Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Pork
This Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Pork gives you all the delicious flavor of classic take-out without a ton of work. Cubed pork chops are seared, then slow-cooked with veggies and pineapple in a sweet and sour sauce and served over white rice.
We love take-out. We order it all the time, and we even have a local spot that we’re big fans of. Of course, as cooks, we also like to make things for ourselves. That’s why we love this slow cooker version of one of our favorite take-out dishes – sweet and sour pork. It’s so good and so easy!
Table of contents
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s made with basic ingredients you’ll probably have in your kitchen already.
- It’s an easy slow cooker recipe that requires very little effort.
- It’s full of traditional sweet and sour flavors.
- It’s freezer-friendly, so it’s great for meal prep.
🛒Ingredients
You’ll only need a few simple ingredients to make this recipe. We’ve listed them all here, but you’ll find their exact amounts in the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Boneless pork chops – cubed
- Cornstarch
- Oil
- Green bell pepper – chopped
- red bell pepper – chopped
- Sweet onion – chopped
- Sugar
- Brown sugar
- Pineapple chunks with juice
- Apple cider vinegar
- Low-sodium soy sauce
- ketchup
- Garlic – minced
- Ground ginger
- Pepper
- Sesame seeds and scallions for garnish
🔪 How to Make Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Pork
Making this recipe is very straightforward. Just sear the pork and let the slow cooker do the rest!
Step 1: Prep
Preheat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and coat the pork cubes in cornstarch.
Step 2: Sear
Sear the pork quickly on all sides to get a nice brown color. You’re not cooking it through.
Step 3: Add the Ingredients
Add the pork cubes, veggies, and pineapple to the slow cooker, reserving the juice from the pineapple.
Step 4: Make the Sauce
Mix the sugar, brown sugar, pineapple juice, vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, garlic, ginger, and pepper in a small mixing bowl.
Step 5: Cook
Pour the sauce over the ingredients and cook on low for 4 hours, stirring twice to make sure the sugars don’t burn.
Step 6: Serve
Serve over white rice and garnish with scallions and sesame seeds.
📝Variations
- Spicy: Add red pepper flakes or red chiles for a kick of heat and flavor.
- Veggies: Add any of your favorite vegetables to this recipe for more flavor and texture.
- Pork Cubes: You can make this with cubed beef, chicken, or even shrimp.
If you think this recipe looks good, then check out our slow cooker sweet and sour kielbasa.
🥄 Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Large skillet
- Mixing bowl
- Slow cooker
- Knife
- Cutting board
🥫 Storage
Refrigerate this dish for up to 3 days in an air-tight container. For longer storage, freeze it for up to 3 months in an air-tight, freezer-safe container.
To reheat it, defrost the dish overnight if frozen. Then, add it to a large saucepan or skillet and cook over medium-low heat until heated through.
What to Serve with Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Pork
Serve this dish with your other favorite Asian dishes like egg rolls, wontons, and main courses to create an Asian-inspired feast.
💭 Tips
- Keep the heat high when searing the pork to get color on it quickly without cooking it through.
- Be sure to mix the sauce ingredients before adding them to the slow cooker to ensure you get an even consistency.
- Be sure to stir the dish at least a couple of times to keep the sugars in the sauce from burning.
- It’s better to cook this dish on low for the best flavor and to prevent scorching.
⁉️ FAQ
Do you have questions about this recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions.
Sweet and sour pork is a classic take-out dish made with seared cubed pork, vegetables, and pineapples in a sweet and sour sauce.
Cubed boneless loin chops are best for this dish. Other cuts are too fatty and will make the dish greasy as it cooks.
You don’t technically have to sear the pork chops for this recipe, but it’s so much better. Searing gives the pork chops more color and a deeper flavor.
🍽 More Recipes
Do you enjoy pork? Then try these delicious recipes.
🧾Recipe Card
Want to make this recipe? Print the recipe card below, or pin this recipe, so you can find it later.
Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Pork
Equipment
- large skillet
- slow cooker
- small bowl
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless pork chops cubed
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- ⅓ cup oil
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 1 sweet onion chopped
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 20 ounces pineapple chunks with the juice
- ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
- 3 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 3 Tablespoons ketchup
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- Sesame seeds and scallions for garnish
Instructions
- Coat your pork pieces in cornstarch.
- Heat up the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
- Brown the pork quickly in the pan. We are not looking to cook the pork through, just get a little color on each side.
- Place the browned pork in the slow cooker.
- Add the chopped bell peppers, onion and pineapple (reserve the juice).
- In a small mixing bowl combine the sugar, brown sugar, pineapple juice, vinegar, soy, ketchup, garlic, ginger and pepper .
- Pour the sauce over the pork in the slow cooker and stir.
- Cook on low for 4 hours, stirring once or twice to make sure the sugars are not burning.
- Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds and serve over white rice.
