Instant Pot Pork Loin Roast
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Instant Pot pork loin roast is succulent, juicy, and easy to make. You’ll love it for dinner parties or for family dinners.
What’s not to like about an Instant Pot pork loin roast? It’s ready to eat in about half the time it would take to roast in the oven. It turns out juicy and flavorful. And you only get one pan dirty.
Pork loin roasts are frequently on sale so they are an economical meat to buy. A two and a half to three pound roast serves a crowd (about 8) and a pork loin roast is easy to serve. The roast can rest while you’re tending the final details of dinner, it slices neatly and easily, and has a nice presentation.
If you’ve had bad luck cooking pork loin roasts, give this recipe a try. My mom always complains that her pork loin roasts are too dry, tough, and flavorless, whether baked in the oven or cooked all day in the slow cooker. What sounded like a promising recipe alway ended up a disappointment in reality.
BUT I’m happy to say she loves this pork loin roast. I think she’s a convert to the Instant Pot. I’m happy about that, because my sister and I bought it for her.
About this Instant Pot Pork Loin Roast:
The beauty of cooking pork loin roasts in your Instant Pot is that:
- You only get one pan dirty
- You don’t have to turn your oven on.
How does a pork roast cooked in an Instant Pot taste?
Delicious! Juicy, tender, and flavorful–just how you want it to be.
How to do it? Begin by taking your pork loin roast out of the fridge for twenty minutes to a half hour. Let it set on the counter to warm up a bit. Season it well and then sear it right in your Instant Pot, letting it get nice and brown. Take the pork roast out and place it on a plate.
Pour broth into the pot and scrape all the brown bits off the bottom. This is important because otherwise the Instant Pot will think something’s burning in there and shut off in the middle of the cooking time. You don’t want that to happen!
Add a bit of balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar to the pot and then put your roast in. You’ll roast it on high pressure for 27 minutes, with 15 minutes natural release.
When the pork loin roast is finished cooking, take it out of the pot and let it rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing. Don’t skip this step! Why not? It’s essential to have this rest time because the internal temperature of the roast will continue to rise as it rests. The optimal internal temperature is 145°F.
The pan juices can be simmered briefly to reduce, making a sauce to serve drizzled over the pork. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley or rosemary. You won’t need to serve your roast with additional gravy because the pork is flavorful and juicy. I love sautéed mushrooms with wine and garlic as a side. Try serving pork roast with roasted sweet potatoes and shallots, or roasted green beans, or broccoli. It would be delicious with any kind of squash.
What is the difference between pork loin and pork tenderloin?
While their names are similar, these two cuts of pork are very different and are not interchangeable in terms of cooking methods.
Pork loins are larger, usually 4-5 pounds. A fat cap runs along one entire side of the loin. The meat is lighter in color and is less expensive. You can roast pork loins whole or cut them into slices to grill or fry.
Pork tenderloins are one to one and half pounds. They are longer and thinner, and darker red in color. Tenderloins are the most tender cut of pork, and are leaner than pork loins. Tenderloins are more expensive per pound and do not take as long to cook. They can be roasted whole or cut into slices and seared.
How to make this pork loin roast your own:
- Vary the sauce ingredients. Want to make a honey garlic sauce? Substitute honey for the brown sugar and add minced garlic or increase the amount of garlic powder. Experiment with your favorite seasonings. Soy sauce, rice vinegar, and ginger would be good.
- Use your favorite rub on the pork before searing it. Try this easy spice rub for pork. Or make a BBQ flavored rub and serve the pork with BBQ sauce on the side.
Storage and Reheating Tips
If you’re not serving a crowd, put the cooked slices in a freezer bag or container, and save them for a busy day when you don’t have much time to cook. A perfect meal prep idea! Instant Pot Turkey Breast is another one of my favorite meal prep recipes.
The pork should last 3-4 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer. For best results, thaw frozen pork overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat gently in the microwave, or lightly fry until warm.
Other pork recipes:
Pork is delicious and affordable. I have more pork recipes that you’ll enjoy:
- Spice-rubbed pork tenderloin
- Instant Pot pulled pork
- Breaded baked pork chops
- Pork tenderloin with apples and onions
- Make your own pork breakfast sausage patties (Whole 30 compliant)
- Slow cooker pork loin with balsamic glaze
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 pounds boneless pork loin roast (see note)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup unsalted chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon light or dark brown sugar
- fresh parsley or rosemary for serving
Instructions
- Take pork loin out of refrigerator and let set at room temp for 20 to 30 minutes. Pat pork loin dry with a paper towel and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Don't trim the fat.
- Set Instant Pot to Saute. When hot, add oil and add pork. Brown pork on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Press cancel on the Instant Pot and remove pork to a plate.
- Add broth to Instant Pot and scrape all bits from the bottom of the pot. Add vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar.
- Place trivet in the Instant Pot and set pork, fat side up, on top of trivet.
- Secure lid, turn valve to seal.
- Set pressure cooker to “pressure cook” or “manual” (depending on model), high pressure, for 27 minutes. Let pressure release naturally (in other words, leave it alone) for 15 minutes before releasing remaining pressure, if any, by turning valve to “vent.”
- Transfer pork to a cutting board or plate and let rest for 15 minutes. This step is essential. The internal temperature of the roast will continue to rise as it rests. Check temperature of pork using an instant read thermometer in the center of the roast. It should read 145ºF.
- Meanwhile, switch Instant Pot back to “Saute” and simmer pan juices to form a sauce.
- Slice pork and serve with pan juices.
Notes
- Often, pork loin roasts are larger than 2 to 3 pounds; they can run 7 to 10 pounds. Most Instant Pots won't accommodate such a large roast. If you buy a large roast, cut it in half for this recipe and freeze the other half to prepare for a later meal.
- Nutrition information is calculated with a 3 pound roast.
- Leftover pork can be refrigerated for 3 to 4 days. Frozen pork will keep for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
JennF says
I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out fantastic! I let the sauce boil for a good 10 minutes and it turned into this thick, luscious glaze! Tender, super flavorful and so easy
Rachel Gurk says
So happy to hear you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Michelle says
Followed the recipe exactly and got the dreaded burn message!!
Rachel Gurk says
Did you scrape up ALL the brown bits, and use the trivet? Both are very important steps in avoiding the burn message.
Jen says
Hello! This recipe looks wonderful! I was wondering about cooking time on a 4.78 pound roast. How much would the cooking time change with a bigger roast? Thanks for your time!
Rachel Gurk says
I haven’t tried that (are you sure it will fit in your Instant Pot?) so I can’t make any promises about results. I would increase cooking time to 35 minutes, with the same amount of natural release (15 minutes). Again, I can’t guarantee results, but let me know if you try it!
Jen says
Thank you for the recipe! The flavors were great. I did cook a 2.5 lb roast for 25 instead of 27 but next time will try 23 minutes and hoping that will be the perfect amount!
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Amber R Ginsburg says
did that cook time work? I have about the same size loin for tonight and i was curious if the 35 mins worked?
Amy says
Did 35 minutes work? I have the same size piece and was curious also.
Michele Ward says
I made this as written, with two minor changes: reduced cooking time by 1 minute (pork was only 2 lbs) and used balsamic vinagrette dressing instead of balsamic vinegar. It was so much more tender and moist than cooking it in the crock pot! This is my new way of cooking pork loin!
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you liked it! Meat in the instant pot is always so much better than mushy crockpot meat. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
April says
Oh my I started recipe then realized I didn’t have trivwt with me! Beings I’m at work 45 minutes away, I’m swinging it! I added baby carrots and big pieces of celery. Making rice on side. After rereading recipe I stopped it after maybe 9 minutes and flipped meat, Hoping it’ll be ok! Yikes! Big mess up on my behalf! Smells great though!
Rachel Gurk says
How did it turn out? I hope you liked it!
Mimi says
Pork is always a mission for me. This recipe came out yummy and the family liked it as well. Only thing I would change is next time season it a bit before and let it cook 3 minutes longer. Made it with baby potatoes.
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Diane says
I fixed this for dinner tonight and we really enjoyed it. Hubby went back for more! The pork Loin was moist and tender. Will do it again!
Rachel Gurk says
So glad to hear you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Angela says
I am a bit confused – the text of the recipe doesn’t seem to say what to do with the broth. I assume the broth must go in with the balsamic vinegar etc.
Rachel Gurk says
It does go in at that point, so sorry about that! I’ve updated the recipe, thank you for pointing it out to me!
Roni Riberdy says
Was excellent and extremely easy to make. 5 stars!!
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Barb says
Delicious. Tender.
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you liked it! Thanks for leaving a comment!
Laura Riggs says
My pork loin tasted really good but was so tough we couldn’t cut through it. Sad face.
Rachel Gurk says
Sorry to hear that. Was your Instant Pot ring completely secured and your valve turned to seal?
Christine Raymond says
I used a 3 lb pork loin and cooked it for 27 minutes and it was 160+ degrees inside right when I took it out. I will definitely reduce the time to cook next time!
Rachel Gurk says
Sorry to hear that. Was your Instant Pot ring completely secured and your valve turned to seal?
Cynthia says
Hi I plan on making this tonight, I have a 4 pound pork loin roast I will have to cut in half or in thirds can you tell me how long I should cook it in the Instant Pot?
Rachel Gurk says
I’d start with 22 minutes and then check the internal temperature. If it isn’t done but is close, just put the cover on and let it continue cooking on warm.
Ann says
I’m just a little confused. I don’t care for over-done pork. In your instructions, you have that the internal temperature in the pot will be 145F. Then you said let it rest for 5 minutes and the temperature will continue to rise – to 145F. Could you clarify this, please?
Rachel Gurk says
Ahh thank you for pointing that out, that’s an error. We tested this recipe quite a few times and the first 145F was a remnant from one of the earlier tests. It will come up to 145F after resting. Sorry about that, and thanks again for letting me know!
denise says
sounds delicious–I’ll have to try it.
Rachel Gurk says
I hope you love it!