameter. One of the easiest ways I found to do this is to use a small ice cream scoop.

At this point, put the meatballs in a single layer in a baking dish and they are ready to go into the oven. After about 15 minutes, you take them out, cover in the sweet and sour sauce and then bake for another 15 minutes.

Making the Sauce

Meanwhile, if you want an easy recipe to make a sweet and sour sauce, I have one! The sauce ingredients are simply plum sauce, asian chili sauce and some ginger paste. Yep – a three ingredient sauce.

In a small bowl, combine these three ingredients together and in no time, you have a delicious, tangy sauce. This sauce is a perfect balance to the beef, onions and garlic in the meatballs.

Can You Make Ahead and Freeze These Meatballs?

This sweet and sour meatball recipe is great for making ahead and freezing. In fact, I often like to make a double batch of meatballs, serve half that batch now and freeze the rest for later. Or, if you have enough leftover meatballs, you can also freeze the remainder.

Simply make the meatballs per the recipe below and let them cool to room temperature. Put them in a freezer bag or airtight container and put them in the freezer. You can store them for up to 3 months.

When you are ready to reheat the meatballs, thaw completely and microwave in 1 minute increments until heated through. You can also reheat them on the stove top at medium low heat.

Meatballs as an Appetizer or a Main Dish

While these meatballs are a great party appetizer, they’re also perfect if you’re looking for a quick, easy dinner idea. Simply serve over brown or white rice, pair that with a salad like this Spicy Thai Basil Slaw, and you have yourself a pretty quick, complete meal in minutes!

Ingredients Needed for Asian Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Full Instructions Can Be Found Below in the Recipe Card 

• Canned water chestnuts
• Ginger paste – You can usually find this in the produce section of your grocery store. It’s a big time savor rather than mincing fresh ginger.
• Green onions – I prefer green onions in this recipe for their more mild flavor.
• Ground beef – I recommend 85% lean for best results.
• Plain panko breadcrumbs – I like the texture that panko breadcrumbs give the meatballs vs. regular breadcrumbs.
• Soy sauce
• Garlic
• Plum sauce
• Asian chili sauce
• Cooked rice – This is optional if you’re serving the meatballs as an entree.

How to make Asian Sweet and Sour Meatballs

• Preheat oven and coat baking dish with cooking spray.
• Combine ground beef, bread crumbs, water chestnuts, ginger paste, green onions, soy sauce and garlic in a large mixing bowl.
• Mix with your hands until well combined.
• Roll the meat mixture into about 1″ meatballs and place in a single layer in baking dish.
• Bake for 15 minutes in preheated oven, uncovered.
• Meanwhile, combine plum sauce, chili sauce and remaining ginger paste.
• After 15 minutes, remove meatballs from oven and pour sauce over the meatballs.
• Return to oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
• Garnish with sliced green onions, if desired.
• Spoon onto a platter or into a serving bowl to serve as an appetizer or serve over rice for an entree.

FAQs for Making Asian Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Where do I find plum sauce and chili sauce?

• You can find both of these sauces in the Asian aisle at your regular grocery store. 

Do I need to use the water chestnuts in the meatballs?

• I wouldn’t recommend leaving the water chestnuts out of the recipe. They really do impart a nice texture to the meatballs and will add a little extra moisture.

Are these freezer friendly?

• They are freezer friendly. Store in a zip-top bag or a freezer container. To reheat the meatballs, thaw completely and microwave in 1 minute increments until heated through. You can also reheat them on the stove top at medium low heat.

What fat content do you suggest for these meatballs?

• My preference is 85% lean. This will result in a tender moist meatballs. Anything leaner will tend to make them drier and any less lean could make the sauce greasy.

More Asian Inspired Recipes You Might Enjoy

• Chinese Chicken Salad
• Honey Sriracha Chicken Rice Bowls
• Asian Deviled Eggs with Wasabi
• Asian Rice Pilaf
• Mongolian Chicken Recipe
• Pork Lo Mein
• Tuna Poke Bowl

ENJOY!