If you’re wondering what to have for dinner, these Instant Pot pork recipes can be a big help.
Pork is an affordable meat option and yields excellent flavor. It’s also versatile— an internet search will show you many ways to cook it, and they all look amazing.
We’ve looked through all of them and have gathered the best Instant Pot pork recipes for you to enjoy. There are plenty of different ideas but they all share the same result: tender, flavorful meat.
To make navigation through the article easier, have a look at this table of content and click on the section you fancy:
Health Benefits of Pressure Cooking
Pressure cooking simplifies making stews, soups, and pot roasts. These dishes allow us to consume the nutrients that the food releases into the liquid during cooking.
The pressure cooker also makes stews, soups, and pot roasts much more quickly. Shorter cooking time can allow for minimal nutrient loss.
As a plus, the method doesn’t introduce cancer-promoting substances to the food as deep-frying or grilling would.
Disadvantages of Pressure Cooking
The pressure cooker creates ‘pressure’ by building up a lot of steam and then trapping it inside. However, if you want to open the pot at this point, you need to release the steam, which can take quite some time.
This inconvenience gives pressure cooking several drawbacks:
1. It Doesn’t Allow for Adjustments
Unlike conventional cooking, it isn’t feasible to open the pressure cooker halfway through a cooking session to taste, touch, or see your food. Checking for doneness or whether you need to add more seasoning or stock is almost impossible.
That’s why it’s so important to use the right recipes when cooking with a pressure cooker. Good recipes have already been tested, so there’s no need to check on your cooking if you’ve followed them closely.
2. Some Vegetables Can be Easily Overcooked
Vegetables with a shorter cooking time are often added later, but adding ingredients to a pressure cooker while it’s running can be troublesome. Therefore, some recipes ask you to cook all the ingredients at once, which can cause some vegetables to be overcooked.
To avoid this situation and add the vegetables later, there is currently no other option than releasing the pressure halfway through cooking. Until a better model is designed, there will be no other solution to the problem.
You can, however, force the machine to release the steam more quickly. Simply place a kitchen cloth onto the valve, use a spoon to turn it to ‘release’ mode, and it should take just 5 minutes for the steam to release.
If the pot is filled to the halfway mark with liquid, you will need to turn the valve gradually to avoid some of the liquid leaking out. Luckily, most recipes don’t call for this much liquid, so the trick is applicable most of the time.
How to Cook Pork in the Instant Pot
Most recipes use the Instant Pot because it’s a popular brand. Other pressure cookers work similarly, so you can use them for cooking as well.
To cook pork, you first need to sear it so it caramelizes on the outside, then pressure-cook it with broth, vegetables, and seasonings. If the recipe calls for aromatics, they’re often sautéd after the meat is seared.
The other steps can be different depending on the recipe, but in general, this is how you cook pork inside a pressure cooker/ Instant Pot.
How Long to Cook
1. For Fresh Pork
Fresh pork usually takes 5 minutes to sear and 15 minutes to cook. We’re talking pork chops, tenderloins, loins, shoulders, butt, all sorts of cuts in general.
2. For Frozen Pork
Frozen meat takes about 10 minutes longer to sear, and an additional 10 minutes to pressure-cook. In total, cooking frozen pork demands an extra 10-15 minutes.
If you’re tight on time, we recommend that you thaw your pork beforehand. You can simply move the frozen meat from the freezer to the fridge the night before.
How to Tell If the Pork Is Done
Pork is often ready to eat once cooked for at least 15 minutes inside a pressure cooker. All of the recipes we found cook the meat for 20-60 minutes, so it’s always well-done (but not dry) in the end.
If you’re still not sure, you can stick a meat thermometer inside the meat after it’s done cooking. Pork is safe to consume once it reaches 145°F on the inside.
Instant Pot Pork Tenderloins Recipes
Let’s start with a few easy recipes starring the most elite pork cut— the tenderloin. It’s juicy, tender, and it goes with a variety of delicious sauces:
- Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin Recipe: This recipe slatters the meat with plenty of spices and seasonings. We cooked it with some vegetables, and they all turned out flavorful.
- Instant Pot Honey Garlic Pork Tenderloin: Honey and garlic shine through in this recipe, and they perfectly complement the tenderloin. That shiny glaze outside the pork also makes it presentable for big events.
- Instant Pot Garlic Pork Tenderloin: Garlic, maple syrup, and rosemary are simple, but enough to turn the meat into a mouthwatering dinner.
- Instant Pot Sweet and Smoky Pork Tenderloin: A brine takes a tenderloin’s juiciness to a whole new level. The marinated meat is rubbed with all sorts of spices and drizzled with a sweet, smoky sauce.
- Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin With Soy Ginger Sauce: Soy sauce and ginger make a fragrant glaze that complements any pork cuts. It’s simple and delicious, perfect for everyday cooking.
- Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin With Spicy Balsamic Glaze: The tangy balsamic glaze really brings out the tenderloin’s flavors. We also love that it has a kick of heat from the paprika and chili powder.
- Instant Pot Cranberry Orange Pork Tenderloin: This recipe proves that meat, fruits, and vegetables together are not weird at all. Their differences come together to make a flavorful meal, and we think it’s beautiful.
- Instant Pot Mustard Pork Tenderloin: Mustard deserves its own sauce, and this recipe nicely does it. The sauce is creamy, pungent, and a little bit sweet, really complementing the meat.
- Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin With Gravy Mushrooms: Juicy and coated in a decadent sauce, this tenderloin is a must-try. The brown gravy is simple but enough to make for a decent meal.
- Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin Teriyaki: This Japanese take on the tenderloin is a balance of savoriness, sweetness, and fragrance. No wonder why the teriyaki sauce is so popular worldwide.
Instant Pot Pork Chops Recipes
Pork chops are a popular cut that yields great flavor. Like tenderloin, they are first seared to perfection and then cooked in a sauce of choice.
- Instant Pot Pork Chops With Cream Sauce and Pasta: Our recipe serves caramelized pork chops with sautéed mushrooms and heaps of creamy sauce. We love how they go great over pasta and make a fulfilling meal together.
- Instant Pot Pork Chops With Honey Soy Glaze: This recipe smothers the chops with a sweet glaze of honey, garlic, and soy sauce. It’s a simple combination that works.
- Instant Pot Pork Chops in Gravy: Gravy and dry meat is a safe combo, but as we know, that meat is nothing but dry. The gravy is there only to amplify the meat flavor, making for an even tastier meal.
- Instant Pot Pork Chops in Sour Cream: Speaking of safe combinations, this recipe features another one: meat, sour cream, and mashed potatoes. Mashed cauliflower is also suitable for this meal, making for a flavorful keto meal.
- Instant Pot Pork Chops With Spinach and Parm: This pot is a balance of both nutrients and flavors. There’s tender meat, soft spinach, and chewy mushroom all covered in a garlic butter sauce.
- Instant Pot BBQ Pork Chops: Feeling like grilling but too lazy to bring out the big grill? This recipe shows you how to make sticky, smoky pork chops inside the Instant Pot.
- Instant Pot Pork Chops Apple Balsamic: Cook up this tangy and fruity meat to spice up your healthy diet. The correct ratio of sweetness, tanginess, and savoriness never fails to impress.
- Instant Pot Pork Chops and Veggie Rice: Remember how we said that the Instant Pot can multitask? It can also cook you a hearty, flavorful meal of meat, rice, and veggies— perfect for lazy days.
- Instant Pot Pork Chops With Black Bean Sauce: This recipe cooks pork chops with a Chinese twist. The sweet and savory black bean sauce has a hint of smokiness that complements pork really well.
- Instant Pot Pork Chops in Mustard: Hey, mustard and honey lovers! This recipe is for you. The addicting sauce is so easy, you can eyeball everything and still end up satisfied.
Instant Pot Pork Shoulders Recipes
Pork shoulder is an inexpensive cut that, if treated right, turns into an amazing dish. It’s often cut into chunks, seared to golden, and cooked with a broth.
The cut is typically dry, so it’s ideal to make pulled pork or shredded pork.
- Instant Pot Pulled Pork: This recipe turns pork shoulder into a juicy, flavorful filling for sliders. They’re great for gatherings or parties.
- Instant Pot Carnitas Recipe: Similarly, this shredded pork yields amazing flavor and fits into any Mexican roll. We’re talking tacos, taquitos, or enchiladas.
- Instant Pot Kalua Pork: This Kalua pork is really special: it’s seasoned with pink salt and just 4 other ingredients. It’s amazing how a few ingredients can turn out a flavorful dish.
- Instant Pot Tamales: These soft pork-filled cakes can be done in the Instant Pot. They are the comfort food you need.
- Instant Pot Braised Pork Shoulder: This braised pork takes some time, but it’s worth it. We love the glossy coating outside of the bite-sized chunks of pork that tells us it’s full of flavor.
- Instant Pot Spicy Pineapple Pork: This spot-on entrée is unbelievably effortless. Pineapple makes the pork more succulent and tender, giving it a natural sweetness that pairs well with the spices.
- Instant Pot Asian Braised Pork and Tofu: In Asian cuisine, braised pork and tofu over rice is a tasty but easy dinner. Soy sauce is already aromatic and flavorful, but it’ll taste even better when cooked with pork.
- Instant Pot Crack Pork With Cheese: If you love meat drowning in cheese and bacon, this crack pork is a must-try. Its fat content is off the scale, but it’s never a bad thing to treat yourself a little on cheat days.
- Instant Pot Vietnamese Caramel Pork and Eggs: Quality fish sauce and caramel smells amazing when smashed together, and this is what coats the pork and eggs. In fact, it’s one of the Vietnamese staples that has been bringing more attention to the underrated cuisine.
Instant Pot Pork Soups and Stews Recipes
Sometimes, you’ll find bits and pieces of pork in the freezer that are too small for many recipes. Fear not, there is a place for them: a delicious soup or stew.
These recipes call for one type of pork, but you can use whatever meat is stocked in your freezer. With the right vegetables and spices, you’ll always end up with amazing eats.
- Instant Pot Mexican Posole: According to the recipe, this hearty soup is more than food— it’s an excuse to throw a feast. Delicious bones are cooked down and the broth is used to build this pork, chiles, and hominy stew.
- Instant Pot Chile Verde Pork Stew: This Mexican stew combines tomatillos and jalapeño with meat. It’s a harmonious blend of savoriness, tanginess, and spiciness.
- Instant Pot Southwestern Pork Stew: With corn, meat, and beans drowned in tomato soup and tons of flavor, this stew will satisfy your cravings. It’s hearty and easy to make.
- Instant Pot Pork Stew With Vegetables: This stew has chunks of meat and all sorts of vegetables swimming in a savory broth, and it is waiting for you to dig in. You can have some toasted bread on the side for the most comforting meal ever.
- Instant Pot Pork and Green Chili Stew: Just like your usual chili but done much quicker, this stew can warm you right up on cold days. It’s great as-is but even better over rice.
- Instant Pot Pork and Cabbage Soup: A hearty, easy stew of cheap ingredients. Minced pork, chopped napa, and sliced carrots translate to a wholesome meal with rice.
- Instant Pot Chinese Pork Shoulder Soup: This soup might not look the best among them all, but all that matters is the ingredients list. If you’re into Chinese cuisine, it won’t disappoint.
- Instant Pot Hatch Green Chile Stew: This stew is all about mellowing the harsh flavor of chile with the mild flavors of corn, pork, and potatoes. It also suggests a drizzle of honey to cut the heat—yummy!
- Instant Pot Pork Ramen: This recipe takes plenty of time and effort, but that’s how you know the result is rewarding. It’s a wholesome, decadent bowl of noodles, pork, soft-boiled eggs, and a clear but flavorful broth.
- Instant Pot Short Rib Soup: Sweet pumpkins, savory pork, spicy adobo, tomatoes, hominy, and Mexican spices all come together wonderfully in this recipe. It’s a Fall stew but fits well into other seasons too.
Luna Regina
Writer, Author