This Crock Pot sweet and sour pork is an easy one-pot meal that the entire family will love! Tender, boneless pork loin chops come together with tangy pineapple chunks, onions, bell peppers, and a wicked delicious sauce- all in your slow cooker. With just minutes of your effort, you'll be able to put this take-out-worthy dish together.
Sweet and sour pork is a classic Chinese dish and is one of my top favorites- right beside my Crockpot sesame chicken. Juicy and tender pork pieces are first coated and fried to perfection and then tossed in a delicious sauce made using some simple ingredients.
This dish is actually quite popular in most Chinese restaurants, but you can easily replicate the same recipe in your kitchen too, and speed it up using your trusty Crockpot! Team it up with some steamed white rice or your favorite noodles, or even just spoon it into some lettuce to make lettuce wraps- it's super versatile that way.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's super simple and budget-friendly- a good way to get your daily protein without putting in too much effort.
- The slow cooker makes it super simple and convenient. You'll actually be able to create a restaurant-quality dish right in the comfort of your own kitchen.
- Lots of flavor and nutrition- the pork teams up with veggies in a sweet and sour sauce, making it a great healthy, and flavorful meal that you can make for the whole family.
- There are lots of ways to serve it and plenty of swaps and alternatives that you can use. Perfect if you don't have all the Asian condiments in your kitchen.
Ingredients For Crock Pot Sweet Sour Pork Recipe
- Boneless Pork Chops - The star ingredient of the recipe, the boneless pork chops become tender and succulent as they cook in the slow cooker, absorbing the sweet and sour flavors of the sauce.
- Cornstarch - Acts as a coating for the pork chops, creating a thickened exterior and enhancing the overall texture of the dish.
- Canned Pineapple Chunks - Adds sweetness to the dish and infuses the sauce with a refreshing tropical flavor, balancing the tangy flavor.
- Vegetables - The green and red bell peppers, along with the onions, not only contribute to the dish's vibrant color but also provide a pleasant crunch and a mix of flavors that complement the elements of the sauce.
- Brown Sugar - Adds depth and richness to the sweet and sour sauce, intensifying the sweetness.
- Apple Cider Vinegar - Brings a tangy and slightly fruity note to the sauce. This provides the signature "sour" element to the sauce.
- Ketchup - Adds a rich tomato base to the sauce, contributing to the sweet and tangy flavor.
- Worcestershire Sauce - Adds a salty umami taste to the sauce that helps enhance the sweet and spicy flavor.
- Soy Sauce - Also imparts a savory and slightly salty taste, balancing the sweetness.
- Minced Garlic - Brings aromatic and savory qualities to the dish, infusing the sauce and pork with a delicious garlic flavor.
- Ground Ginger - Adds a warm and fragrant element, enhancing its overall depth.
Variations & Substitutions
- Add a dash of Sriracha or sprinkle some crushed red pepper flakes to lend a spicy kick to the dish.
- Try the recipe with different kinds of protein like shrimp, chicken or even tofu. That's actually exactly what I did when I made my slow cooker sweet and sour chicken.
- Use gluten-free soy sauce or tamari instead of regular soy sauce to make this dish gluten-free.
- Bump up the nutritional content of the dish by adding other veggies like snap peas, baby corn, or sliced carrots.
- Lend some richness and complexity to the sweet and sour sauce by adding some oyster sauce or Hoisin sauce.
How To Make Sweet and Sour Pork In The Crock Pot
Step 1: Prepare the pork: Get rid of any excess fat from the pork chops and pat dry with a paper towel. Transfer the pork and cornstarch to a 1-gallon freezer bag, and shake well until the pork chops are completely coated.
Step 2: Arrange in the crock pot: In the bottom of your Crockpot, layer the sliced bell peppers, onions, and pork coated with cornstarch.
Step 3: Make the sweet and sour sauce: In a medium mixing bowl, combine the juice from the canned pineapple chunks with some brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger. Pour this over the pork and vegetables.
Step 4: Cover and cook: Cover this with the lid and cook on HIGH for 2½-3½ hours or LOW for 6-8 hours. Add in the pineapple chunks about 30 minutes before the cooking time is complete.
Serve with your favorite sides and garnish with fresh green onions and sesame seeds.
Recipe Tips
- Make sure you cut the pork into 1-inch evenly sized pieces. This will get them to have that tender, juicy texture you're looking for.
- Choose a slow cooker that has at least a 6-quart capacity to accommodate all the ingredients comfortably. This will prevent overcrowding and will allow the flavors to develop better.
- Use dark brown sugar instead of light brown sugar for the sauce- it has a richer molasses flavor, which lends another layer of depth.
- Fine-tune the amount of brown sugar and apple cider vinegar you're using for the recipe to adjust the sweetness and tanginess to your taste preference.
- Avoid overcooking the vegetables. This will add a nice burst of freshness and lend a crunch factor to the dish. I would recommend adding them into the last hour of cooking if that's what you like.
- Always add the pineapple chunks last to ensure they don't get mushy while slow cooking.
Serving Suggestions
This slow cooker sweet and sour pork can be served with your favorite fried rice or noodle dish.
I personally love stuffing the leftovers into sandwich buns or lettuce wraps- it turns out to be such a nice and quick meal. If you're making this for an Asian-inspired feast, team it up with some other classics like Slow cooker Mongolian chicken or some Crockpot Teriyaki chicken.
Storing & Freezing
Storing: Storing your leftover sweet and sour Crockpot pork is super easy. Once it has cooled down, move it to an airtight container and refrigerate it for 3-4 days.
Freezing: You can also choose to freeze the leftovers if you want to. I would recommend portioning it out into freezer-safe containers or bags and labeling them with the date. You can store them for up to 3 months that way, and thaw them overnight before you reheat them.
Reheating: The best way to reheat the pork is to pop it in the microwave and pause in between every 30 seconds or so. If you're heating it in the skillet, do it over medium heat, ideally with a splash of water to get it to the right consistency.
FAQ
The pork chops can get rubbery and chewy if it gets overcooked. If you're setting the slow cooker on high heat, make sure you get it out at the right time. Opt for slow cooking if you can.
Yes, you definitely can! I would recommend using pork shoulder, belly, or tenderloin. Just remember that the cooking times for each of these cuts will be different. I personally love making sweet and sour pork tenderloin.
More Crock Pot Pork Recipes
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Crock Pot Sweet and Sour Pork
Ingredients
- 1½ lbs boneless pork loin chops (cut into 1-inch pieces)
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 (20 oz) can pineapple chunks in juice (Do not drain. The juice will be used in the sauce.)
- 1 medium red bell pepper (cut into 1" pieces)
- 1 medium green bell pepper (cut into 1" pieces)
- 1 medium white onion (cut into 1" pieces)
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ⅓ cup ketchup
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tsp garlic (minced)
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
Instructions
- Add pork and cornstarch to a 1-gallon freezer bag. Shake until completely coated.
- Place coated pork, green pepper, red pepper, and onion in a 6-quart crock pot.
- In a medium bowl, add juice from pineapple chunks, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger. Stir together and pour over pork and vegetables.
- Cover and cook on high for 2½-3½ hours or low for 6-8 hours. Thirty minutes before the cooking time is complete, add in the pineapple chunks and recover, and finish cooking.
- Serve over rice and garnish with fresh green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Notes
- Make sure you cut the pork into 1-inch evenly sized pieces. This will get them to have that tender, juicy texture you're looking for.
- Choose a slow cooker that has at least a 6-quart capacity to accommodate all the ingredients comfortably. This will prevent overcrowding and will allow the flavors to develop better.
- Use dark brown sugar instead of light brown sugar for the sauce- it has a richer molasses flavor, which lends another layer of depth.
- Fine-tune the amount of brown sugar and apple cider vinegar you're using for the recipe to adjust the sweetness and tanginess to your taste preference.
- Avoid overcooking the vegetables. This will add a nice burst of freshness and lend a crunch factor to the dish. I would recommend adding them into the last hour of cooking if that's what you like.
- Always add the pineapple chunks last to ensure they don't get mushy while slow cooking.
Nutrition
*Nutrition information is an estimate. It may vary based on ingredients, brands, and changes in cooking methods listed in the recipe. If you need exact ingredient numbers, I recommend calculating them with your preferred nutrition calculator.
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