This slow cooker 3-ingredient sweet and sour pork is my favorite weeknight workaround when I’m tempted to order takeout. It leans on a very Americanized version of Chinese restaurant flavors—sweet, tangy, and glossy—with nothing more than pork, bottled sweet and sour sauce, and canned pineapple. You toss everything into the slow cooker before work, and by the time you walk back through the door, the pork is fall-apart tender and bathed in a bright orange-red, sticky sauce that tastes like it came from your favorite strip-mall spot. It’s a practical, no-chop, no-fuss recipe that proves you don’t need a long ingredient list to get big flavor.
Serve this sweet and sour pork spooned over hot steamed jasmine or long-grain white rice so it can soak up all that glossy sauce. If you’d like some crunch to balance the tenderness of the pork, add a side of simply steamed or stir-fried vegetables such as broccoli, snap peas, or bell peppers. A quick cucumber salad with rice vinegar or a basic green salad with a light vinaigrette also works well to cut through the richness and sweetness of the dish. For a more casual spread, you can set out the slow cooker on warm and let people build their own bowls with rice, pork, and extra pineapple.
Slow Cooker 3-Ingredient Sweet and Sour PorkServings: 4
Ingredients
2 pounds boneless pork (pork shoulder or pork loin), cut into 1 to 1 1/2-inch bite-sized pieces
2 cups bottled sweet and sour sauce (about 16 ounces)
1 can (20 ounces) pineapple chunks in juice, undrained
Directions
Lightly grease the insert of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker with a thin film of oil or nonstick spray to help prevent sticking and make cleanup easier.
Place the bite-sized pieces of pork in an even layer in the bottom of the slow cooker. If some pieces overlap, that’s fine; just try to distribute them fairly evenly so they cook at the same rate.
Pour the bottled sweet and sour sauce evenly over the pork, making sure most of the meat is coated. Use a spoon or spatula to gently stir and turn the pork so the sauce reaches the bottom of the cooker.
Add the entire can of pineapple chunks along with all of its juice to the slow cooker. Gently stir again to distribute the pineapple pieces throughout the pork and sauce. You should see the pork and pineapple nestled together in a bright orange-red, glossy mixture.
Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours, or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, until the pork is very tender and easily pulls apart with a fork. The sauce will be bubbling at the edges and slightly thickened, and the pineapple will be soft but still hold its shape.
Once the pork is tender, give everything a good stir to coat the meat and pineapple evenly in the sticky sauce. Taste and, if desired, adjust the seasoning at the table with a pinch of salt or a splash of extra bottled sauce (keeping in mind this is meant to be a 3-ingredient base recipe).
Switch the slow cooker to the WARM setting, if available, and let the pork sit for 5 to 10 minutes. This brief rest allows the bubbling to subside and the sauce to cling even more thickly to the pork and pineapple, giving you that takeout-style glossy finish.
Serve the sweet and sour pork hot directly from the slow cooker, making sure each serving includes a mix of tender pork pieces and vibrant yellow pineapple chunks coated in the bright, sticky sauce.
Variations & Tips
Because this recipe is built around the idea of exactly three ingredients, any variation technically adds to that count—but if you’re not strictly bound to the headline, there are some smart ways to customize it. For a bit of heat, stir in a teaspoon or two of crushed red pepper flakes or a drizzle of sriracha along with the sweet and sour sauce. To introduce a savory note, add a tablespoon of soy sauce or a splash of rice vinegar to balance the sweetness. If you’d like more vegetables, toss in a bag of frozen bell pepper strips or onion and pepper blend during the last hour of cooking so they soften but don’t disappear; just remember that this turns it into a more-than-3-ingredient dish. Pork shoulder will give you the most tender, shreddable texture and richer flavor, while pork loin stays leaner and a bit firmer—choose based on your preference. Leftovers reheat well in a skillet over medium heat with a splash of water to loosen the sauce, and they make an excellent filling for rice bowls or even stuffed into lettuce wraps for a lighter meal.
