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.
Instant Pot Pork Loin with Maple Glaze will become a family favorite and a go-to recipe to double and freeze for a perfect make-ahead freezer meal! It’s so easy to make. In fact, there are only 3 main steps to this recipe:
- Marinate the pork loin.
- Cook it in the Instant Pot.
- Thicken the sauce for the maple glaze.
Before we break down these steps, it’s first important to understand the cut of meat we’re using in this recipe.
What Is a Pork Loin?
Pork loins are a wider cut and are usually covered with a thicker fat cap. They do much better in the crock pot and even in the Instant Pot than a leaner cut like a pork tenderloin.
There is a lot of confusion when it comes to pork loins vs pork tenderloins.
Pork loin and pork tenderloin are not cut from the same part of the animal, and in fact, look really different — pork tenderloin is thin and small, while a pork loin is wide enough that you can cut steak-like pieces from it. How you cook it, though, is the main difference. Pork tenderloin is best quickly cooked over fairly high heat, while pork loin lends itself well to slow-roasting or grilling methods.
The Kitchn
As a side note: While we love pork tenderloin recipes, they don’t work great in the Crock Pot. They dry out fast and, while testing pork recipes for our cookbook, we found that baking or grilling pork tenderloin is the preferred cooking method.
Ingredients in This Recipe
Here’s what you’ll need to make this fairly simple recipe:
- Boneless pork loin
- Onion
- Garlic cloves
- Avocado oil
- Low-sodium soy sauce
- Pure maple syrup
- Fresh ginger
- Cayenne pepper
- Cornstarch (sub: arrowroot powder)
Video Tutorial: How to Make Instant Pot Pork Loin
Can I Make Pork Loin in the Slow Cooker?
Yep! Pork loin plays nice 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!
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Season and Marinate the Pork Loin
A pork loin cut is pretty bland on its own. It needs some flavor pumped into it which is why we recommend seasoning and marinating it before slow cooking it. Here are the ingredients you’ll need on hand for the marinade.
- Onion
- Garlic cloves
- Aavocado oil or olive oil
- Soy sauce (For gluten-free sub GF Tamari Soy Sauce or Coconut Aminos)
- Maple syrup
- Fresh ginger
Add all of these 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
Time to cook your marinated pork.
After testing hundreds of recipes over the years, we have narrowed down the perfect cooking times for Instant Pot recipes. In fact, we have put them all in 1 easy printable cheat sheet for you below!
When it comes to cooking a pork loin in the Instant Pot, you’ll find that many reputable sites have you cooking it longer than we advise. Similar to cooking chicken in the Instant Pot, SO many reputable sources have you overcooking it!
Using our digital meat thermometers as our guide, we have found that pork loin only needs to cook in the slow cooker for 3-4 hours. Because it can dry out so fast, be sure to check the internal temperature.
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, this can all be done in the Instant Pot. 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.
How to Serve Instant Pot Pork Loin
Slice and serve warm. Drizzle the maple glaze over the top of the slices.
Here are some side dish ideas to serve alongside your pork loin:
How to Make Instant Pot Pork Loin Into a Freezer Meal
It’s no secret we are big fans of freezer meals around here. In fact, we have 2 freezer meal cookbooks, 1 Hour Freezer Prep Sessions, and even a roundup with 70+ freezer meal recipes that you will love! So, it should come as no surprise that we have freezer meal instructions for this recipe.
Freeze For Later: Follow Steps 1 through 3, through the marinating step. Freeze before marinating.
Prepare From Frozen: Set the Instant Pot to “Sauté.” Transfer the frozen meal to the pot and cook for 5 minutes to release some liquid. Press “Cancel.” Follow Steps 5 through 7. (The frozen meat will cook in the same amount of time as fresh.)
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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 onion, 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 (For gluten-free sub GF 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. Freeze.
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.” Transfer the frozen meal to the pot and cook for 5 minutes to release some liquid. Press “Cancel.” Follow Steps 5 through 7. (The frozen meat will cook in the same amount of time as fresh.)
Gluten-Free Option: Use gluten-free Tamari soy sauce or coconut aminos.
Notes/Tips
I like to freeze in a round container so that the frozen meal will fit in the Instant Pot.
More Instant Pot Freezer Mealsf
Since cooking frozen food in the Instant Pot is more of an art than science, be sure to hop over and read our Instant Pot Freezer Meal tips and grab some more delicious recipe ideas as well.
So easy and so good.
★★★★★