Slow Cooker Pork Loin with Maple Glaze
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The combination of maple syrup, soy sauce, and fresh ginger in this Slow Cooker Pork Loin recipe creates a delicious sweet-savory combo.
About This Recipe
Slow Cooker 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 slow cooker.
- Thicken the sauce for the maple glaze.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this fairly simple recipe:
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.
Step 2: Cook in the Slow Cooker
When it comes to cooking a pork loin in the slow cooker, you’ll find that many reputable sites have you cooking it longer than we advise. Similar to cooking chicken in the slow cooker, 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!
How to Serve Slow Cooker Pork Loin
Slice and serve warm. Drizzle the maple glaze over the top of the slices.
Make It 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: Note: You will need to have cornstarch, salt, and pepper on hand to complete this meal. Thaw the meal completely using one of these safe methods and cook according to recipe instructions (steps 5-7).
Recipe FAQs
While we love pork tenderloin recipes, they don’t work great in the Slow Cooker. 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.
Yep! Pork loin plays nice with the Instant Pot. In fact, we’ve converted this recipe to work beautifully in the Instant Pot. Hop over to our Instant Pot 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!
Slow Cooker Pork Loin with Maple Glaze
The combination of maple syrup, soy sauce, and fresh ginger in this slow cooker pork loin recipe creates a delicious sweet-savory combo.
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 GF: Use 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 (or a pinch of red pepper flakes)
- 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 a pan over medium-high heat, 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.
- 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. (Freezing instructions begin here.)
- Marinate the pork in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.
- Transfer the pork and marinade to the slow cooker. Cover and cook for 3-4 hours on low, or until the pork registers 145°F internally. Transfer the pork to a cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest for about 10 minutes.
- Carefully pour or ladle the juices from the slow cooker into a medium saucepan. In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water until smooth. Add the cornstarch mixture to the pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook, whisking, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. 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 through 3. Freeze.
Prepare From Frozen: Note: You will need to have cornstarch, salt, and pepper on hand to complete this meal. Thaw the meal completely using one of these safe methods. Follow Steps 5 through 7.
Notes/Tips
- Gluten-Free Version: Use gluten-free Tamari soy sauce or coconut aminos instead of soy sauce.
- Since a pork loin roast can easily dry out, make sure to take an internal temperature and stop cooking it when it reaches 140-145°F. It will still be slightly pink on the inside when done.
- Tip: Fresh ginger stores well in the freezer for a long time. Peel and tightly wrap the leftover ginger in plastic wrap or place a freezer bag. Freeze and use for future recipes.
Excellent combination of flavors!
So glad you enjoyed this Susan! Thanks for leaving a review.
So simple and delicious!
Yes! Glad to hear it Kristin. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review.
This recipe is amazing! Easy to put together and SO good! I’ve made it several times and it’s a family favorite!
Thanks for the feedback and review, Joan! Our testing team really loved this one, too.
Our whole family loves this recipe! So delicious and easy to make. If you haven’t tried it yet, you should!
Awesome! Thanks for taking the time to leave your feedback, Joan.
Hi! I was hoping to marinate this tonight to use tomorrow, but there are no amounts for the marinade. Could you please provide those? Thanks so much in advance. 😊
Thank you so much for the heads up. I was having tech issues while creating this recipe/blog post the other day and the ingredients went missing. I just updated it. Let me know if you have any other questions!
Thanks! Just saw you updated. I will definitely try in the future. Tonight I just used your “Foolproof Pork Loin” recipe, and it was delicious! Excited to try this fall version 😊
I’m glad you liked that oldie but goodie. I made it this week, too. 😉