Instant Pot Pork and Sauerkraut is one of the easiest recipes to make! With just a few simple ingredients, this recipe will deliver a pork roast that is cooked to tender perfection in a perfectly balanced sweet and tangy sauerkraut and apple mixture.
Serve this pressure cooker pork and sauerkraut with Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes and Instant Pot Steamed Green Beans for an easy family meal.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Instead of the traditional Slow Cooker Pork and Sauerkraut, which takes hours to braise, the instant pot gets the same dish with the same flavors on the table in a fraction of the time.
- This is not just any recipe for pork and sauerkraut--this is the BEST recipe for Instant Pot Pork and Sauerkraut. This pork roast is cooked with sauerkraut, which tenderizes the meat and gives it a tangy flavor. But I also add apple juice and fresh apples to balance out the sourness of the sauerkraut. The pork is tender, flavorful, and absolutely incredible.
- The process for making Instant Pot Pork and Sauerkraut is EASIER than the traditional method. For my slow cooker pork and sauerkraut recipe, I season the pork and sear the pork and then cook in the slow cooker. For this instant pot version, skip the step of searing the meat. The pork loin absorbs all the flavors as it cooks and gets perfectly tender and flavorful better if NOT seared.
- Even if you THINK you don't like sauerkraut, this may be the recipe to change your mind. It adds dimension and a tangy bite to the pork, but thanks to the apple juice it is not overpowering at all. Even my picky kids enjoy this recipe!
Notes on Ingredients
- Pork Roast: I love using a pork loin for this recipe. It is lean, flavorful and because of the sauerkraut and the Instant Pot, it gets perfectly tender. Feel free to use a pork shoulder or pork roast, you will just need to add 5 minutes of cook time.
- Sauerkraut: Fresh or canned sauerkraut can be used.
- Apple Juice: Just like my recipe for Instant Pot Pulled Pork, apple juice is the secret to this recipe. It balances out the sauerkraut and apples and pork are a perfect culinary pair.
- Apples: Use apples that hold up well to baking, like Granny Smith or Honey Crisp or Braeburn.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step One: Prepare the Pork
It is best to cut the pork into 2-4 inch large chunks, whether using pork loin or pork butt. This will help the pork cook evenly and tenderize.
Step Two: Layer Ingredients
Once the meat is cut into chunks, this recipe is as easy as putting everything into the Instant pot and pressure cooking.
Step Three: Pressure Cook
Be sure to set to cook on HIGH pressure. The cook time will remain the same regardless of how much pork you cook--it may just take LONGER to come to pressure.
Step Four: Pressure Release
It is very important to remember to let the pressure release naturally after cook time has elapsed. If you do a quick pressure release, your meat may seize up and become tough.
Step Five: Serve
Once the cooking time has elapsed and pressure is released, remove the pork from the Instant Pot. I prefer to shred the pork and then serve it with the cooking juices, but you can serve the pork in larger chunks if desired.
Instant Pot Pork and sauerkraut is a great served with the cooking juices over mashed potatoes or if you are lucky enough to have two pressure cookers, make Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes.
FAQs and Expert Tips
- Do you have to drain the sauerkraut first? I do recommend you drain the sauerkraut before adding to your Instant Pot, as it is quite salty and sour but it is a personal preference.
- No Apple Juice? A tip my mom taught me was to add in 1 to 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and use chicken stock if you don't have apple juice on hand. The flavor won't AS good, but the brown sugar helps to balance out the acidity of the sauerkraut.
- Storage Instructions: Leftover pork can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and frozen for up to 3 months.
More Instant Pot Pork Recipes
- Instant Pot Pork Tacos--tangy, savory, and spiced to perfection. This meat is great on tacos, in burritos, or fajitas.
- Instant Pot Pulled Pork--delicious, tangy, and fabulous for BBQ Pork Sandwiches.
- Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin--Pork Tenderloin is cooked with sweet potatoes for a complete, easy, and healthy meal.
- Instant Pot Pork Chops--made with a creamy mushroom sauce without canned soup.
- Instant Pot Brats--If you enjoy pork with sauerkraut, you will love pork brats (or beef or turkey brats) made with sauerkraut!
If you enjoyed this recipe Instant Pot Pork and Sauerkraut recipe, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below.
Instant Pot Pork and Sauerkraut
Ingredients
- 2-3 pounds pork loin roast cut into 2-3 inch large chunks
- salt and pepper
- 16 ounces sauerkraut drained of extra liquid
- 1 cup apple juice or chicken stock
- 1 apple sliced
- 1 onion sliced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic optional
Instructions
- Cut pork roast into large 2-3 inch chunks. Liberally season pork loin with salt and pepper on all sides.
- Place pork pieces in the instant pot and pour in apple juice. Add apples, onions, and garlic to pressure cooker. Top with sauerkraut.
- Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. Hit Cook Time/Pressure Cook and use the +/- buttons to adjust to 15.
- Once cook time has elapsed allow pressure to release naturally, or for at least 15 minutes.
- Serve pork with juices over noodles or mashed potatoes if desired.
Equipment Needed
Notes
- Use chicken stock in place of apple juice if desired. If using stock, you may want to add 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar to balance the flavors.
- Garlic is optional. It is not traditional, but I love the added flavor.
- Feel free to use a pork shoulder or pork butt roast. You will need to cut the pork roast up into 2-3 inch chunks as well, but increase the cook time to 20 minutes.
Nutrition
Kim
Hi, I have pork butt cut into 4 large chunks, 4 lbs total. Still 15 minutes?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Kim! Two things: The first is that this recipe was for pork loin, so pork butt needs to cook a bit longer. Also, it sounds like your chunks are a lot larger than 2-3 inches if you only have 4 for 4 pounds. I would suggest cutting each chunk in half again and cooking for 20 minutes on high pressure. If you leave the roast in just 4 (1-pound) chunks, I would cook for 40 minutes. Enjoy!!
John
Pork Butt wouldn't be my choice for this recipe due to the excess fat content. The beauty of this recipie in my opinion is that each ingredient melds well with the others but also doesn't get lost in the cooking process. Pork Butt is great and has its place in many uses. In this recipie the grease would overpower the flavors, even if you removed most of it after cooking.
Do yourself a favor and follow the recipie or switch to one geared to your choice of meat. Sorry to butt in but in my opinion if your going to try something new give it a fair chance.
John
Thanks Kristen, similar to a recipie my wife has done in the oven for years. Only difference was your apple juice vs brown sugar. Really liked it a lot.
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoyed John! Thanks for sharing!
Peter Duffy
Absolutely loved the recipe!!! I followed it exactly and everything turned out exactly as promised. Thanks so much for an easy, quick and delicious way to make pork and kraut! I took a few minutes to peruse some of your other recipes and will be trying some of them too. Happy New Year!!!
Kristen Chidsey
Happy New Year to you as well Peter! Glad you enjoyed the pork and sauerkraut and I hope you find many more recipes to enjoy!
Patti
This recipe is excellent! We truly enjoyed every bite for New Years Day dinner. Thanks for posting.
Kristen Chidsey
I love hearing you enjoyed Patti! Happy New Year!
Donna
This was delicious! I did add a couple tbsp brown sugar. The apple juice is a game changer!
Kristen Chidsey
So happy to hear you enjoyed Donna!
Mark
Honey crisp apple
Didn’t drain kraut
Apple juice yes
Garlic yes
Added a Tbsp of brown mustard
Added tsp of caraway seeds
Was the greatest pork and most flavorful kraut we’ve made in years! Shared it to my family already.
Hindsight should have drained the kraut, but used to drying out in crock pot.
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoyed so much Mark!! Thanks for sharing!
Heather
Absolutely loved this recipe! I used the chicken broth and sprinkled a little brown sugar on top of the kraut! Thanks for an easy way to start the new year off!
Kristen Chidsey
Happy New Year Heather! So glad you enjoyed!
Shelley
Can you use apple cider instead of juice?
Kristen Chidsey
Absolutely Shelley! Enjoy!
Jodee
What about using some applesauce instead?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Jodee! You need the thin liquid in order for the instant pot to come to pressure, so applesauce will not work without causing a burn notice.
Lynn Whisler
This is the best pork and sauerkraut recipe ever! The pork is tender and juicy, the kraut is tasty and not super sour. I can't believe this! Thank you for sharing and I will definitely be using this recipe from now on.
Yes, I followed the recipe exactly.
Kristen Chidsey
YAY! So glad you enjoyed so much Lynn!
Lori Wilson
Hi Kirsten. I want to try this recipe and I read about using frozen meat but my question is, how to I fix it? Do I still try and cut the frozen meat and layer with the sauerkraut then cook them together the whole time based on the weight of the meat???? I cant wait to try this. Thanks
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Lori! Because the meat is cut into small pieces, the cook time is 15 minutes regardless of how many pounds (timing is based on the weight of size of the pieces, not the total weight) Enjoy!
Dwain Moore
Would you do 15 minutes for pork tenderloin as well?
Kristen Chidsey
Pork tenderloin cooks much faster. I would cut into thick slices and then cook for 2-4 minutes on high pressure.
4 minutes for 165 degrees
3 minutes for 155 degrees
2 minutes for 145 degrees.
Enjoy and happy new year!