Crock Pot Sweet And Sour Pork has a bright burst of flavor from fresh pineapple, along with a savory sauce that’s crazy delicious. It’s perfect for a weeknight, a family meal, or when entertaining guests!
Serve this amazing main dish with Instant Pot Herb Rice and Roasted Broccoli for an easy-to-make dinner.
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Sometimes, you just want to hang out at home, watching your favorite show wrapped in a fluffy blanket and let the world spin on by. Those times also bring on the urge to eat yummy comfort food. There’s almost nothing as comforting as a home-cooked meal, and when you can make something delicious with very little effort, like this crock pot
sweet & sour pork loin with pineapple, well, I’m all in.
My recipe for Sweet And Sour Pineapple Pork has amazing flavor from a brown sugar, apple cider sauce, along with fresh pineapple and caramelized onions. There is very little cooking involved because once you sear the pork and caramelize the onions, all you do is add in the remaining ingredients and let the slow cooker do all the work.
Ingredients Needed For This Recipe
- Pork Loin – other cuts of pork can be used, such as pork tenderloin or pork shoulder.
- Fresh Pineapple – canned pineapple can also be used if needed.
- Onion
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Soy Sauce – I recommend low-sodium soy sauce.
- Honey
- Brown Sugar
- Minced Garlic
- Kosher Salt
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Corn Starch
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Tips For Making The Best Sweet And Sour Crock Pot Pork
- Don’t forget to thicken the sauce. Make a slurry by combining two teaspoons of cornstarch with two teaspoons of cold water. Stir the slurry into the sauce after removing the pork roast. Once thickened, slice the pork, then pour over the yummy sauce.
- If you don’t have a slow cooker, you can cook this recipe in the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the pork loin, onions, and pineapple in a baking dish. Pour the sauce over the pork loin. Cover the baking dish with foil. Bake for 2-2 ½ hours, or until the pork loin is cooked through and tender.
Variations And Substitutions For This Recipe
Sweet and sour pork cooked low and slow lends itself to quite a few delicious ingredient variations. Here are a few ideas:
- Add vegetables to the slow cooker, such as sliced green and red bell peppers, carrots, or celery.
- Add some ginger or garlic cloves to the sauce for extra flavor.
- Change out the brown sugar for molasses or maple syrup.
- Use a different type of vinegar, such as rice vinegar or balsamic vinegar.
Common Questions With Answers
Yes, you can use a different type of pork, such as pork shoulder or pork tenderloin. However, the cooking time may need to be adjusted. Check the pork with an instant-read thermometer, which should read 145 degrees when done.
Peaches, mangos, and cherries are all great options. Just know that the level of sweetness will change depending on what fruit you use.
Sure! If you are not a fan of spice, just omit the red pepper flakes.
What To Serve With Sweet And Sour Pineapple Pork
This slow cooker sweet and sour pork recipe really is an all-star main dish. It can be served in so many different ways on just about any occasion.
Weeknight meal: serve with air fryer baked potatoes or sweet potatoes, skillet green beans, or a green salad.
Sunday supper: this recipe is perfect for serving with southern candied yams, instant pot coconut rice, broccoli casserole, and garlic parmesan skillet rolls.
Holiday Buffet: serve with twice-baked sweet potatoes, maple bacon green beans, spinach salad with warm bacon dressing, and puff pastry cheese straws.
More Of My Favorite Crock Pot Recipes
Want To Know More About Slow Cooking?
If you are new to cooking with a Crock Pot or just don’t know where to start, I’ve got something to help. I’ve put together a helpful guide with tips and recipes to get you using a slow cooker like a pro!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 – 3 pound pork loin roast
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion – sliced
- ¾ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
- ½ cup honey
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 3 cloves garlic – minced
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 cups fresh chunk pineapple
- Slurry thickener – 2 teaspoons corn starch mixed with 2 teaspoons cold water
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a cast iron or heavy bottom skillet. Salt and pepper all sides of pork roast and sear in skillet. Remove and place in crock pot. Sear onions in hot pan until slightly browned. Place onions in crock pot with pork loin.
- In a medium size bowl, mix apple cider, soy sauce, honey, brown sugar, garlic, salt and red pepper. Pour over roast. Place pineapple chunks around pork and cover with lid. Cook on HIGH for 5 hours or LOW for 7.
- When done, remove pork and pineapple from the slow cooker and place them on serving platter. Turn the slow cooker on high, add the cornstarch slurry, and stir to mix well. As the mixture starts to bubble, keep stirring until the desired thickness is achieved. Spoon gravy over pork loin and serve.
Video
Notes
- If you don’t have a slow cooker, you can cook this recipe in the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the pork loin, onions, and pineapple in a baking dish. Pour the sauce over the pork loin. Cover the baking dish with foil. Bake for 2-2 ½ hours or until the pork loin is cooked through and tender.
Nutrition
This post was originally posted in January, 2017 and updates in May, 2023.
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Am I missing the cook time in the crock pot?
All instructions are in the recipe card.
Thanks!
Can you make this in a instant pot?
I’ve never made or tested in the IP. Let me know if you do!
~Donya
Tried this today. Excellent! I was looking for something different – and this was! Served it over a bed of rice with some steamed asparagus. We’ll have leftovers for later this week with enough to freeze another meal. (Just the two of us and a 3+ pound pork tenderloin.). Thanks for the recipe!
I have a tenderloin (1) in the freezer, can I use it instead buying a roast? Thanks to anyone who has already tried it with tips.
Sure! Go for it and use what you have. I think it will turn out great.
Have a great day,
~Donya
Since I am a bacon lover, if I were making this delicious loin dish, I would add chopped bacon to onions and saute together.
I must have done something wrong, all I can taste and smell is the apple cider vinegar. I followed everything to the T I thought, any suggestions to what may have gone wrong.
Sorry for the delay, Matthew. I am trying to think what could be wrong. I’ve made this recipes countless times so I’m surprised at the outcome. Maybe the pineapple was not ripe enough? That’s the only thing I can think of. I hope you’ll try it again and let me know what happens.
~Donya
Can I use pineapple juice for this recipe instead of fresh pineapples?
Give it a try, Mary!
~Donya
Mmmm! I already know I am going to love this. It is really speaking to my taste buds. I need to get it on our menu ASAP! What a fun way to celebrate national pork month!
Sounds delicious! I look forward to fixing this.
Thanks so much! Enjoy.
~Donya
I have this going right now and totally forgot to add the pineapple. I thought it was smelling too “vinegary”. I decided that the pineapple wouldn’t have that slow cooked by dinner time so I just add a little more brown sugar in hopes to cut the acidity. I hope it works. It smells and looks amazing!!!
Oh no but I like your idea of the brown sugar! Good call. If you have the pineapple, you might try sauteing it in a bit of the sauce to make it tender and then serve it over the pork. Just an idea. Let me know how things turn out.
XO,
~Donya
Sounds delicious, but the 1 cup of vinegar seems like a lot. Is this a typo or is it really 1 cup?
I hope to make this for Sunday dinner
Nope, it’s not a typo! It’s delicious and tenderizes the pork. If you’ve never cooked with vinegar, it’s a great ingredient that actually turns sweeter and gives a bright flavor to meats. Hope you like it!
XO,
~Donya
Thanks, I’m going to make it on Sunday, I”m looking forward to trying it.
my mother-in-law gave me a crockpot as early christmas gift and now i am enjoying it with this brilliant and sumptuous recipe! easy and yummy!
Well, Merry Christmas, Ella. What a great gift and I am honored that you chose one of my recipes to use with your new gift! I hope you enjoy your crock pot and this recipe for years to come.
XO,
~Donya
Do I really have to sear the pork loin? I don’t have a cast iron or heavy bottom skillet.
Hey Angel! Good question. First, you don’t have to sear it but it does give a richer flavor to the meat. Second, you can use any skillet you have to sear the meat, I’m just partial to cast iron.
Thanks so much for stopping by. Let me know how the recipe turns out!
XO,
~Donya
I love cooking pork in the slow cooker and that pineapple makes this lovely.
Thanks for stopping by Lauren! Hope you enjoy the recipe.
XO,
Donya
Thanks so much for stopping by and linking this recipe to First Monday Favorites. I love the combo of pork and pineapple, they just seem to complement each other so well. Hope you’ll come by next month as well. I’m on FB as Sid’s Sea Palm Cooking, with First Monday Favorites as a group on there as well.
Thanks! Hope you enjoy the recipe.
XO,
Donya