This Sweet and Sour Pork brings crispy pan-fried pork together with garlic, celery, sweet bell peppers, and pineapple in a tasty sweet and sour sauce. It is so much better than takeout with healthy, wholesome ingredients and no deep frying.
Indulge in Sweet and Sour Pork
Indulge in a combination of tangy and sweet flavors with this popular Chinese dish. Learn how to make sweet and sour pork with pineapple in just a few easy steps. It is incredibly delicious, and with a bit of planning, it comes together quite quickly. For extra tenderness, marinate the pork for 30 minutes. Then, bead it and pan-fry it in a bit of oil to get it good and crispy. I love to serve it over a bed of rice with a side of egg rolls, pork dumplings, or lettuce wraps.
Sweet and Sour Pork Ingredients
How to make Sweet and Sour Pork
Marinate the Pork
Start by marinating the pork in a beaten egg with a little soy sauce for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the garlic, celery, peppers, and green onions and cut the pineapple.
Make the Sweet and Sour Sauce
In a small saucepan, heat a little oil over low heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Stir in the chicken broth, pineapple juice, soy sauce, rice vinegar, crushed red pepper, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer the sauce for about 10 minutes. Whisk together a little bit of cornstarch with some cool water. Whisk into the sauce and continue cooking until slightly thickened.
Make the Stir Fry
Put some cornstarch and flour in a large plastic bag. Use tongs to remove the pork from the marinade, shaking it to remove any excess marinade. Working in batches, add the pork to the bag and shake to coat. Add a little oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Once it is good and hot, add the coated pork and cook until it is brown, crispy, and cooked through. Once browned, remove to an ovenproof rack to drain and place it in the oven on warm.
Carefully wipe out the skillet if needed, as it will be very hot. Heat a bit more oil in the skillet over medium heat and add your celery and bell peppers. Cook the veggies until they just start to soften. Add the pineapple and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Add the fried pork, simmered sauce, and chopped green onions, and toss to coat and heat through. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. For best results, serve this homemade sweet and sour pork promptly.
What to serve with Sweet and Sour Pork
- Crab rangoon
- Gyoza
- White or brown rice
- Egg drop soup
- Asian chopped salad
- Rice noodles or udon noodles
- Wonton soup
- Asian noodle salad
- Hot and sour soup
- Asian cucumber salad
- Beef tenderloin rumaki
Recipe Tips
- If available, use fresh pineapple chunks instead of canned, as they are so flavorful.
- Plan on serving this promptly so the pork is crispy, and the peppers aren’t soggy.
- If you like a little heat, add a few pinches of crushed red pepper or dashes of sriracha sauce.
- When breading and frying the pork, work in small batches. Cook the pork until it is brown, crispy, and cooked through.
- You can use any colored bell peppers. But I think an assortment makes the dish look more attractive.
- If you know you are reserving some of the dish or another meal, remove that amount without adding the pineapple. Then, add the pineapple right before serving your leftovers. Pineapple is very acidic, and it will change the texture of the meat.
Storage and Reheat
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Remove the pineapple to a separate airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days. Combine and reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave at reduced power.
More Stir Fry Recipes
Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe
Ingredients
Marinade
- 1 1/4 pound pork tenderloin or pork loin cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
Sweet and Sour Sauce
- 1 tablespoon canola oil or vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1/3 cup pineapple juice
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup ketchup preferably organic
- 1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Stir Fry
- 5 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 3 tablespoons canola oil or vegetable oil
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 1 yellow or orange bell pepper chopped
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 1/2 pineapple cored and cut in chunks
- 2 green onions chopped
Instructions
- Add pork, egg, and soy sauce in a medium bowl or zipper storage bag. Marinate for 30 minutes.
- In a small saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over low heat. Add garlic and ginger; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add chicken broth, pineapple juice, soy sauce, rice vinegar, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and, if desired, crushed red pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes. Whisk 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cool water. Whisk into the sauce and cook on low until slightly thickened; 2-3 minutes.
- Combine 4 tablespoons of cornstarch and flour in a large zipper bag. Shake to combine. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Using tongs remove the pork from the marinade. Add pork to a bag and shake to coat. Using tongs, remove the coated pork and add pork to the skillet cooking for about 3 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Remove to an ovenproof wire rack and place the pork in the oven on warm.
- Carefully wipe out the skillet with a paper towel; it will be hot. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet over medium heat. Add the celery and peppers to the skillet and cook until just starting to soften, approximately 4-5 minutes. Add the pineapple and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Add the simmered sauce, fried pork, and green onions to the pan. Heat through for 1-2 minutes. Serve promptly.
Notes
- If available, use fresh pineapple chunks instead of canned, as it is so full of flavor.
- Plan on serving this promptly so the pork is still crispy, and the peppers aren't soggy.
- If you like a little heat, add a few pinches of crushed red pepper or a couple of dashes of sriracha sauce.
- When breading and frying the pork, work in small batches. Cook the pork until it is brown, crispy, and cooked through.
- You can use any colored bell peppers. but I think an assortment makes the dish look more attractive.
- If you know you are reserving some of the dish or another meal, remove that amount without adding the pineapple. Then add the pineapple right before serving your leftovers. Pineapple is very acidic, and it will change the texture of the meat.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container but remove the pineapple to a separate container. Combine and reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave at reduced power.
Nutrition
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Caroline
Great sweet and sour pork 👌 recipe. Thank you for sharing
Beth Pierce
Thanks! The pleasure is all mine!
Jack
I rate this 5 because it is so good. I really enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing!
Rosey
This would be great to make when my oldest son comes to visit. Sweet and Sour Pork is one of his favorites He does most of the cooking for his family, so it’s nice to spoil him sometimes with a meal he didn’t make.
Beth Pierce
That would be really nice. I am sure he would appreciate it.
Melanie Edjourian
I love sweet and sour dishes. Sweet and sour pork is so tasty. I love it with fresh pineapple too, it makes a big difference.
Elizabeth
I used fresh pineapple instead of canned as you mentioned and it was indeed great. I loved it. I can make this sweet and sour pork again and again.
Beth Pierce
Thanks Elizabeth! So glad that you liked it!
Heatherkleinwolf
Another 5 star recipe from Small Town Woman. So much better than restaurant takeout pork!
Beth Pierce
Thanks Heather! So glad that you like it!!
Millie
I love sweet and sour pork! This recipe was delicious and easy. Thanks for sharing it.
Cinny
Thanks for the great recipe. We loved it and we will make it again!
Bill
I just made this last night’s dinner and Got high praise from my family. I’m certainly making this again.
Beth Pierce
Thanks Bill! So happy that you and your family enjoyed it.
brianne
Wow, you just convinced me that I gotta try this. This sweet and sour pork looks so delicious!
Alita
I love sweet and sour pork. I always make this at home but I use a packet for the sauce which I just buy from the supermarket. But yours is so much better. I will make it again with your recipe.
Heather
Ohh this sweet and sour pork was so delicious. I can’t wait to make it again.
Maureen
This sounds so good and funny how I am reading about it because I actually just used my air fryer to make tofu sweet and sour last week! I did use a bit much cornstarch though so I will try your recipe and see if this works better for me. Also, if you didn’t want to pan fry the pork or protein you are using would you recommend baking?
Beth Pierce
You could bake it or air fry it.
Christine
Yum! This dish looks delicious and easy enough to make. I am always looking for new recipes to try. Thank you!
Colleen
Really good recipe, the pork turned out nice and crispy with the corn starch dunk. I added a medium sized white onion, cut into large chunks with the peppers, turned out great.
Beth Pierce
Thanks Colleen! So glad that you liked it!
Tara Pittman
I have some pork in my freezer. I need to make this for my husband.