Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Pressure cooking a roast produces a tender juicy roast in a shorter amount of time. Instant Pot pork loin roast is succulent, juicy, and easy to make. You’ll love it for dinner parties or for family dinners.
How long it takes: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: Instant Pot pressure cooker
Servings: 10
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 Recipe
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.
The pan juices are tangy and delicious with balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar combined with the succulent pork drippings. I like to serve the slices au jus but you could also thicken the drippings to make a gravy.
How To Make 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. Caramelized onions are a wonderful embellishment for pork roast.
Try serving pork roast with roasted sweet potatoes, or roasted green beans, or broccoli. It is delicious with any kind of squash.
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.
Because pork loins do not have a lot of fat marbling, they tend to become tough and dry when overcooked. Ideally, the internal temperature should be around 145ºF. Remember that the pork will continue to cook as it rests.
It helps to have the pork at room temperature before cooking it. If it’s icy cold, the outside will get overcooked and dry before the inside gets done.
Searing the roast before cooking helps to retain the juice and also adds a lot of flavor.
Make It 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 are 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.
- Rather use your crockpot? We love this slow cooker pork loin with balsamic glaze.
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 to 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.
More Pork Recipes
Instant Pot Pork Loin Recipe
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.1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 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.2 to 3 pounds boneless pork loin roast, 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Add broth to Instant Pot and scrape all bits from the bottom of the pot. Add vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar.1 cup unsalted chicken broth, 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon light or dark 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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
Made this today when I was running out of time before my son arrived for New Years dinner. I had originally planned to bake the roast but with half an hour till they arrived I took a chance on a 4.5 lb pork loin roast in the IP. Yes, this will fit in the instant pot with a small amount of cramming. It was PERFECT at 32 minutes with 15 slow release and 10 minutes of rest. Incredibly juicy, and I put the drippings on sautee and stirred in a water-flour mix for gravy. I also made a quick applesauce by peeling and cubing 3 apples, adding a dash of water and spice, and boiling it down while the gravy was being made. Highly recommended!
I’m so glad it was a hit! Pork and applesauce goes so well together! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment, it means a lot to me!
Hi. I got an Instant Pot for Christmas and have never used one. I have a 1.97 lb. pork loin roast. How much cook time would you recommend? Thank you.
Maybe just reduce the time a little to 25 minutes.
Loved the flavors, however, the cooking time was way too much. When I checked the temp after 27 mins plus 15 NR, the roast temp was already up to 150. Needless to say, the roast was dry. But will definitely try this one again and adjust the cook time down to maybe 23 mins.
Sorry to hear that! There are so many variables (size of loin, starting temperature, etc) so it’s hard to get it exact every time.
Made this Pork Loin, a big one 3.85 lbs, added one minute. Moist, company all liked it, and easy. Additions at end, a little cornstarch to thicken, and a blob of Molasses for a rich dark savory flavor. Thank you. Side dish, chunky applesauce
I’m so glad you like the recipe! I bet it was delicious with applesauce. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
What can I use as a replacement for the balsamic vinegar?
You could use a different kind of vinegar but the sweetness of balsamic really makes this great!
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
So happy to hear you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Followed the recipe exactly and got the dreaded burn message!!
Did you scrape up ALL the brown bits, and use the trivet? Both are very important steps in avoiding the burn message.
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!
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!
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!
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
did that cook time work? I have about the same size loin for tonight and i was curious if the 35 mins worked?
Did 35 minutes work? I have the same size piece and was curious also.
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!
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!
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!
How did it turn out? I hope you liked it!