Sweet and Sour Pork is one of our favorite takeout dishes and when we can’t get take out, we love to make this version at home.
We’ve loaded it up with extra veggies and created a quick homemade sweet and sour sauce with the perfect balance between sweet and savory. Serve this easy pork stir fry over rice for the perfect meal!
A Homemade Favorite
Making this easy dish is great since you can add extra veggies and cook them to tender crisp. We love peppers but of course add in your favorites.
Of course sweet and sour pork has a sweet sauce but this homemade version has just the right amount and is perfectly balanced with a splash of vinegar and lots of flavor from fresh ginger and garlic.
Add-In Extra Veggies
I’ve upped the veggies in this recipe, adding loads of sweet peppers. While I stick to simple peppers, onions, and pineapple, you can add in your favorites from bok choy or broccoli to mushrooms or carrots.
To up the veggies, even more, skip the rice and serve this sweet and sour pork over some cauliflower fried rice or zucchini noodles.
How To Make Sweet and Sour Pork
To make sweet and sour pork:
- Marinate the pork pieces while prepping the veggies
- Sear the pork until crisp.
- Cook the garlic, ginger, and peppers. Add pork and sauce.
- Stir until bubbly and thickened.
While the pork is marinating, prep all of the ingredients and stir together the sauce mixture. Once you begin cooking, it won’t take you long to have this sweet and sour pork on the table!
More Homemade Faves
- Easy Pepper Chicken Stir Fry
- Cashew Chicken Stir Fry
- Chicken Lo Mein
- Easy Mongolian Beef
- Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
- Pork Stir Fry
Sweet and Sour Pork
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound pork tenderloin
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 cups diced bell peppers any color
- 8 ounces pineapple tidbits with juices reserved for sauce, 1 can
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh ginger
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 3 green onions sliced and greens/whites divided
For the Sauce
- 1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup pineapple juice reserved from the can above
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
- ⅓ cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Trim pork of any fat and cut into 1" cubes. Combine with egg and soy sauce and allow to marinate 20 minutes while preparing the remaining ingredients.
- Combine all sauce ingredients and mix well. Set aside.
- Remove pork from marinade (remove any excess marinade) and gently toss with flour and cornstarch.
- Heat oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium high heat. Add pork and cook without stirring 3 minutes on one side or until a crust forms. Continuing cooking just until pork is cooked through but still slightly pink, about 3 more minutes.
- Remove pork from pan and set aside. Add garlic, ginger and the whites of the onions (add more oil if needed). Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in peppers and cook until tender crisp, about 3-4 minutes. Stir sauce and add to peppers, cook until thick and bubbly while stirring, about 2 minutes.
- Add pork and pineapple and simmer 1 minute more.
- Serve over rice.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Main Course
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This was yummy, my son especially loved it. Will definitely make it again. Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed it, Gayle!
made this tonight. We loved it! I added a lot of different vegetables, including water chestnuts snow peas mung beans, broccoli, carrots, celery, mushrooms. The pineapple was such a delight! I also added approximately a teaspoon of ground ginger and 3/4 of a teaspoon of five spice and some red pepper flakes My husband gave me permission to make this anytime I want!
So happy it was a hit, Carol! Thank you for leaving a comment ❤️
Hi! I tried this today and my sauce didn’t thicken at all. I thought the cornstarch would do, but it didn’t: my wok pretty much looked as if I was cooking soup! I had to fish the pork, pineapple and veggies out of the sauce. Would anyone have any guesses on where might I have gone wrong? I’m positive I followed the instructions properly and I measured everything right. Maybe my rice vinegar was too old? Maybe I was supposed to cover the pan, which I didn’t do? Thanks!
Two tablespoons of cornstarch should definitely be enough to thicken the sauce.
– If you premixed the sauce, the cornstarch can sink to the bottom of the bowl and the sauce might need to be stirred before adding or the cornstarch will remain in the bottom of the bowl.
– The mixture will need to be brought to a temperature where it is boiling/bubbling in order to thicken.
– The cornstarch should be added to a cold (or room temp is fine) liquid.
Hopefully one of those helps you!
Thank you! I did follow all those steps properly. All my liquids were room temperature, I stirred the premixed sauce before adding it to the pan and I let it boil while stirring… Maybe I didn’t let it boil for long enough, but it had been waaaaaaaay longer than 2 minutes and I was worried I’d overcook it. Maybe next time I can add some extra cornstarch while stirring if it doesn’t thicken? Or plain flour, perhaps. In any case, it tastes great, so thank you again!
I’m glad you enjoyed the flavor!
If you do need to add extra cornstarch to thicken next time, add one tablespoon of cornstarch to one tablespoon of cold water and mix well. Drizzle this into the boiling liquid to thicken.
This Sweet and Sour Pork recipe was EXCELLENT. I substituted chunks of rotisserie chicken for the pork. Hubby tasted the sauce as I was serving up the plates…. He said “Oh, this sauce is sooo good.” He came back for seconds…. Winner, winner.
I am curious as to why your recipe for Sweet and Sour Chicken has a similar but different combination of ingredients. Believe that I have used that recipe prior and I’m sure it was excellent too. Just wonder why the difference…
Hi Sharon, so happy this recipe was such a hit for you and we love that you swapped out the pork for chicken! We like to provide some variety in our recipes hence the difference in the sauces but both would be delicious in chicken or pork!
Great flavor for the sauce. I thoughtlessly uses olive oil, so my pork did get crispy, but still tasted great. Added bok choy whites with the peppers and greens with the pineapple. So Good.
Could I use ground pork with this recipe?
I haven’t tried it but think it would work. I would suggest not breaking the pork up too small when browning. Let us know how it works out for you!
Did I miss something?….
Yes I agree marinating the pork ……but what is the marinade to marinade the pork in ….didnt state that!
Combine with egg and soy sauce and allow to marinate 20 minutes while preparing the remaining ingredients.
I take it you need to beat the egg first prior to marinating the pork, yes?
Yes, the egg should be beaten.