Sweet Balsamic Glazed Pork {Slow Cooker + Instant Pot}
Tender and so delicious, this simple recipe for sweet balsamic glazed pork contains easy directions for the slow cooker OR Instant Pot!
Gosh, we’re full of good things today.
Exclusive recipe coming your way + this amazing sweet balsamic glazed pork I’ve lovingly pulled from the deep, dark recesses of my archives (posted way back in 2011) in order to make many of you who haven’t noticed it very, very happy.
It was sorely in need of a facelift and a huge shoutout.
This is one of our family’s favorite meals ever. Ever, ever.
If you’ve made it, you’ll probably understand why.
It’s crazy simple. Get yourself a pork roast, season it with sage + salt + pepper + garlic. Throw it in the slow cooker with a bit of water and let it cook.
How’s that for a hands-off, easy dinner night?
The sweet and savory balsamic glaze simmers on the stove for, oh, five-ish minutes, so when that tender, delectable pork comes out of the slow cooker, you’re good to go.
Drizzle away…and then devour.
Because the world is going crazy with everything Instant Pot (including myself, I heart my Instant Pot big time), I’ve updated this recipe with easy instructions for the Instant Pot.
I haven’t done a side-by-side, same day comparison between this balsamic pork in the slow cooker and this balsamic pork in the Instant Pot, but my taste buds tell me that it’s a little more tender and a little more delicious made in the lean, mean Instant Pot machine.
Pressure cooking will do that, you know.
And since I get asked a lot, this is the slow cooker I have: Hamilton Beach 8-quart. Endearing due to it’s lack of bells and whistles, it cooks a lot more evenly than other slow cookers I’ve tried.
I will sometimes use the slow cooker function in my Instant Pot, but it seems to cook at a lower temperature than I’m used to in a slow cooker, and I haven’t found the magic adjustment to make it all-the-time reliable instead of trial-and-error yet.
Either way you make it, this sweet balsamic glazed pork is a keeper.
It is often one of my go-to selections when serving company. You honestly can’t beat the seemingly unfair tradeoff:
how can something this delicious be so dang simple?
A quick note about pork roasts, I have the best luck using a pork sirloin roast (I usually get them in a 4-pack at Costco but have seen them in other grocery stores); it cooks up so tender and juicy.
Many people have commented below over the years with their experience about this recipe – some have used pork chops, others pork tenderloin, and many have made it per the recipe (so feel free to read through the comments for additional feedback and ideas).
Some of you have even served it on buns, like pulled pork, and if I remember right, I believe you’ve reported the end result was so tasty, you cried. Or died. Or took a bath in the glaze. The details are a bit fuzzy.
So, if you haven’t made this sweet balsamic glazed pork loin, what are you waiting for?
FAQs for Sweet Balsamic Glazed Pork
Refrigerate it, and make sure to keep some of the cooking liquid with the pork as it is stored. Also, store the pork and balsamic sauce separately until reheating.
No, I cook the meat without the trivet.
You can add or subtract a few minutes from the cooking time to adjust for your size, but it shouldn’t be that different from the 55-60 minutes on high pressure.
Yes, it freezes great!
What to Serve With This
Sweet Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin {Slow Cooker + Instant Pot}
Ingredients
Pork:
- 2 to 3 pounds boneless pork loin or pork sirloin roast, trimmed of large fat pockets
- 1 teaspoon ground sage or poultry seasoning
- ½ teaspoon coarse, kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced or crushed
- ½ cup water or chicken broth
Glaze:
- ½ cup brown sugar, light or dark
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the sage, salt, pepper and garlic. Rub the spices all over the roast.
- For the slow cooker: place the pork roast in the slow cooker and add the 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
- For the Instant Pot/Pressure cooker: place the pork roast in the insert of the Instant Pot or other pressure cooker. Increase the water or broth to 1 cup and add to the Instant Pot. Secure the lid and cook on high pressure for 60 minutes (hit manual –> dial up or down to 60 minutes –> Instant Pot will start automatically and count down the time). Let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes before quickly releasing the rest of the pressure.
- Near the end of cooking time (for either slow cooker or pressure cooker), whisk together all the ingredients for the glaze in a small saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the glaze thickens, 2-3 minutes. Season to taste with a pinch of salt and pepper, if needed/desired. Keep warm until ready to use.
- Remove the pork from the slow cooker or Instant Pot. Shred the meat into pieces and place on a platter or plate. Drizzle the glaze over the pork and serve immediately.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from C&C Marriage Factory (bookmarked via Pinterest)
Recipe originally posted September 23, 2011; updated with new pictures + recipe notes.
I really want to love this recipe. Well, I do love it, but the pork is so dry every time. Once it was inedible:( I think it’s my crockpot. Do you mind sharing what size you use? And do you have a particular brand you like? Thanks! (Oh and we have it with the baked mashed potatoes every time… AMAZING!)
Rachel – I have a regular Rival Crock-Pot brand – I usually use the round 5-quart one for this recipe unless I’m doubling and then I use my larger 7/8-quart. Sometimes pork loins can turn out dry especially if they are super lean. You might have better luck with a pork roast (shoulder or butt) instead.
Oh my goodness! I made this about a week ago and it was AMAZING! I love a good crock pot recipe and this one is definitely a keeper. I did double the glaze, as I like a good, moist pork loin and it ended up being the perfect amount. Thank you for another great, healthy meal!
I have this in the slow cooker right now with foil wrapped potatoes.
I’m out of balsamic vinegar…I have either red or white wine vinegar and balsamic vinaigrette….would either of this work as a substitute?
Stephanie – the balsamic flavor is really unique to this pork recipe so I wouldn’t substitute another type of vinegar if it were me. You could try using the premade vinaigrette but will have to experiment with it since it has added ingredients. Good luck!
I’ve made this quite a few times now, and it’s never failed me yet!! I made it again last night for company, and instead of eating the leftovers the same way tonight, I decided to make fried rice out of it. SO delicious!!
I added peas, onions, and natto (cause then it wouldn’t be fried rice! 😉 ), and then added a bit more balsamic vinegar to each individual serving since I didn’t have quite enough glaze and I’m a balsamic lover anyway 😉
I will always make fried rice out of these leftover from now on! Thank you!
Do you think a pork shoulder roast would work for this recipe or is that too fatty? Thanks for your advice, I really appreciate your site and all your recipes. You are well known in my house and with my friends:)
Hi Nicole – this recipe is pretty forgiving so the pork shoulder roast will most likely work but you might want to try and trim the large pockets of fat before using. Good luck!
Has anyone found a good use for the broth left behid in the crock pot? Could it be a sup base? ( I used a really lean 5# loin, so have a decent amount left over)
I used the leftover broth for gravy and it was great. We used it for the rest of the pulled pork once the balsamic glaze ran out. Perfect for hot pork sandwiches 🙂
This turned out fantastic! My kids loved it. I didn’t have loin so I used 6 pork chops instead. Served over rice. Thank you!!
P.S. Pork was not dry at all, so moist and tender!!! (If ony i wasn’t 3 months pregnant and not loving food right now…we’ll try it again when I can enjoy it as much as my hubby!)
A-MAZ-ING!!! Huge hit at our house tonight! My husband was excited about the pork then he tasted the sauce and could not stop making “yummmmm” sounds while he ate 🙂 I don’t think he has ever done that before. He said the sauce was “spot on” and the meat/sauce better than his tri-tip at Claim Jumper yesterday!!! Way to go Mel! I doubled the sauce per some reviewers suggestions but that was too much for our 3lb roast. Maybe if we ate it with rice, but we had scalloped potatoes instead. I think I will make rice for the leftovers though. My husband is EXCITED for lunch tomorrow- LEFTOVERS!
I have pork tenderloin….will that work? Cooking times different?
Natalie – I’ve never used pork tenderloin but it’s worth a try. You’ll have to experiment with cooking times – shouldn’t have to make a huge adjustment if you are using the same amount of pork (weight).
The pork tenderloin worked BEAUTIFULLY Natalie!
I didn’t even realize that I used the wrong cut of meat until just now – whoops! It worked great and was delicious. I used a package with two tenderloins equaling the weight Mel recommended, and cooked the whole 60 min in the Instant Pot. Just fyi. Perfection.
Thanks for adding your feedback, Marsali!
This was terrible. It was so dry. While the glaze is very nice (if you like a sweet glaze), once the glaze leaves your mouth, you’re left with a super dry piece of pork. It’s so dry (and I had liquid in my crock pot), it’s awful. Time and again I use the crock pot and find very dry, tasteless food. I think we’re done with the crock pot.
Sounds like you’re over cooking your food. When it comes to a crock pot most meats only need to cook for 4 hours. No that’s not a mistake. The shorter the time at the high temp is enough and will yield very moist meat. I love cooking pork tenderloin in the crock – always comes out moist, and falls apart. Key is do not cook over 4 hrs. Same works with Chicken and Turkey will come out amazing. The liquid in your crock is normal (you want the liquid) if you don’t use it for a gravy or sauce just discard. When it comes to beef and other pork roasts it’s all about the cuts – some work better then others. Do some research on the web to see what cuts work better than others in the crock. You want to give up the crock your choice – but don’t blow it off based on bad recipes or cooking times. Give it a try with the lower cooking time and I bet you would be surprised and delighted with the results. Plus cooking in a crock is such a time saver!
Crock pots are FABULOUS look up cooking temperatures for your specific meat and if you want tender cook on low till meat reaches about 5 degrees over minimum cooking temperature (you can get $1 meat thermometers at walmart or opt for fancier ones) if you just want jucier high temp is fine. the lower the temp typically the more tender the meat 🙂
Marinate as suggested, then steam it till cooked through, finish in the sauce in a fry pan! If you really need the grill marks, panini it before the pan.
I was wondering if I could use a cranberry pear balsamic In place of regular balsamic?
Hi Kim – sure, especially if you already love the flavor of that particular balsamic. I haven’t tried the recipe with other flavors of balsamic vinegar but I think it is probably pretty adaptable.
This recipe is AMAZING! I used 2 pork tenderloins, which I was nervous about over cooking, so I checked it after it had been in the crockpot on low for 4 hours, and it was done. The pork tasted awesome at that point, but the sauce pushed it over top! I’ve finally found a perfect recipe for pork tenderloin – thank you!
This certainly lived up to the big to-do! It was probably the best pork I’ve ever had (and definitely made!) and all my family, kids 1-11, loved it.
I have made this recipe several times. It is absolutely delicious!! Have made it for parties and everyone wants the recipe. Such a nice change from the standard pulled pork bbq. As a matter of fact I like this better than bbq. The sauce is amazing!!
I made this today. It was AMAZING! My husband wants to bathe in that glaze. 🙂 Not really but he is taking the leftover to work tomorrow to have everyone taste it.
Made this tonight…the glaze is amazing! Wonderful on the pork as well as the roasted asparagus I made. Could have eated it by the spoonful! Trying to think of all the other applications for it. Thanks as always!
Made this for dinner last night. WINNER!!! The pork actually was a bit dry but that sauce on top made it alll better! Yum! DH, who has a somewhat snobby palate said it was awesome! haha He asked me to put it in my “favorites” recipe box so we definitely don’t forget it. I think next time I will pour the glaze over the shredded pork, mix it up, and heat it through on “warm” to make it like a bbq pulled pork. Most definitely will make again! 🙂
Holy Yumm! This was an amazing recipe. I followed the recipe to a T except added one extra garlic clove. I made an apple cole slaw that accompanied it very well. It went like this: chop 1/2 a small head of cabbage (I used red), grate an apple and a carrot. Mix it all together with a bit of apple cider vinegar, (brown) sugar, whole grain mustard and some mayo. Sorry, I’m a pinch chef, so I don’t have exact measurements for this. Just a pinch of this and a pinch of that. 😉 thank you for posting this tasty recipe.
This was sooooo delicious! I used a pork tenderloin and threw everything in the crockpot except for a 1/2 cup of water and cornstarch (didn’t need them).
Great recipe! Have a 1.5QT crock pot, so halved the recipe and used with half of a pork loin roast from Trader Joe’s, and it turned out great. Perfect for two.
I made this a couple weeks ago with a package of two pork tenderloins, and it came out wonderfully, the meat fell apart and I just poured some of the liquid over the meat to allow it to soak up the juices and make it that much moister. I am making it tonight and I added a little extra garlic and some frozen carrots to cook in the liquid and i am planning on making extra sauce it was so yummy!!!
So I don’t think I have ever commented on a blog before – but this recipe is definitely comment worthy! I made this last night and it was delicious! My husband said it is the best meal he has ever had out of a crock pot! It was super easy and tasty! 🙂 I have already shared it with my mom and told her to make it! Thanks for a great-keeper recipe!
Made this tonight for dinner, it was so good. I used two 1lb pork loins (it’s what I had in the freezer) only other change I made was spraying with olive oil, then rubbing spices, then seared. I cooked on low for 10 hours (it’s how long I’m gone during the day). So tender it fell apart. This is going into the rotation!
Started a recipe club in which we all find different recipes each week to cook and review, this was my first one, glad it was a hit.
Thanks Mel!
Got a crock pot for Christmas and made this as my first meal. It. Is. AMAZING. The sauce is delicious! I’m planning on using the leftovers and some Hawaiian sweet rolls to make pulled pork sandwiches.
Hi,
I have a frozen pork loin, can I put in crock pot, following your recipe? How long should
I cook, high or low. It’s about a 5 lb loin.
Thanks
Kandy – I’ve never made this with a frozen piece of meat. I would suggest adding a few hours onto the current time on low heat.
Shelly – I’ve never tried searing beforehand but it would probably add great flavor!
Stephanie – sure, that sounds delicious!
Would this be good on top of kale, do you think?
Thanks Mel! I’m wondering… have you tried searing the tenderloin prior to slow-cooking it? I know searing makes a huge difference in moisture and gives great flavor, but I worry about cooking times and drying out the meat. My oven is broken and I’m new to the crockpot realm… any tips are much appreciated!
Hi Shelly – I haven’t made that particular side dish but I think this would be delicious combined with the butter and sage. I’d say go for it!
Hi! I’m so excited to make this recipe! I’m cooking it for company… and I’m wondering if it would pair well with browned butter & sage mashed potatoes? One of the comments mentioned the flavor was more Asian inspired… want to make sure I nail all the sides on my first try. Thanks!
I made this for the first time exactly as written for company (the ultimate gamble) and the results were awesome! I served it with your baked brown rice and apples and the veggie was sugar snap peas and pearl onions in a sesame glazed sauce. Fabulous.
Loved this recipe… I tweaked it a bit and used balsamic vinaigrette dressing and added rosemary….it turned out awesome! It gave it a orange flavoring…the family loved it
I have made this sauce twice now and it keeps getting better and better. Awesome sauce for turkey as well.
recipe
OMG!! This is a fabulous recipe. I only had about a half tsp of sage so added some montreal chicken seasoning. Also a bit of crushed garlic (because we love it and I add it to almost everything) and a bit of white rice wine vinegar in with the glaze. It was very tender and the glaze was yummy. I’m making it again tonight.
We made this and it was so good and easy. Thanks!
Wish I could bring some of this to your hotel!
Our sauce was much more watery (I’m really bad at making sauce, so that is all me) but it was DELICIOUS! Can’t wait to dig into all of the leftovers!
I wanted to try this immediately. When I got out my ingredients, I did not have any dried sage. I used Poultry Seasoning instead. Fabulous!
We love this recipe at our house and I can’t help but wonder why it isn’t on your “The Best” list?
Loved this recipe! Made the most perfectly moist crockpot pork tenderloin – a difficult thing to do! Unfortunately, my kids were not big fans but my husband and I were and will definitely make again! Thank you for posting!
This pork is gorgeous! My latest obsessions is the Hawaiian kalua pork, and now I am looking for all slow pork recipes. This one looks fantastic! I don’t have a slow cooker, but I can try an oven variation, I guess. Pinned :-).
Also, now that I’m here, I would like to invite you to check out a new recipe sharing website, http://RecipeNewZ.com (with Z). You submit a photo of your dish, it’s published within minutes and links back to your blog. Try it! In less than 2 months we already have hundreds of bloggers on board, and it would be a pleasure to see your recipes too 🙂
I’ve been meaning to leave you a comment because I LOVE your site. I came across it when looking for recipes at Easter and the Twice Baked potatoes were a huge hit! Just put the pork in the slow cooker for this recipe because it was such a success the first time. My family and I LOVE your recipes!
I frequently use a Boston Butt for the cut of meat in this recipe. I find it cooks up a lot more tender than a regular pork loin roast. It will fall apart and shred very easily.
I love this site! I have followed for a while and need to comment. I have made this recipe many times and making it by request for a family party tonight. You are my go to gal for a great recipe that always turn out awesome. Thanks for your time and wonderful recipies!
YUM! I’ve made this two times, and it’s a wonderful recipe! Thanks so much, Mel. Definitely a family favorite now.
I had family in town for Easter and I tried this for the first time. It was so tender and amazing. We all loved it. My baby couldn’t get enough and he was licking the plate after his meat and potatoes and sauce were all gone! Best way to eat pork tenderloin yet. The rest of our meal were other recipes also from your site. Thank you!