These Crock Pot Teriyaki Pork Chops are sweet, savory, tender, and covered in a rich homemade teriyaki sauce. You only need a few minutes to get everything into the slow cooker, and then the Crock Pot does most of the work. It is an easy dinner for a busy day, and the thick, glossy sauce is especially good spooned over rice.
Servings: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 4–5 hours on LOW or 2–3 hours on HIGH
Sauce Thickening Time: About 10–15 minutes
Total Time: About 4 hours 30 minutes on LOW
Why I Love This Recipe
I love dinners where the hardest part happens at the start. You mix the sauce, add everything to the Crock Pot, and walk away. A few hours later, the kitchen smells like teriyaki and dinner is almost ready.
The sauce is my favorite part. The brown sugar and honey add sweetness, while soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and rice vinegar keep it from tasting too sweet. At the end, a simple cornstarch mixture turns all those cooking juices into a thick sauce.
Here are a few more reasons I keep this recipe around:
- It takes only about 15 minutes to prepare.
- Everything cooks in one Crock Pot.
- The homemade sauce uses simple pantry ingredients.
- You can use bone-in or boneless pork chops.
- The sauce is thick enough to spoon over rice or vegetables.
- Leftovers reheat well when kept with plenty of sauce.
What You’ll Need
- 4 pork chops, about 1 inch thick, bone-in or boneless
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely grated
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Crock Pot Teriyaki Pork Chops Recipe
Step 1: Add the Onion and Pork Chops
Spread 1 small thinly sliced onion across the bottom of a black oval Crock Pot. Place 4 raw bonesless pork chops, about 1 inch thick, over the sliced onion in a single layer. A little overlap is fine if your Crock Pot is smaller.
Step 2: Mix the Teriyaki Sauce
In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce, 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, 2 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 3 minced garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger, and 1 teaspoon sesame oil. Whisk until the brown sugar starts to dissolve and the sauce looks evenly mixed.
Step 3: Pour the Sauce Over the Pork
Pour all of the teriyaki mixture made from 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce, 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, 2 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 3 minced garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger, and 1 teaspoon sesame oil evenly over the 4 raw pork chops and 1 small thinly sliced onion. Turn the pork chops once with tongs so the sauce touches both sides.
Step 4: Slow Cook the Pork Chops
Cover the Crock Pot. Cook the 4 pork chops, 1 small sliced onion, and teriyaki sauce on LOW for 4–5 hours or HIGH for 2–3 hours.
Start checking the pork near the early end of the cooking range. Pork chops can dry out if they cook much longer than needed. For food safety, the thickest part of each chop should reach at least 145°F (63°C), followed by a short rest.
Step 5: Thicken the Teriyaki Sauce
Carefully move the 4 cooked pork chops to a plate and keep them warm.
In a small bowl, whisk 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water until completely smooth. Stir this slurry into the hot teriyaki sauce and softened onion left in the Crock Pot.
Cover and cook on HIGH for 10–15 minutes, or until the sauce is thick and glossy.
Step 6: Coat and Serve
Return the 4 cooked pork chops to the thickened teriyaki sauce. Turn each chop until well coated.
Transfer the pork chops to a round serving plate. Spoon the thick teriyaki sauce and softened sliced onion over the top. Finish with 2 thinly sliced green onions and 1 teaspoon sesame seeds. Serve while warm.
Why This Recipe Works (Quick Science)
The Crock Pot uses low, steady heat. This gives the pork time to cook while soaking up flavor from the sauce.
Soy sauce brings salt and a deep savory taste. Brown sugar and honey add sweetness and help balance the salty soy sauce. Rice vinegar adds a little acid, which keeps the sauce from tasting too heavy. Garlic, ginger, and sesame oil add more flavor without making the recipe complicated.
Cornstarch is added near the end because it thickens liquid when heated. Mixing it with cold water first keeps it from forming lumps. This gives you a smooth, shiny teriyaki sauce instead of thin cooking liquid.
One important point: pork chops are much leaner than cuts such as pork shoulder. Cooking them longer does not always make them more tender. Once they are cooked through, extra time can make them dry.
Pro Tips
- Use thicker chops. Pork chops around 1 inch thick are less likely to dry out than very thin chops.
- Start checking early. Slow cookers can run at different temperatures. Check your pork near the beginning of the suggested cooking range.
- Don’t skip the slurry. Cornstarch and cold water turn the cooking liquid into the thick teriyaki-style sauce you want.
- Use low-sodium soy sauce. Regular soy sauce can make the finished dish quite salty.
- Keep the pork in the sauce. Spoon sauce over each chop before serving and store leftovers with sauce to help the meat stay moist.
Tools You’ll Need
- Black oval Crock Pot
- Cutting board
- Chef’s knife
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Small mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Tongs
- Small spoon or serving spoon
- Instant-read meat thermometer
- Round serving plate
Substitutions and Variations
- Boneless or bone-in: Either type of pork chop works. Cooking time can vary with thickness.
- Soy sauce: Use tamari for a gluten-free option, but check the label to make sure it is certified gluten-free.
- Brown sugar: Light or dark brown sugar will work.
- Honey: Maple syrup can replace the honey, though the flavor will change a little.
- Fresh ginger: In a pinch, use about 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger instead of 1 teaspoon fresh ginger.
- More garlic: Add another minced garlic clove if you love garlic.
- A little heat: Add red pepper flakes or a small amount of sriracha to the sauce.
- Sweeter sauce: Add another tablespoon of honey.
- More vegetables: Sliced bell peppers can be added during the last 30–45 minutes so they do not become too soft.
Make-Ahead Tips
You can mix the soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil the night before. Cover the sauce and keep it in the refrigerator.
You can also slice the onion and green onions ahead of time. Store them separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator.
For food safety, keep raw pork refrigerated and separate from ready-to-eat ingredients until you are ready to cook.
Common Mistakes
- Cooking thin chops for too long: Thin pork chops can become dry quickly. Thick chops work better in this recipe.
- Using regular soy sauce without adjusting: It can make the sauce very salty. Low-sodium soy sauce gives you more control.
- Adding dry cornstarch straight to the Crock Pot: It can form little lumps. Always mix it with cold water first.
- Adding the slurry at the beginning: Cornstarch works best here when added near the end.
- Guessing when the pork is done: An instant-read thermometer is a simple way to check. Aim for at least 145°F in the thickest part, then let the pork rest briefly.
- Cooking just by the clock: Crock Pots vary. The temperature of the pork is more useful than an exact number of minutes.
What to Serve With
These teriyaki pork chops have plenty of sauce, so simple sides work best.
- Steamed white or brown rice
- Jasmine rice
- Fried rice
- Steamed broccoli
- Roasted broccoli
- Green beans
- Snap peas
- Stir-fried vegetables
- Cucumber salad
- Mashed potatoes
- Cauliflower rice
Rice is especially good because it catches all that thick teriyaki sauce.
Macros Information
Estimated nutrition per serving, based on 4 servings and using boneless pork chops:
- Calories: About 390
- Protein: About 38g
- Carbohydrates: About 32g
- Fat: About 12g
- Fiber: About 1g
- Sugar: About 25g
- Sodium: About 1,400mg
These numbers are estimates. The exact nutrition will change based on the size and cut of your pork chops, the brand of soy sauce, how much sauce you eat, and any substitutions you make.
Leftovers and Storage
Let leftovers cool, then place the pork chops and sauce in an airtight container. Keep them refrigerated and use within 3–4 days.
For the best results, store the chops with plenty of teriyaki sauce. The extra moisture helps when you reheat them.
Reheat gently in the microwave or in a covered pan until hot. Avoid heating the pork much longer than needed because it can become dry.
You can also freeze the cooked pork and sauce in a freezer-safe container. For best quality, use it within about 2–3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
FAQ
Q: Can I use boneless pork chops?
A: Yes. Boneless chops work well. Try to use chops around 1 inch thick, and start checking them early because boneless chops may cook faster.
Q: Can I use bone-in pork chops?
A: Yes. Bone-in chops are a good choice for the slow cooker. Cooking time still depends on their thickness and your Crock Pot.
Q: Why did my pork chops turn out dry?
A: They most likely cooked too long. Pork chops are lean, so they can dry out even in a Crock Pot. Start checking them at the early end of the cooking time and use a meat thermometer.
Q: Can I put frozen pork chops straight into the Crock Pot?
A: It is better to thaw them safely in the refrigerator first. Starting with thawed meat helps it move through the food-safety temperature range more predictably.
Q: Do the pork chops need to be covered with sauce?
A: No. They do not need to be fully submerged. Pour the sauce over them and turn them once so both sides get coated.
Q: Can I leave out the onion?
A: Yes. The recipe will still work. The onion adds flavor and becomes very soft as it cooks.
Q: Why is my teriyaki sauce still thin?
A: Make sure the cornstarch is completely mixed with the cold water before adding it. After stirring the slurry into the hot sauce, cook it on HIGH for another 10–15 minutes so it has time to thicken.
Q: Can I double this recipe?
A: You can if your Crock Pot is large enough to hold everything safely without being overfilled. The chops may overlap more, so cooking time can change. Check each chop with a thermometer before serving.
Final Thoughts
Crock Pot Teriyaki Pork Chops are the kind of dinner that makes a busy day easier. The prep is simple, the Crock Pot handles most of the cooking, and you end up with tender pork covered in a sweet and savory homemade sauce.
Serve the chops over a warm pile of rice, spoon that glossy teriyaki sauce over everything, and dinner is ready. If you make this recipe, leave a comment and share how it turned out, what you served with it, or any questions you have.