This slow cooker 3-ingredient Amish apple butter pork roast is the kind of comforting, melt-in-your-mouth dinner my grandmother would put on in the morning and forget about until the house smelled amazing. It’s truly sweet and savory perfection, with just a jar of apple butter, an onion, and a simple pork roast doing all the work. The recipe is inspired by old Amish-style cooking—nothing fancy, just honest ingredients that practically cook themselves into a sticky, caramelized glaze and tender pulled pork that feels like a hug on a busy weeknight.
Serve this apple butter pork piled onto fluffy mashed potatoes or buttered egg noodles so they can soak up all those rich brown juices. It’s also wonderful tucked into soft sandwich rolls with a simple coleslaw on top for a family-style dinner. Add a green vegetable like steamed green beans, roasted Brussels sprouts, or a tossed salad to balance the sweetness. If you like, set out some dill pickles or a sharp cheddar cheese on the side—the tang and salt play really nicely with the sweet apple butter glaze.
Slow Cooker 3-Ingredient Amish Apple Butter Pork RoastServings: 6
Ingredients
3–4 lb boneless pork shoulder or pork butt roast
1 (18–20 oz) jar Amish-style apple butter
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
Directions
Place the thinly sliced onion in an even layer on the bottom of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. This creates a bed for the pork and keeps it extra moist while it cooks.
Set the pork roast on top of the onion slices. If there is a thick fat cap, place it facing up so it can baste the meat as it cooks.
Pour the entire jar of Amish-style apple butter over the pork roast, spreading it with a spoon or spatula so the top and sides are well coated. Some will drip down around the onions—that’s perfect.
Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 8–10 hours, or on HIGH for 4–5 hours, until the pork is very tender and easily shreds with a fork. Low and slow will give you the most “melt in your mouth” texture, similar to an old-fashioned Sunday roast.
Once the pork is done, use two forks to gently pull the roast apart right in the slow cooker, mixing the shredded meat with the onions and the dark, sticky apple butter juices. The onions should be very soft and almost translucent, blending into the sauce.
Taste and, if desired, season lightly with salt and pepper at the table (keeping the base recipe to just 3 ingredients). Spoon the shredded pork and onions into a serving dish or serve straight from the slow cooker, making sure to ladle some of the rich brown juices over the top so everything glistens.
Let the pork rest in the slow cooker on WARM for 10–15 minutes before serving so the meat can soak up more of the apple butter glaze. Serve hot with your favorite sides.
Variations & Tips
For little ones or picky eaters, you can serve the plain shredded pork on one side of the plate and spoon the saucy onions and extra glaze over the grown-ups’ portions. If your family prefers less sweetness, choose an unsweetened or low-sugar apple butter, or mix the apple butter with a splash of water to thin it slightly before pouring it over the roast. For a touch of extra savoriness (if you’re okay stretching beyond the traditional 3 ingredients), you can sprinkle a little salt and black pepper over the pork before adding the apple butter, or stir a teaspoon of Dijon mustard into the apple butter for a gentle tang that cuts the sweetness. If you like a bit of texture, remove the slow cooker lid for the last 20–30 minutes on HIGH to let the glaze thicken and cling to the shredded meat. Leftovers reheat beautifully and make great sandwiches—pile the pork onto toasted buns and top with sliced pickles or a handful of coleslaw for an easy second-night meal. You can also swap the pork shoulder for a boneless pork loin roast if you prefer leaner meat; just check for doneness a little earlier so it doesn’t dry out, and shred it more gently.
