Instant Pot Pork Chops are done in the pressure cooker in just 30 minutes and make an easy weeknight meal that can be paired with any side dish. This easy meal will quickly become one of your go-to dinners.
You might not have considered making pork chops in the Instant Pot before, but it’s actually one of the easiest and best ways to cook them. Instead of frying them on the stovetop and making a mess with the splattered grease, put them in the Instant Pot for a no-mess meal.
There are two ways you can make pork chops in the Instant Pot. You can use the sauté mode to give them a bit of a sear before pressure cooking them, or if you’re in a hurry, you can skip the sauté step and just pressure cook. You can even cook them from frozen.
I prefer to sear them first because it adds to the flavor and looks more appealing, but if you’re going to be serving them with a sauce, it won’t make as much of a difference. After trying this recipe you will want to try these ranch pork chops cooked in the Instant Pot as well.
Why You’ll Love It
- Time Efficiency: Instant Pot pork chops offer a quick and easy meal solution. With the pressure cooking function, your pork chops cook in a fraction of the time it would take using traditional methods like baking or frying.
- Tender and Juicy Results: Pressure cooking ensures that your pork chops come out tender, juicy, and full of flavor.
- Versatility: Instant Pot pork chops are incredibly versatile, allowing you to customize them to suit your tastes.
Suzy says: 
This recipe fits my requirements; simple, quick and TASTY. I made this as is – no substitutions. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Angie Shelton says: Thank you for this recipe! It is the only way I will make pork chops from now on. Whole family loved them!!!
Jan Z says: The pork chops were so flavorful and tender. My husband wants me to make them again tonight!
» You might also like these 20 Delicious Instant Pot Pork Recipes.
Ingredients Needed
- 4 boneless pork chops (approximately 6 ounces each, 1 – 1 1/2″ thick). You can use bone-in chops as well. If your chops are thicker, they may take a minute longer to cook. Look here if you need a pork roast recipe.
- Garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt & ground black pepper
- Water
- Cooking oil
Equipment Needed
- Instant Pot – I use a 6-quart Instant Pot Plus to make all of my recipes. The Instant Pot Duo is also a popular model, especially for beginners. If you’re using an 8-quart pot, you will need to adjust the amount of liquid accordingly, as it requires more than the 6 quart to build steam.
- Whisk – I use a whisk to deglaze the pan after browning the pork chops. You could also use a wooden spoon or silicone spatula.
Helpful Tips
- You can cook up to 12 pieces of pork in the Instant Pot at the same time with this recipe, no additional time is necessary. Just make sure you don’t exceed the max fill line. And add more seasoning so all pork chops get a good amount.
- You don’t need to defrost frozen pork chops to cook them in the Instant Pot. If you cook them from frozen, you just need to add 2 minutes to the cook time.
- You can stack the pork chops on top of each other, if there are too many for one layer.
- Make sure the Instant Pot is hot before adding the pork chops. This will help get a good sear on the meat.
- Searing the pork chops on both sides will create a golden crust and enhance the flavor. You can skip this step, but you’re also skipping a lot of flavor building. Be sure not to exceed one minute per side, or they chops might become overcooked during the pressure cooking.
- The recommended internal temperature to assure the meat is safe to eat is 145° F(60°C) to 160° F(70°C).
How to Cook Pork Chops in the Instant Pot
For the best results, buy boneless pork chops that are at least 1 inch thick with a little bit of marbling, but not a large fat layer around the edges. A small amount of fat will get rendered well in the Instant Pot, but a thick layer really need to be seared to turn out well.
Step 1: Season
Season the pork chops with garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt and ground black pepper.
Step 2: Sauté
Heat the Instant Pot on sauté mode until hot. Add 1 tablespoon cooking oil. Place the pork chops into the pot and sear them for 2-3 minutes per side. Turn off sauté mode and remove the chops from the inner pot.
Step 3: Pressure cook
Pour in a cup of water. Scrape up any brown bits from the bottom. If you skip this step, you might find your Instant Pot screaming at you with the Burn message.
Place the pork chops into the inner pot. You can stack them on top of each other, if there are too many for one layer.
Lock the lid and set the vent to sealing. Press the pressure cook button and set the timer to 5 minutes. When the time is up, allow a natural pressure release for 5 minutes, then release the remaining pressure.
One of the most common questions I get asked about pork chops is why are my pork chops tough in the Instant Pot? There are two answers.
They may be tough because you haven’t cooked them long enough. Cooking them under pressure helps break down the meat. Secondly, many people swear by allowing a full pressure release when cooking pork. In this recipe, we only give a 5-minute natural release because if you let it go longer, it can result in the meat being overcooked. However, if yours turned out tough the first time you make it, you might consider doing a full natural release next time.
How to Cook Frozen Pork Chops
You can cook the pork chops in the Instant Pot from frozen. You just won’t be able to get a sear on them first. Just cook the pork chops as you normally would, but add 2 minutes of extra time to the cooking. That’s really all it takes. Nothing else special you need to do.
If you’re cooking extra thick pork chops – like 2″ bone-in chops, you might need to add 2 minutes to cook thoroughly, but I find that 5 minutes is perfect almost every time.
How to Serve Instant Pot Pork Chops
These pork chops turn out very tender and ready to eat. Make sure to let them rest for a few minutes to allow the juices to settle. You can set them directly on the plate and eat them as is. They’re lightly seasoned, and go with everything.
You can serve them as is or with a sauce of your choice, such as a mushroom gravy or a creamy Dijon sauce. You might try these Instant Pot Ranch Pork Chops for something a little different.
If you like pork chops with gravy substitute the water for broth and use the leftover liquid in the pot to make gravy. Then you can serve the pork chops with mashed potatoes, gravy, and your favorite vegetable.
How to Store and Reheat
To store leftover Instant Pot pork chops, allow them to cool to room temperature and then transfer them to an airtight container. You can store them in the refrigerator for up to four days or in the freezer for up to three months.
When reheating, you can use a microwave, oven, or stovetop. To reheat in the:
- Microwave – Place the pork chops on a microwave-safe dish and cover with a damp paper towel. Heat in 30-second increments, checking for doneness between each interval.
- Oven – Preheat the oven to 350°F(175°C), place the pork chops in an oven-safe dish, cover with foil, and bake for 10-15 minutes or until heated through.
- Stovetop – Place the pork chops in a non-stick pan over medium heat, and cook until heated through, stirring occasionally.
What to Serve With Instant Pot Pork Chops
You can serve this dish with any side dish you like. That’s the best part – they go with everything.
Try serving them with these sides that you can also make in the Instant Pot:
Alternatives & Additions
There are many ways you can change up the flavor of your Instant Pot pork chop. Here are a few alternatives and additions to try:
Questions About the Recipe
How long do you cook pork chops in the Instant Pot?
In this recipe we sear the pork chops for 2-3 minutes per side and then pressure cook for 5 minutes. When it is done cooking allow a natural pressure release of 5 minutes then manually release the remaining pressure.
What is the best way to cook pork chops so they aren’t dry?
Searing the pork chops before cooking helps lock in the moisture and keeps them from drying out. Also, try not to overcook them. The leaner the pork chop the faster it will dry out. Choose a well marbled pork chop because the fat will keep it moist.
How can I tell if the pork is cooked through?
The best way to know if the meat is done or not is to test it with a meat thermometer. Pork should be 145° F(60°C) for medium to 160° F(70°C)
for well done. You might find that your Instant Pot doesn’t perform the same as mine and your pork chops turn out more or less done than mine. If you want them to be a specific internal temperature, you will have to test it.
Other Pressure Cooker Pork Chop Recipes
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Instant Pot Boneless Pork Chops
Note: Made in a 6-qt Instant Pot
Equipment
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 4 boneless pork chops (approximately 6 oz each)
- 1 teaspoon (3 g) garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon (2 g) Italian seasoning
- Salt & ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) Cooking oil
- 1 cup (237 ml) water
Instructions
- Sprinkle pork chops on both sides with garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
- Heat the Instant Pot on saute mode until hot. Add 1 tbsp cooking oil. Place the pork chops into the pot and sear them for 2-3 minutes per side. Turn off saute mode and remove the chops from the inner pot.
- Pour in 1 cup water. Whisk up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot, then return the pork chops to the pot.
- Lock the lid and set the vent to sealing. Press the pressure cook button and set the timer to 5 minutes.
- When the time is up, allow a natural pressure release for 5 minutes, then release the remaining pressure.
- Remove the lid and transfer the chops to a serving plate.
Notes
- You can cook up to 12 pieces of pork in the Instant Pot at the same time with this recipe, no additional time is necessary. Just make sure you don’t exceed the max fill line. And add more seasoning so all pork chops get a good amount.
- You don’t need to defrost frozen pork chops to cook them in the Instant Pot. If you cook them from frozen, you just need to add 2 minutes to the cook time.
- You can stack the pork chops on top of each other, if there are too many for one layer.
- Make sure the Instant Pot is hot before adding the pork chops. This will help get a good sear on the meat.
- Searing the pork chops on both sides will create a golden crust and enhance the flavor. You can skip this step, but you’re also skipping a lot of flavor building. Be sure not to exceed one minute per side, or they chops might become overcooked during the pressure cooking.
- The recommended internal temperature to assure the meat is safe to eat is 145° F(60°C)
to 160° F(70°C)
.
Nutrition
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Laura is a passionate home cook and the owner of A Pressure Cooker Kitchen. She is dedicated to helping people create delicious Instant Pot meals with ease. Laura is an expert at developing recipes that can be prepared quickly and easily using a pressure cooker.
are the pork chops sitting in the water when they cook ordo you raise them on a trivet? I’d like to try this ASAP. thanks
I just set them directly in the water, but you can raise them up on the trivet too, if you want. Both ways work great.
Thank you for the recipe, please adjust cooking time for a 5 star recipe. For boneless 1 inch pork chops, use butter and oil to saute (eliminates popping of oil) 1 min each side on high. Adjust pressure cook time to 5 minutes, with 5 minutes natural release , then manual release after. Take the chops and let them rest on foiled serving dish. You can use 1/2 cup of water and 2 rounded TBS (mix) and add it to the pot juices, whisk on high (saute mode) , until you get gravy! Delicious!
Hi Laura. It’s great that you enjoyed the recipe at 5 minutes high pressure. I’ve always found that 8 minutes high pressure is perfect.
I am concerned about the timing for cooking. I often make frozen pork or chicken always boneless (& skinless for chicken). I always have to pull up a recipe so I can remind myself of the timing. Some recipes like yours say 5 mins. Others say 30 mins the only difference is I add small chunks of potatoes and a pack of pork chop or roast seasoning. Instead of adding all the other ingredients. I know potatoes even whole potatoes cook in just mins. I’m very uncomfortable with just cooking for the 5 mins, because I’m afraid of them being undercooked and making us sick. I often over cook my meats because of this fear. Rather I fry, bake or pressure cook them. Do you know for positive 5 mins will get them done and not undercooked. I do not stack I will place 1 on the bottom and stand the rest around on a trivet. Thank y’all.
Kat, my recipe suggests 8 minutes under high pressure and 5 minute natural release for 6oz pork chops that are NOT frozen and 8 minutes+ for frozen. Cooking for 5 minutes for frozen pork chops will not be enough time. The best way to know if they are done and won’t make you sick is to check the temp with a meat thermometer as soon as the lid comes off.
Amazing! My pork chops were a good 2 inches thick so I put them in the Insta pot for 10 minutes they turned out amazing I did forget to season the first side so I season the second side heavily and then re-season the browned side. The drippings were so good I made gravy! This one is a keeper.
Thank you
This recipe fits my requirements; simple, quick and TASTY. I made this as is – no substitutions. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Glad you liked it, Suzy.
Great as is but easy to modify if I choose. Thank you for sharing!
Yes, it’s definitely easy to adjust if you want something slightly different. Thanks for the feedback.
My pork chops were thinner (about 5 ounces each) and I had eight of them. I saute’d them for two minutes on each side in 3 batches. I added 1/2 cup more water, adjusted the seasonings like you suggested, and I pressure cooked them for 9 minutes instead of 10 because they were thinner. They turned out very tender and my whole family loved them. Definitely an easy and delicious meal. Thanks!
Great feedback, Cheryl. Thanks.
I’m so confused about cooking time. I have 6 one inchers in there. Had them set to 5 minutes, but just went into the kitchen and bumped it up to 8 minutes. we shall see.
Julie, if you pre-seared the pork chops as the recipe instructs for 2-3 minutes per side, then 1″ pork chops should take no more than 5 minutes on high pressure, even if there are 6-8 in there at the same time.
It’s just me. How & how long do I cook just one bone in pork chop?
One pork chop will cook for the same amount of time.
This is definitely what’s for dinner tonight. I’m using pretty thick chops though (everything’s bigger at Costco), I think these are at least 1.5″ if not a shade more. Should I increase the cook time?
Tina, I use the same cook time for all my pork chops, regardless of how thick they are. I don’t think you’ll need to adjust it.
You don’t give good instructions if the chops are frozen . Please help
Hi Sarah, if your pork chops are frozen add 2 minutes to the cooking time, making the total cooking time 10 minutes instead of 8. I hope they come out great for you!
Do we still add the oil?
No, you wouldn’t need the oil since it is there to help sear the pork chops. You would skip that step with frozen pork chops.
Added a can mushroom soup and can of shitake mushrooms with water.
I followed exactly with fresh (not frozen) chops about 1” thick. They came out like bricks…not tender at all. I am not sure why they were so tough.. 🙁
It’s usually the type of chops that can make them turn out tough, because they can be very lean. You need to use thicker, marbled chops for them to not get tough. You can also lower the cooking time, as I suspect your were overcooked due to size or fat ratio.
I loved the simplicity of this recipe, but my pork chops turned out to be dry and chewy. I followed the recipe exactly so I’m wondering what it is that I did wrong, if anything?
I’m sorry to hear that Shawna. I’ve made this dozens of times and never had them turn out that way. It could be the thickness of the pork or the fat ratio, if they were very lean they might turn out dry.
Easy. Thanks for the recipe. Added a packet of mushroom gravy. Should have taken out some of the liquid, but worked fine.
Some of the best pork chops i’ve ever made. Used dry ranch dressing instead of the Italian seasoning and cut up some veggies to go into the pot (also coated them in the ranch dressing) and it was WONDERFUL! Thank You!
Had for supper! Very tasty.
I am going to try this. This will be the first time I have ever used my pot.. i hope they turn out right.
Good luck with your first use, Tammy! That’s exciting.
Thank you for this recipe! It is the only way I will make pork chops from now on. Whole family loved them!!!
So glad you liked it. We use that recipe all the time. 🙂
I love pork chops, but whenever it is pan fried, they always turn gummy and tough. Maybe an instant pot can finally let us have tender pork chops again
I just made these, starting from frozen. Really good. So easy.
Four small boneless were tough. Will slice thin use in bbq sauce with buns. Gravy fabulous taste in mashed potatoes.
Four small boneless, thick pork chops turned out very tough. The brown gravy was beautiful and tasty.
Hi Patricia. I’m sorry to hear that your pork chops turned out tough, especially if they were 6oz and thicker than 1″. That shows that your Instant Pot cooks hot, so I would reduce the time by 3 minutes if you make it again.
I love using my Instant Pot, but I had never tried cooking pork chops in it until I found this recipe. SO easy!
The pork chops were so flavorful and tender. My husband wants me to make them again tonight!
I’m new to using an Instant Pot – do I need to brown the pork chops first, or can I just add them straight to the Instant Pot?
Searing the pork chops on both sides will create a golden crust and enhance the flavor. You can skip this step, but you’re also skipping a lot of flavor building.
Can I use bone-in pork chops in this recipe, or does it work best with boneless?
Bone-in is fine!
So easy! Thanks for sharing.