Quick Look: Teriyaki Pineapple Meatballs
- Ready In: 35 minutes
- Serves: 4
- Protein: 38 grams per serving
- Main Ingredients: Teriyaki sauce (homemade or store bought), ground beef, ground pork, crushed pineapple, and seasoning.
- Dietary Info: dairy-free and gluten-dree
- Why You’ll Love It: Teriyaki and pineapple meatballs have the perfect combo of sweet and savory flavors and are so easy to meal prep! Serve them in a rice bowl or as an appetizer and let the crowd go wild. Our homemade teriyaki sauce is the best sauce for teriyaki pineapple meatballs. So flavorful and easy!
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Key Ingredients & Substitutions
Be sure to see the recipe card below for a full listing of ingredients, instructions, and estimated nutritional information.
- Teriyaki Sauce: Our popular homemade teriyaki sauce has the best flavor, but store bought teriyaki sauce will work in a pinch.
- Crushed Pineapple: We used canned crushed pineapple to ensure the pineapple flavors could easily mix into the meat mixture, but crush fresh pineapple if that’s what you’ve got.
How To Make Pineapple Teriyaki Meatballs
Step 1 – Make homemade teriyaki sauce in sauce pan.
Step 2 – Once thickened, set pineapple teriyaki meatball sauce aside.
Pro Tip
Use a 1.5 Tbs cookie dough scooper to get uniform sized meatballs. And coat your hands in a light layer of olive oil to make the meatball making process a bit easier.
Step 3 – Place meatball ingredients in a small bowl and mix together.
Step 4 – Form into meatballs.
Step 5 – Cook in cast iron skillet and add teriyaki sauce.
Step 6 – Serve over instant pot jasmine rice with pineapple chunks and green onion.
How to Serve Teriyaki Meatballs (3 Ways)
- Rice bowls: Serve pineapple teriyaki meatballs over a bed of instant pot rice, cauliflower rice, or coconut rice and add your favorite toppings like chopped pineapple, grilled pineapple, or mango pineapple salsa.
- Appetizers: These little guys are the perfect shareable appetizer. Set out these appetizer skewers along side a bowl of meatballs and let everyone have at it.
- Main Course: Make these easy pineapple teriyaki meatballs the star of the show accompanied by easy side dishes like braised bok choy, steamed green beans, or easy steamed broccoli.
Pineapple Teriyaki Meatball FAQs
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place meatballs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 24 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from oven, and toss with teriyaki sauce.
Yes! Follow recipe as written through the middle of step 4. Once the meatballs have been seared, place them in a crock pot along with the teriyaki sauce and let them cook on low for 3-4 hours.
Yes! Make the teriyaki sauce in advance and store in the fridge for up to 7 days prior to use. Make meatball mixture and store in the fridge for up to 3 days prior to cooking.
How do I thicken teriyaki sauce?
To thicken teriyaki sauce, be sure to make a slurry of water and cornstarch (step 2 in recipe card). Your teriyaki sauce will begin to thicken as you whisk in the slurry and as it cools.
Other Delicious Teriyaki Recipes You Might Like
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Ingredients
Teriyaki Sauce (Optional):
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup soy sauce, sub coconut aminos or tamari for gluten-free
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar, or coconut sugar
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ½ – 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced or paste
- ¼ cup cold water
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Meatballs:
- 1 pound ground beef, 80/20
- ½ pound ground pork
- ¼ cup green onions, minced
- ¼ cup crushed pineapple
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, for cooking ONLY, do not mix into meatballs
Serving Suggestions:
- cooked rice of choice, regular or cauliflower
- pineapple chunks
- 1-2 cups broccoli florets, steamed, optional
Instructions
- Make Sauce: In a small saucepan, add 1 cup water, ½ cup soy sauce, 4 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 teaspoons garlic, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon honey, and ½ – 1 teaspoon fresh ginger. Whisk to combine and bring to a simmer. (Note: homemade teriyaki sauce is optional – feel free to use store-bought instead).
- Thicken Sauce: In a separate bowl or measuring cup, whisk together ¼ cup cold water and 2 tablespoons cornstarch. Add to the simmering sauce and whisk to combine. Sauce will start to thicken. Remove when it reaches your desired thickness – remember it will thicken a little more as it cools.
- Make Meatballs: In a large bowl, combine 1 pound ground beef, ½ pound ground pork, minced green onions, ¼ cup crushed pineapple, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce, and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper. Take approximately 1 ½ tablespoons of the meat mixture and roll into a ball. Continue until all of the meat mixture is used.
- Sear Meatballs: Bring a large cast iron skillet to medium high heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Once hot, add meatballs and sear for 2-3 minutes and then use a pair of tongs to flip. Continue moving the meatballs around as they cook. Once the meatballs are fully cooked (approximately 12-15 minutes – 160℉ internal temperature – don't overcook or they will dry out) remove them from the cast iron skillet and place on a large plate; set aside.
- Add Sauce: Pour the Teriyaki Sauce into the cast iron skillet and bring back to a simmer. Continue simmering and stirring to allow the sauce to thicken, about 2-3 minutes – during this time the meatballs will continue to cook and reach an internal temperature of 165℉.
- Serve: Enjoy immediately with your rice of choice, pineapple, and/or broccoli.
Notes
- Teriyaki Sauce: we included our homemade teriyaki sauce recipe (it is a blog favorite!), but if you are short on time – grab your favorite store-bought version and use that instead.
- Serving: Feel free to serve over your choice of rice or our homemade cauliflower rice if you want. We love serving with some steamed broccoli and extra pineapple chunks.
- Oven Method: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place meatballs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 24 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from oven, and toss with teriyaki sauce.
- Slow Cooker Method: Follow recipe as written through searing the meatballs in the middle of step 4. Once the meatballs have been seared, place them in a crock pot along with 1 C of teriyaki sauce and let them cook on low for 3-4 hours.
Nutrition
Published Date March 1, 2020 and Updated Date 4/17/2026
Liz Sipley says
This was such an easy recipe to follow and my family loved it!