Instant Pot Pork Loin with Maple Glaze
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This Instant Pot Pork Loin recipe has a delicious, sweet-savory combo. The combination of maple syrup, soy sauce, and fresh ginger are all infused while pressure cooking and turn a pork loin into a delicious, easy dinner.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- It will become a family favorite and decadent enough for a holiday meal or guests. Kids love the flavor.
- It can be made in the crock pot. Try our Slow Cooker Pork Loin recipe.
- It’s freezer friendly. Simply double the recipe when prepping and put on in the freezer for later.
- It’s super easy!
Tips for Success
When testing this recipe, we found a few tips that will help you.
1. Choose the right cut.
Make sure you’re using pork loin (a lean, tender cut) and not pork tenderloin (a smaller, thinner cut that cooks even faster). These are easily confused!
2. Sear for flavor (optional).
Use the “Sauté” function to brown the pork loin on all sides. This adds depth of flavor and helps keep moisture in during pressure cooking.
3. Let it rest after cooking.
Transfer the pork to a cutting board and tent it with foil. Rest for at least 5–10 minutes before slicing to lock in juices.
4. Slice against the grain.
Cutting across the muscle fibers makes the pork more tender to chew.
Ingredients in This Recipe
Here’s what you’ll need to make this fairly simple recipe:
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Season and Marinate the Pork Loin
Combine the seasonings and the pork loin into a freezer bag. Marinate the pork loin for at least 2 hours. The longer the better though! This is why we love making this one a freezer meal. More on that below though!
Step 2: Cook in the Instant Pot
Using our digital meat thermometers as our guide, we have found that you only need to cook at high pressure for 25 minutes, then allow the pressure to release naturally, about 10 minutes.
Step 3: Make the Maple Glaze
What makes our pork loin recipe stand out among others is this delicious maple glaze that you will serve over the cooked pork. Don’t skip this step!
The nice thing is, it can all be done in the Instant Pot.
How to Serve Instant Pot Pork Loin
Slice and serve warm. Drizzle the maple glaze over the top of the slices. Serve with Crispy Smashed Potatoes, Veggies and Cottage Cheese Ranch Dip, or Gourmet Boursin Mashed Potatoes for a delicious meal.
How to Cook Frozen Pork Loin in the Instant Pot
Since we specialize in freezer cooking and Instant Pot recipes, we have tested exactly how to cook frozen pork loin in the Instant Pot several times. Here’s how to prep and cook this as a freezer meal:
To Freeze For Later: Follow the recipe steps 1 through 3, freezing the raw pork loin in marinade in a gallon-sized freezer bag. Seal, squeezing out any excess air, and freeze it in the shape of the Instant Pot (use a bowl or pot) until solidly frozen.
How to Cook From Frozen: Set the Instant Pot to “Sauté.” Run the frozen pork loin meal under cold water to loosen it from the freezer bag. Transfer the frozen meal to the pot and saute for 5-10 minutes to release some liquid. Press “Cancel.” Finish cooking the recipe using the recipe steps 5 through 7. Note: The frozen meat will cook in the same amount of time as fresh! It just takes a lot longer to come to pressure.
Recipe FAQs
While doing multiple tests for our Instant Pot cookbook, we learned that you only need to cook a pork loin at high pressure for 25 minutes, then allow the pressure to release naturally, about 10 minutes.
While we love pork tenderloin recipes, they don’t work great in the Instant Pot in our experience. They dry out fast and, while testing pork recipes for our Instant Pot cookbook, we found that oven roasting pork tenderloin or grilling pork tenderloin is the preferred cooking method. Air fryer pork tenderloin is another easy method that yields good results.
Yep! Pork loin plays nicely with the slow cooker. In fact, we’ve converted this Instant Pot recipe to work beautifully in the slow cooker. Hop over to our Slow Cooker Pork Loin with Maple Glaze recipe now!
Did you make this? Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @thrivinghome so we can see your creations and cheer you on!
Instant Pot Pork Loin with Maple Glaze
This Instant Pot Pork Loin recipe has a delicious, sweet-savory combo. The combination of maple syrup, soy sauce, and fresh ginger are all infused while pressure cooking and turn a pork loin into a delicious, easy dinner.
Ingredients
- 1/2 medium onion, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 (3 pound) boneless pork loin roast, trimmed of excess fat
- 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce (sub: Gluten-Free Tamari Soy Sauce or Coconut Aminos)
- 2/3 cup pure maple syrup (do not use fake pancake syrup)
- 1 tablespoon minced or grated fresh ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
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Instructions
Make It Now:
- Stir together the diced onion, minced garlic, and oil in a microwave safe bowl. Cover with a paper towel (to prevent splatters) and microwave until softened, about 5 minutes. (Alternatively, you can saute them in the Instant Pot, adding the garlic during the last minute of cooking time.)
- Pat the pork dry with paper towels, season it lightly on all sides with salt and black pepper. (Freezing instructions begin here.)
- Place the pork loin, soy sauce, maple syrup, ginger, cayenne, and cooked onion mixture in a gallon-size freezer bag. Seal tightly and toss to combine.
- Marinate the pork in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.
- Transfer the pork and marinade to the Instant Pot. Lock and seal the lid. Cook at high pressure for 25 minutes, then allow the pressure to release naturally, about 10 minutes. (Check to make sure the pork is at least 145°F internally. If not, place it back in the Instant Pot on the Warm setting, close the lid, and check the temp every 5 minutes.) Transfer the pork to a cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest for about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, set the Instant Pot to “Sauté.” In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water until smooth. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the sauce remaining in the pot and bring to a boil. Cook, whisking, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Press “Cancel.” Taste and season with salt and black pepper, if desired.
- Cut the pork into 1/2-inch thick slices. Fan them out on a serving platter and drizzle the sauce over the meat. Serve.
Freeze For Later: Follow Steps 1 and 2. Cut the seasoned pork loin into three equal pieces, then follow Step 3, freezing the raw pork loin in the marinade in a gallon-sized freezer bag. Seal, squeezing out any excess air, and freeze it in the shape of the Instant Pot (set it in a bowl or pot) until solidly frozen.
Prepare From Frozen: Note: You will need to have cornstarch, salt, and pepper on hand to complete this meal.Set the Instant Pot to “Sauté.” Run the frozen pork loin meal under cold water to loosen it from the freezer bag. Transfer the frozen meal to the pot and saute for 5-10 minutes to release some liquid. Press “Cancel.” Finish cooking the recipe using the recipe steps 5 through 7. Note: The frozen meat will cook in the same amount of time as fresh! It just takes a lot longer to come to pressure.
Notes/Tips
- Gluten-Free Option: Use gluten-free Tamari soy sauce or coconut aminos.
- To add more flavor, you can sear the pork loin in a little oil in the hot Instant Pot before pressure cooking it.
Are we supposed to put the pork on the rack, or directly on the bottom of the Instant Pot?
Hi Maureen. This recipe does not use a rack. You just dump the pork loin along with the marinade into the Instant Pot and cook!
First time cooking (but love instant pot recipes), I was concerned about lack of liquid and getting the dreaded burn message so added 1/4 cup water to avoid that. I cut the pork into pieces first, (seemed easier) reduced the cook time(not release) by 10 min. Added 1.5c of instant brown rice, sauteed med for those 10 min. Flavor was well received. Though if I were to retry I would trade 2/3c maple for 1/3 and 1/8c apple cider vinegar to balance the sweet. More pepper for adult pallet for balance but that’s easy to add after. Salt with soy was great and fat level(when trimmed) was also great. Thanks for the recipe
Thanks for the feedback and ideas, Nathan.
Super yummy recipe. My only “complaint” is that it took more time to cook. After the initial cook/natural release, my pork was only at 112…. Cooked it 5 more minutes, then had to cook another 5 minutes.
Thanks for the feedback, Sally. We (and our testing team) tested this one in a 6 quart Instant Pot. Is it possible your pork loin was larger than the recipe and/or you used an 8 quart IP? Just wanted to check. We always say the IP is part art and part science. 😉
So easy and so good.