One inch thick, juicy, tender and delicious boneless pork chops made in your Instant Pot. Quite simply the best boneless pork chops i’ve ever made.
I’ve tried several pork chop recipes in the Instant Pot but honestly, have only had mediocre results. So I set out to try and make pork chops how they really should be – browned on the outside, juicy and delicious on the inside. Sounds simple enough, right? Well after a dozen or so attempts, i’ve finally got down the perfect recipe.
I’ve found the best boneless pork chops for the Instant Pot
Start with a simple seasoning on both sides of the pork chops of salt, pepper, onion powder, paprika and brown sugar. Then, with your Instant Pot setting on saute (high), melt a tablespoon of butter. When it’s good and hot, add the pork chops and brown each side for about 1-2 minutes. That brown sugar may char a bit, but that’s ok. Once the pork chops are a beautiful golden brown, remove from the pot and set on a plate. Press cancel to stop the saute mode and add 1 cup of chicken broth to the pot. Use a wooden spoon to “deglaze” the bottom of the pot. This step is simply scraping all the bits off the bottom. Then, add the Worcestershire sauce and Liquid Smoke
- 2 pork chops, boneless 1" thick
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tbs butter
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke
- Mix spices and brown sugar and rub into both sides of pork chops.
- Set Instant Pot on saute (high) and add tablespoon butter. Once hot, add pork chops and brown on both sides for 1-2 minutes each. Remove pork chops and set aside. Press cancel.
- Add 1 cup chicken broth and use a wooden spoon to deglaze the bits off the bottom of the pot. Add Worcestershire sauce and liquid smoke and add pork chops directly to the pot in the liquid.
- Secure lid, make sure vent is set to "sealing" and pressure cook (manual) for 7 minutes. When done, allow pressure to naturally release for 12 minutes. After 12 minutes, quick release the rest, remove lid and pork chops.
- Let pork chops rest for about 5 minutes before serving.
This was the best recipe ever! Hubby loved the gravy. He ate 2 plates full! Thank you! 🙂
Made them tonight without the liquid smoke. They were awesome! Thanks for the recipe.
Made these tonight
Had 4 inch thick chops
Doubled recipe with exception of pepper and added 2 additional minutes to manual cook time. Best darn chops we ever had. New addition to my recipe log. This was the second time I used my instant pot and I love it. Thank you.
I made these tonight. I had four pork chops and doubled the other ingredients.i used the same time and only natural release 8 minutes. They were delicious and tender. I only buy pork chops from Kroger because they are the best. Other places could be tough. Thanks for the recipe. I will be making these again.
As other reviewers have noted, the pork chops certainly were NOT juicy or tender. I followed the recipe to the letter, with the exception of adding about 1/2 cup more of broth. With that said, they were tasty, Also keep in mind pork chops are not an extremely tender meat anyway unless cooked low and slow in a crockpot (at least that is my experience). The pork chops were not dry, but certainly this was not a winner.
Hi Margie. Im so sorry they didn’t work out for you in terms of tenderness and juiciness. I’m glad you liked the flavor though! As with just about any pork chop recipe, sometimes the cut of the chop or if there’s a solution added can make a difference. I hope you have better luck if you try again.
I gave it my all. LOL. FWIW, Hubby is easy to please and he thought they were just fine! 🙂
Best pork chops! Super fast and easy, and super juicy!
Made this the other night with 4 boneless chops about 1”thick. The rub flavor was good but they were extremely dry. I added an extra minute since there were 4 chops instead of 2 as recommended. I just haven’t had luck getting moist pork chops in the instant pot yet. Should I try decreasing the time? They were really dry.
Hi Wendy. I’m so sorry your pork chops came out dry. Many supermarket pork chops will have small wording on the package that says something to the effect of “contains a solution of salt and water”. This is called “brining”. The process of brining meat always makes it more tender and juicy. I’m wondering if the chops you used maybe weren’t brined? Also, i’m going to be updating the recipe soon to include more information about brined pork chops, as I hate when anyone has less than excellent results with the recipe.
I would think that they would be juicier if they were thicker. Think I’ll adjust the natural release time in half next time or would you suggest reducing the cook time? Thanks for your response, much appreciated!
Hello. When you say ‘manual’ do you mean High? I wanted to try this but my sister said hers came out very dry and wondered if the temp was too high.
I look forward to seeing the response. Made this tonight. Ours were almot 2 inches thick and came or pretty dry. Also if you don’t like it spicy reduce the amount of pepper. Would love to know about high, medium or low. Otherwise delicious flavor and so easy to make.
Hi Elaine,
Sorry your came out on the dry side. I’ve had the best luck with 1-inch thick chops. I wonder if that may have altered your results.
Hi, RecipeTeacher! I’m new to Instant Pot cooking. When you say manual, do you mean high pressure?
Hi Nan. Yes, some cookers have it labeled differently, but, ‘manual’ and ‘pressure cook’ (on high) is what you want.
I come back with reviews. This is awesome. My friends and husband love the taste. It is cool. I even tried to add some more chili and pepper to make the strong flavor.
Had 3 chops just over an inch thick followed recipe cups were very dry!
I have a history of tough pork chops from my ip. Do you have any extra tips? It wasn’t this recipe but I have done them in the past and they are truly awful. If I do it right I bet this recipe will be a family fav.
A lot of times with pork chops and the Instant Pot, the thickness of the chops makes a difference with the cooking time. But another big thing is that many store bought pork chops are already brined. Even most supermarket meat section pork chops will say something like “contains a solution of 12% salt” or similar. Brining really helps pork chops stay moist and juicy when cooked. Most butcher shops or especially large fruit market/meat market type places will not have that solution in the chops (or chicken) and the meat can be tougher as a result. In this case, marinating ahead of time or brining yourself can make a big difference.
Either way, I look forward to hearing how this recipe turns out for you!
My husband likes a lot of flavor so I added some cayenne to the recipe. Also, did bone in chops and tripled the recipe. It was amazing. Very tender, fell right off the bone!
Did you adjust the time since you tripled your recipe? I have a large family and would need to make at least 8 pork chops!
Just made this tonight and they were fantastic! I omitted the liquid smoke because I didn’t have any and still were the best!
Thanks
Made these tonight. Doubled the recipe (except for the broth) and did four chops. Like you, I’d never had IP pork chops turn out well and had concluded that the IP was good for ribs and pulled pork but not chops. This turned out great—total keeper. Thanks!
Awesome, Dana! Glad you enjoyed!
Did you double the cook time?
We moved about about a year and a half ago. I forgot all my about my instant pot, but pulled it out to try the pork chops. OMG! Best pork chops EVER! Actually, I also forgot how to set the timer, so I believe the chops were in there longer than you suggested. The au jus was incredible and the chops were SO TENDER! Now, I am excited to try all your other recipes. We have busy schedules, so discovering great tasting dishes that are simple and over the top wonderful, is amazing. Thank you so much!
I’m SO glad you liked them, Lynn!
Can I use beef broth instead of chicken broth?
You sure can. They are different flavors but beef broth still gives this recipe an excellent taste.
Meh, okay but nothing special except that it was quicker than cooking the chops in the oven. It did save some calories, since when I bake chops I usually add some sort of coating like sour cream or mayonnaise before baking. There was certainly less flavor than I would expect from the spice rub; it apparently washes off during cooking, leaving only a small amount of taste behind.
Followed the recipe exactly and they were tough!
This was a fantastic recipe. Thank you
I tried this recipe tonight and loved the flavor, but the chops were dry as a bone!!!! Any suggestions to adjust cooking and/or natural release time?
Mine were tough! Any suggestions?
Delicious! I only cooked 2 chops. Since we’re not into spicy I’d reduce the amount of black pepper but I’m sure it would be perfect for 4 chops. This will forever be our go to for when we cannot grill. I also used 1/2 butter & 1/2 sesame oil. Yum, ty!
Delicious recipe. I had 5 pork chops that were not very think. Doubled the rub and kept the liquid the same. Cooked the same time as recipe called for since chops were thinner. Will be making these again.
I don’t have a insta pot, can I make these in the crock pot? Would I do anything different?
Thx
Hi Julie,
The slow cooking method would definitely need to be adjusted, but i’d still season the same and sear both sides in a pan on the stovetop. Then slow cook in the liquid. I always like low and slow in a slow cooker. Probably set on low for 6 hours. I may try to adapt the recipe specifically for slow cookers.
I have 6 boneless chops how can I make this for that many in my instant pot?
I only have bone in pork chops and I planned to make this tonight . Do I have to do anything different with the time and will they be good still ? Thanks !
Depending on the thickness, you might have to adjust the cooking time and add another couple of minutes.
Made this recipe for supper last night – this is about the third recipe we have made in our InstaPot since we have gooten it. The only difference I added Smoked Paprika and about 1/2 tsp of Garlic powder – cooked up great, almost fork tender The only issue I have with the InstaPot cook times is the time it takes to get up to temperature – need to ensure you include that into you timeing as well. Used some nice plump boneless port chops – all center cut and everything turned out great. I also like the rub, going to keep that recipe around for a dry rub for ribs.
You advised “Denise” above how to make these chops if you don’t have an InstaPot. You said after the chops have marinated in the liquids, to brown the chops with the sugar/spices, and then put in 350degree oven for 20-25 mins. My question is……do you put the chops back in the marinade before putting in oven, or do you just put the chops in the oven without the liquid?
Hi Linda, no, do not put it back in the liquid to cook in the oven, The Instant Pot uses a different cooking method than convection heat. Pressure cookers require liquid (usually water, broth based), to come to pressure inside a sealed container.
These were absolutely awful. I had to triple it, because you can’t feed a family of 6 with 2 pork chops. I used bone in pork chops and they came out tender, but the flavor was horrendous. No trace of the brown sugar I added, and it was incredibly peppery and too spicy from the paprika. Back to the drawing board.
Sorry they were’t to your liking, Dan. When increasing a recipe such as this, it can always be a matter of taste in regards to things like the pepper, paprika, etc.
With regard to the OVEN recipe (don’t have an InstaPot), once the chops are browned, do you put the chops back into the chicken broth/liquid smoke/Worcestershire Sauce overnight marinade before putting in the oven?
I’ve not used this exact recipe for oven chops. You could certainly try marinating them in the broth/liquid smoke/Worcestershire sauce, then brown with brown sugar and seasonings, then go about 25 min in oven at 350.
Will this recipe work in a mini instant pot? If so what would be the cooking time & how many chops can be put in at a time?
So I use the 6qt Duo 7-in-1. Which size are you using?
I have a 3 qt mini duo 7 in 1
I can fit about 4 in my 6qt Instant Pot. I’d imagine you can get 2 or 3 in yours, depending on the size of the pork chops. The times should all be the same.
Thank you
It sounds like such a great recipe!
Is it possible to do this with thinner pork chops?
Hi Michelle. I’ve used thinner chops but never quite got the same tenderness. You can certainly use the same recipe and adjust the times for a minute or two less. Be sure to do a full natural release.
I made the pork chops tonight in my Insta pot, They were great! Thanks
Awesome, Jodie! So glad you enjoyed them!
I made these tonight and they truly are the best damn pork chops ever. I followed the recipe exactly and I wouldn’t change a thing. I would serve this to company! Thank you for sharing.
Thanks so much, Danielle!!
Any suggestions for cooking the pork chops from frozen?
Hi Shannon. Usually the actual cooking time is the same, it just takes longer for pot to come to pressure. Might also be harder to to do the sauteing. That said, I have not tested a version of this recipe from frozen yet.
I don’t have an instant pot. Do you have directions for the oven?
That’s a great question Denise, here’s what i’d do… marinate the pork chops in chicken broth/Worcestershire sauce/Liquid Smoke for a few hours or overnight. Season chops as directed, brown on stovetop for a couple of minutes per side, then put in 350 degree oven for about 25-30 min. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 min before serving. Note: oven time may need to be adjusted, but this is probably a good starting point.
I forgot to buy liquid smoke, can I substitute something?
It’s such a unique flavor that there’s really not a true substitute. You should be fine without it. The Worcestershire sauce provides most of the flavor to the broth/water. The liquid smoke is just kinda an added bonus. But when you get a chance to pick some up, I think you’ll like it. 🙂
I use Bacon to sub for liquid smoke in most recipes that call for it.
If I double the recipe should I add more chicken broth?
You shouldn’t need to, but i’ve not tested the recipe with the meat stacked, or out of the liquid. While 1 cup of liquid should be plenty to bring it to pressure, if you’ve got a lot of pork chops, can’t hurt to add another 1/2 cup.
If I double the number of chops, should I double the cook time?
Hi Jackie. I wouldn’t double the cooking time, but try adding about 2 minutes.
Thank you!
What type of pork chop is best? Can I use pork loin cut into 1″ thick pork chops?
Hi Amanda… yes, absolutely. That’s what I use.
Great!! Thank you! I can’t wait to try it.