Sweet and Sour Pork

This sweet and sour pork recipe includes pork, pineapple, and green bell pepper—all smothered in a perfectly tangy sauce. Try this recipe, your tastebuds will thank you!

Sweet and Sour Pork is one of my go-to recipes when I’m in the mood for Asian food. I love to serve it on top of fried rice, or with egg rolls on the side.

who doesn’t love sweet and sour?

I find any excuse I can to make Asian food! I’ve mentioned before that it isn’t the hubby’s favorite, but the rest of my family LOVES it! During Chinese New Year, I try to make ALL the Asian recipes while I can, and this recipe is definitely always on the dinner menu.

We have a lot of Asian chicken recipes, so I like being able to switch it up with this sweet and sour pork! It’s pretty easy to make and only requires a few main ingredients with simple sauces and seasonings making up the rest of the ingredient list. It also has the classic taste of sweet and sour everyone loves!

Like typical sweet and sour recipes (like our classic chicken version), it includes pineapple and peppers, but you can add or omit any of these and include any other ingredients you love with sweet and sour.

Ready in 35 minutes or less

I can usually throw this together in 35 minutes or less, which is a major dinner win!

Pork. In a large skillet, brown pork steak in shortening. Sprinkle with paprika. Brown well. Cover and cook about 20-25 minutes, or until tender, stirring occasionally.

Sweet and Sour Sauce. In a medium bowl combine brown sugar, corn starch and salt. Gradually add reserved pineapple liquid, vinegar, water, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Blend until smooth. Gradually add to skillet with the pork. Cook over low heat until thick, stirring constantly.

Pineapple and Pepper. Once the sauce has thickened, stir in green pepper and pineapple. Cover and simmer over low heat for 6-8 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

We like to serve the pork over white rice, but you could serve it over brown rice or noodles too!

Why cook the pork in shortening? Cooking a piece of meat in shortening gives it a good texture, because it helps retain moisture and gives an overall better cook than using simple oils.

Variations and Additions

Crispy Fried Pork. If you would prefer a slightly crunchier texture you could fry the pork pieces by first coating them in flour and then giving them an egg wash before coating them in flour again. Then, deep fry them in peanut or vegetable oil at around 370 degrees in small batches. Just be careful of the super hot oil!

Add the sauce and pineapple/vegetables as you would normally, once the pork has been fried.

Other Vegetables. You can add in any type of vegetables you like! Other great options include onion, red and yellow bell pepper, and sliced carrots.

Oh, I LOVE Sweet and Sour Anything!!

what to serve with it?

• Fried Egg Rolls
• Egg Drop Soup
• Cream Cheese Wontons

For more sweet and sour recipes, try:

• Sweet and Sour Meatballs
• Sweet and Sour Chicken
• Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

5 from 10 votes

Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe

By: Lil' Luna

This sweet and sour pork recipe includes pork, pineapple, and green bell pepper—all smothered in a perfectly tangy sauce.

Servings: 6

Prep: 5 minutes mins

Cook: 30 minutes mins

Total: 35 minutes mins

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Ingredients 

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• ▢ 1 lb pork steak cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
• ▢ 1 tbsp shortening
• ▢ 1/2 tsp salt
• ▢ 1 tsp paprika
• ▢ 1 tbsp soy sauce
• ▢ 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 15 oz pineapple chunks reserve 2/3 cup liquid from can
• ▢ 3 tbsp brown sugar
• ▢ 2 tbsp cornstarch
• ▢ 1/3 cup vinegar
• ▢ 1/3 cup water
• ▢ 1 green pepper cut into 1/4 inch strips
• ▢ 4 cups rice cooked

Instructions 

• In a large skillet, brown pork steak in shortening. Sprinkle with paprika. Brown well. Cover and cook about 20-25 minutes, or until tender, stirring occasionally.
• In a medium bowl combine brown sugar, corn starch and salt. Gradually add reserved pineapple liquid, vinegar, water, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Blend until smooth. Gradually add to the skillet with the pork.
• Cook over low heat until thick, stirring constantly. Stir in green pepper and pineapple. Cover and simmer over low heat for 6-8 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
• Serve over hot cooked rice.

Nutrition

Calories: 671kcal, Carbohydrates: 119g, Protein: 26g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 50mg, Sodium: 418mg, Potassium: 577mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 16g, Vitamin A: 300IU, Vitamin C: 22.6mg, Calcium: 58mg, Iron: 1.9mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.