Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe for Tender, Saucy Pork

Crockpot Sweet and Sour Pork is one of the simplest Chinese-inspired meals you can make at home. Combine a quick sauce, add the pork, peppers and pineapple to the slow cooker, set it, and forget it. A few hours later you’ll have a dish that tastes like takeout and pairs perfectly with steamed rice.

Sweet and sour pork is a favorite takeout dish for many. It balances crisp-tender meat with a tangy-sweet sauce and bright pineapple. This slow cooker version skips deep-frying and reduces cleanup while still delivering great flavor. After the pork has cooked in the sauce, you thicken it with a cornstarch slurry, start a pot of rice, and dinner is ready.

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Many people grew up ordering sweet and sour dishes — chicken, shrimp or pork — and it’s easy to see why. The combination of tangy, sweet sauce and juicy meat is irresistible. If you want the same flavor without the oil and extra steps of frying, this crockpot sweet and sour pork is a great weeknight option. It’s forgiving, straightforward, and family-friendly.

Where is Sweet and Sour Pork from?

• Originating in China, sweet and sour pork has become particularly popular in Western-style Chinese restaurants around the world.

What’s Sweet and Sour Pork?

• Western sweet and sour pork is usually made from bite-sized pieces of pork that are lightly breaded and deep-fried, then tossed with a bright, tangy sauce and vegetables like pineapple, bell peppers, and onion.
• Traditional Chinese versions use ingredients like pork loin, rice vinegar and preserved fruits or sweets for color and balance, producing a different flavor and appearance than most Western restaurant versions.

What is Chinese sweet and sour sauce made of?

• Typical components include rice vinegar, sugar (or brown sugar), ketchup or tomato sauce, soy sauce, and sometimes a Chinese brown sugar or candy for depth and color.

This recipe uses pineapple juice and brown sugar for sweetness and depth, along with ketchup, soy sauce and rice wine vinegar for tang. Worcestershire sauce is optional — add a little if you prefer a milder, more rounded flavor.

How to Make Sweet and Sour Pork

1. Cut pork and bell pepper into 1-inch pieces. Drain pineapple chunks. Place pork, bell pepper and pineapple in a 6-quart slow cooker.
2. In a medium bowl whisk pineapple juice, ketchup, brown sugar, soy sauce, and rice wine vinegar until smooth. Pour the sauce over the pork and vegetables and stir to coat.
3. Cover and cook on LOW for about 6 hours or on HIGH for about 3 hours, until the pork is cooked through.
4. Mix cornstarch with water to make a smooth slurry. Stir the slurry into the slow cooker, then cook on HIGH for an additional 30 minutes to thicken the sauce.
5. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. Serve the sweet and sour pork over cooked rice and garnish with sliced green onions.

If you prefer whole pork chops, you can leave them intact and cook for about 8 hours on LOW or 5–6 hours on HIGH. The method is otherwise the same and makes a nice presentation if you want larger portions.

Is Sweet and Sour Pork Breaded?

• Restaurant-style sweet and sour pork is typically breaded and fried so the coating soaks up the sauce and adds texture. In this slow cooker version the pork isn’t breaded — it cooks directly in the sauce and still absorbs plenty of flavor while avoiding soggy breading.

Leaving out the breading makes the recipe quicker and cleaner while still delivering the classic sweet-and-sour taste.

Why is Sweet and Sour Pork Red?

• The bright red color frequently seen in restaurant sweet and sour sauces is often from a few drops of red food coloring. Ketchup or tomato-based ingredients contribute some color, but the vivid hue usually comes from dye.

This recipe skips food coloring for a natural look. If you prefer the restaurant‑style red, you can add a tiny amount of red food coloring to the sauce before cooking, but be aware it will tint the pork and pineapple as they cook.

These other pork recipes are great too:

• Pork Chilaquiles
• Jiaozi Pork Dumplings
• Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Avocado Peach Salsa
• Spinach Dip Stuffed Pork Loin
• Dry Rub for Ribs
• Grilled BBQ Pulled Pork & Peach Pizza
• Easy Garlic Ginger Glazed Sticky Pork
• Little Smokies

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