How long to cook pork chops in a pressure cooker

Last updated on September 22, 2022

These Instant Pot Pork Chops are smothered with the most amazing honey garlic sauce. Tender, saucy and satisfying, you’ll want to add this recipe to your collection of favorites. Cook these pressure cooker pork chops from fresh or frozen, using bone-in or boneless pork chops.

Pork chops are an easy, family-friendly dinner. They’re quick to prepare and can be dressed up with sauces and seasonings for a delicious homemade meal. These Instant Pot Pork Chops are among our most-loved pork chop recipes, along with these simple baked pork chops, fast air fryer pork chops, flavorful pan seared pork chops and easy grilled pork chops.

These Instant Pot pork chops have quickly become one of my go-to Instant Pot recipes when I need an easy meal for my family. My kids love these pork chops, especially the honey garlic sauce!

Cooking pork chops in your Instant Pot takes just a few minutes of prep time. While the pork pressure cooks, you can get the rest of your meal on the table. You’ll brown the pork chops right in your Instant Pot and then they’ll pressure cook in the honey garlic sauce.

The luscious honey garlic sauce is a mouthwatering combination of sweet and savory flavor notes. It’s a delish complement to thick, tender pork chops and so good drizzled over mashed potatoes on the side.

Honey Garlic Instant Pot Pork Chops

• A 30 minute meal made completely in the Instant Pot, even browning the meat and thickening the sauce!
• Can be cooked from fresh or frozen, full directions for both below.
• Cook right in the honey garlic sauce until they are tender and flavorful.

Serve these Instant Pot pork chops with fluffy Instant Pot mashed potatoes, Instant Pot rice or homemade biscuits. Looking for veggie side dishes to serve with pork chops? Roasted broccoli, roasted Brussels sprouts or roasted sweet potatoes are absolutely scrumptious with this Instant Pot pork chops recipe.

Instant Pot recipes are one of my favorite ways to get dinner on the table with maximum flavor and minimal effort. If you’re just getting started with Instant Pot cooking, read my beginner’s guide about how to use an Instant Pot.

How to Cook Pork Chops in the Instant Pot

Here’s a quick overview of how to make these Instant Pot boneless pork chops, with a few tips for success. Learn how to adapt this recipe for bone-in pork chops and frozen pork chops below. Find the full recipe with ingredient amounts at the end of this post.

1. Prepare the honey garlic sauce: Peel and mice the garlic, and set it aside. Combine the remaining sauce ingredients in a bowl: honey, soy sauce, tomato paste (or ketchup), apple cider vinegar and sweet chili sauce (optional, see tips below).
2. Season both sides of the pork chops with pepper.
3. Sear the pork chops: Add olive oil to the Instant Pot. Turn on sauté mode and wait for the pot to get hot. Brown the pork chops for 1-2 minutes per side. Sear the pork chops in batches if they will not all fit in the bottom of the pot at once. Transfer the seared pork chops to a clean plate.
4. Cook the garlic: Add the garlic to the oil in the pot, press “Cancel” to turn off sauté mode (so the garlic doesn’t burn), and cook, stirring for 30 seconds.
5. Deglaze the pan: Add the sauce mixture to the pot and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. This will help to prevent the burn message.
6. Pressure Cook: Return the pork chops, along with any juices on the plate, to the Instant Pot. Pressure cook for 1 minute on high pressure.
7. Natural Release: When the cook time ends, allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes by leaving the Instant Pot alone. Then quick release any remaining pressure.
8. Thicken the Sauce: Take the pork chops out of the Instant Pot and place them on a clean plate to rest. In a small bowl, make a cornstarch slurry by stirring together 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water. Turn sauté mode on and add the cornstarch slurry to the pot. Stir until the sauce thickens. This should only take a minute or two. Turn off sauté mode and remove the inner pot from the Instant Pot base to immediately stop the cooking process.
9. Serve the pork chops with the honey garlic sauce and enjoy!

How Long to Cook Pork Chops in an Instant Pot

I tested and retested this recipe to find the best cook time to make pork chops that are tender and perfectly cooked. Most Instant Pot pork chop recipes call for pressure cooking boneless pork chops for 8, 10 or even 15 minutes plus a natural release. When I tested a cook time of 8 minutes my pork was way overcooked, dry and tough. Not at all what you want in a pork chop!

After many tries, I found that just one minute of pressure cooking time plus a 5 minute natural pressure release was perfect for thick-cut boneless pork chops. The pork chops were cooked through and tender, not tough or dry. Be sure to follow the tips below for the best pressure cooker pork chops.

Recipe Tips

• Use thick-cut pork chops, between 1-inch and 1 1/2-inches thick. Thin chops will overcook and dry out in the Instant Pot.
• Season the pork chops with pepper, but not salt, before you add them to the pot to brown. (No marinade or rub is needed with the honey garlic sauce.) 
• The soy sauce in this recipe adds enough salt to the dish. I recommend using low sodium soy sauce. You can taste and adjust the seasonings to your tastes after cooking.
• Make sure that the Instant Pot is hot before adding the pork to sear. When you turn on sauté mode it takes a few minutes for the pot to heat up. Sear the pork for only 1-2 minutes per side, or you will cook the meat too much during this step and it will end up overcooked. Even just a little bit of searing will begin to caramelize the outside of the pork chops and adds flavor to the finished dish.
• Allow the Instant Pot to naturally release for 5 minutes after the cook time ends, and then quick release any remaining pressure. The natural release time allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat and makes the pork tender.
• The sweet chili sauce is optional in this recipe, but I like to add it for depth of flavor and a little spice. It doesn’t make the sauce really spicy, it just adds a little kick to the sauce.

Cooking Bone-In Pork Chops

You can use bone-in pork chops in this recipe. Add 2 minutes to the cook time. Check that the pork chops have reached an internal temperature of at least 145° F. If not, you can finish cooking them using sauté mode.

Instant Pot Frozen Pork Chops

To cook frozen pork chops in the Instant Pot, skip the step of browning the meat. Sauté the garlic in olive oil and then add the remaining sauce ingredients and frozen pork chops to the pot. Add 2 minutes to the pressure cook time, and increase the natural release time to 10 minutes. Check that the pork chops have reached an internal temperature of 145° F.

More Instant Pot Pork Recipes:

• Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin
• Instant Pot Carnitas
• Instant Pot Ribs
• Instant Pot Pulled Pork

Instant Pot Pork Chops with Honey Garlic Sauce

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword boneless pork chops, honey garlic, instant pot pork chops, pressure cooker pork chops

Prep Time14 mins

Cook Time1 min

Total Time30 mins

Servings 4 servings

Calories 360kcal

Instant Pot Pork Chops, with the most delicious honey garlic sauce! Cook the pork chops from fresh or frozen, using bone-in or boneless pork chops. Serve your honey garlic Instant Pot pork chops with rice or potatoes and a vegetable for a quick and easy meal.

• ▢ ⅓ cup honey
• ▢ ⅓ cup low sodium soy sauce
• ▢ 2 tablespoons tomato paste (or ketchup)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• ▢ 2 teaspoons sweet chili sauce (optional)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 4 boneless pork chops (1 to 1 ½-inch thick, see note for bone-in or frozen)
• ▢ black pepper
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic (minced)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• ▢ 1 tablespoon water

• Combine honey, soy sauce, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar and sweet chili sauce in a small bowl and set aside.

• Heat the olive oil in the Instant Pot using saute mode until the pot is hot.

• Season the pork chops with pepper and add them to the hot pot. Brown the pork chops 1-2 minutes per side and no more. Transfer pork to a clean plate.

• Add the minced garlic to the pot, press "Cancel" to turn off saute mode, and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.

• Pour the honey soy sauce mixture from the bowl into the pot and stir, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

• Add the pork chops and any juices released back to the Instant Pot. Close the Instant Pot lid and turn the steam release valve to the sealing position.

• Set the pressure cook time to 1 minute on high pressure/manual. The Instant Pot will take about 10 minutes to reach pressure and then the cook time will start. When the cook time ends allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes by leaving the Instant Pot alone. Then quick release any remaining pressure by turning the steam release valve to the venting position.

• When the pin has dropped down, open the Instant Pot lid. Use an instant read thermometer to check that the internal temperature of the pork has reached at least 145 degrees F. Remove the pork chops to a clean plate. Press "Cancel" to turn the warm setting off.

• Combine the 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl. Turn saute mode on and stir the cornstarch mixture into the Instant Pot. Cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens. This should only take 1-2 minutes. Press "Cancel" to turn off the Instant Pot and remove the inner pot from the Instant Pot base to immediately stop the cooking process.

• Serve pork chops with honey garlic sauce.

• If your pork chops are very thick (1 1/2 to 2-inches thick), you may want to increase the cook time to 2 or 3 minutes plus the 5 minute natural release.
• To Cook Bone-In Pork Chops: Add 2 minutes to the pressure cook time. Use an instant read thermometer to check that the pork chops have reached an internal temperature of 145 degrees F.
• To Cook from Frozen: Skip the step of browning the meat. Saute the garlic in the olive oil and then add the remaining sauce ingredients and pork chops. Pressure cook for 3 minutes followed by a 10 minute natural pressure release. Check that the internal temperature of the pork chops has reached 145 degrees F.
• The sweet chili sauce is optional in this recipe, but I like to add it for depth of flavor and a little spice. It doesn't make the sauce really spicy, it just adds a little kick to the sauce.

Serving: 1pork chop | Calories: 360kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 90mg | Sodium: 863mg | Potassium: 646mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 120IU | Vitamin C: 2.7mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1.5mg

Nutrition information is an estimate.

Save Recipe

This site contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting Kristine's Kitchen!