Instant Pot Pork Chops are fork tender and flavorful! How to cook perfectly moist and juicy pork chops in your Instant Pot pressure cooker.
After I made an insanely popular Pork Chop recipe, I knew it was time to repeat the magic. And create fall-apart tender pork chops in the instant pot. That’s juicy pork chops done the right way! Perfect comfort food!
In an effort to bring you more quick and easy dinner ideas and also more easy Instant Pot recipes, I decided to share this Instant Pot pork chops recipe with you! You will smother your pork chops in the plenty of flavorful mushroom gravy sauce. This amazing sauce can then be spooned all over the pork. And a side dish of your choice! By the way, I recommend to serve it along Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes. Who needs a slow cooker when you have a pressure cooker?
How long to pressure cook your pork chops
If you are new to Instant Pot cooking, I recommend reading the entire post as it contains everything you need to know to get started.
To cook pork chops in the Instant Pot, you’ll start by seasoning your pork. I usually use boneless, skinless pork chops in this recipe but you can also use bone in. The seasoning is a simple mixture of salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder.
Next, you’ll heat olive oil in your Instant Pot inner pot using sauté mode. Add mushrooms, chopped onions and garlic.
Sauté for 2-3 minutes until mushrooms are soft, and onions and garlic softened.
MAKE SURE TO DEGLAZE!
Make sure to deglaze after sautéing with wine! Not only will this step prevent Burn warning by removing all bits and pieces off the bottom of the pan, but it will also provide an essential flavor to the sauce.
After deglazing with wine, pour chicken stock into the inner pot and use a spatula to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. This step will ensure you don’t get a burn warning during the pressure cooking process.
Pour heavy cream into the Instant Pot.
Next mix heavy cream into the chicken stock.
After you place pork chops on top of the sauce, dd a couple of thyme sprigs on top for flavor.
Do not submerge the pork chops all the way into the sauce. Lock the lid, set the vent to Sealing, select High Pressure for 8 minutes. Once the cooking cycle ends, let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes. Just leave the Instant Pot alone. The pork chops will continue to cook during this time.
While the instant pot is doing its job, let’s prepare the roux.
- First, melt butter in the small saucepan.
- Then add flour to it and also heavy cream.
- Once you combined everything, set aside.
How to release pressure
You will know when pressure cooking is over because the pressure cooker will start beeping. Also, the digital display will read “L0:00”
- First things first, push “Cancel” to cancel the reheat mode. Now the digital display will show “OFF”.
- At this point do not turn off the pot, but wait for 10 minutes.
- Quick release any remaining pressure in the pot by carefully turning the steam release valve to the venting position.
- Allow remaining pressure (steam) to vent.
- When the float valve drops down, open the Instant Pot. To do so, turn the lid to “Open” position and then open the pot.
The delicious pressure cooked pork chops are somewhere there under all this mushroom gravy goodness!
Remove the pork chops onto a plate and now whisk that prepared roux straight into the pot while it’s still steaming hot.
How to make roux for Instant Pot pork chops
While the Instant Pot pork chops are being pressure cooked, it’s time to whip up some roux. This will thicken the white wine and mushroom gravy!
- To do so, we’ll need to turn on the stove. Also, we will need a small saucepan.
- Once you have those ready, add butter and allow it to melt.
- Next, slowly whisk in flour, one tablespoon at a time.
- Now add heavy cream and continue whisking until the mushroom gravy is thick.
I thickened the creamy mushroom and wine sauce here AFTER pressure cooking stage. All I did is make a roux on the stove top. Just to be safe it’s best not to include ANY flour or thickeners before Instant Pot finishes cooking.
When do I add roux to the Instant Pot?
Pressure cookers thrive off of the steam pulled from the liquid that’s trapped inside. When cooking a thick sauce, adding a roux to the mix too soon can have a negative effect on the way it cooks. Because less steam is released from the thicker liquid.
Should I use flour or corn starch as a thickening agent
Why use flour roux as opposed to cornstarch to thicken the sauce for Instant Pot Pork Chops? Here are a few basic differences between flour and corn as thickening agents:
- Appearance: flour makes a gravy opaque and can dull or lighten the color. Cornstarch on the other hand yields a clear, shiny sauce.
- Flavor: You need to cook flour enough so that it loses its raw flavor. While cornstarch doesn’t have much flavor on its own.
We use roux to suspend fat into sauce. And the biggest thing a roux has to offer is richness. But with corn or potato starch you lack the richness because you cannot trap the fat within the liquid.
I also find that cornstarch tends to deaden flavors more than flour does. As a result you need to make sure to season your liquid is well before adding your cornstarch slurry.
For these reasons I prefer flour roux in this creamy Instant Pot Pork Chop sauce (gravy). It tends to cling better. Thickened cornstarch will run off – we don’t want that.
However, if you are gluten free, using cornstarch instead of flour is a great option! Simply mix 1.5 tablespoons of cornstarch with just enough water and then add the mixture to the pot after pressure cooking is done.
Pork Chop Variations
- Thick and boneless pork chop take about 8 minutes to cook. By the way, they are the ones you see in the picture. They are about 1.5 inches thick.
- Thin and boneless take less time, about 4 minutes.
- Thick and bone in pork chop required more time, around 12 minutes.
- And thin and bone in pork chops take 10 minutes.
- Finally use same time for frozen pork chops. But keep in mind that Instant Pot will take longer to come to pressure. As a result, the overall cooking time will be longer.
Great side dishes to go with Instant Pot Smothered Pork Chops
- As I mentioned before, you simply can’t go wrong serving these instant pot pork chops over Instant Pot Cheesy Garlic Mashed Potatoes.
- I’m also a big fan of serving it with something green on your plate, such as Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Mozzarella.
- Prefer a salad instead? How about Brussels sprouts Cranberry Pecan Salad.
If you enjoyed cooking pork chops in the instant pot you might also like these easy to follow recipes:
Pork Stroganoff in the Instant Pot
Instant Pork Country Style Pork Ribs in BBQ Sauce
Spatchcock Chicken Instant Pot Style
Instant Pot Creamy Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 4 Pork Chops (boneless and thick)
- Seasoning (salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning)
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 3 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 1/2 onion (chopped)
- 8 oz white mushrooms (sliced)
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 Teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Pepper
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning (or Oregano)
- Thyme sprigs
Roux
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 3 Tablespoons flour
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (this is in addition to heavy cream in the instant pot)
Instructions
- Season the pork chops on both sides with salt, pepper, garlic powder and Italian seasoning. Set aside.
- Preheat IP by pushing Sauté button.
- Add olive oil, chopped garlic, onion and sliced mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms, garlic and onions are translucent.
- Deglaze by pouring white wine into the pot to make sure that to get all bits and pieces from the bottom of the pot. This will ensure that no Burn warning will appear.
- Add chicken stock, heavy cream, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Stir to mix.
- Add seasoned pork chops into the pot. Place thyme sprigs on top of the chops.
- Place the lid on the pot and set the valve to sealing. Press Pressure Cook (or Manual), High Pressure, and set cooking time for 8 minutes.
- Allow for the pot to come to pressure (it took 10 minutes for me), pressure cook for 8 minutes, and then allow 10 minutes of natural pressure release.
- Release any remaining pressure from the pot and remove the lid.
Roux
- In a small saucepan add butter and allow it to melt. Slowly whisk in flour, one tablespoon at a time. Add heavy cream and continue whisking until gravy is thick.
- Remove pork chops from the IP before adding the roux! Add the roux (flour mixture from above) into your Instant Pot and mix using a whisk. The gravy is ready!
- Pour the gravy over the pork chops, and serve with mashed potatoes or roasted vegetables.
I have always been told not to put milk products in the instant pot when pressure cooking as it will separate. Also I have done a recipe and that’s exactly what happened. How can I modify this recipe to not have the cream pressure cooked?
As long as there is other liquid in the pot it should cook and not separate. As long as cream is a SMALL amount of the total liquids (and it is used in moderation here) – it won’t result in curdling.