Sweet and Sour Meatballs

These Sweet and Sour Meatballs are easy to make and the perfect delicious cocktail appetizer for parties or gatherings.

What You’ll Love About These Sweet and Sour Meatballs

• They’re delicious – each tender meatball is coated in the most delicious sweet and tangy sauce for the perfect bite.
• Easy to make – this recipe is loosely based on the sweet and sour meatball recipe I grew eating but I tried to make it even easier to make. The result is delicious meatballs that pretty simple to pull together.
• Perfect for gatherings – these meatballs are perfect for parties or holiday gatherings. They can stay warm in the crockpot for hours which make them a great self-serve appetizer option.

Watch How to Make This Recipes

More Meatball Appetizers

• Orange Chicken Meatballs
• Sweet and Sour Meatballs
• Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
• Slow Cooker Cranberry BBQ Meatballs
• BBQ Chicken Meatballs

Get all of our reader favorite meatball recipes, here!

Meatball Ingredients

Ground Turkey: lean ground turkey is the perfect choice for these meatballs. I like to use dark meat ground turkey for these meatballs.

Egg: you’ll need one large egg to help bind the meatballs together.

Almond Flour: traditionally breadcrumbs are used to help keep the meatballs moist, but almond flour is a great grain and gluten free substitute that also helps to keep the meatballs tender.

Yellow Onion: this helps to build in some delicious flavor in the meatballs.

Seasonings: for the meatballs and the sauce you’ll need a combination of various spices and seasonings like, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, dry mustard, and Worcestershire sauce.

Ketchup: this works as the base for the sweet and sour meatball sauce.

Brown Sugar: to give the sauce that classic sweetness you’ll need a bit of dark brown sugar.

Apple Cider Vinegar: and for that classic sour tang this recipe uses apple cider vinegar.

Ingredient Substitutions

• ground turkey – you can easily swap the ground turkey in this recipe for ground chicken or ground beef if you prefer.
• almond flour – can’t use almond flour? swap it for breadcrumbs instead.
• brown sugar – you can replace the brown sugar with coconut sugar if you prefer.
• Worcestershire sauce – if you need a gluten free replacement for Worcestershire sauce, try swapping it for coconut aminos.

Helpful Kitchen Tools

• mixing bowls
• measuring spoons
• measuring cups
• slow cooker

How to Make These Cocktail Meatballs

Step One: Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.

Step Two: Add the ground turkey, whisked egg, almond flour, onion, dried parsley, salt, pepper, and minced garlic to a mixing bowl and use your hands to gently mix together until well combined. Use a tablespoon measure to scoop and roll the ground turkey into meatballs.

Step Three: Drizzle the olive oil over the lined sheet pan and then place the meatballs on the sheet pan. Bake the meatballs at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until an instant read thermometer reads 165 degrees.

Step Four: Whisk together the ketchup, dark brown sugar, dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and apple cider vinegar.

Step Five: Once the meatballs are done cooking transfer them to the base of your slow cooker. Pour over the sauce and gently toss the meatballs to ensure they are covered. Cook the meatballs on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 2-3 hours.

Step Six: Serve warm, garnished with thinly sliced green onion and toothpicks for serving.

Recipe Tips

• If you want to make the meatballs on the smaller side, I’d recommend using a half a tablespoon size scoop to measure the meatballs and bake them for just 10-15 minutes until cooked through.
• Once the meatballs have cooked in the slow cooker, place the slow cooker on keep warm or turn it off completely until you’re ready to serve.
• If your sauce thickens a bit too much you can add a bit of water or broth to thin it out.
• You can serve the meatballs on a platter with toothpicks for a quick grab and go option or leave them in the slow cooker.

Storage and Reheat Instructions

Store: You can store your meatballs in the slow cooker or transfer them to an airtight container for 3-4 days. 

Reheat: I like to reheat the meatballs in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute at a time until warmed through. Be sure to cover them with a wet paper towel to prevent the sauce from splattering in the microwave. 

Reader Favorite Appetizer Recipes

• The Best Homemade Guacamole
• Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip
• Creamy Spinach and Artichoke Dip
• Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower
• Healthy 7-Layer Dip
• Crispy Loaded Potato Skins
• Crispy Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings

I hope you give these Sweet and Sour Meatballs a try! They are so easy to make and delicious! If you do give this recipe a try, let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @allthehealthythings on INSTAGRAM. Your reviews and ratings help support All the Healthy Things and make it possible for me to continue to create the recipes you trust and love.

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Recipe by: Ashlea Carver / All the Healthy Things | Photography by: THE MINDFUL HAPA