Slow Cooker Honey Apple Pork Loin

Slow Cooker Honey Apple Pork Loin with just seven ingredients is a showstopping meal with none of the effort! Perfect for holiday dinners!

Slow Cooker Honey Apple Pork Loin with just seven ingredients is a showstopping meal with none of the effort! Perfect for holiday dinners!
Slow Cooker Honey Apple Pork Loin

Slow Cooker Honey Apple Pork Loin seems like it should take a long time to make, but this meal comes together so quickly and with hardly any effort at all!

Having a lot of holiday dinners? Family in town and you’re stressed how you’re going to survive work, kids, family and the holidays while playing hostess? THIS is the dinner you’ll love serving. It takes 10 minutes to prep and five hours later you have a delicious meal ready and waiting for people to compliment you on.

This post, along with many others throughout the year is sponsored by Mountain Rose Herbs whose Cinnamon, Flake Salt and Black Pepper were used in this meal.

Ten minutes. Most of that is spent slicing apples too. Look at the before and after!

Just seven ingredients in this delicious Slow Cooker Honey Apple Pork Loin

This recipe was based on seeing a stuffed pork loin in a Food Network magazine in the doctor’s office waiting room. Then I did a quick look on Google and this stuffing the top of the loin idea is huge with both apples and peaches (this is happening next summer for SURE). So we’ve been playing with flavors.

This dish is definitely based on my Lemon Salt Pork Loin recipe and Honeyed Apples (both Michael Chiarello recipes).

I tested all different kinds of onions from white to yellow and red. I settled on sweet onions so the flavors didn’t fight each other.  I tested browning the loin vs leaving it raw. But I found with the fat cap on the top of the pork loin it wasn’t really necessary to brown it because the fat was going to render out over time and there was no skin to crisp.

Tips for your Slow Cooker Honey Apple Pork Loin:

  • I used Granny Smith apples because the tartness cuts through the sweetness of the honey. For a milder flavor use fuji.
  • Build a good base of apples and onions (you can also use baby Yukon potatoes instead of onions). This will keep the pork out of the liquids.
  • Don’t overcook this dish. All you need is five hours on LOW, if you cook for any longer you may end up with dry pork.
  • If you want you can also add the honey to the pork after the cooking is finished.
  • You can make a gravy with the liquid in the slow cooker. Add the strained liquid to a saucepan to a cornstarch slurry (2 teaspoons room temperature water mixed with 2 teaspoons cornstarch) and cook on medium heat until thickened (3-4 minutes).

Want to make this in your oven? Totally doable and easy!

Roasted Honey Apple Pork Loin:

  • Season the pork with cinnamon, salt and black pepper.
  • Add the apples and onions to a large dutch pan or baking dish.
  • Top with the pork loin.
  • Add in the sliced apples.
  • Cook at 400 degrees for 55-65 minutes.

The easiest fancy meal you'll ever serve your guests, this Crock Pot Honey Apple Pork Loin.

Looking for more Pork Dishes?

Slow Cooker Honey Apple Pork Loin with just seven ingredients is a showstopping meal with none of the effort! Perfect for holiday dinners!
4.7 from 10 votes
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Slow Cooker Honey Apple Pork Loin

Slow Cooker Honey Apple Pork Loin with just seven ingredients is a showstopping meal with none of the effort! Perfect for holiday dinners!
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword Slow Cooker Honey Apple Pork Loin
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 hours
Total Time 5 hours 10 minutes
Servings 12 Servings
Calories 235 kcal
Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients

  • 4 pound pork loin not tenderloin
  • 1/2 teaspoon Flake Salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon Coarse Ground Black Pepper
  • 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
  • 4 Granny Smith apples sliced in 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick slices
  • 2 sweet onions sliced
  • 1/4 cup honey

Instructions

  1. Using a small paring knife cut about a dozen apple length slits about three inches deep into the pork.
  2. Rub the pork loin with the salt, black pepper and cinnamon.
  3. Reserve just enough apple slices to place into the pork.
  4. Put the remaining apples and the onion slices into the bottom of the slow cooker.
  5. Place the reserved apple slices into the pork, one slice per opening.
  6. Place the pork loin over the apples and onions.
  7. Cover the pork in honey.
  8. Cook on low for 5 hours.

  9. To serve carve the pork into slices, serve with the apples and onions and a couple spoonfuls of the liquid (once you've rendered off the fat).
Nutrition Facts
Slow Cooker Honey Apple Pork Loin
Amount Per Serving (1 g)
Calories 235 Calories from Fat 27
% Daily Value*
Fat 3g5%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Cholesterol 98mg33%
Sodium 182mg8%
Potassium 737mg21%
Carbohydrates 18g6%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 14g16%
Protein 32g64%
Vitamin A 35IU1%
Vitamin C 5.4mg7%
Calcium 24mg2%
Iron 1.7mg9%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
The easiest fancy meal you'll ever serve your guests, this Crock Pot Honey Apple Pork Loin.
Just seven ingredients in this delicious Slow Cooker Honey Apple Pork Loin

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. Going to make this for Christmas. Could only find a 4lb pork loin roast. What adjustments would I need to do in order to make in crockpot?

  2. IM about to try this but mix two of your recipes together. I want to try wrapping it with bacon after adding the apple slices. Should i use the brown sugar or honey for this?

  3. Wasn’t very flavorful. I followed the recipe exactly and it came out super bland. I had to doctor it up before serving in order to make it enjoyable enough to eat. Could use some brown sugar and some thyme or rosemary while cooking and much more s n p and cinnamon. The thankfully meat did come out very tender.

  4. This recipe is fabulous! The pork is delicious and tender and comes out perfect every time. I actually use a hand blender to blend the onions and apples at the end to make a sauce- absolutely delicious!

  5. Gonna give this a try tonight. Except, I’m going to use a 3.11# boneless pork loin roast with minced garlic, bacon, Granny Smith apples, and black pepper and not slit it. Will try to post results afterward.

    1. Last night bacon was frozen. So I just put the roast into the crockpot. Set it for 5 hours and also inserted a meat thermometer set for 145 degrees.
      As far as prep….
      Rinsed 3.11# boneless pork loin roast and patted dry with paper towels.
      Slit across top from end to end apx. 1” deep.
      Drizzled apx. 3 tbs minced garlic liquid from jar across the top end to end.
      Inserted 2 1/8” slices of Granny Smith apple into each slit.
      Wrapped top and around sides and part of the bottom with bacon.
      Layered crockpot with 1/4” slices of yellow onion and placed prepped roast on top.
      I will try to post my family’s average opinion tomorrow. Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020.

  6. Just found your website. This dish was savory and had a bit of sweet. I did not use onions, but used potatoes. It is very creative to accomplish a beautiful savory/sweet dish. I will be making this again. Good job young lady.

    1. Want to make this for Christmas. Could not find pork loin but got a 4 lb pork loin roast. What changes would I need to make to do this in crockpot?

  7. Made this in the slow cooker and it was absolutely delicious!! The only modification we made is that we doubled the rub ingredients (cinnamon, salt and pepper). Otherwise it was JUST PERFECT. Making it again tonight in the oven — hoping and anticipating the results to be just the same. Will cover with foil for the first 30 minutes and then uncover for the rest of time.

    1. Yes but make sure that the apples aren’t exposed (push them all the way into the slits) so they don’t oxidize. Enjoy!

  8. I just put this in the slow cooker, but all I had was a bone-in pork loin. Should I adjust the cook time in my slow cooker?

  9. Very bland. Though the pork was moist, none of the seasoning flavor came through. We couldn’t even taste the cinnamon or honey.

    1. I’m so sorry that it wasn’t to your taste. I wonder if there was too much liquid from the pork that didn’t allow the seasoning to sink in.

  10. I have 2 1.5ish pound pork loin rib end roast, will they work for this recipe? And how much should I adjust the cook time. I can only use the slow cooker atm.

  11. Followed this recipe exactly as written and it was not good. Smelled great but the meat was dry (yes I made the exact weight of pork and cooked for the time recommended) and the flavor was bland. Will not make this again.

      1. When you recommend cooking times (in the comment section) for different size loins- you might mention slow cooker or oven. I saw a ? Where you said 20-25 minutes per lb. I assumed that was oven-not slow cooker (referring to your reply to kelse in march)

    1. Pork tenderloin is best cooked quickly over fairly high heat, while pork loin is better for slow-roasting or grilling methods.

    1. When you recommend cooking times (in the comment section) for different size loins- you might mention slow cooker or oven. I saw a ? Where you said 20-25 minutes per lb. I assumed that was oven-not slow cooker

  12. Sabrina, I am hoping to try this recipe tomorrow on a Pork Tenderloin. I’m assuming I need to cook longer, but my question is, do you have the full nutritional information available? One of my family members is on a low sodium diet.
    Thanks in advance.

    P.S. I’m cooking this anyway, I’ll use my temperature probe to test for correct internal temperature, and I will remove any additional salt, but your input would be great. Thanks again

    1. I just updated the recipe card to show the nutritional information. It calculates from a program so if it’s a strict diet, you may need to calculate on your own to double check. Hope this helps! Enjoy!

      1. Thank you so much for the nutrition info. We have two type 1 diabetes in the family and need to count carbs per meal to allow for insulin. We really appreciate it!

  13. I’m all out of regular honey but I have ancho Chile honey. Do you think it would taste okay? It’s not a strong flavor.

    1. My pork loin has a fairly thick fat all over the top which I leave up in the crockpot. My question is do you put the apple slices on top into the fat or should I just leave fat side down?

      1. You can trim up the fat a bit if needed but you’ll slice into it to place your apples in the fat cap. You’ll want to cook it fat side up. Hope this helps!

    1. I would recommend baking it at 375° for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until thermometer registers 160°. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing. Hope this helps!

  14. I want to make this today. I normally cook with fat on top so the meat stays moist. Do you put the fat side up or down in the crockpot for this recipe.

  15. Hi, Sabrina, this looks delicious, and I am looking forward to making it. Someone in the comments asked about the rendering, and you said this will happen during the cooking. I am thrown off though by step 9 in the recipe, and just want to double check that there isn’t another step I am missing since “rendering” is a new term to me. Thank you!

    1. It just means to separate the fat from the liquid. You can either use a strainer to separate or if making the next day, put it in the refrigerator overnight and skim it off the top. Hope this helps!

  16. This is an awesome recipe!! The cooking time is right on – the roast was cooked perfectly. I added some chopped up bacon to the onion and apple mix, as well as draped some over the top of the roast. I used spiced paprika, onion powder, cinnamon, cracked pepper, and a bit of garlic salt with the honey on the roast and on the onions and apples. I also tossed a bit of brown sugar and Dijon mustard in the apple onion mix. The apples disintegrated while cooking, so I was able to spoon that mixture over the pork slices when serving. SO< SO GOOD!!!

  17. I used apples and peaches together…just put it in the crock pot. I’ll let you know how it turns out! Thanks for this recipe. I’m excited to see how it turns out. Smells awesome already!

    1. The peaches will break down faster, so they’ll probably be mushy by the time it’s done cooking, but I bet the flavor combination will be delicious!

    1. This is a slow cooker recipe and no liquid is needed. The pork loin will release liquids during the cooking process. Enjoy!

  18. Do you put the slow cooker in the oven for this recipe? Probably not, I’m just a bit confused since you don’t put any liquid (like stock) into the cooker…the liquid probably builts up?

    I’ll try it out this Christmas! 🙂

    1. You’ll be cooking this all in a slow cooker. No need to add any liquid as the pork loin will release liquids while it cooks. I hope you enjoy it!