Instead of braising in the oven all day, enjoy healthy Pressure Cooker Pork Roast with Apple Gravy.
This is the perfect fall dinner that is ready in little more than an hour.
Why this recipe works:
Instant pot recipes are the absolute best when it comes to dinner time. I have a serious love affair with my pressure cooker. It has completely replaced my crockpot.
- Pork and apples one one of the best pairings!
- A pork shoulder (or pork butt) roast would typically take all day to cook in a slow cooker or in the oven. When using the Instant Pot, however, one hour of pressure cooking creates the most tender and moist pork that just falls apart!
- The saute mode allows you to get a nice brown sear on the meat before you pressure cooking it. This not only adds a wonderful crispy texture, but it creates amazing flavor.
- The roast is cooked with onion, apple, broth and herbs. This combination gets infused into the meat. It is also the base for the gravy.
- The gravy gets made right in the Instant Pot, so no additional pots to dirty!
Ingredients needed:
- Pork shoulder roast (also known as pork butt)
- Salt, pepper, olive oil
- One onion and two apples
- Equal parts chicken broth and apple cider
- Fresh rosemary and sage, plus a bay leaf
- Butter and flour for the gravy
How to make this recipe:
- Step one is to sear the meat until it is nicely browned.
- Then you add onion, apple, apple juice, chicken broth, and a whole bunch of fresh herbs. A little savory and a little sweet is the right flavor profile for this meal. Any time you cook in the pressure cooker, you must add liquid!
- Secure the lid and cook on high pressure for 60 minutes with a slow pressure release.
- I cooked down all those wonderful apples and onions along with the juices from the meat, then I strained out all the solids and thickened it up.
- Finally, create a roux using butter and flour. To that you add the strained liquid. The result was a beautiful savory gravy that tasted like a fall harvest. It reminded me of when I was a kid and we had pork chops with apple sauce for dinner, only much better.
Cooking tips:
- If your meat is frozen or cold, that may increase your cooking time. An additional 10-20 minutes should work. Sure beats the 6-8 hours it would take to braise this meat to tender perfection in a dutch oven or crockpot!
- Any kind of apple will work, but I prefer apple that are both tart and sweet. Pink lady or honeycrisp are what I recommend for this recipe.
- I served this dinner up with some wild rice and fresh green beans sauteed in garlic - YUM! Healthy, fast, and fall flavor for the win!!!
Related recipes:
Love the convenience of cooking a roast in the pressure cooker? You'll have to try these recipes!
- Barbacoa Beef for the best quesadillas
- Shredded Beef for enchiladas, burritos, or tacos
- Pot Roast
- French Dip Sandwiches
If you’ve made this or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out. I love hearing from my readers!
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Pressure Cooker Pork Roast with Apple Gravy
Instead of braising in the oven all day, enjoy healthy Pressure Cooker Pork Roast with Apple Gravy as a perfect fall dinner in little more than an hour.
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Hover to scale: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 pork shoulder roast (3-5 pounds, bone-in recommended)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion (sliced)
- 2 apples (core removed and sliced)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup apple cider
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 3 fresh sage leaves
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
Instructions
- Rinse and thoroughly dry roast. Any moisture will prohibit a nice crust from forming. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Cut into large chunks that are no larger than about 4 inches wide.
- Heat pressure cooker to browning (saute mode) setting. Heat oil and once hot, add pork roast chunks. You may need to brown them in batches to avoid over crowding. Brown for 5 minutes on both sides. If browning in batches, set the seared pieces aside on a plate and once done browning all the meat, transfer them back to the Instant Pot along with any juices that have accumulated on the plate.
- Add onion, apples, broth, juice, rosemary, sage, and bay leave. Close lid and set to high pressure. Cook at high pressure for 60 minutes. Allow to naturally release pressure once done cooking.
- Once you can remove the lid, carefully remove roast, set on plate, and loosely tent with aluminum foil.
- Strain out all the solids from the liquid by pressing through a fine mesh sieve. Discard solids and reserve the liquid for the gravy.
- Using your the Instant Pot on the saute setting, heat butter and flour in the empty hot pot and allow to cook until golden brown while stirring constantly, about 3-5 minutes. Whisk in the hot liquid to form the gravy and stir well until thoroughly mixed and thickened.
- To serve, shred the pork roast away from the bone and remove any remaining fat. Smother it with the apple gravy.
Notes
- If your meat is frozen or cold, that may increase your cooking time. An additional 10-20 minutes should work. Sure beats the 6-8 hours it would take to braise this meat to tender perfection in a dutch oven or crockpot!
- Any kind of apple will work, but I prefer apple that are both tart and sweet. Pink lady or honeycrisp are what I recommend for this recipe.
- I served this dinner up with some wild rice and fresh green beans sauteed in garlic - YUM! Healthy, fast, and fall flavor for the win!!!
NUTRITION INFORMATION
Calories: 417kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 138mg | Sodium: 724mg | Potassium: 793mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 220IU | Vitamin C: 8.7mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 2.7mg
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This post was originally created in Sept 2016 and has been updated with more helpful information and cooking tips. Don't worry - I didn't change the recipe!
Ginger Burch
This meal is wonderful and the gravy is so good I wish we had a double batch.
Patricia Barry
I can't wait to try this.
JT
This was YUMMY, five stars all the way. Love pressure cooker recipes, so easy. Toddler approved as well. Lots of juice to make sauce with after and plenty to freeze for a quick meal later. Thank you.
Lisa Beairsto
I'm going to try this,but i was thinking of using my immersion blender to use all the fruit and veggies to use them up.
Josee Marchessault
I think this is a great idea! I will try that as well.
Anna
Discovered this recipe today and omg it was YUMMO. Used my stick blender to whizz up the apples and onions to go with juices into gravy and it was simply divine. This recipe is a keeper!
Krissy
Thank you for the kind comment, Anna! Glad you enjoyed.
Lisa Gatfield
What setting do i use after sautee?
Krissy
After you saute, you'll set your pressure cooker to high pressure to continue cooking.
Harold
I have a question in the first step, what do you mean by dry roasting the meat after rinsing it?
Krissy
Pat it down with paper towels to remove any excess moisture.
LAUREN
This was my first time using the foodie pressure cooker and I’m hooked! The recipe was delicious and sooo easy!
Amelia
Hi I love your recipes and wanted to try this one. I have a power pressure cooker XL and have never actually used it yet. There's lots of settings on it but I don't see one for Browning and was wondering what you suggest?
Krissy
Is there a setting that says sear or saute? Saute is what I use on my IP. -Krissy
Judi Williams
This sounds delish! How can this recipe be modified for oven cooking? I do not have an instant pot.
Krissy
You would have to braise it in a dutch oven. Low and slow. Maybe 250 or 300 F for 6-8 hours?
Kate
This was fantastic! My whole family loved the gravy and we are going to make it to have available for Thanksgiving.
Thank so much!!
Krissy
Thanks for letting me know, Kate! -Krissy
Josee Marchessault
This is amazing. I made as written except I sautées the onions and apples prior to adding liquid, and added a touch of Dijon mustard when I reduced the sauce. Served with rosemary roasted potatoes. Plenty leftover to freeze!
Joyce Bedingfield
I was so impressed with this roast, but the apple gravy was the the best!!
Krissy
Thank you! Glad you liked it!
Julie
This was delicious and simple. The gravy was flavorful and really compliments the pork. I served it with sauteed chanterelles. In a few weeks, I'm having company over and will make this with soft polenta, roasted delicata squash and garlicky sauteed mixed greens.
Krissy
Sounds amazing. I'll be watching my inbox for the invitation. 🙂
Keshia
Should I reduce ingredients or cook time with a smaller roast?
Krissy
Hi Keshia, I've never actually over cooked anything in the pressure cooker, but you could certainly reduce the cooking time. If you do and the roast doesn't fall apart, just close the lid and give it more time. As far as the gravy, you can reduce the ingredients there as well if you want less.
Brenda
This is in my pot now. I substituted onion powder for real onions as my husband doesnt like them. And I added a splash of orange juice. Should be good.
Frank
Krissy, can you please recommend a pressure cooker.
I havea to buy one for some time now but have not been able to make a decision on which one to buy. thank you for your help.
Krissy
Hi Frank, I have both a Cuisinart and Instant Pot electric pressure cooker. I like both but find myself using the Instant Pot more. You can't go wrong. You'll LOVE it!
Frank
Thank you.
Andrea
I don’t believe my grocer carries a bone in roast. What would change if I use a boneless roast?
Krissy
Hi Andrea, You could probably shorten the cook time by about 10 minutes if you use a boneless roast. It's actually hard to screw up in the pressure cooker!
Mary T Hetherington
This was very good. my pork roast was probably bigger than the recipe called for and the gravy was not thick enough so I added more thickening.
Sheila
I made this tonight using a boneless pork shoulder roast and followed the same timing...it turned out so tender and delicious!! Will definitely be making this again!!
Kabri Lehrman-Schmid
Your narrative calls this a recipe for a pork lion roast, but your recipe calls for a shoulder. Can you confirm the cut? One is leaner and the cooking time would be an impact depending on the cut. Thank you! Flavors look great!
Krissy
Hi Kabri, Sorry for the confusion! I made this recipe with a pork shoulder. It would work with the pork loin as well, but it would definitely be more lean. I'll update that info in the body of the post now. Thanks for highlighting!
Chelsea Lamb
We loved loved loved this recipe!! I'm always a little bit worried trying new recipes from blogs (I've been burnt a few times by recipes that didn't pan out...), I'm so glad we tried this. Rave reviews from all!!
Rick Kelly
This looks wonderful ! New Instant Pot owner and looking for new recipes to try. I have had a few blips / burns due to "new IP models cook at higher temp / need more liquid than older original models." I believe some of the recipes I was trying were originally made for earlier models that didn't cook at such a high temp (?). A good indicator of an older recipe seems to be if they call for less than 9at least) 1 1/2 cups of liquid 92 is better ?) This is the first IP recipe I have read that requires one hour cook time. That seems remarkably long time for an IP ....but again - I am new to this whole thing. I just want to make sure the cook time is accurate for the "newer (2018) models that cook at higher temp?" It is too disappointing to prepare the meal and savor the moment you open the IP only to find the meal is over-cooked - or to have the nasty BURN indicator come on during cooking. Please help - and Thanks !
Krissy
Hi Rick, I don't have a newer model and have never heard that. How awful! What I have found, though, is that if you are unsure, more liquid is always an option that works. Also, if the cooking time seems too long for the size of your roast, you can certainly shorten it. Then you can check for doneness, tenderness, and internal temperature. If it needs more time, just lock the lid and cook longer. I've done that countless times!
Rick Kelly
Hi Again Krissy - The Apple Gravy from this recipe is AMAZING ! I even had a 2nd bowl of mashed potatoes with the gravy for dessert instead of my usual ice cream ! Concerned about running the pressure cooker for 60 minutes I cut back the cook time for the pork to 50 minutes and it still came out a bit over cooked and dry.
Next go-round on this one I will cut back to 35 minutes of cook time under pressure and see how that goes. The longest cook time in any of the recipes included with the cooker only go as long as 35 minutes.
I do continue to read articles . recipes that say the newer Duo models of the IP (like the 6 Qrt 7-in-1 Model I just purchased) require 1 1/2 cups - 2 cups of liquid - and do cook at a high temp = shorter cooking time. I see now this recipe originally was created in 2016 - probably when the older models were being used. I hope to do more research as to the differences of the newer models to make sure every recipe comes out perfectly. But I def will make this again and again. The gravy alone is killer ! Everyone in the office asked for a copy of it ! Thanks so much.
Krissy
Glad you liked it! Yeah... I'm friends with an Instapot expert (https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/). I'm gonna ask her what's up with the newer model needing more liquid. I just had no idea!
Joanna Johnson
I’m making this now and not sure how long to cook. I have a 7 pound center cut boneless pork loin. Do I still cook for 60 minutes? I have an 8 quart instapot 🙂
Krissy
I would do the 60 minutes and then check with a thermometer when done. You need the internal temp to be at 145F. If not cooked in the middle, close lid and cook maybe 15min longer and check again. Just be sure you set the roast out at room temp for at least an hour before cooking since its so big.
Eryn
I would love to try this... some recipes let you cook from frozen. What adjustments would you make here to allow for that?
Krissy
Hi Eryn, I cook frozen meat in the pressure cooker all the time. I usually just add time to the cooking process and check for doneness when I think it's done. If the internal temp of the pork is not yet at 145 degrees F when you open the lid, just close/lock the lid and add another 10-20 minutes. I've had a really hard time messing up recipes in the Instant Pot like that.
MHudak
Excellent. Used 7 lb roast, Next time I will try 4-5 Gala apples for more apple flavor. Such a nice change from pulled pork.
Tyler
So simply first time making it turned out great defiantly making that again!!!
Julie
Great recipe, will do again! I strained the chunks from the gravy, added some more fresh apple juice and zested a half of a fresh peeled apple for a deeper apple flavor. Also, added some diet rootbear, read this from another web site.
Chelli Whelan
Would like to give this a try. If my meat is frozen, I would imagine that searing won’t work— is that correct? Will it still turn out? Thanks!
Krissy
I've actually seared frozen meat. Not ideal and it takes longer, but it is possible. Enjoy! -Krissy
Donna
When you talk about the recipe you talk about using cider. But in the instructions of the recipe and the ingredient list you list apple juice. Since there is a difference in the spices and the tartness between apple cider and apple juice which is the one that you use?
Krissy
Thanks for pointing that out. I changed the recipe to say cider since I only ever use cider. Juice will work, but I find cider yields much more flavor.
Michele
I have a 1 pound boneless pork loin roast. What are the things I should modify in terms of the time. This sounds great! thanks 🙂
Michele
actually it's almost 2 pounds...1.6 lbs correction from above
Krissy
You could cut all of the other ingredients in half. Keep in mind that a pork loin roast will need to be sliced and will come out more like pork chops. You won't be able to shred it like in my photos because a pork loin is much more lean than a pork shoulder. I would also reduce the cooking time. Maybe start with 20 minutes and check the meat with a thermometer. You'll want it to be 145-165 degrees. The pork shoulder needs to cook to a much hotter temperature in order to shred, but this cut would just need to hit 145 and then let it rest.
Lauren
I have a 5.86 lbs bone in roast I’d like to use for this. Rather than trying to figure out how to cut through the bone for 4” chunks how would I adjust the time if I did it as a whole roast?
Krissy
My rule of thumb for a whole roast is at least 60 minutes on high pressure. Then I see if it is cooked all the way through by inserting a high quality meat thermometer. If it needs to continue cooking, just secure the lid and continue cooking. Super easy!
Melissa
Really delicious! Followed recipe as written and served with homemade apple sauce, Brussel spouts, and a parsnip-potato mash. My son, who doesn’t love gravy, said this was delicious! He had seconds on the gravy, and then thirds!
Melody S.
We tried this a couple days ago. OMG! it was absolutely awesome! Thanks for sharing the recipe! I'm looking forward to more of them!