Instant Pot Pork Chops
These Instant Pot Pork Chops are tender, juicy and smothered with an amazing honey garlic sauce. This easy dinner idea is a family favorite, ready in 30 minutes, and perfect for a weeknight! Cook from fresh or frozen, using bone-in or boneless pork chops.
My family loves pork chops for dinner, and these Instant Pot pork chops are among our most-loved pork chop recipes, along with these simple Baked Pork Chops, Air Fryer Pork Chops, and easy Grilled Pork Chops.
I’ve been making these Instant Pot pork chops for years, and they always turn out so well. My kids love them, especially the honey garlic sauce!
Why You’ll Love Instant Pot Pork Chops
- This 30 minute meal is made completely in the Instant Pot, even browning the meat and thickening the sauce!
- The pork chops can be cooked from fresh or frozen. You’ll find full directions for both below.
- Pork chops cook right in the honey garlic sauce until they are tender and flavorful.
- The luscious sauce is a mouthwatering combination of sweet and savory flavors. It’s a delish complement to thick, tender pork chops and so good drizzled over mashed potatoes or rice on the side.
I’ve made this meal 4 times, exactly as written, for my family and they keep asking for it again and again.
Amy
This is now the only way we eat pork – it is delicious! we love putting the extra sauce over our rice and veggies.
How to Cook Pork Chops in the Instant Pot
If you’re just getting started with Instant Pot cooking, read my beginner’s guide on How to Use an Instant Pot.
Make the sauce. Combine the honey, soy sauce, tomato paste and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl. If desired, add sweet chili sauce or red pepper flakes for heat.
Season the pork chops with pepper.
Sear the pork chops on both sides using the Instant Pot Sauté function. Transfer the browned pork chops to a clean plate.
Add the garlic.
Deglaze the pan. Pour the sauce into the pot and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
Pressure Cook. Return the pork chops to the Instant Pot. Pressure cook for 1 minute on high pressure.
Natural Release. When the cook time ends, allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes by leaving the Instant Pot alone. Then quick release any remaining pressure.
Thicken the Sauce. Take the pork chops out of the Instant Pot and place them on a clean plate to rest. Stir together 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water; stir this into the sauce in the Instant Pot. Turn on sauté and stir until the sauce thickens.
Find the full recipe with ingredient amounts in the recipe card below.
How Long to Cook Pork Chops in an Instant Pot
I tested and retested this recipe to find the best cook time to make pork chops that are tender and perfectly cooked. Most Instant Pot pork chop recipes call for pressure cooking boneless pork chops for 8, 10 or even 15 minutes plus a natural release. When I tested a cook time of 8 minutes my pork was way overcooked, dry and tough. Not at all what you want in a pork chop!
After many tries, I found that just one minute of pressure cooking time plus a 5 minute natural pressure release was perfect for thick-cut boneless pork chops. The pork chops were cooked through and tender, not tough or dry. Be sure to follow the tips below for the best Instant Pot pork chops.
Cooking Bone-In Pork Chops
You can use bone-in pork chops in this recipe. Add 2 minutes to the cook time. Check that the pork chops have reached an internal temperature of at least 145° F. If not, you can finish cooking them using sauté mode.
Recipe Tips
- Use thick-cut pork chops, between 1-inch and 1 1/2-inches thick. Thin pork chops will overcook and dry out in the Instant Pot.
- The soy sauce in this recipe adds enough salt to the dish. I recommend using low sodium soy sauce. You can taste and adjust the seasonings to your tastes after cooking.
- Make sure that the Instant Pot is hot before adding the pork to sear. When you press the sauté button it takes a few minutes for the pot to heat up. Sear the pork for only 1-2 minutes per side, or you will cook the meat too much during this step and it will end up overcooked. Even just a little bit of searing will begin to caramelize the outside of the pork chops and adds flavor to the finished dish.
- Allow the Instant Pot to naturally release for 5 minutes after the cook time ends, and then quick release any remaining pressure. The natural release time allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat and makes the pork tender.
- The sweet chili sauce is optional in this recipe, but I like to add it for depth of flavor and a little spice. Alternatively, you can add a few pinches of red pepper flakes for spice.
Instant Pot Frozen Pork Chops
To cook frozen pork chops in the Instant Pot, skip the step of browning the meat. Sauté the garlic in olive oil and then add the remaining sauce ingredients and frozen pork chops to the pot. Add 2 minutes to the pressure cook time, and increase the natural release time to 10 minutes. Then check that the pork chops have reached an internal temperature of 145° F.
More Instant Pot Pork Recipes
- Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin
- Instant Pot Carnitas
- Instant Pot Ribs
- Instant Pot Pulled Pork
- Instant Pot Pork Loin
You might also enjoy these Instant Pot recipes.
BEST Instant Pot Pork Chops
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup honey
- ⅓ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste, or ketchup
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sweet chili sauce, or ⅛-¼ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes, to taste, optional
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 boneless pork chops, 1 to 1 ½-inch thick, see note for bone-in or frozen
- black pepper
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Combine honey, soy sauce, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar and sweet chili sauce in a small bowl and set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in the Instant Pot using saute mode until the pot is hot.
- Season the pork chops with pepper and add them to the hot pot. Brown the pork chops 1-2 minutes per side and no more. (Work in batches if needed.) Transfer pork to a clean plate.
- Add the minced garlic to the pot, press "Cancel" to turn off saute mode, and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
- Pour the honey soy sauce mixture from the bowl into the pot and stir, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Add the pork chops and any juices released back to the Instant Pot. Close the Instant Pot lid and turn the steam release valve to the sealing position.
- Set the pressure cook time to 1 minute on high pressure/manual. The Instant Pot will take about 10 minutes to reach pressure and then the cook time will start. When the cook time ends allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes by leaving the Instant Pot alone. Then quick release any remaining pressure by turning the steam release valve to the venting position.
- When the pin has dropped down, open the Instant Pot lid. Use an instant read thermometer to check that the internal temperature of the pork has reached at least 145 degrees F. Remove the pork chops to a clean plate. Press "Cancel" to turn the warm setting off.
- Combine the 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl. Turn saute mode on and stir the cornstarch mixture into the Instant Pot. Cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens. This should only take 1-2 minutes. Press "Cancel" to turn off the Instant Pot and remove the inner pot from the Instant Pot base to immediately stop the cooking process.
- Serve pork chops with honey garlic sauce.
Notes
- If your pork chops are very thick (1 1/2 to 2-inches thick), you may want to increase the cook time to 2 or 3 minutes plus the 5 minute natural release.
- To Cook Bone-In Pork Chops: Add 2 minutes to the pressure cook time. Use an instant read thermometer to check that the pork chops have reached an internal temperature of 145 degrees F.
- To Cook from Frozen: Skip the step of browning the meat. Sauté the garlic in the olive oil and then add the remaining sauce ingredients and pork chops. Pressure cook for 3 minutes followed by a 10 minute natural pressure release. Check that the internal temperature of the pork chops has reached 145 degrees F.
- The sweet chili sauce is optional in this recipe, but I like to add it for depth of flavor and a little spice. It doesn’t make the sauce really spicy, it just adds a little kick to the sauce. Another option is to add crushed red pepper flakes, to taste, for a bit of heat.
Thank you for this delicious recipe! It was perfect! The pork chops are tender and that sauce is so tasty!
Tonight, I made this recipe for the fifth time. My family loves it!!
I cooked my pork chops from frozen and they were severely overcooked. The sauce was OK.
Very easy to follow steps, first time use this new instant pot to make this pork chop, meat is tender and juicy, thank you for sharing.
Turned out delicious!!
I will definitely make these again.
Thank you