This is the BEST Crock Pot Pork Roast recipe ever! Pork loin is stuffed with apples, coated in a savory dry rub, and then braised in the slow cooker with a tangy mustard and cider sauce. This Slow Cooker Pork Roast will become a family favorite in no time!
This Pork Roast pairs well with Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Instant Pot Baked Sweet Potatoes, Kale Salad, or Brussels Sprouts Salad.
Pork Loin has to be one of my favorite cuts of meat, but it can have a reputation of being a flavorless, dry, or tough cut of meat.
When braised low and slow in the crockpot, pork roasts become tender, juicy, and easily absorb the flavor they are cooked in. Not to mention the slow cooker is a hands-off method, making this pork roast perfect not only for Sunday dinners but great for busy weeknights as well.
Now that we have agreed that the slow cooker is the way to go when preparing a pork roast, we need to talk about flavor! Apples and pork are a match made in heaven and when you toss mustard into the mix–well, taste buds are blown! Sweet, savory, tangy, a bit sharp–this Apple Pork Roast recipe is AMAZING!
This slow cooker pork roast with apples is one of the EASIEST, most flavorful meals you will ever make, and if your family is like mine–they will be begging for it again and again.
Ingredients in for Pork Loin Roast
There are 3 key ingredients that make this Crock Pot Pork Loin recipe the BEST!
- Apple Cider–use fresh apple cider or hard apple cider. Do NOT use apple cider vinegar–that is a COMPLETELY different product! Apple juice can be substituted for the cider with great results. Chicken Stock can be substituted with good results.
- Mustard–Dijon mustard is best, but any variety of brown mustard works.
- Pork Loin Roast–For this recipe, a boneless pork loin roast is best, but of course you can use a bone-in pork loin roast if that is all you can find or have on hand.
I also use a few other ingredients that add incredible flavor to this pork loin roast. These can be omitted with great results, the same can not be said if you omit the apple cider or mustard!
- Apples–Granny Smith, McIntosh, or Gala apples work well with this pork loin roast. I would not recommend using Red Delicious, as they get mushy and mealy when cooked. Read here for more information on which apples are best for cooking.
- Onions
- Spice Rub–the spice rub is made with garlic powder, onion powder, coriander, thyme, kosher salt, and pepper. If you do not have those spices or do not care for one of them, omit. Just be sure to at least use kosher salt to season the pork loin well.
How to Cook Pork Roast in a Crock-Pot
- Cut 6 to 8 three-inch slits in the pork roast.
- In each slit, place an apple slice.
- Combine spices and rub all over pork.
- Place pork in slow cooker.
- Add remaining apple slices and onion slices to slow cooker.
- Mix together apple cider with mustard and pour in the slow cooker.
- Cook on high for 4-6 hours or 8-10 hours on low.
Modifications/Tips
- I use a pork loin roast because it is lean and tender. Pork tenderloin or pork butt can be substituted. I would only cook the pork tenderloin for 4 hours on high and the pork butt can be cooked up to 10 hours on low in your slow cooker.
- This Crock Pot Pork Roast recipe is gluten-free, paleo-friendly, dairy-free, corn-free, egg-free, and soy-free–making it a great meal to entertain with for anyone with food allergies/sensitivities.
- I recommend serving this pork with my Hasselback Sweet Potatoes—they pair beautifully with this pork dish and are super easy themselves. But classic mashed potatoes work as well.
- This Apple Pork Roast is great leftover on sandwiches–or even as Shredded Pork Sandwiches.
- Store leftover pork roast in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. I recommend storing with the leftover cooking liquid to keep this pork roast moist.
- Freeze any leftover cooked pork roast with the cooking liquid in a sealed freezer-safe container (leaving a bit of room for the liquid to expand) for up to 3 months. Defrost in refrigerator overnight and then reheat in the slow cooker on low until warmed through, or heat in the microwave in 1-minute intervals until heated through.
More Pork Loin Recipes
- Crock Pot Pork and Sauerkraut
- Instant Pot Pulled Pork
- Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
- Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
Slow Cooker Pork Roast
Ingredients
- 3 pound pork loin roast
- 1 apple any variety--I used a Gala, sliced into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices
- 1 onion quartered
- 12 ounces hard apple cider or regular apple cider
- 1/4 cup Dijion mustard
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onioin powder
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Instructions
- Cut 6-8 3 inch slits in pork roast. In each slit, place an apple slice. Combine spices and rub all over pork.
- Place pork in slow cooker. Around pork roast, lie the remaining apple slices and onions.
- Mix together the mustard and cider and pour into slow cooker.
- Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high 4-6 hours.
- To serve: remove pork from slow cooker. Strain out onions and apple from broth and shred or slice pork and serve with strained braising liquid.
Equipment Needed
Notes
- Store leftover pork roast, with leftover cooking liquid in a sealed container in the the fridge for up to 3 days..
- Freeze any leftover cooked pork roast with the cooking liquid in a sealed freezer safe container (leaving a bit of room for the liquid to expand) for up to 3 months.
- Feel free to substitute the apple cider for apple juice or chicken stock. Do NOT use apple cider vinegar.
- A pork tenderloin or pork butt can be substituted. I would only cook the pork tenderloin for 4 hours on high and the pork butt can be cooked up to 10 hours on low in your slow cooker. But the pork loin roast is the best cut for this crock pot pork roast.
Sorry, but this sentence is confusing to me: “Apple cider can be substituted for the cider with great results.” Can you please clarify?
Apple juice can be substituted 😊 I will make that more clear.
Oh Beverley, YES–I have been in a hurry many times. I am so sorry for your loss of time and ingredients though. Hope the do-over makes the effort worth it.
Hi Amy! Great catch, it was supposed to be 4 hours on high for a pork tenderloin. Now this still cooks the pork tenderloin to 165 degrees and it will be falling apart tender, but not at all dried out.
Can i do this in the oven in a covered heavy pot on low around 225-250
Yes, that will work for the same about of time as well.
We use the slow cooker all the time during the summer months so the kitchen stays cool and we can still have a home cooked meal. I just added this to our to menu because it looks so good.
This is exactly what we do as well! And this is ALWAYS a family favorite.
Look at that fork-tender pork! Perfect for summer and not heating up the whole kitchen.
Exactly–this is pork roast is perfect year round.
Nothing beats a good slow cooked pork recipe 🙂 Thanks for hosting Christine!
Then you will LOVE this Erin!! Enjoy those fresh apples!
Allie, I hope you LOVE it! I am glad you find slow cooker meals so helpful–my brain is full of them 🙂
Oh Sarah, cooking with hard cider is like cooking with beer or wine–such intense flavor can be achieved this way!