Crock Pot Pork Loin with Honey Balsamic Glaze

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Jump to Recipe   Pin RecipeCrock Pot Pork Loin ~ a moist, juicy, effortless slow cooker dinner featuring a tangy, sweet and savory, honey balsamic glaze that's impressive enough for company! | FiveHeartHome.com via @fivehearthome

Crock Pot Pork Loin is a moist, juicy, effortless slow cooker dinner featuring a tangy, sweet and savory, honey balsamic glaze that's impressive enough for company!

 

If you enjoy pork, you'll also love Pineapple Pulled Pork Pizza, Pork Tenderloin with Mushroom Gravy, or Rosemary Cider Brined Pork Loin!

Even though our daily schedule will become more flexible once school's out for the summer (very soon!), that still doesn't mean I want to spend hours on end in a hot kitchen. So when we're not grilling outdoors, odds are I'm using my crock pot. Plenty of folks (myself included) tend to think of slow cooker meals as winter fare, and many crock pot recipes certainly fall into that category. But there's something to be said for coming home from work or the pool or a playdate at the park and having dinner waiting on you. As an added bonus, said dinner didn't even require that the oven heat up the whole kitchen! This Crock Pot Pork Loin is delectable any time of year. And I'm telling you...the honey balsamic glaze puts it over the top!

Ingredients

Simple ingredients yield amazing flavor when it comes to this Crock Pot Pork Loin!

First you'll need to season your pork loin:

  • Dried ground sage. This is not bottle that I pull out of my spice drawer often, but I think the flavor of the sage just complements the other ingredients in this recipe beautifully. If you don't have (or care for) sage, you could substitute dried thyme or rosemary.
  • Salt + freshly ground black pepper. To further season this Crock Pot Pork Loin recipe.
  • Garlic. Minced. You may use either fresh garlic or the jarred and refrigerated minced garlic in water. I'm a fan of using fresh garlic in most recipes, but I find jarred garlic to be a suitable substitute in slow cooker recipes since the lengthy cooking time mellows out the garlic either way.
  • Water. Just a bit of liquid at the bottom of the crock pot helps keep the pork loin moist.

You'll also need ingredients for the sticky-sweet honey balsamic glaze:

  • Honey.
  • Balsamic vinegar.
  • More water.
  • Soy sauce.
  • Cornstarch.

How to Cook Pork Loin in the Crock Pot

(The below photos are intended to be helpful, but please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for FULL DIRECTIONS.)

This is one of those dinners that practically makes itself!

  • Place the pork loin in your slow cooker.
  • Combine the seasonings and sprinkle over the pork loin, pressing it into all sides.
  • Sprinkle minced garlic over the top and pour water into the bottom of the slow cooker.
  • Cover and cook on LOW for around 8 hours or until the Crock Pot Pork Loin is very tender.

    • An hour before serving, prepare the honey balsamic glaze.

  • Whisk the glaze ingredients together in a small pot until the cornstarch is completely dissolved.
  • Bring the mixture to a low simmer and cook, while stirring, until thickened.
  • During the last hour of cooking time, brush the Crock Pot Pork Loin with the glaze three times.

    • The final time you go to glaze the pork loin, you have two choices: either pour all of the remaining glaze over the top...

    ...or brush with glaze one final time and reserve whatever remains as a dipping sauce to serve alongside your pork.

    Either option is delicious!

    Reasons to Cook Pork Loin in the Crock Pot

    I'm actually pretty picky about my crock pot recipes. It's so easy for meals from the slow cooker to all end up having the same general taste and texture. While that's fine when you need a quick and effortless meal, the crock pot recipes that I find myself repeating frequently are those that taste more like they could have come from the stovetop or out of the oven.

    This Crock Pot Pork Loin is one of them! Sure, the meat is juicy and flavorful -- which can be said about many, if not most, crock pot meals -- but it's the honey balsamic glaze that really puts this dinner over the top. And when that glaze trickles down into the juices at the bottom of the pot to mingle into a flavorful, effortless pan sauce of sorts...well, YUM.

    As if that's not enough to get excited about, this recipe makes a ton. So unless you have a very large family, leftover shredded pork has the potential to save you from cooking for another night or two (can I hear a hip, hip, hooray?!).

    Ways to Enjoy the Leftovers

    If transforming your Crock Pot Pork Loin leftovers into another meal sounds appealing to you, the possibilities are abundant!

    • Fold some shredded pork into cheesy quesadillas...Brie would be delicious!
    • Sprinkle it over a salad...with balsamic dressing to complement the glaze!
    • Serve it on a bun...topped with a crunchy slaw!

    Please excuse the superfluous exclamation points. Who knew leftovers could be so exciting?

    So do yourself a favor this summer (or any other season) and break out that slow cooker to make this Crock Pot Pork Loin in all of its honey balsamic glory!

    Because in my book, minimal effort for maximum culinary delight is a recipe for summer fun. 🙂

    More Crock Pot Pork Recipes

    Crock Pot Pork Loin with balsamic glaze on platter.

    Crock Pot Pork Loin with Honey Balsamic Glaze

    Crock Pot Pork Loin is a moist, juicy, effortless slow cooker dinner featuring a tangy, sweet and savory, honey balsamic glaze that's impressive enough for company! By Samantha Skaggs Course: Main CourseCuisine: American Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 8 hours Total Time: 8 hours 15 minutes Servings: 8 to 10 servings Calories: 267kcal Print Pin Rate

    Ingredients

    For the pork:

    • 3 pound boneless pork loin
    • 2 teaspoons ground sage
    • ¾ teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon pepper
    • 5 cloves garlic, minced
    • ½ cup water

    For the glaze:

    • â…“ cup honey
    • ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
    • ½ cup water
    • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
    • 1 tablespoon cornstarch

    Instructions

    • Place pork loin in the bottom of a large slow cooler.
    • In a small bowl, combine sage, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle half of the spice mixture onto one side of the pork loin and press it into the meat with your fingertips. Flip the pork over and repeat on the other side.
    • Spread minced garlic over the top of the pork loin and press down again.
    • Pour water into the bottom of the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.
    • An hour before serving, prepare the glaze. In a small pot, mix glaze ingredients together until cornstarch has dissolved. Bring to a low simmer and cook, while stirring, for a few minutes or until the mixture has thickened. It will continue to thicken as it cools.
    • During the last hour of cooking, brush roast with glaze three times. The last time, either pour all of the remaining glaze over the pork loin, or reserve whatever is left after brushing as a dipping sauce.

    Equipment Needed

    Video

    Notes

    If my pork loin has a layer of fat on one side when preparing this recipe, I cook it with that side up so that the fat can melt into the meat and further moisten it while cooking. Then I carefully flip the whole loin over with some tongs before I start glazing it. This way, when we're ready to eat, we can cut away the layer of fat without losing the glaze.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 267kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 107mg | Sodium: 461mg | Potassium: 660mg | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin C: 0.6mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1.1mg Made this recipe? I'd love to see on IG!Mention @FiveHeartHome or tag #FiveHeartHome!

    Adapted from Let's Dish. Originally published on June 12, 2013, and updated on August 24, 2022, and May 17, 2023.

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