Grab your toothpicks and dive into this mouthwatering appetizer of Hawaiian Meatballs with Lil Smokies just for fun! With only a few ingredients you can be serving family or guests in minutes. Craving a midnight snack? Dive in to these sweet and savory Meatballs made right in the Instant Pot.
Meatballs and Weenies is such a versatile recipe. You've likely tried a favorite variation made with Grape Jelly and BBQ Sauce. It's delicious and I recommend you try them. But, BBQ Pineapple Meatballs with a sauce made from Apricot Preserves is ah-ma-zing.
My boys come running and don't bother with a plate, they just pop a meatball or weenie in their mouths give a quick chew and pop one more in. To say they are devoured is an understatement.
This recipe can go from Frozen to cooked in Zero (0) Minutes in the Instant Pot. That's all it needs and you will be eating Hot Meatballs and Weenies.
As an Appetizer Recipe or quick snack this is a recipe that everyone will love. Kid approved and family favorite.
Ingredients for Hawaiian Meatballs
- Frozen Meatballs
- Lil Smokies
- Pineapple
- BBQ Sauce
- Apricot Preserves
- Water
How to make Hawaiian Meatballs with Lil Smokies
Instant Pot Directions
Add 1 ½ Cup water to a 6qt Instant Pot. If you are using an 8 qt add 2 Cups Water. Toss in frozen Meatballs, approximately 32 meatballs and a 14oz package of Lil Smokies.
Close the lid and set to Pressure Cook for Zero (0) Minutes. I know it looks crazy. But remember the time to pressure up is also cooking the ingredients. Use your +/- buttons to adjust the time to Zero (0) and let the Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker do it's magic.
Quick Release the Pressure, open the lid and drain the liquid. The water was only needed to pressure up the Instant Pot. So drain the liquid.
In a separate bowl combine 1 cup of your favorite BBQ Sauce and ½ Cup Apricot Preserves and stir until mostly smooth. Drain Pineapple Chunks.
Add Pineapple Chunks and BBQ Sauce to Meatballs and Weenies and stir. These are ready to eat!
Optional ~ You can set the Instant Pot to Saute and caramelize the sauce a bit to thicken. But it's not necessary if you just want to dive in!
New to using an Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker? Let me help! I'll answer all the questions to get you started and feeling like a pro in no time! Start with a Water Test, I've got step by step instructions in this post. And all your questions can be Answered in this How To Instant Pot Post.
Crock Pot Directions
- Add Frozen Meatballs, Lil Smokies, Drained Pineapple Chunks, BBQ Sauce and Apricot Preserves to Crock Pot and Stir to combine
- Set to Low for 3-4 hours or until heated through
- Serve with Toothpicks
Quick Tips / Substitution
Go ahead a add double the meatballs for the Lil Smokies or make all Lil Smokies. It's an easy substitution.
Variations to Sauce
- BBQ Sauce or Heinz Chili Sauce with Grape Jelly
- Teriyaki Sauce with Orange Marmalade
How to Serve BBQ Meatballs and Lil Smokies
This recipe is so easy, we love to serve with Toothpicks and small plates. Load BBQ Pineapple Meatballs on a platter or large serving bowl and let your family serve themselves.
You can't serve just 1 appetizer. In fact I've got an easy way for you to figure out how many appetizers to plan for when serving guests. You will never run out and have a perfect variety too.
How Many Appetizers do I need?
- Serve 3 Appetizer Recipes when hosting 8-10 people
- Serve 4-5 Appetizer Recipes when Hosting 14-16 People
- Serve 6 Appetizer Recipes when hosting larger groups of 20+
| How Many Guests | Appetizers |
| 8-10 Guests | Serve 3 Appetizers |
| 14-16 Guests | Serve 4-5 Appetizers |
| 20+ Guests | Serve 6 Appetizers |
I love making Appetizers because they are so fun to make and so many recipes are also very simple like this one. Here are a few more of my favorites you can try or check out all of my Appetizer Recipes!
- French Onion Meatball Tapas
- Cranberry Brie Bites ~ Very Popular Recipe
- Brazilian Cheese Bread
- Deviled Egg with Bacon ~ Instant Pot Recipe
- Honey BBQ Chicken Wings ~ Instant Pot Recipe
Hawaiian Meatballs
Ingredients
- 32 Meatballs Frozen
- 32 Lil Smokies 14oz pkg
- 1 Can Pineapple Chunks
- 1 Cup BBQ Sauce
- ½ Cup Apricot Preserves
- 1 ½ Water
Instructions
Instant Pot Directions
- Add Frozen Meatballs, Lil Smokies and Water to Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker
- Set to Pressure Cook for Zero (0) Minutes. Use the +/- Keys to Adjust to Zero
- Quick Release Pressure and Drain and discard Liquid
- In a separate bowl combine BBQ Sauce and Apricot Preserves. Stir until mostly smooth
- Add Drained Pineapple Chunks, and BBQ Sauce to Hot Meatballs and Weenies. Stir
- Set Instant Pot to Saute to Caramelize Sauce if Desired
- Serve with Toothpicks for an Easy Appetizer
Crock Pot Directions
- Add Frozen Meatballs, Lil Smokies, Drained Pineapple Chunks, BBQ Sauce and Apricot Preserves to Crock Pot and Stir to combine
- Set to Low for 3-4 hours or until heated through
- Serve with Toothpicks
Notes
How many Appetizers to Serve a Crowd
- Serve 3 Appetizer Recipes when hosting 8-10 people
- Serve 4-5 Appetizer Recipes when Hosting 14-16 People
- Serve 6 Appetizer Recipes when hosting larger groups of 20+
Chelsea Gray
Love this! We’ve made it a few times now. I use the liquid from the pineapple instead of water when pressure cooking!
Karen Ford
Omg!! Made this tonight. So simple and fast. My boys could make this. Thanks Rebecca!! Trying the sloppy Joe’s next.
Devour Dinner
Hi Karen, I love that you try my recipes and fall in love with them! I love having my own boys in the kitchen learning skills as well. Great times together.
Peggy
I loved these! My family did too! It was a nice change from my grape jelly meatballs 😋 definitely a keeper!
Devour Dinner
Hi Peggy! I'm so glad you loved these meatballs. They are a nice change from the Grape Jelly Meatballs for sure! But both are so good!
Virginia
Just made this dish, and it's both easy and delicious. I definitely think the caramelization step is a must. I made mine with turkey meatballs, really tasty.
Step 3: Instead of discarding, I recommend saving the cooking liquid! That's premium juicy goodness, great for throwing into a soup. 😀 Save, freeze, use.
Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Devour Dinner
Hi Virginia, thanks for the glowing review and tip about saving the juices for another recipe. What a great idea.