This Instant Pot Pork Roast Recipe is a simple way to cook a pork roast that is flavorful and tender in a fraction of the time.
Why You’ll Love It
- The Instant Pot is an incredible tool in the kitchen for making dishes that usually take a long time. In the pressure cooker, you can drastically cut down the cooking time for dishes like this tender pork roast.
- It goes with just about any side dish you want to serve, so you don’t have to put a lot of thought into what to make for dinner.
jackie sperry says: 
yummy! Cooking time was perfect!
mia says: My family couldn’t get enough of it and there were no leftovers to spare!!
Which Cut of Pork to Use
There are a few different cuts of pork that make a good pork roast. You can use pork shoulder (also called pork butt), pork leg, or loin.
Pork Shoulder
I cook a LOT of pork shoulder in the instant pot, for things like carnitas or pulled pork – great for pulled pork gnocchi, that benefit from slow cooking. It turns out so tender and falls apart easily to shred it.
Pork Leg
When I’m making a pork roast that I want to be able to slice and serve with a side dish, I typically use pork leg. I mostly find pork leg weighing around 2-4 pounds, which fits nicely in the 6 – 8 quart Instant Pot and feeds around 4-8 people.
Pork leg turns out in one large pieces of meat, while pork shoulder tends to be more marbled. That’s what makes it so great for pulled pork.
The pork leg roast pictured above is a 3 pound roast that is about 5 inches thick. A 3 pound roast will cook in 90 minutes in the Instant Pot.
Pork Loin
Pork loin is the leanest cut of meat and doesn’t have much fat. It’s also usually sold in smaller roasts that are thinner. Thus, a pork loin will cook a lot faster in the Instant Pot. Overcooking can quickly lead to dry pork. That’s why I mostly avoid this cut.
» You might also like this Instant Pot Pork Chops and these Instant Pot Side Dishes to Serve with Anything.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Pork roast – There are a few different cuts of pork that make a good pork roast. You can use pork shoulder (also called pork butt), pork leg, or loin. We like to use a 3 pound pork shoulder.
- Cooking oil – You can use any cooking oil you like.
- Salt and ground black pepper
- Cornstarch – Used to thicken the cooking liquid into gravy.
Equipment Needed
- Instant Pot – I use a 6-quart Instant Pot Plus to make all of my recipes. 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.
- Kitchen tongs – It’s very easy to remove food from your Instant Pot with kitchen tongs. I use these kitchen tongs
Helpful Tips
- A smaller roast will take less time to cook. As a rule of thumb, cook for 15 minutes per pound.
- When making gravy, do not leave the sauté mode on for too long. It can get too hot and burn the gravy.
- A pork leg weighing around 2-4 pounds fits nicely in the 6 – 8 quart Instant Pot and feeds around 4-8 people.
- Sear the pork on all sides. This will give the pork a nice browned and flavorful crust.
Instant Pot Pork Roast
Note: Made in a 6-qt Instant Pot
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 pound (1.36 kg) pork roast
- 1 cup (237 ml) water
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon (9 g) salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) black pepper
- 1 tablespoon (14 g) cooking oil
For the gravy (optional)
- 2 tablespoons (16 g) cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon (15 g) cold water
Instructions
- Trim the roast to remove skin and top fat, if necessary. Pat dry.
- Mix the seasonings in a small bowl. Rub the seasoning all over the pork.
- Turn on saute mode on the Instant Pot. Add the cooking oil to the pot. When hot, add the pork roast and brown on both sides, about 3 minutes each. Turn off the Instant Pot and remove the roast.
- Add the water and whisk any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Lay the pork roast in the water.
- Lock the lid and set the valve to sealing. Press the pressure cook button and set the cook time to 45 minutes on high.
- When the cooking cycle is finished, allow the pot to depressurize naturally for 10 minutes, then release the remaining pressure.
- To make the gravy, first skim excess oil from the top of the broth in the Instant Pot. Make a cornstarch slurry by adding the cornstarch to cold water. Turn on saute mode. When the liquid is boiling, add the cornstarch slurry and whisk until thickened.
- Slice the roast and serve with gravy and your favorite side dish.
Notes
- A smaller roast will take less time to cook. As a rule of thumb, cook for 15 minutes per pound.
- When making gravy, do not leave the sauté mode on for too long. It can get too hot and burn the gravy.
- A pork leg weighing around 2-4 pounds fits nicely in the 6 – 8 quart Instant Pot and feeds around 4-8 people.
-
Nutrition
What to Serve With Pork Roast
There are so many great side dishes you can serve with pork roast. Try these Instant Pot Potatoes and Carrots, Baked Potatoes, or mashed potatoes. We also like to serve it with Corn on the Cob or Baked Beans.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
Like this recipe? We’d love for you to share it on your Pinterest boards! Click to follow our Pinterest boards so you can find all our recipes! You can also find us on Facebook!
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.
Delicious! And so easy to make in the Instant Pot. Thanks for an amazing recipe!
This recipe has me hungry!! And wow, how easy to make it in an instant pot compared to the old fashioned way.
I’m always looking for new ways to use my instant pot and this looks delicious.
Oh yum, this recipe is so good! Perfect for a Sunday lunch
It is great for Sunday roast!
Yep I’m using my Instant Pot again. I’ve cooked 3 of your recipes this week alone. Everything’s great.
yummy! Cooking time was perfect!
Happy to hear that!
So, does the pork stay above the broth, doesn’t seem like a lot of broth?
Yes, Bradley, the pork will be half out of the broth. It doesn’t affect cooking and it leads to a more flavorful and robust broth.
just making the recipe.
Do you need to use a trivet for the pork?
You don’t have to use a trivet for this recipe. We didn’t use one and the roast came out great.
Anyone know if you can use partially frozen pork shoulder?
You can definitely cook a partially frozen pork shoulder. It will change your cooking time and will depend on how frozen it is. You may need to add half the total cooking time to account for the frozen meat.
This was pretty good. A little too much pepper for me so I would probably cut that in half next time. I also used chicken broth instead of water.
I would like to try a roast loin of pork on my 8 qt instant pot.What changes should be made to your receipe ? The receipe using a 3 pound roast Is great.Thank you Richard Atkinson
Hi Richard. The only thing that would change is the amount of water you put into the pot. An 8-quart requires 1 1/2 cups of water.
My family couldn’t get enough of it and there were no leftovers to spare!!
The meat was cooked to perfection in a fraction of the time it would have taken in the oven. I am a believer.
Right! I love how fast it cooks in the IP.
This recipe made it so easy and hassle-free.
Would the cooking time change for a larger pork shoulder?
If the pork shoulder is bigger than the size of the roast in this recipe, then yes, you’ll need to add 5 minutes per pound.
The meat was so tender and flavorful, and having gravy at the end is a bonus.
I agree. The gravy is nice.
I made this instant pot pork roast recipe with a bone-in pork shoulder instead of boneless, and it turned out wonderfully.
That’s great to hear, Fran.
This looks delicious and easy. I’m planning on making it for my next family dinner.
Let us know how it turned out.
Delicious, thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome, Jim.