Pork Stir Fry is a quick skillet dinner made with tender strips of pork, crisp vegetables, and a sweet and savory pineapple sauce. This easy recipe comes together in one pan and is great served over rice or noodles for a delicious weeknight dinner.

A bowl of pork stir fry over rice.

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Holly’s Recipe Highlights: Pork Stir Fry

  • Flavor: This stir fry blends juicy pork and colorful veggies with a sweet, tangy, and savory glaze.
  • Technique: Tossing the pork with cornstarch before cooking helps it develop a golden-brown coating while sealing in moisture to keep the meat tender and juicy.
  • Recommended Tools: A large skillet, wok, or sauté pan provides enough space to cook the pork and vegetables evenly.
  • Serving Suggestions: Best served over baked rice, lo mein noodles, or rice noodles to soak up the flavorful sauce.  

Total Time: 45 Mins Servings: 4 Cooking Method: Stove-top

Ingredient Notes

  • Pork: Boneless pork chops or pork tenderloin both work well in this recipe. Slice the pork across the grain into thin, even strips to create tender, bite-sized pieces that cook quickly.
  • Cornstarch: Helps the pork develop a lightly crisp, golden coating while keeping it tender. It is also used to thicken the sauce and create a smooth, glossy finish.
  • Mixed Vegetables: Fresh or frozen vegetables both work well in this stir fry. Broccoli, bell peppers, snap peas, carrots, mushrooms, baby corn, and zucchini are all great options for adding color, texture, and flavor.
  • Pineapple: Pineapple chunks add a sweet, juicy burst of flavor that balances the savory sauce. Canned pineapple is a convenient option and the reserved juice can be used in the sauce, though orange juice works well as a substitute if needed.
close up of ingredients in a frying pan to make Pork Stir Fry

How to Make Pork Stir Fry

  1. Season the pork, toss it with cornstarch, and let it chill.
  2. Brown the pork, then stir fry the vegetables with garlic and ginger (full recipe below).
  3. Simmer and thicken the sauce. Then return the pork, vegetables, and pineapple to the skillet until heated through.

Holly’s Stir Fry Success Tips

  • Prep First: Prep all ingredients before turning on the stove. Stir fry cooks quickly.
  • Do Not Crowd the Pan: Browning in batches gives better flavor and texture.
  • Use Medium-High Heat: So the vegetables stay tender-crisp instead of soft.
  • Add Garlic and Ginger Later: Add after the vegetables have cooked for a few minutes so they do not burn.
  • Use a Meat Thermometer: Pork is tender and juicy at 145°F, and a little pink in the center is okay.
Pork Stir Fry over the top view in a frying pan

Storing the Leftovers

  • Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and in the freezer for up to 2 months.
  • Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Then gently reheat in a skillet over medium heat or in the microwave, stirring partway through.

Sweet, Savory, and Saucy Favorites

Did you enjoy the following Pork Stir Fry Recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.

image of Everyday Comfort cookbook by Holly Nilsson of Spend With Pennies plus text
close up of Pork Stir Fry in a pan
4.94 from 151 votes

Pork Stir Fry

Servings 4
This pork stir fry is a quick skillet dinner with tender pork, colorful vegetables, pineapple, and a sweet-savory homemade sauce. Serve it over rice or noodles for an easy weeknight meal.
Servings 4
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
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Ingredients  

  • 12 ounces boneless pork chops or pork tenderloin, cut into ½-inch strips
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil divided
  • 4 cups mixed vegetables
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
  • cup pineapple chunks reserve juice for sauce

Sauce

  • cup water
  • cup pineapple juice from pineapple chunks above, or orange juice
  • ¼ cup less sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon sriracha optional
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch for slurry

Instructions 

  • Season pork with salt & pepper and toss with 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Refrigerate for 15 minutes (while you prepare the remaining ingredients).
  • To make the sauce in a small bowl, whisk together water, pineapple juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, sriracha, and sesame oil.
  • Heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat in a large pan. Stir fry pork in small batches until browned (it does not need to be cooked all the way through). Remove from pan and set aside.
  • Add remaining oil to the pan if needed and add vegetables. Stir-fry until tender-crisp, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Remove the vegetables from the pan.
  • Add the stir fry sauce and bring to a simmer.
  • Combine 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water and whisk into the boiling sauce a little bit at a time to reach the desired consistency.
  • Add pork, pineapple and vegetables back to the pan and let simmer 2 minutes or just until heated through.
  • Serve with rice or noodles.

Notes

Pork can be served at 145°F, a little bit of pink is ok and keeps the pork tender and juicy.
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and in the freezer for up to 2 months. 
4.94 from 151 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 393 | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 57mg | Sodium: 675mg | Potassium: 793mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 9262IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Dinner, Entree, Main Course, Pork
Cuisine American, Asian
bowls of Pork Stir Fry with a title
Pork Stir Fry in the pan and bottom photo plated with a title

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About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. She is also the author of the best selling cookbook “Everyday Comfort,” which delivers hearty, home-cooked meals designed for real life.
See more posts by Holly

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4.94 from 151 votes (100 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. The hubs and I thought this recipe was very tasty. I cut the recipe in half as there are only two of us. I served it over rice and there is enough left over for lunch tomorrow.The only ingredient I did not have was the hot sauce, but I shook in a bit of cayenne pepper. I also had fresh pineapple and used orange juice. I enjoy all of your recipes that I have tried so far – keep up the good work and thank you for sharing.5 stars

  2. Just printed this recipe to add to our Favorites collections! OH MY.. SO YUMMY! I had to squeeze the pineapple because it didn’t just have juice. We added bamboo shoots. And didn’t have toasted but regular sesame oil. Ate with minute white rice for dinner and then used a minute rice brown rice and quinoa for lunch leftovers the next day. Thank you for this recipe!5 stars

  3. Best use of leftover pork chops I’ve EVER had! I hesitated to add the pineapples but glad I did. Excellent!! My picky husband even liked it, I LOVED it!!5 stars

  4. Made it for first time.Excellent recipe with good instructions and lots of options! Will be a requested family favorite.5 stars

  5. This stir-fry was amazing! Even better than the restaurant. Will definitely make again and again. Thanks Holly.5 stars

  6. Really easy and delicious! I used bok choy, carrots, celery and bell peppers. Tastes just like takeout.5 stars

  7. Just made this and it was the best stir fry I’ve ever made. My husband said it’s good enough even to make for company. Keeping this one.

  8. Very bland the cornstarch makes it hard to brown the meat wasted a lot of good ingredients for sub pare food.1 star

  9. I had some leftover roast pork and was looking for something to make with it. Came across this recipe and made it. Very good. It would have been better if I made with marinading the pork first, but that’s what I’ll do next time. And yes, there will be a next time.5 stars

  10. This recipe gives us an excellent basic stir fry with hundreds of potential ingredients. I made four helpings for dinner using broccoli, turnip, and bok choy with the pork and my wife and I wolfed it ALL down. Some stir fry sauces are bland: What sparkled here was a combination of soy, orange juice, sugar, sesame oil, and a nice sprinkling of red pepper flakes. Kudos to spendwithpennies.com.5 stars

  11. Absolutely delicious. Pineapple was the hit on this dish. First time using that
    Will be making that again & again
    Thank you