Crockpot Apple Pork Chops with Honeycrisp and Granny Smith

Fall showed up at my grocery store before the calendar agreed to it. Honeycrisp bins stacked right next to Granny Smith, onions on sale, and a six-pack of boneless pork chops that needed a plan. I got home, dumped everything into the crockpot before I even took my shoes off, and four hours later my kitchen smelled like the inside of a caramel apple stand.

By Olya Shepard · Weeknight cooking & meat recipes

Two apple varieties instead of one keep this crockpot apple pork chops dinner from turning into applesauce with meat in it.

Crockpot Apple Pork Chops Overview

• ⏰ 10 minutes of prep and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours, no searing required
• 🍖 Season boneless pork chops with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper
• 🍎 Layer on Honeycrisp and Granny Smith apples plus sliced onion
• 🍯 Drizzle with honey and dust with cinnamon
• 🌡️ Check for a 145°F internal temperature before serving
• 🥔 Serve over mashed potatoes, buttered noodles, or rice
• 🗓️ Keeps well in the fridge for up to 4 days

Why Honeycrisp and Granny Smith Together

Honeycrisp apples break down into soft, sweet bites after a few hours of low heat, while Granny Smith apples hold their shape and add the sharp edge that keeps this dish from turning into apple mush with pork chops floating in it. Using only one or the other flattens the dish. The Honeycrisp brings the sweetness, the Granny Smith keeps it interesting, and the onion underneath does quiet work building a savory base while everything cooks down.

Key ingredients at a glance

• Boneless pork chops: Use pork chops that are at least ½ inch thick. Thinner chops will finish cooking before the apples soften properly, and thicker chops throw off the apple-to-pork cook time balance this recipe is built around.
• Garlic powder and onion powder: These build the base seasoning without adding moisture, which matters in a crockpot where everything is already going to release liquid as it cooks.
• Honeycrisp apples: Pink Lady or Gala apples work as a stand-in if Honeycrisp is not available.
• Granny Smith apples: These are the firmer counterpart in the mix. I would not swap them for another sweet variety, or the dish loses its balance.
• Medium onion: A yellow or white onion works fine. Swap in a Vidalia if you want more sweetness, or a shallot if you want the onion flavor to stay in the background.
• Honey: Maple syrup or agave both work as a one-to-one swap.
• Cinnamon: This ties the pork, onion, and fruit together into one cohesive flavor instead of three separate ones sitting in the same pot.

Two Ways to Make Crockpot Apple Pork Chops

Start with the same seasoned pork chops and apple mixture, then choose your cook time. Go low and slow for the most tender, fall-apart chops, or go high and fast when dinner needs to be on the table sooner. Both methods land on the same 145°F finish and the same cozy apple-cinnamon flavor.

🐢 Low & Slow Method

Best for: Sunday dinners, meal prep, walking away for most of the afternoon

How to cook it:

1. Season the pork chops with the garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.

2. Place pork chops in the crockpot. Layer the Honeycrisp apples, Granny Smith apples, and onion over the pork chops. Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with cinnamon. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.

3. Check the internal temperature at the 4-hour mark, then every 30 minutes after that until it reads 145°F.

Texture tips: The longer, gentler heat gives you the most fall-apart tender pork and the softest Honeycrisp apples. The Granny Smith slices will still hold a little shape even after the full 6 hours.

Make-ahead: Assemble the crockpot the night before, store covered in the fridge, and start it cooking in the morning.

🐇 High & Fast Method

Best for: weeknights, last-minute dinner plans, when 4 hours feels too far away

How to cook it:

1. Season the chops and layer the crockpot exactly as directed in the recipe card.
2. Cover and cook on high for 2 to 3 hours.
3. Start checking the internal temperature at the 2-hour mark since high heat moves faster than low heat.

Texture tips: The pork stays juicy but will not shred as easily as the low and slow version. Keep an eye on the apples too, since high heat softens them faster and they can turn saucy if you go past 3 hours.

Make-ahead: Not ideal to assemble ahead on high heat day-of, since the shorter window means less margin for a cold start. Best made fresh.

✅ Quick chooser

• Want the most tender, fall-apart chops? Go low and slow.
• Short on time tonight? Go high and fast.

If you're using the high heat method, start checking temperature an hour earlier than the low and slow timeline, since the shorter cook window leaves less room to catch overdone pork.

Recipe Tip

Whichever method you pick, check temperature with a meat thermometer rather than going by time alone. Crockpots run at different strengths, and pulling the chops at exactly 145°F is what keeps them juicy instead of dry.

Crockpot Apple Pork Chops

Boneless pork chops go into the crockpot completely raw, no searing, no broth, no butter. Just apples, onion, honey, and cinnamon piled on top so their own juice becomes the sauce. Four hours later the chops are fall-apart tender and the apples have collapsed into something closer to a chunky apple compote than a topping. This is the dinner you start on a Sunday afternoon and forget about until the house smells like cinnamon.

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: apple cinnamon pork chops, crockpot apple pork chops, slow cooker pork chops with apples

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours hours

Total Time: 4 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 pork chops

Author: Olya Shepard

Equipment

• Crockpot (6-quart slow cooker)
• Chef's knife
• cutting board
• Measuring spoons
• Meat thermometer

Ingredients

Pork Chops

• 6 boneless pork chops
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper

Apple Topping

• 3 Honeycrisp apples cored and sliced ¼ inch thick
• 2 Granny Smith apples cored and sliced ¼ inch thick
• 1 medium onion sliced
• 2 tablespoons honey

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Season the pork chops on both sides with the garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper, then arrange them in a single layer in the bottom of the crockpot.
• Scatter the Honeycrisp apples, Granny Smith apples, and sliced onion over the pork chops so the chops are fully covered.
• Drizzle the honey over the apples and onion, then sprinkle the cinnamon evenly over the top.
• Cover with the lid and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours, until the pork chops are fork-tender and register 145°F on a meat thermometer.
• Spoon the pork chops onto plates with a generous scoop of the apple-onion topping and its juices, and serve with mashed potatoes, buttered noodles, or rice.

Calories: 319kcal

Notes

Slice the apples no thinner than ¼ inch. Thinner slices break down completely over a 4-to-6-hour cook and you lose the apple pieces entirely to sauce; the ¼-inch cut is what keeps some bite in the topping.

There's no broth, cider, or butter in this recipe on purpose. The apples release enough liquid on their own as they break down, so adding extra liquid waters down the sauce instead of concentrating it.

Check for doneness starting around the 4-hour mark if your crockpot runs hot. Every slow cooker heats a little differently, and pork chops go from tender to stringy fast once they pass 145°F for too long.

If you want the onion to hold its shape a bit more, cut it into thicker half-moons rather than thin slices. Thin-sliced onion tends to disappear into the apple juice by hour four.

Leftover apple-onion topping is worth saving separately. Stirred into oatmeal or spooned over vanilla ice cream, it works as a quick dessert the next day.

Diet: Gluten Free (verify honey/onion powder brands if labeling strictly)

Nutrition Facts

Crockpot Apple Pork Chops

Amount per Serving

Calories

319

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

10

g

15

%

Saturated Fat

 

3

g

19

%

Trans Fat

 

0.1

g

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

1

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

4

g

Cholesterol

 

90

mg

30

%

Sodium

 

455

mg

20

%

Potassium

 

706

mg

20

%

Carbohydrates

 

29

g

10

%

Fiber

 

4

g

17

%

Sugar

 

22

g

24

%

Protein

 

30

g

60

%

Vitamin A

 

89

IU

2

%

Vitamin C

 

8

mg

10

%

Calcium

 

27

mg

3

%

Iron

 

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

🍁 Flavor add-ins (optional)

• A splash of apple cider in place of some of the honey
• Fresh thyme or rosemary sprigs tucked between the chops
• A pinch of nutmeg alongside the cinnamon for extra warmth

Tips for the Best Apple Pork Chops

1. Do not sear the chops first. Raw chops added directly to the crockpot cook more evenly alongside the apples, and searing first raises the risk of the meat drying out during the long cook.
2. Keep the apple slices around ¼ inch thick. Thinner slices break down too fast and disappear into the sauce. Thicker slices may not soften all the way by the time the pork is done.
3. Resist lifting the lid. Every time the lid comes off, heat escapes and the cook time stretches out. Let it sit closed for the first few hours before you even think about checking.
4. Leave the peels on the apples. They soften completely during the long cook and add color to the finished dish. Peel them first only if the texture bothers you.

FAQs

How do I know the pork chops are done?

They should be tender enough to pull apart with a fork, but the number that matters is temperature. The USDA lists 145°F as the safe internal temperature for pork chops, followed by a short rest before serving.

Should I peel the apples first?

No, the peels soften as they cook and you will not notice them in the finished dish. Peel them ahead of time if you would rather not have the skins in there.

How thick should the pork chops be?

Aim for about ½ inch thick. Much thicker than that and the pork will not finish cooking on the same timeline as the apples, which means you either end up with undercooked pork or apples that have turned into sauce.

Do I need to sear the pork chops before adding them to the crockpot?

No searing needed here. Adding the chops raw keeps them from overcooking and lets them finish on the same schedule as the apples.

What to Serve with Apple Pork Chops

• 🥔 Creamy garlic potatoes
• 🍞 Pumpkin dinner rolls
• 🥦 Steamed broccoli
• 🫛 Sautéed green beans or asparagus
• 🍠 Baked sweet potatoes or Brussels sprouts

Storage Tips

• 🧊 Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
• 🔥 Reheat in the microwave, or warm in the oven at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes until heated through.

More Fall Favorites

• Brussels Sprouts and Ravioli in Maple Butter Sauce
• Chicken Bites and Sweet Potatoes
• Easy Slow Cooker Pot Roast
• Apple Cider Pot Roast With Potatoes (Dutch Oven Method)