Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Updated Jan 12, 2026
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Sweet and sour meatballs are one of those recipes to bookmark for evenings when you crave a comforting dinner that’s packed with flavor, but easy to make. Bake tender, beefy meatballs and then glaze them with a simple sweet and sour sauce made from pantry staples like brown sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, and vinegar. They’re perfect served over rice or noodles and the boys will fight you for the last one.
Sweet and sour meatballs are a little one-two punch of flavor. I love how the tangy, slightly sweet sauce coats tender beefy meatballs, making every bite full of comforting satisfaction. The sauce is simple to whip up with pantry ingredients, ketchup, jellied cranberry sauce, tomato paste, red wine vinegar, soy sauce, and a splash of Worcestershire sauce. The glaze adds such great flavor to the juicy meatballs.
Why You’ll Love Sweet and Sour Meatballs
- The sauce uses simple pantry items
- Packed with flavor
- Freezes well
Serve these over rice or noodles. They make a great dinner served with Creamy Brussels Sprouts Slaw, Roasted Baby Squash, or Sauteed Broccoli with Garlic.
And while they are perfect as a main course, they are also great served with cute little skewers or toothpicks as appetizers for a cocktail party. By the way, these meatballs freeze beautifully and are a great thing to keep in the freezer for last-minute dinners.
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What's In This Post?
Beefy meatballs are glazed with a simple tangy sauce are pretty hard to stop eating! (Pile them over rice, or skewer them up for cocktail parties).
A family that loves meatballs
There are fewer foods that hold as much charm as a meatball. At least, that’s how the members of my house see it. Big meatballs, small meatballs, meatballs with sauce, on pasta, in a sub. Italian meatballs, Buffalo chicken meatballs, Swedish meatballs, turkey meatballs, there are no unwelcome meatballs in our house.
But the boys have a special place in their hearts and stomachs for sweet and sour meatballs. Beefy meatballs glazed with a tangy sauce made from a very pleasing combo of ketchup, jellied cranberry sauce, tomato paste, red wine vinegar, soy sauce, and a splash of Worcestershire sauce are hard to stop eating.
Ingredients
For the Meatballs:
- Egg – To hold the meatballs together.
- Ground beef – You could use a meatball or meatloaf mix here if you prefer, instead of the beef; equally as delicious, and a nice blend of different ground meats.
- Minced onion
- Unseasoned bread crumbs – Helps the meatballs bind together and stay tender and moist.
For the Sauce:
- Ketchup – For sweetness.
- Jellied cranberry sauce – Many sweet and sour meatball recipes use some sort of jelly to provide the sweetness. Here, I chose jellied cranberry sauce, which has the sweetness but also the appealing tartness from the cranberries. The fact that it’s jellied helps make the sauce shiny, silky, and smooth.
- Worcestershire sauce – Along with the soy sauce, this adds notes of salt and savory, which play off the tartness of the red wine vinegar. The richness of the tomato paste smooths it all out.
- Tomato paste – Offers a depth of flavor and richness.
- Red wine vinegar – For a bit of acidity.
- Soy sauce – Provides umami and saltiness.
- Water – To loosen up the sauce.
- Parsley – Optional, for serving.
How to Make Sweet and Sour Meatballs
- Make the meatballs: Beat the egg, then add the beef, onion, breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper. Use your hands to combine and form the mixture into 1-inch meatballs.
- Cook the meatballs: Over medium heat, place the meatballs in the pan and cook them on all sides until they are browned, but not cooked all the way through. Remove meatballs from the skillet and drain any excess oil from the skillet.
- Make the sauce: In the same skillet, add the ketchup, cranberry sauce, tomato paste, vinegar, soy sauce, water, and Worcestershire sauce. Heat the sauce over medium heat.
- Combine everything: Return the meatballs to the pan, then cover, and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce has thickened.
- Finish and enjoy: Serve hot, sprinkled with parsley if desired.
What to Serve With Sweet and Sour Meatballs
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Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Ingredients
For the Meatballs:
- 1 large egg
- 1 pound ground beef
- ¼ cup minced onion
- ¼ cup unseasoned bread crumbs
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
For the Sauce:
- ⅓ cup ketchup
- ½ can jellied cranberry sauce (about 1/2 cup)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- Chopped parsley (to serve; optional)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, beat the egg. Add the beef, onion, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper, and use your hands to combine thoroughly (or use a spoon; it will take longer, but if you are not a hands-in-the-ground-beef person, you can do that). Form the mixture into 1-inch meatballs.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and place the meatballs in the pan, making sure not to crowd them; you may need to do this in batches. If your pan isn’t large enough. Cook the meatballs for 1 to 2 minutes, until the bottoms are browned, then flip them and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes until the other side is brown. The meatballs should be browned on at least two sides, but not cooked through. Remove meatballs from the skillet and drain any excess oil from the skillet.
- In the same skillet, add the ketchup, cranberry sauce, tomato paste, vinegar, soy sauce, water, and Worcestershire sauce. Heat the sauce over medium heat, stirring, until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Return the meatballs to the pan, then cover, and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, adjusting the heat so that the sauce stays at a gentle simmer, until the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce has thickened. Serve hot, sprinkled with parsley if desired.
Made this for my family last night. It was hit and miss only because some don’t care for sweet and sour, but I wanted to try something new. Had a convert as well in my oldest who said he didn’t like sweet and sour, but was hungry enough to try it, and eat like 3 of them. I made them bigger then 1″. I have a bigger ice cream scooper so I used that to try and keep them evenly sized. I personally LOVED it and will make it again. It was so easy and quick for a weeknight meal, I couldn’t believe how fast I had it on the table. I will make it again, even if I make a variation of sauces for a switch up.