Instant Pot Smothered Pork Chops

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Instant Pot Smothered Pork Chops are tender, juicy, and delicious, covered in a savory Southern brown gravy, and easy to make in the Instant Pot. 

My husband almost drank the gravy out of the bowl when I first made these Smothered Pork Chops. It had been infused with so much flavor during pressure cooking, and goes so well with the pork chops, it will become a family favorite of yours too! If you loved my Crock Pot Hawaiian Pork Chops, you’ll love this recipe.

Table of Contents

• Why Should I Make This Instant Pot Pork Chops Recipe?
• How To Make Instant Pot Smothered Pork Chops
• How Long To Pressure Cook The Pork Chops In The Instant Pot
• How To Make Gravy In The Instant Pot
• What To Serve With Instant Pot Smothered Pork Chops
• More Pork Chop Recipes
• Other Pork Recipes
• Other Instant Pot Recipes
• Recipe
• Instant Pot Smothered Pork Chops
• Reviews

Why Should I Make This Instant Pot Pork Chops Recipe?

1. Flavor. This recipe is super flavorful with a sweet and smoky seasoning adapted from my Smothered Pork Chops recipe, which is one of my early recipes on this site because it is one of our favorites. In addition, it is smothered in a delicious savory brown gravy made in the same Instant Pot.
2. Tried and True Recipe. My Smothered Pork Chops recipe was originally adapted from Food Network’s Aaron McCargo Jr’s Smothered Pork Chops Recipe. So it has a great foundation. That recipe started by cooking the Pork Chops in a cast iron skillet to brown the pork chops.
3. Easy. I just adapted my Smothered Pork Chops recipe so it can be pressure cooked in the Instant Pot. I can still get that same flavor from my original recipe by browning the pork chops using the sauté feature in the Instant Pot.
4. One Pot Cooking. One of the things I love about cooking the pork chops in the Instant Pot is that, like my many of my other Instant Pot Recipes, everything can be done in one pot. I can brown or sauté the pork chops, pressure cook the pork chops, and even make the brown gravy in the Instant Pot.
5. Easy Dinner. These Instant Pot Smothered Pork Chops are delicious served with broccoli and mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes, or potatoes cooked any way you like them for Pork Chops and Potatoes, or served with rice for Pork Chops and Rice. 
6. Pro Tip: If you use the Non-Stick Inner Pot for your Instant Pot, then it makes for an even easier clean up as well, which saves time so you can spend more time with your family. Be sure to check out the Flavor Mosaic Amazon Store for more of my recommended time-saving Kitchen tools.

How To Make Instant Pot Smothered Pork Chops

Gather Your Ingredients 

1. Pork Chops. I used thick bone-in pork chops because they are so flavorful, but boneless pork chops or pork loin chops would work as well. You will just need to adjust the cooking time as I discuss below. (See the photo below this Gather Your Ingredients section to see the type of pork chops I used as well as a bowl with the ingredients for the seasoning blend.)
2. Seasoning Ingredients. You will need brown sugar, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder or dried minced onions, and a touch (or more) of cayenne.
3. Liquid. This recipe calls for chicken broth ( I recommend low sodium or no salt added) and Worcestershire. The liquid is necessary to pressure cook in the Instant Pot and is also used to make the gravy.
4. Oil. You will need to add a little oil, about 1 tablespoon, to the bottom of the Instant Pot to brown the pork chops using the sauté function.
5. Optional Ingredients. You can add chopped or sliced onions, bell peppers, or mushrooms to sauté with pork chops, and add additional flavor to these Pressure Cooker Pork Chops and Gravy.

Can I Use Frozen Pork Chops?

1. If you forget to thaw out the pork chops in time for dinner. No worries. With an Instant Pot, you can pressure cook frozen pork chops and have them turn out fully cooked, tender and juicy.
2. However, you will need to skip the step where you use the sauté function to brown the pork chops. This may change the flavor of the pork chops a little since you won’t have that flavor from browning the pork chops. But they will still be tender, juicy, and delicious.

How To Cook Pork Chops In An Instant Pot

1. Make the Seasoning Blend. In a small bowl stir together the ingredients for the seasoning.
2. Season The Pork Chops. Sprinkle the seasoning mix on evenly over each pork chop. Turn the pork chops and sprinkle the seasoning mix evenly on the other side of each pork chop as well.
3. Brown The Pork Chops.
   1. Plug in the Instant Pot and press the Sauté button. 
   2. When the Instant Pot is hot, add about 1 Tablespoon oil to the bottom of the inner pot of the Instant Pot. 
   3. Using tongs, place the seasoned pork chops in the oil of the inner pot and cook for about 3 minutes.
   4. Turn the pork chops and cook for another 3 minutes. (See photos below for before and after shots of the pork chops in the Instant Pot before browning and after browning.)
4. Pressure Cook The Pork Chops.
   1. Remove the pork chops and place on a plate until ready to return to the instant pot.
   2. Pour in the chicken broth and Worcestershire sauce. 
   3. Scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. First this adds flavor to the gravy. Secondly, it is important so the Instant Pot does not give a burn warning.
   4. Add the browned pork chops back into the Instant Pot.
   5. If cooking onions, bell peppers, or mushrooms, add them to the Instant Pot now.
   6. Pressure cook the pork chops for the specified time for your type of pork chop. See table below for the specific time.
   7. Let the pressure naturally release. It takes about 10 minutes.

Below is a photo of the uncooked seasoned pork chops in the Instant Pot before starting to brown them using the Sauté feature.

Below is a photo of the seasoned pork chops after they have been browned using the Sauté function of the Instant Pot but before they have been pressure cooked.

How Long To Pressure Cook The Pork Chops In The Instant Pot

How long to cook pork chops in the Instant Pot depends on the cut, whether it is bone-in or boneless, and the thickness of the pork chops. Thin pork chops cook faster than the thick pork chops, and boneless pork chops cook faster than bone-in pork chops.

1. I used bone-in, 1-1/2 inch thick pork chops, which will require more time to cook. I pressure cooked on high pressure for 15 minutes.
2. For frozen bone-in, 1″ plus thick pork chops pressure cook for 20 minutes. 

I would not recommend cooking thin (1/4 – 1/2″ thick) boneless pork chops in an Instant Pot.

How To Make Gravy In The Instant Pot

1. After the pork chops, and any vegetables, have finished cooking and have been removed from the Instant Pot, press cancel, and then press sauté. This will heat the liquid in the Instant Pot.
2. To thicken the sauce, mix 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch with cold water until the cornstarch is dissolved. Then pour the cornstarch water into the Instant pot and stir until even combined. Continue heating and stir occasionally until the gravy is thickened. 
3. Press cancel to turn off the Instant Pot. Remove the inner pot. If you want a creamier gravy, add 1/3 cup sour cream to the gravy.

Below is a photo of the pork chops without gravy served with broccoli and mashed potatoes.

Below is a pork chop with gravy, garnished with chopped cilantro, and served with broccoli and mashed potatoes.

What To Serve With Instant Pot Smothered Pork Chops

Serve with your favorite salad, vegetables, or sides. I served it with steamed broccoli and mashed potatoes. It would also go well with Brussels sprouts, Sweet Potatoes, Crockpot Roasted Potatoes, or Scalloped Potatoes, and finish it off with some Old Fashioned Chess Pie.

More Pork Chop Recipes

If you like these Instant Pot Pork Chops, you’ll love these recipes.

1. Breaded Oven Baked Pork Chops – by Renee’s Kitchen Adventures – Seasoned, breaded pork chops browned in a skillet on top of the stove and then baked in the oven until juicy and tender.
2. Baked Pepper Sage Pork Chops – Baked Pepper Sage Pork Chops are an easy, delicious, savory main dish that can be served on a date night or a weeknight.
3. Balsamic Capers Pork Chops – These pork chops are tender and juicy with Capers and make a delicious gourmet dinner yet can be on the table in 30 minutes.

Other Pork Recipes

1. Instant Pot Pulled Pork Recipe.
2. Roasted Hatch Green Chile Pork Stew.
3. Balsamic Pork Medallions with Caper Cream Sauce

Other Instant Pot Recipes

1. Albondigas Soup (Mexican Meatball Stew)
2. Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings
3. Instant Pot Beef Stew

Looking for more comforting Southern Instant Pot dinners? Check out this full roundup of Southern & Tex-Mex Instant Pot recipes.

Recipe