Hawaiian Teriyaki Meatballs (video)

teriyaki meatballs with pineapple sauce over white rice

Juicy, flavorful and easy meatball recipe! These Hawaiian teriyaki meatballs over rice are perfect for dinner! They’re glazed in a homemade Hawaiian teriyaki sauce made with pineapple juice, ginger, garlic and soy sauce. You’ll love the sweet and savory combination of pineapple and teriyaki! If you’ve never had pineapple with meat, you’re in for a real treat! It goes so well with different meats and it’s especially delicious in this recipe. It’s not over-powering, making it that one ingredient that your guests will ask you about.

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How to Make Hawaiian Meatballs

These delicious teriyaki meatballs can be made with any type of meat but I typically use ground pork or 85% lean beef. Ground turkey will also work well for this recipe. The extra fat from the beef or pork just makes these meatballs more flavorful and moist. The meat mixture is seasoned with loads of garlic and ginger, so you’ll have a good kick of flavor with every bite. Each meatball is first fried, then coated in a homemade sauce.

  1. Prepare the meatball mixture first. Combine the ground meat, seasonings and spices, egg and chives in a large bowl. Use your hands to knead the ingredients together. Add the bread crumbs last and mix just until combined.
  2. Use a scoop to measure out the meatballs, then round the meat with your hands into balls. Oil your hands first to prevent the mixture from sticking.
  3. Preheat a large frying pan and add a drizzle of olive oil. Fry the meatballs over medium heat, turning every minute until browned on all sides.
  4. Turn heat down to a medium-low, cover the pan with a lid and cook for about 10 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked all the way through. Remove the meatballs from the pan and set aside.
pineapple teriyaki meatballs over white rice with cilantro

Easy Hawaiian Teriyaki Sauce

The homemade, Hawaiian teriyaki sauce is made with pineapple, soy, garlic and ginger. This sauce is simply amazing and it’s so easy to make! I wish I could bottle it up and eat it with everything! Once the meatballs are fried, coat them in this sauce and cook for another minute until the meatballs are well coated. And the best part about this recipe, is that you can make it all in one pan!

  1. Into the same pan, add water first to deglaze the pan. Then add the remaining sauce ingredients: soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame seed oil, garlic, ginger and pineapple.
  2. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat and cook about 7 to 8 minutes, until garlic and pineapple is tender. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water. Add to the sauce and cook until thickened, about 1 minute.
  3. Return the meatballs back into the pan and coat in the pineapple sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and chopped cilantro.

For Serving the Meatballs

Serve the meatballs with steam white or brown rice, or your favorite noodles. These will also work well with fried rice! Sprinkle the dish with sesame seeds and some chopped green onions as a garnish.

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teriyaki meatballs with pineapple sauce over white rice
3.67 from 3 votes

Hawaiian Teriyaki Meatballs (video)

25 minutes prep + 20 minutes cook
4 servings
Easy and juicy teriyaki meatballs with a homemade Hawaiian teriyaki sauce, served over rice!

Ingredients 

For Meatballs:

  • 1 lb ground pork, or chicken/turkey
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp EACH: ground ginger, garlic powder
  • ground black pepper
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tbsp chopped chives
  • 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

For Sauce:

  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp sesame seed oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, pressed
  • 1 1/2 tbsp freshly grated ginger
  • 1 cup crushed pineapple
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 tbsp water

For Serving:

  • sesame seeds
  • chopped cilantro
  • 1 1/2 cups white or brown rice, or noodles

Instructions

Making the Meatballs:

  • Prepare the meatball mixture. Combine the ground meat, seasonings and spices, egg and chives in a large bowl. Use your hands to knead the ingredients together. Add the bread crumbs last and mix just until combined.
  • Use a scoop to measure out the meatballs, then round the meat with your hands into balls. Oil your hands first to prevent the mixture from sticking.
  • Preheat a large frying pan and add a drizzle of olive oil. Fry the meatballs over medium heat, turning every minute until browned on all sides.
  • Turn heat down to a medium-low, cover the pan with a lid and cook for about 10 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked all the way through. Remove the meatballs from the pan and set aside.

Preparing the Sauce:

  • Into the same pan, add water first to deglaze the pan. Then add the remaining sauce ingredients: soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame seed oil, garlic, ginger and pineapple.
  • Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat and cook about 7 to 8 minutes, until garlic and pineapple is tender. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water. Add to the sauce and cook until thickened, about 1 minute.

Serving:

  • Return the meatballs back into the pan and coat in the pineapple sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and chopped cilantro. Prepare rice according to package instructions. Serve over hot rice or noodles.

Nutrition

Calories: 635kcal | Carbohydrates: 87g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 144mg | Sodium: 1543mg | Potassium: 837mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 163IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 76mg | Iron: 3mg