Slow Cooker Honey Apple Pork Loin is a beautiful and tender pork dinner. Apples are tucked into the pork loin and cooked with onions, butter, honey, and a touch of cinnamon.
If you are in a rut with your same boring pork loin recipe, please try this honey apple pork loin, or try our cranberry pork loin or green chile pork loin.
Why this recipe works
Have you seen pork done with the apples stuffed in the top? I’ve wanted to try this for a while now. I’m glad I finally got around to trying it, and I want to share my results with you. I love the way the pork turned out. It came out tender and juicy, and by cooking it for only 6 hours, I could slice the pork instead of shredded meat.
Pork and apples have always been a favorite, usually in the form of pork chops. This is a unique meal where the apples are stuffed into the pork loin, so you get a bite of the perfectly cooked apple with each bite of pork.
Recipe Ingredients
- Pork Loin – This is on the thicker side, not to be confused with pork tenderloin.
- Apples – Tart granny smith are sliced and tucked into the pork loin
- Butter – Pork loin has very little fat. The butter will add flavor and moisture to the dish.
- Honey – A touch of honey adds just enough sweetness to the dish. Alternately you can use brown sugar.
- Onion – The onion cooks down along with the apple, making an excellent topping for the plated dish.
- Seasonings – Cinnamon, thyme, salt, and pepper flavor the pork perfectly.
Step-by-Step Directions
Step One – Start by cutting slits into the pork loin roast and stuffing sliced Granny Smith apples into those slits. I do this on a cutting board; it would be challenging to do this in the slow cooker; you will see in my photos and video how tight of a fit the pork is.
Step Two – Lay the onion and the remaining apple slices down in the crock pot. I also add a few pats of butter.
Step Three – Place the pork that is now stuffed with the apple slices on top of the onions, apples, and butter.
Step Four – After adding the pork to the slow cooker, I season with salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Then I drizzle over the honey and lay over thyme sprigs. I cook this honey apple pork loin for 6 hours on low. See how moist and tender the pork is? AND it was sliceable. If you let this go any longer, it would be shredded pork.
What to serve with this:
- Rice Pilaf – A little bite of pork and apple along with the rice is a match made in heaven. I often make a box of Rice-a-Roni!
- Mashed Potatoes – In restaurants, they will often serve mashed potatoes along with pork loin, which is always a wise choice.
- Green Salad – Add a healthy green salad alongside the slow cooker pork roast to round out the meal.
- Baked Sweet Potatoes – Sweet potatoes and slow cooker pork loin go very well together. It is also the easiest side dish ever!
- Baked Beans – These are often forgotten as an easy weeknight side dish!
Recipe FAQs
Yes! The slow cooker was made not to have to mess with browning your meat first! Though if you feel the need to brown your meat, that’s perfectly fine too.
For this recipe, we add the butter to add moisture to the pot. Also, only cooking on low for six hours will not overcook the roast.
Place the cooled pork into the fridge in a ziplock bag or airtight container. It freezes well; you can freeze it for up to three months.
You can toss the leftover pork in barbecue sauce and make sandwiches or use the pork to make burritos or green sauce enchiladas.
If you use a smaller pork cut, such as pork tenderloin (about 2 pounds), you will only need to cook on low for five hours.
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Slow Cooker Honey Apple Pork Loin
Equipment Needed:
Ingredients:
- 4 lb. pork loin I use a center cut
- 2 granny smith apples sliced and divided
- 1 white onion sliced
- 1/2 cup butter sliced
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 tsp. dried thyme or a few sprigs of fresh
Instructions:
- Cut slits on the top of the pork loin, I cut about an inch down. Plug in apple slices into the slits. Set aside.
- Add the onions and remaining apple slices down in the slow cooker. Lay over the slices of butter.
- Add the pork loin.
- Sprinkle the pork with the salt, pepper and cinnamon. Add the thyme.
- Drizzle over the honey.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours without opening the lid during the cooking time.
- When the cooking time is done. Remove the pork onto a platter and let rest for at least 5 minutes. Slice and serve.
How to Video:
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
Can I use a Honey Mustard loin?? that I have!!
I think that will work great!
This doesn’t seem like there would be much flavor! I am going to try it tonight so we shall see.
Super recipe….thank you❤️
Hello going to try this recipe but there’s only 2 of us. How long if I use 1 lb tenderloin?
My guess is 5 hours on low.
I love this pork loin roast because the apples keep the roast moist and it doesn’t dry out. I have made this roast many times, and it is always delicious and so easy to make. Thank you Sarah for such a great recipe!
Love it
Delicious! I have made pork loins in the past but the one thing that I couldn’t get it moist. This one was juicy and tender..loved it
Just made this, it was freaking amazing. Checked the temp at 5 hours and it was 170 degrees. Turned it off and took the loin out of the crook pot, put the remaking broth in the ninja and mad a gravy, poured it over the loin and served with mashed potatoes. Thank you for this recipe. I will make over and over again!
Could you make this in the Instant Pot?
I believe you’ll have to add a cup of liquid. You could do water or broth.
How long to cook a 2 pound roast?
Thanks.. looks so yummy
I would try 5 hours on low. Though 6 hours on low won’t hurt it, it just may shred more.
Mine got done a little quicker than 6 hours but was still delicious. I then skimmed off the grease and put the apples, onions and juice from the crockpot into a blender. It made a great gravy!
Thank you. I am 83 years old and I will try all these recipes for my granddaughters. LOVE THEM!!!
A must try recipe ! I’ve got a lion in my freezer, can’t wait till it thaws. Will be our Sunday dinner for sure.
Absolutely delicious omitted the cinnamon as do not enjoy the taste, added a pinch of thyme and rosemay, excluded honey, too sweet and added a bramley sliced apple instead, made gravy with juices, mashed King Edward potatoes and broccoli. My daughter was so jealous
I have made this recipe three times already for Christmas and when company’s coming. Everybody has loved it. I bake it in white wine in the oven at 300°F for 2-3 hours. Delicious!! Thank you!!!