These Instant Pot Pork Chops are so easy and flavorful! Made with a bacon and apple glaze, they are incredibly tender and can be made with boneless or bone in pork chops.
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I’m back on the Instant Pot train today with these incredible, flavorful Instant Pot Pork Chops!
Looking for more basic Instant Pot recipes? Try these:
- Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin
- Instant Pot Whole Chicken (fresh or frozen)
- How to Cook Frozen Chicken Breasts in the Instant Pot
- Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
You guys, bacon and apples are meant to be. A little smoky, a little sweet, a little savory. This combo is unreal.
I’ll be honest and say that I’m not a big fan of pork chops. Or maybe I should say that I wasn’t a fan of pork chops until I made pressure cooker pork chops.
They are ridiculously tender, and the flavor (have I said that too many times??).
Let me break it down for you:
The bacon is crisped up in the Instant Pot, and then removed (we don’t want it to burn!). But allllll that flavor stays behind, and we sear our pork chops in it.
Then, we pressure cook the pork chops (boneless or bone in!), in apple juice, until fall apart tender, and remove them oh-so carefully.
After that, we turn the Instant Pot on saute and reduce our juice and seasonings to make a smoky sweet glaze, and add our bacon back in. The next step? Drizzle it allllll over those pork chops and dig in.
How to cook Instant Pot Boneless Pork Chops:
Boneless pork chops are super convenient because you don’t have to work with the bone, and there’s little or no trimming required after cooking. Here are some things to keep in mind:
- boneless pork chops tend to shrink more than bone in pork chops, so you may want to throw in a few extra if you are feeding a few people. They may turn out to be quite a bit smaller after pressure cooking!
- go for the thicker pork chops so they don’t turn out dry and overcooked — we’re looking for 3/4-1″ thick, and not the fast fry.
- They will be nearly cooked by the time you’re done searing them, but you really want to pressure cook them for a couple minutes so they are tender and juicy.
How to cook Instant Pot Bone In Pork Chops:
Bone in pork chops have incredible flavor and a great texture. Here are some tips for cooking:
- Bone in pork chops won’t shrink as much as boneless pork chops
- As with boneless pork chops, you want to make sure you aren’t grabbing the pack of “fast fry” or super thin pork chops, otherwise you will end up with overcooked pork.
Side dishes to go with these Instant Pot Pork Chops:
- Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
- Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes
- Instant Pot Baked Potatoes
Instant Pot Pork Chops with Bacon Apple Glaze
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 3 slices thick cut bacon diced
- 1/2 onion diced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- pinch black pepper
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- salt and pepper
- 6 boneless thick cut pork chops
- 1 cup unsweetened apple juice
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot to saute and wait until it reads “hot”.
- Add the bacon and onion and cook, stirring often, until bacon is crispy and onion has softened and browned. Add the garlic, thyme, parsley, salt and pepper and stir. Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon, leaving the bacon grease behind.
- Drizzle oil over both sides of the pork chops and season with salt and pepper. Sear on both sides in a single layer, in the Instant Pot, for about 2-3 minutes or until browned and they move easily. (If they feel stuck, they are probably not quite done). You may have to sear the chops in two sets.
- Turn the Instant Pot off. Add the apple juice to the hot pan, and scrape the bottom of the pan to deglaze (You may have to remove the pork chops to do this if you have a lot stuck on, but you add them back in with the juice to pressure cook).
- Put the lid on, turn the valve to sealing, and select Manual or Pressure Cook for 2 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes to build pressure and start counting down.
- When the cook time is over, let pressure release naturally (i.e., turn off and do nothing!) for 10 minutes, then move the valve to venting, release remaining pressure and open the lid.
- Remove the pork chops to a plate and cover to keep warm. Turn Instant Pot to saute.
- Combine corn starch and water and add to juices in pot, along with the bacon and onion, cooking and stirring to thicken. Serve over pork chops.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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Suzanne Lizotte says
Hi there, since I don’t have an instant pot, can I bake this recipe in an enamel roasting pot with lid in the oven?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Suzanne! Yes it would likely work. I haven’t tried it myself but here is my baked pork chops recipe that you could use as a guide: https://www.thereciperebel.com/baked-pork-chops/ Enjoy!
Ron Crosbie says
Love the recipe, just need to add a bit more apple juice since the 6 pork chops are in 2 layers. I followed the recipe word for word, but the top tier of chops just didn’t seem as tender as the chops submerged. You can switch the submerged chops with the ones sitting on top and set the manual pressure for 4 more minutes… all of the chops come out fork tender!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Ron, and thanks for those tips!
MAUREA WILLIAMSON says
I know that you can teach an old cook new recipe! I’m an older retired teacher. I bought a hot pot about 3 years ago and it just sat until I found this site! I got hooked on your sour cream lemon cookie recipe and started to explore your other great recipes! I now use my pot at least 3 times a week and just love it! I just make the pork chop recipe with bacon and apple glaze! My husband can’t say enough for how much he liked it! He called it a winner and to make it again and again! Thank you Ashley
Ashley Fehr says
That makes me so happy Maurea! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipes here!
KIMBERLY Calkins says
Can you make this with pork chops that are frozen?
Ashley Fehr says
You could but you just won’t be able to sear them. You may want to add a couple minutes to the cook time.
Julie says
I loved this recipe! I usually stay away from pork chops because they get too dry for my liking, but these were super tender, moist, and full of flavor. And the glaze…this was amazing!!!! As far as cook time goes, sauteing the bacon and onions took longer than 2-3 minutes, but it didn’t need a full 10 minutes to come to pressure . So, i’m guessing maybe 45 minutes total to prep/cook from start to finish? A little long for the IP, but definitely not a deal-breaker. This one is definitely going in to my IP recipe rotation. Thank you!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Julie! I’m so glad to hear it turned out well for you!
Kim Thompson says
Extremely misleading cooking time to state this can be done in 20 minutes. The minimum cooking time breakdown: 5-7 min. sauté, 12 min. searing ( 2 rounds of chops 3 min. each side), 2 min. deglaze, 28 min. pressure cooking (including build-up and down), 5-7 min. gravy. Total minimum cooking time equals 56 minutes!!!
Two tips: 1)put a small amount of oil in with the bacon, and then add the onion after a couple of min.
2) put the herbs and garlic in the last step when making the glaze for better flavor instead of during the initial sauté step. This recipe had a great flavor but I was frustrated and disappointed that my three side dishes were done in 20-30 min. to coincide with chops that took and additional half hour.
Ashley Fehr says
I’m sorry you feel that way! The active cook time is 20 minutes, because active cooking time does not include preheating, pressure building, pressure release. Unfortunately that’s the way it is calculated and you’re right, it can seem misleading. The bacon cooking, the searing (one batch), deglazing, and the selected cook time for the pork chops is what’s included in the cook time.
CRYSTAL M JONES says
Can I substitute the apple juice for something else? My son is allergic to apples but loves bacon and pork.
Ashley Fehr says
Yes, definitely! Chicken or vegetable broth will work perfectly!
Kevin says
Your recipe is missing information. You never added the porkchops back to the cooker. Also, do you set aside the bacon and onions until you make the gravy? This sounds like a good recipe but I’d like some clarification before I made this. Thanks.
Ashley Fehr says
The recipe says when to remove the bacon and onion and when to add them back in, so I’m not sure about the confusion. I don’t take the pork chops out of the pressure cooker until the end, and then I do not add them back in. I added a note to clarify that you may have to remove them to deglaze the pot. Hopefully that helps clear up any confusion!
GARY says
This was actually very good, the kids loved it. I used a huge onion and an entire pack of ticked sliced bacon and even cooking this in smaller portions was taking too long in the instant pot. I pulled out the cast iron Dutch oven and cooked the bacon and onions in there, removed the contents including the grease and then seared the chops, three at a time, for two minutes on each side in a bit of grease.
I had a pack of nine super thick chops from Costco, so I had to place them on end into the instant pot, they all surprisingly fit without stacking.
Deglazed the cast Dutch oven with the apple juice and poured the contents through a strainer into the Ip. Cooked as directed for 8 minutes with a 12 minute rest.
Since I used a bit more juice for the deglazing, maybe one and a half cups, there was a ton of steam and I couldn’t see. So I used about 3Tbs of the corn starch to thicken the sauce up. Added the bacon and onions.
They were really, really good. Thanks for the great recipe.
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks Gary!
Brett says
Your recipe leaves out the step where the bacon, onion, and seasoning get added back in.
Ashley Fehr says
You’re right! Sorry about that. I’ve updated the recipe!
Jenn says
Love all the tips and details in this post! I’m finally ready to tackle my first IP pork chops! Thank you!
Jenn says
Love all the tips and details in this post! I’m finally ready to tackle my first IP pork chops! Thanks!
Ashley Fehr says
I’d love to hear how you enjoy them!
Wilhelmina Wessel says
Such an easy and flavorful way to get a good meal on the table!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks!
Danielle says
I am drooling over this. I have a hard time with pork chops too, but I haven’t tried them in the instant pot yet. And bacon and apples – YUM! Gotta give this a try!
Ashley Fehr says
Yes, the easiest way to do them! Thanks Danielle!