With just 6 ingredients, this Asian meatballs recipe is easy to make AND a total crowd pleaser... Finished in the slow cooker, they perform double duty as a game day appetizer or as an easy weeknight dinner when served over rice or noodles!
This post is sponsored by the Ohio Pork Council. All opinions are my own.
Slow Cooker Asian Meatballs
In case I haven't made it abundantly clear, I am a sucker for all things sweet and spicy. Case(s) in point: this sweet & spicy pineapple salsa, this sweet & spicy bacon wrapped dates, this sweet & spicy bacon wrapped corn... Should I go on?
So when I tasted these sweet and spicy Asian pork meatballs at a luncheon hosted by the Ohio Pork Council and Bob Evans last week, I knew one thing for certain - I was NOT leaving without the recipe!
Asian Style Meatball Recipe
Luckily, the Bob Evans Test Kitchen presented us with printed recipe cards for all of the dishes they served, including these yummy Asian style meatballs. And they were all clipped together with the freaking CUTEST EVER pig paperclip. Seriously, I just can't even!
The Ohio Pork Council generously sent us on our way with an insulated tote full of Bob Evans roll sausage, so I swung by Kroger on my home to pick up a jar of Thai chili garlic sauce (the only ingredient I didn't already have on hand).
Incidentally, you can find this ingredient in the International aisle, and it's great for adding a spicy kick to just about any meal. I was super happy to note that it does not need to be refrigerated, because my fridge is currently at its maximum condiment capacity.
Easy Asian Meatballs Crockpot Recipe
I'd estimate that there are at least a dozen reasons to love these Asian pork meatballs, not the least of which is their tangy sweet & spicy flavor. I won't bore you with all of them, but to name a few... They're:
- Easy to make - this Asian meatball recipe contains just SIX ingredients! The sausage meatballs are made up of Bob Evans maple roll sausage, an egg, panko bread crumbs, and maple syrup. The Asian meatball sauce contains an additional two: the Thai chili garlic sauce I mentioned earlier and soy sauce, plus more maple syrup.
- Finished in your slow cooker - while the sausage meatballs do need to be baked in the oven to start, you finish them off with the sauce in your slow cooker. Which means you can prepare the sausage meatball recipe ahead of time, and then refrigerate or freeze the meatballs for a later meal (or appetizer!).
- Perfect for game day OR dinner - these sweet and spicy crockpot meatballs can be served as is for a delicious appetizer that hungry fans will gobble up, or they're also an easy weeknight dinner served over some coconut milk rice, this easy & flavorful Instant Pot brown rice, or noodles!
Easy, delicious, and versatile - how can you go wrong??
Oh, wait... I forgot to mention that they're inexpensive, too! Thanks to using budget-friendly pork sausage, which is pretty versatile in and of itself. It easily replaces ground beef in almost all of your favorite recipes, adding a little extra flavor boost in the process. We often use it in our spaghetti meat sauce for a change of pace.
Asian Pork Meatballs For The Win
Needless to say my starving teenagers (can you hear my sarcasm coming through?) gobbled these meatballs up. They were literally jostling each other out of the way to try to find the biggest ones... But the joke's on them! I used my trusty small cookie scoop to ensure they were all uniform in size.
One batch makes about 24 meatballs - so I doubled it for my BIG EATERS. I did find that the sauce was plentiful enough that it didn't need doubled. Though, if you're taking these to an event where they'll be cooking for awhile, I'd recommend increasing it, as it will surely thicken up more the longer it cooks.
Printable Recipe ↓
Sweet and Spicy Asian Meatballs
Ingredients
for the meatballs:
- 1 (16-ounce) roll maple pork sausage
- 1 large egg - beaten
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- ¼ cup maple syrup
for the sauce:
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Thai chili garlic sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Place all of the meatball ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Work together until fully combined, but do not overwork the meat or the meatballs will be tough and dense.
- Portion out meatballs using a small cookie scoop, shape into balls, and place onto prepared baking sheet.
- Bake at 400 degrees until browned and cooked through, about 20-25 minutes.
- Add all of the sauce ingredients to your crockpot and stir together. Turn heat to low and add the cooked meatballs.
- Heat for 30 minutes and turn the crockpot to warm before serving.
Recipe Notes
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More Delicious Meatball Recipes
If you like this asian style meatballs recipe, you might also enjoy these other delicious meatball recipes:
- Italian Crockpot Meatball Subs
- Cheesy Meatball Casserole
- Romano Mini Italian Meatballs
- Italian Wedding Soup (uses mini meatballs above)
Did you make this recipe?
I'd love to see how your crockpot Asian meatballs turn out... Tag me @Unsophisticook on Instagram or use the hashtag #Unsophisticook so I can check it out. Enjoy!
Michelle says
How would the recipe change if the meatballs were frozen?
Tara Kuczykowski says
Hi Michelle! Once you've prepared the meatballs, you can place the baking sheet in the freezer. Once frozen, transfer them to a ziploc freezer bag until you're ready to to finish preparing them. You can either thaw them in the refrigerator and continue on from Step 4, or you can bake them from frozen, adding an additional 10-15 minutes to the baking time. You can be certain they're fully cooked when the internal temperature reaches 160°F.
Melinda says
I thought I had maple syrup and I don’t. Would the flavor alter too much if I sub brown sugar?
Tara Kuczykowski says
Hi Melinda — I think brown sugar would be a great substitute. If you have a chance, let me know how it goes!
Ivory says
These meatballs looks amazing, and I can hardly wait to make some. For sure it's added to my dinner dish to make. Thanks for sharing. I just joined THS site, and I am loving it.
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
Happy to have you, Ivory — hope you adore these meatballs, too!
Cindy says
I made these meatballs last evening and they were delicious! My husband's comment was: "These are really good, maybe too good!!" I also had my granddaughter over who is so picky; she won't eat anything. She also loved the meatballs. I also must comment on how fast and easy they were to mix together. They were in the oven very quickly, which is a recipe that I like. I just served a fruit salad with the meatballs because we are watching our weight, but you can do anything with them. I doubled the recipe and I had lots of sauce left over. As expensive as the syrup is, the next time I will just stick with one recipe of the sauce. I think this will be just fine. I warmed them in my slow cooker and used a crockpot liner. They were very easy to mix up in the sauce because I just lifted out the meatballs and the liner and shook them around to make sure every meatball had sauce.
Cindy says
I made these meatballs last evening and they were delicious! My husband's comment was: "These are really good, maybe too good!!" I also had my granddaughter over who is so picky; she won't eat anything. She also loved the meatballs. I also must comment on how fast and easy they were to mix together. They were in the oven very quickly, which is a recipe that I like. I just served a fruit salad with the meatballs because we are watching our weight, but you can do anything with them. I doubled the recipe and I had lots of sauce left over. As expensive as the syrup is, the next time I will just stick with one recipe of the sauce. I think this will be just fine. I warmed them in my slow cooker and used a crockpot liner. They were very easy to mix up in the sauce because I just lifted out the meatballs and the liner and shook them around to make sure every meatball had sauce.