Pineapple Pork

Looking for a tasty dinner you can easily toss together and that won’t take more than an hour to make? This pineapple pork stir-fry recipe has your back! In less than 30 minutes, you’ll have a tasty pineapple pork stir-fry on a bed of hot cooked rice or noodles, and even some leftovers to enjoy throughout the rest of the week.

The trick for juicy, tender pork? Pineapple juice! The enzyme in the juice helps to tenderize the pork and make it softer. Do let your pork sit in the pineapple juice for a few minutes so it can get tender.

Ingredients for Pineapple Pork

Melissa Patterson for Taste of Home

• Canned pineapple: The pineapple in this recipe comes right from a can. Both the pineapple chunks and the juice will be used in the recipe, so don’t toss the juice when you’re draining that can!
• Cornstarch: The cornstarch acts as the thickener for both the pineapple marinade and the stir-fry sauce.
• Garlic powder: Less than a teaspoon of garlic powder adds a savory element to the pineapple sauce that the pork quickly marinates in before cooking.
• Pork tenderloin: You’ll cut a pork tenderloin into thin strips for this recipe. Look for a smaller tenderloin, around 1 pound in size.
• Soy sauce: A stir-fry sauce is whisked together, with soy sauce as the base.
• Brown sugar: A few tablespoons of brown sugar cut the saltiness of the soy sauce and add a touch of sweetness to this stir-fry.
• Ground ginger and cayenne pepper: These spices add flavor and heat to the stir-fry for that unique finish.
• Canola oil: Canola or any other cooking oil you have in hand will do here, like vegetable or sunflower oil.
• Broccoli florets: Grab a bag of pre-cut broccoli florets to make your life easier, but be sure the broccoli hasn’t gone bad!
• Fresh baby carrots: Using baby carrots makes it easier to have bite-sized pieces in your stir-fry. Plus, they sometimes taste even sweeter than a regular carrot!
• Onion: This is the aromatic added to the stir-fry to round out the flavor. While you could use any type of onion, we recommend a white or yellow onion in this pineapple pork.
• Hot cooked rice: The pineapple pork will be delicious served over a bed of hot rice.

Directions

Step 1: Marinate the pork

Melissa Patterson for Taste of Home

Drain the pineapple, reserving 1/4 cup of the juice. In a large bowl or shallow dish, combine 2 tablespoons of the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of the water, the garlic powder and 1 tablespoon of the reserved pineapple juice. Add the pork and toss to coat it.

Step 2: Make the stir-fry sauce

Melissa Patterson for Taste of Home

In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, cayenne pepper, the remaining 1/2 cup of water, 1 tablespoon of the cornstarch and the reserved pineapple juice. Whisk until the sauce is smooth.

Step 3: Cook the pork

Melissa Patterson for Taste of Home

In a large skillet or wok, heat 1 tablespoon of the canola oil over medium-high heat. Stir-fry the pork until it’s no longer pink, then remove it and keep it warm.

Editors Tip: You can keep the pork warm by placing it in a dish, covering the top and letting it rest in the microwave.

Step 4: Stir-fry the vegetables

Melissa Patterson for Taste of Home

Stir-fry the broccoli, carrots and onions in the remaining 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, until the vegetables are tender. Stir the soy sauce mixture and add it into the pan, then bring the sauce to a boil. Cook, stirring consistently, for two minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Add the cooked pork and the pineapple and heat everything through, then serve it on a bed of rice.

Editor’s Tip: Use a wok to cook your stir-fry! This helps to cook everything evenly and makes it easy to stir a lot of vegetables and meat together at once.

Melissa Patterson for Taste of Home

Pineapple Pork Variations

• Make it with chicken: Don’t have pork on hand? This recipe will also work well with diced chicken breast or boneless chicken thighs.
• Use a different vegetable medley: Not a fan of broccoli and carrots? Feel free to get creative with the kind of vegetables you use in your stir-fry. Some of our favorites include colorful bell peppers, snow peas and baby corn.
• Serve it over noodles: If you’re not so fond of rice, you could always serve this stir-fry on a bed of noodles, like egg noodles, soba or Japanese udon. Even better: Toss the cooked noodles into the stir-fry so they can soak up that delicious sauce!

How to Store Pineapple Pork

Pineapple pork will last in the refrigerator in an airtight container for two to three days. To keep the pork moist, be sure to add any reserved liquid from the stir-fry so it doesn’t dry out and become tough.

How do you reheat pineapple pork?

Place the pineapple pork stir-fry in an oven-safe baking dish, covered with aluminum foil. Heat it in the oven at 350°F until the pork is heated through, 10 to 15 minutes.

Pineapple Pork Tips

Melissa Patterson for Taste of Home

Does pineapple juice break down pork?

Yes! The enzyme in pineapple juice helps to break down the pork, resulting in a softer and juicier texture to the meat. It’s great for breaking down tougher meats like pork, beef and chicken breast. This is why you soak the meat in pineapple juice before tossing it in the stir-fry.

How long should the meat sit in pineapple juice?

While this recipe does make for a quick 30-minute weeknight dinner, if you have some time, we recommend letting the meat marinate in the pineapple juice mixture for 45 minutes to an hour before cooking. This helps to break down the meat and makes it softer.

Can you use pork chops instead of tenderloin?

For this recipe, we don’t recommend swapping out the pork tenderloin with pork chops. The textures of these cuts of meat are different, and for the stir-fry, you’re going to want to use a tender and softer cut of pork for an overall better eating experience.