Instant Pot Pork Loin Roast recipe. Juicy pork loin, ready for dinner in under an hour thanks to pressure cooking.
I thought pork loin was too lean to pressure cook in my Instant Pot, but after some testing, I came up with this recipe for an easy and tender pork loin.
- Ingredients for this Instant Pork Loin Recipe
- How to cook pork loin in the instant pot
- Pork loin vs pork tenderloin?
- How long does it take to cook a pork loin roast in the Instant Pot?
- Can you overcook a pork roast in an Instant Pot?
- Seasoning options
- Storing and reheating Tips
- 🔪🔪Recipe🔪🔪
- 💬 Comments
Ingredients for this Instant Pork Loin Recipe
- A boneless pork loin roast (aka center cut pork loin roast)
- Fine sea salt
- Black pepper
- Vegetable oil
- Chicken broth (homemade or low-sodium) or water
- Lemon
- Fresh or dried thyme
See the recipe instructions below for a detailed ingredient list.
How to cook pork loin in the instant pot
- Sprinkle the pork loin roast with the fine sea salt and fresh ground black pepper.
- Heat the vegetable oil in an Instant Pot set to Sauté mode, then brown the pork loin on the side with the fat cap.
- Put the pork roast on a rack, add a cup of chicken broth to the bottom of the pot, and pressure cook the pork for 18 minutes at high pressure. Let the pressure come down naturally for 15 minutes, then quick release the remaining pressure (if there is any).
- (Optional) Make a sauce from the juices in the pot. Pour the juices into a fat separator and let them sit for 5 minutes for the fat to float to the top. Pour the defatted liquid into a bowl, and stir in the juice from half a lemon and a teaspoon of fresh thyme. (Add a little more salt to the sauce if using homemade broth or water.)
- Slice the roast and serve with the pot sauce on the side.
Pork loin vs pork tenderloin?
Pork loin and pork tenderloin may sound the same, but they are very different cuts of meat. A pork loin roast is a wider and larger cut, while pork tenderloin is a thin cut. That’s the problem - pork tenderloin is too thin to cook in a pressure cooker; the extra thickness in a pork loin makes it possible to pressure cook without overcooking.
How long does it take to cook a pork loin roast in the Instant Pot?
The cooking time is 18 minutes at high pressure, with a 15 minute natural pressure release, to cook a boneless pork loin to medium, about 145°F internal temperature measured with a meat thermometer. If you want medium-well, about 160°F internal, cook for 23 minutes at high pressure with a 15 minute natural pressure release.
Can you overcook a pork roast in an Instant Pot?
Yes, you can overcook a pork loin roast in an Instant Pot. Pork loin is a lean cut of meat, and dries out when cooked past medium-well. (Medium is about 145°F internal;
medium-well is up to 160°F.) Exact meat temperatures are not an Instant Pot’s strong point. You have to get the timing just right to pressure cook a pork loin roast.
This is why I don’t recommend pressure cooking pork tenderloin. It is leaner than pork loin, is too thin, and overcooks too easily. If you want a pork roast that is hard to overcook, try pork shoulder and my Instant
Pot Pork Pot Roast recipe.
Seasoning options
I’m using a simple seasoning of salt and pepper for this Instant Pot pork loin recipe. You can season pork more aggressively if you want, especially pork loin. Add a tablespoon of my Cajun Spice Rub to the recipe, or substitute your own favorite seasoning blend. If you use a store-bought blend, check the salt in the blend before adding more. If the blend has salt as the first or second ingredient in the ingredient list, it has enough salt on its own, and the pork doesn’t need more.
Storing and reheating Tips
I don’t store the roast whole. I slice it and then store the slices in 2-cup containers in my refrigerator. That way, I can reheat them in a few minutes in the microwave. Or, I use the leftovers to make tacos: cut the leftover loin into a small pieces, then fry them in a pan with some vegetable oil and a sprinkling of chili powder and garlic powder.
🔪🔪Recipe🔪🔪
Description
Instant Pot Pork Loin Roast - a quick pork roast with a pan sauce from the pressure cooker
- 1.5- to 2½-pound boneless pork loin roast (about 3½ inches thick, and 5 to 7 inches long)
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1 cup chicken broth (homemade, or low sodium store-bought, or use water)
- juice of ½ lemon (optional)
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt (if using homemade broth or water)
- Brown the roast: Sprinkle the pork loin evenly with the teaspoon of salt and black pepper. Heat the vegetable oil in the Instant Pot on sauté mode adjusted to high until the oil is shimmering, about 3 minutes. (Use medium-high heat in a stovetop PC). Put the pork loin in the pot, fatty side down, and sear until well browned on that side, about 3 minutes. Remove the pork to a plate.
- Pressure cook for 18 minutes with a 15 minute Natural Pressure Release and rest: Pour the chicken broth into the pot, and use a flat-edged wooden spoon to scrape loose any browned bits of pork stuck to the bottom of the pan. Put the pressure cooker rack into the pot, then set the pork loin on the rack, fatty side up. Lock the lid and pressure cook at high pressure for 18 minutes for medium doneness, or 23 minutes for medium-well doneness. ("Manual" or "Pressure Cook" mode depending on your Instant Pot.) Let the pressure come down naturally for 15 minutes, and quick release any remaining pressure. (There probably won’t be any pressure left; my pressure valve dropped after about 10 minutes most times.)
- Defat the sauce and serve: Unlock the pot, lift the pork roast out, and set it on a cutting board to rest for 5 minutes before slicing. While the pork rests, make a sauce: Pour the juices in the pot into a fat separator and let them settle for five minutes to separate the fat. Pour the defatted juices into a gravy boat (or other serving container) and stir in the lemon juice and thyme. If you are using homemade broth or water, also stir in ½ teaspoon of salt - store bought broth does not need any more salt. Slice the roast, drizzle with a little of the sauce, and serve, passing the rest of the sauce at the table. Enjoy!
Notes
Brining: If you plan ahead, brine the pork loin - it will come out much juicier. Instead of sprinkling the loin with salt and pepper: 3 to 8 hours before cooking, dissolve ¼ cup fine sea salt in 1 quart of water, submerge the pork loin in the brine, and refrigerate. Remove the loin from the brine, pat it dry with paper towels (don’t rinse it), and continue with browning the fatty side of the pork loin.
Smaller or larger roasts? This recipe is not as flexible as most, because you don’t want to overcook your pork loin. A smaller roast will probably overcook, and a larger roast is probably too wide to fit in your Instant Pot.
Tools
6 quart or larger pressure cooker (I love my Instant Pot electric pressure cooker)
Fat separator
Rack (this silicone bakeware sling with handles is my favorite)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Sunday Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Instant Pot Pork Loin Roast, Pressure Cooker Pork Loin Roast
What do you think?
Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
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