Pressure Cooker Pork Chops and Applesauce

Make this quick & easy 1-minute pressure cooker pork chops and simple homemade applesauce. Moist & tender pork chops drizzled with warm cinnamon applesauce. Yum!!

Make this quick and easy 1-minute pressure cooker pork chops and homemade applesauce. Moist and tender pork chops drizzled with warm cinnamon applesauce. Perfect simple dinner for those hectic nights! 😀

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Make this quick & easy 1-minute pressure cooker pork chops and simple homemade applesauce. Moist & tender pork chops drizzled with warm cinnamon applesauce. Yum!!

Pressure cooker pork chops drizzled with tender cinnamon applesauce makes a great sweet and savory dish that is homey and comforting to eat. Love how pressure cooking brings out the original flavors of the pork chops. YUM!

However, it’s such a dilemma cooking pressure cooker pork chops because it’s cooked in a flash. When they’re overcooked, they will become tough and dry. If you use quick release to avoid overcooking the pork chops, the juice will get squeezed out of the meat.

Though you can cook the pork chops longer to overcook them to a point where the meat fibers break down and become tender again, but the flavors of the meat will be gone.

So let’s find out how to make moist and tender pressure cooker pork chops! 😀

Pressure Cooker Pork Chops and Applesauce Recipe ingredients

Ingredients for Pressure Cooker Pork Chops and Applesauce Recipe

We kept the ingredients list short as this is meant to be a quick and easy meal. 🙂

Pressure Cooker Pork Chops and Applesauce Recipe Experiment

We’ve bought a few packs of pork chops (1.25 inches thick) to test this recipe over a few days. We’ve tested this recipe by pressure cooking the pork chops at high pressure with our Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker.

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Here are the results:

Test 1 – 12 minutes, Natural Release: the pork chops were overcooked, the cooking time was not long enough to break down the fibers in the meat to bring out the tenderness. The result was a bit better than Test 2’s results due to using natural release.

Test 2 – 10 minutes, Quick Release: the pork chops were overcooked, the quick release didn’t help.

Test 3 – 5 minutes, 5 minutes Natural Release: the pork chops were still overcooked. The 5 minutes of natural release was not enough as there was still a lot of pressure inside.

Test 4 – 5 minutes, Quick Release: the pork chops were fully cooked, the results were not bad, however, the meat was a bit dry due to using quick release.

Test 5 – 1 minute, Natural Release: the pork chops were flavorful, tender, moist, and juicy.

Perhaps high pressure at 0 minutes, natural release may have better results, but we’re just going to stop here because we ran out of pork chops and apples. And I think I’m starting to dream about pork chops in my sleep. LOL~

Tips for Pressure Cooker Pork Chops and Applesauce Recipe

Purchasing pork chops: Try to choose pork loin chops with some marbling of fat. As a reference, the thickness part of our pork chops is roughly 1.25 inches thick.

Pressure Cooker Pork Chops and Applesauce Recipe, thickness of the pork chops

Preparation: Slice the apples thinly (as shown in the picture below) because you want to extract as much of their juice into the sauce as possible within a relatively short cooking time.

Pressure Cooker Pork Chops and Applesauce Recipe. Cut the apples thinly

In Step 1: Be sure to season the pork chops generously with kosher salt and ground black pepper.

Pressure Cooker Pork Chops and Applesauce Recipe, season generously with Kosher salt and grounded black pepper

In Step 3: It’s tricky to brown meat in the Instant Pot because it’s hard to control the temperature and the pot’s surface is not completely flat. So, if you’re using an Instant Pot to brown the meat, make sure your pot is as hot as it can be before you add the oil (indicator will says HOT).

Also, make sure the whole bottom of the pot is covered with oil and don’t flip the pork chops back and forth, just let it sit and brown. This will prevent the pork chops from sticking to the pot.

Pressure Cooker Pork Chops and Applesauce Recipe, brown the pork chops

In Step 8: After you remove the pork chops, check the pork chops’ internal temperature to reach at least 145°F, so it’s safe to eat! We have no intentions to kill anyone with this 1-minute pressure cooker pork chops. 😛

Pressure Cooker Pork Chops and Applesauce Recipe, measure the internal temperature of the pork chops

We also use this Food Thermometer to monitor the temperature for poor-man sous vide, as we find the measurement to be quite accurate.

Watch How To Make Pressure Cooker Pork Chops and Applesauce Recipe Video

Can’t see the cooking video? Watch it here.

Now it’s YOUR turn to take out your pressure cooker and cook some Pressure Cooker Pork Chops and Applesauce!

5 from 12 votes

Pressure Cooker Pork Chops with Applesauce

Author: Amy + Jacky
Make this quick & easy 1-minute pressure cooker pork chops and simple homemade applesauce. Moist & tender pork chops drizzled with warm cinnamon applesauce.
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Servings 2 - 4
Total Time 21 minutes
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Ingredients

  • 2 - 4 pork loin chops (we used center-cut, bone-in)
  • 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil or olive oil
  • 1 small onion , sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic , roughly minced
  • 2 gala apples , thinly sliced
  • 2 pieces whole cloves (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • ½ cup unsalted chicken stock or water
  • 2 tablespoons regular soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 ½ tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water (optional)

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Instructions 

  • Prepare Pork Chops: Make a few small cuts around the sides of the pork chops so they will stay flat and brown evenly. Season the pork chops with a generous amount of kosher salt and ground black pepper.
  • Prepare Pressure Cooker: Heat up your pressure cooker (Instant Pot: press Sauté button and click the adjust button to go to Sauté More function). Make sure your pot is as hot as it can be when you place the pork chops into the pot (Instant Pot: wait until the indicator says HOT). This will prevent the pork chops from sticking to the pot.
  • Brown Pork Chops: Add grapeseed oil into the pot. Ensure to coat the oil over the whole bottom of the pot. Add the seasoned pork chops into the pot, then let it brown for roughly 2 – 3 minutes on each side (don’t need to keep flipping). Remove and set aside.
  • Sauté Onion and Garlic: Reduce the heat to medium (Instant pot: press cancel button, then press sauté button). Add in the sliced onions and stir. Add a pinch of kosher salt and ground black pepper to season if you like. Cook the onions for roughly 1 minute until softened. Then, add garlic and stir for 30 seconds until fragrance.
  • Make Applesauce: Add in the thinly sliced gala apples, whole cloves (optional) and cinnamon powder, then give it a quick stir. Add the honey and partially deglaze the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.
  • Deglaze and Taste:
    Add chicken stock and regular soy sauce, then fully deglaze the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Taste the seasoning and add more salt and pepper if desired.
  • Pressure Cook Pork Chops: Place the pork chops back with all the meat juice into the pot. Close lid and pressure cook at high pressure for 1 minute + full Natural Release (roughly 10 minutes). Turn off the heat. Open the lid carefully.
  • Taste and Thicken Applesauce: Remove the pork chops and set aside. Turn heat to medium (Instant Pot: Press sauté button). Remove the cloves and taste the seasoning one more time. Add more salt and pepper if desired. Add butter and stir until it has fully dissolved into the sauce.
  • Optional Step: Mix the cornstarch with water and mix it into the applesauce one third at a time until desired thickness.
  • Serve: Drizzle the applesauce over the pork chops and serve immediately with side dishes!

Video

Notes

Try to choose pork loin chops with some marbling of fat.
Slice the apples thinly because you want to extract as much of their juice into the sauce as possible within a relatively short cooking time.
Make sure to check the pork chops' internal temperature with a Food Thermometer. Temperature needs to be at least 145°F.
Rate Amy + Jacky's Recipe: If you've tried our recipe, rate the recipe in the Comments section. Thank you!
Calories: 289kcal
Course: Main
Cuisine: American
Keyword: applesauce pork chops, instant pot pork chops, instant pot pork chops and applesauce, pork chops with apples, pressure cooker pork chops, pressure cooker pork chops and apples

Nutrition

Calories: 289kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 335mg | Potassium: 639mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 93IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg

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Make this quick & easy 1-minute pressure cooker pork chops and simple homemade applesauce. Moist & tender pork chops drizzled with warm cinnamon applesauce.
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