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You’re going to be obsessed with this quick, easy, and delicious Air Fryer Sweet and Sour Pork! It comes together in less than 30 minutes and it’s better than takeout!
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What ingredients will I need?
- 2 pork chops
- Garlic
- Granulated sugar
- Soy sauce
- Water
- Pineapple juice
- Tomato paste
- Rice vinegar
What steps are involved?
For the full recipe (ingredients and instructions) please scroll to the recipe card at the bottom. Here’s a quick idea of how this recipe will go!
- Cut your pork into bite-size pieces, and dredge in cornstarch.
- Grease the basket of your air fryer with cooking spray and place the dredged pork into the basket evenly spaced. Place the cooked pork onto a paper towel and set aside until all of the pork is cooked.
- While the pork cooks, in a mason jar combine the minced garlic, sugar, soy sauce, water pineapple juice, tomato paste, and rice vinegar. Shake until combined and pour the mixture into a pan over medium heat. Whisk until thick and bubbly. Remove from the heat.
- Toss the cooked pork into the sauce until well coated and serve over a bed of rice. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds if desired.
That’s it! Very easy!
What's the best air fryer to use?
This is the best air fryer out there. It’s a Philips and it’s not fancy, but it gets the job done.
I also have an Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid, I like it and if you already have an Instant Pot, this is a great choice and it’s cheaper than buying a stand alone air fryer.
Helpful kitchen tools
Air Fryer
Magnetic Meat Thermometer
What substitutions can I make?
Gluten Free: If you’d like to make this gluten free, use arrowroot powder in place of the four and cornstarch. Here’s a great one to try.
Tomato Paste: If you don’t have tomato paste in your pantry, ketchup also works!
Pineapple Juice: You can swap the pineapple juice for apple juice, it’ll taste slightly different but still great and sweet and sour!
How do I end up with tender, juicy pork?
If you have the time (and this isn’t a necessary step), you should brine your pork (here’s a quick pork chop brine to try).
Also, you shouldn’t overcook your pork. When it reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s time to remove it from the heat source.
Recipe
Air Fryer Sweet and Sour Pork
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 2 pork chops roughly 1.5-2 lbs pork, cut into bite-size pieces
- ¾ cup cornstarch
- 3 cloves garlic peeled + minced
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup water
- 3 tbsp pineapple juice
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
Instructions
- Cut your pork into bite-size pieces, and dredge in cornstarch.
- Grease the basket of your air fryer with cooking spray and place the dredged pork into the basket (it shouldn’t be touching and you may have to work in batches). Turn the air fryer to AIR FRY (425 degrees F) and set the timer for 8 minutes. Shake the basket and then cook for another 3 minutes. Remove from the air fryer and place aside on a paper towel.
- While the pork cooks, in a mason jar combine the minced garlic, sugar, soy sauce, water pineapple juice, tomato paste, and rice vinegar. Shake until combined and pour the mixture into a pan over medium heat. Whisk until thick and bubbly. Remove from the heat.
- Toss the cooked pork into the sauce until well coated and serve over a bed of rice. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds if desired.
Dorian
I'd like to know where the cornstarch in the recipe comes in...there is no mention of it, except for a picture and in the "gluten free" suggestions...I am assuming it is included in the coating of the pork? or is it in the sauce mixture?
Lauren
The recipe has been fixed, sorry for the confusion!