Sweet and Sour Pork Meatballs

Juicy pork meatballs in easy sweet and sour sauce are delicious served over noodles for a speedy, better-than-takeout weeknight dinner.

Sweet and Sour Pork Meatballs

Ingredients

A few pantry staples and some ground pork is all that is needed for this easy pork meatballs recipe. The sauce is super easy to make and is delicious tossed with egg noodles.

  • Ground pork / Pork mince.
  • Fresh breadcrumbs. I blend fresh bread in my food processor to make fresh breadcrumbs. If using dried or panko, use half the quantity stated.
  • Sesame oil.
  • Soy sauce. 
  • Garlic. 
  • Ginger. 
  • Salt.
  • Pepper.
  • Egg yolk. 
  • Cornstarch.
  • Ketchup/Tomato sauce.
  • Soy sauce. 
  • Brown sugar. 
  • Apple cider vinegar. 
  • Water.
  • Noodles/Rice, to serve.
  • Spring onion/Green onion, to serve.

Sweet and Sour Pork Meatballs

How to make sweet and sour pork meatballs

  1. Make the meatballs: Combine the pork, breadcrumbs, seasonings and egg yolk in a large bowl. Mix until combined. With damp hands, form the mixture into meatballs (I make mine just smaller than golf balls).
  2. Cook the meatballs: In a large skillet or frying pan, cook the meatballs in a splash of oil until golden brown on all sides. Remove from the heat and set aside.
  3. Make the sauce: Whisk the cornstarch, ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar and water together. Pour into the same pan you used for the meatballs. Allow to simmer gently until thickened and smooth. Add the meatballs to the sauce and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the meatballs are golden and sticky.
  4. Serve: Serve the meatballs and sauce over rice or noodles and garnish with spring onion.

Can I make this ahead?

The meatballs can be made and formed a day in advance and kept covered in the fridge. Alternatively, freeze the uncooked meatballs in a single layer and once frozen solid, transfer to a freezer bag. Cooked meatballs in sauce can be refrigerated for up to 2 days and reheated with a splash of water in a pan.

Sweet and Sour Pork Meatballs

Pork recipes

  1. Crispy pork with saucy spicy noodles
  2. Easy Grilled pork chops
  3. Greek pork souvlaki
Sweet and Sour Pork Meatballs

Sweet and sour pork meatballs

Juicy pork meatballs in easy sweet and sour sauce are delicious served over noodles for a speedy, better-than-takeout weeknight dinner.
4.64 from 25 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: Easy pork recipe, Pork meatballs, Sweet and sour pork
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Calories: 308kcal
Author: Alida Ryder
Servings: 4 - 6

Ingredients

  • 500 g (1lb) ground pork / pork mince
  • ½ cup fresh breadcrumbs
  • 1 egg yolk
  • ½ tsp sesame oil
  • 2 tsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp garlic minced
  • 1 tsp ginger minced
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper

For the sweet and sour sauce

  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 3 tbsp ketchup
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 4 tbsp brown sugar
  • 4 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2-3 tbsp water

Instructions

  • Combine the pork, breadcrumbs, seasonings and egg yolk in a large bowl.
  • Mix until combined. With damp hands, form the mixture into meatballs (I make mine just smaller than golf balls). 
  • In a large skillet or frying pan, cook the meatballs in a splash of oil until golden brown on all sides. Remove from the heat and set aside. 
  • Whisk the cornstarch, ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar and water together.
  • Pour into the same pan you used for the meatballs. Allow to simmer gently until thickened and smooth.
  • Add the meatballs to the sauce and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the meatballs are golden and sticky. 
  • Serve the meatballs and sauce over rice or noodles and garnish with spring onion.

Nutrition

Calories: 308kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 986mg | Potassium: 283mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 50IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg