I cannot stress how delicious this Slow Cooker Sweet Balsamic Pork Roast is every time! We never get tired of it! The way the house smells is just plain awesome! This is one of our favorites around here. So easy to prepare, you can never go wrong!
There is a reason that our recipe for Slow Cooker Sweet Balsamic Pork Roast is one of our most popular! You can serve it with anything your heart desires. I usually make sure to make mashed potatoes when I make it just so I can enjoy this gravy all over them! I love sauces and gravies and this one is divine! I cannot get enough of it. I really hope this recipe is one you will try!
Please take a moment to check out our video!
Slow Cooker Sweet Balsamic Pork Roast
Ingredients
- 3 - 4 pounds pork roast, any cut
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1 cup beef or chicken broth
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar -
- 1/3 cup honey -
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce -
- 1 - 2 tblsp garlic, minced
- 1 tsp salt -
- 1 tsp pepper -
- cooking spray
- 1/3 cup flour -
- 1/4 cup water -
Instructions
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Spray slow cooker with cooking spray. Spread the sliced onions all over the bottom of the slow cooker. Sprinkle salt and pepper all over the pork roast and place inside the slow cooker, on top of the onions. In a large bowl, combine broth, vinegar, honey, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic. Pour over the roast. Cook on low for between 6 and 8 hours, depending on the size. When cooked, remove roast and place on a serving plate. Either turn slow cooker up to high or pour juices into a saucepan on the stove over medium high heat. Combine flour and water in a cup. Pour flour mixture into slow cooker or saucepan and whisk. When mixture starts to thicken, between 10-20 minutes covered in the slow cooker, or a few on the stove, remove from heat and serve with your roast!
Recipe Notes
This was without a doubt the best pork roast I have ever made in 50 years of cooking. Since it’s just me, I used a 1.7 pound butt/shoulder roast in my 2 quart slow cooker… Perfect size. Those who felt the vinegar was too strong should think about cutting back to half the amount called for but keep the same amount of Worchestershire sauce and broth because this gravy was absolutely incredible… Creamy and flavored just enough with sweet and sour without being overpowering. The pork, after 4 1/2 hours on high, was melt-in-your-mouth tender. I wish I had more leftovers. This is definitely a keeper.
You have totally made my day! Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. I even love the way the house smells while this pork roast cooks! So happy to know you enjoyed it as much as we do! Hopefully you find some other recipes on our site that you enjoy just as much! Again I can’t thank you enough for letting me know. Take care of you and enjoy the rest of your day! Be well. Karin
I’m eating low carb these days so I’m wondering if I can use half the honey , and corn starch or arrowroot instead of flour? It’s a lovely recipe and I can’t wait to have my house scented with it. BTW do you think unsweetened buttered mashed sweet potatoes go with this?
I apologize for my delay in responding. I am in hospital and my husband and son will not answer any specific food related questions or give me any form of internet communication until I am off the morphine! Today I am back to normal so my internet privileges have been restored! LOL
Now to answer your question. You can reduce the amount of honey or, depending on how big of a roast you are making, reduce all of the liquids by half. This includes the Worcestershire sauce, broth, vinegar and honey. If you reduce them all by half you will still taste the exact same recipe with less gravy or sauce. By cutting them all in half there will be a better balance of sweetness with this gravy. I worry you won’t enjoy this roast as much as you should without the honey or by reducing it too much. That being said if you are serving it with a sweet potato you may not notice less honey because of the sweetness in the potato. In my opinion I would try the recipe by cutting all of the ingredients in half first. This gravy has a definite sweetness to it but it is definitely worth a try with the sweet potato! I might just try that myself! If you find it is too sweet with the sweet potato and don’t have a different low carb option than the sweet potato try reducing the honey. I am going to try it myself once I am out of this hospital bed to see what it turns out like. As for substituting a starch with the flour that is no problem at all. Just make sure to dissolve the starch completely in a small scoop of liquid from the roast. Before adding it back to the roast. Also you are going to have to adjust the amount of starch depending on how much liquid you use. Please keep in touch and again I apologize for not getting back to you sooner! Take care and all the best. Karin
I found this recipe today and made it. Delicious! Hubby had seconds, only because it tasted so good. I’m a bit confused about the flour/water ratio. I got a thick paste that left my gravy very lumpy. Are you sure that’s correct?
I have gone over this in my head all night and to be honest I have no idea why your gravy ended up lumpy. The only thing I can come up with is the flour wasn’t fully dissolved in the water. I will make a mention of this in the recipe. The flour mixture is definitely thick but it shouldn’t be leaving you with lumpy gravy! There is nothing worse. This gravy is delicious too! I apologize for this happening to you. I make the flour water mixture and add it to the juices. I whisk it and whisk it as it boils and thickens. I have been making this recipe for years and I hope you will consider trying it again! Maybe add a little more water if you are concerned that the flour is not entirely dissolved. I am sorry I cannot be of more help. Take care and I can’t thank you enough for taking the time to let me know! All the best. Karin
I did this recipe with 4 thick pork chops today. Was delicious .
So happy to hear you enjoyed it! This recipe is one of my favorites! I even love the way the house smells while it is cooking! I can’t thank you enough for taking the time to let me know! You made my day! Hopefully you find some other recipes on our site that you enjoy just as much! Take care and all the best. Karin
Fantastic recipe thank you. I don’t have a slow cooker so added an extra cup of water and cooked for 3hrs in a casserole dish (lid on). Worked perfectly. Thanks again. Will be adding to my winter warmers short list for this year. YUM!
So glad to hear the recipe worked out for you! I can’t thank you enough for sharing how you did it! I love this recipe! Having options makes us all better in the kitchen. All the best. Karin
This was a great recipe. Loved the combination of flavors. However I used a boneless pork loin and even though it fell apart the meat was very dry. What type of roast did you use. Mine was approximately 3,5 lbs and I cooked it for 6 hours.
First, I want to apologize for my late response. My son was involved in a car accident and ever since he called me from the ambulance I have thought of nothing else but him. He is going to be fine. The car is not. Thank goodness. That being said. I can’t thank you enough for taking the time to comment! I am so happy you enjoyed this dish overall. It is one of our favorites. We used a center-cut roast with a decent fat cap on top. The fat cap will help keep the pork from drying out. I think the roast was just cooked a bit too long if it was dry. If you try this recipe again check the pork with a meat thermometer to confirm when it is ready to serve. Timing can only be a guide. Some roasts have more fat than others and will dry out easier. I always check before the time stated just to make sure the meat is cooking as it should. Also the meat will keep cooking once you remove it from the slow cooker and it is resting. I urge you to try this recipe again with a different cut and keep a closer eye on it while it is cooking. Once you see how hot your slow cooker is you will have the timing down in no time at all! If you do try it again please, if you don’t mind, let me know how it goes. I would love to hear. I hope this helps. Take care and be well. Karin
This was sooooo tasty! My roast just fell apart. I notice alot of people found the sauce/gravy to be a little too sweet or too strong on the vinegar taste. I also found it to be a little strong on the vinegar but I just added some chicken broth and soya sauce to it before I thickened it and it was perfect. Balsamic vinegar is a sweet vinegar so I expected it to be on the sweet side.
So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing your adjustments! They help us all! I might try them myself! Take care and all the best. Karin
I don’t know what I did, but the gravy just tasted like vinegar. I used all the amounts of honey, balsamic vinegar and Worcester sauce it called for, but it was really “vinegarary” tasting. Reminded me of sauerbratten. Didn’t care for it. Would it have made a difference if I’d used chicken broth instead of beef broth?
I’m not sure what happened. Perhaps if you tried it with chicken broth you might like the gravy flavor better. Chicken broth has a milder flavor. If you decide to try it again taste the mixture before pouring it on top of the roast. Add a little more honey maybe for a sweeter result. This is one of my favorite recipes. I am sorry you didn’t enjoy it. Hopefully you can find some other recipes on this site that you do like! Anything is possible! Take care and all the best. Karin
Can you make this in an instant pot or pressure cooker?
To be honest I am not sure but I am going to try it myself! I can’t see why not. I apologize for not knowing. If you do try it yourself please let me know how it turned out. This recipe is delicious! It never occurred to me before to even try it with an instant pot! Thank you for the suggestion! I do I appreciate it! All the best. Karin
This recipe looks terrific, but I want a savory gravy and I’m concerned about so much honey in it. How sweet is the gravy? Would it be ok to cut it way back or eliminate it?
I apologize for the delay in my response. It has been a crazy week! We don’t find the gravy too sweet, but then everyone’s tastes are different. That being said you could easily reduce the amount of honey and then taste the mixture and see what you think. Add more honey gradually until you get the flavor you want. We found we had to add honey to the recipe to balance out the vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. With the honey added we felt it was perfect for us. I love this gravy. Even the way the house smells while it is cooking is so nice. Please give the recipe a try and let us know your result. We would all appreciate it. I am curious to know what you thought of it. Take care and all the best. Karin
Too sweet
I am sorry you found the recipe too sweet. Perhaps you can try it again with less honey and taste the mixture before you pour it on top of the roast. Just a suggestion. I love this recipe and hope you can adjust it to your tastes. If not, hopefully you can find some other recipes on this site that you enjoy! Take care and all the best. Karin
This recipe is delicious! The gravy truly makes it fantastic. Thank you for sharing!
You are welcome! I even love the way the house smells while it is cooking! We are gravy lovers here too! So happy to hear you enjoyed it! Thank you for taking the time to let me know! You truly made my night! Take care and all the best. Karin
Dear Kitchen Divas such a beautiful and enjoyable dish to make. My wife loved it. My father a man of few words also. And as usual we all went for seconds or maybe thirds. Roast potatoes and kumara (aka sweet potatoes), along with peas and the gravy was a smash hit. Keep up the good work. Thank you and best wishes.
Ken and I cannot thank you enough for the kind words! We are so glad you enjoyed it! You really made my day. It puts a smile on my face every time I hear that someone enjoys our food! Hopefully you find some other recipes to try on our site! Take care and all the best. Karin
I made this to day. My husband loved it! The meat was extremely moist and the gravy was delicious. Thank you for sharing. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
Thank you for letting us know! I’m so glad to hear you loved it! I even love the way the house smells every time I make this roast. Hopefully you find some other recipes that you love just as much! Please, if you have time, let me know what you think of any other recipes you try. Regardless have a great rest of your day! You made mine. All the best. Karin
I have a recipe for lemon pepper balsamic pork chops that my family loves.; but it takes so much time in the kitchen. This looks a lot easier! Getting the crockpot ready now and then to hang out by the pool today! Will keep you posted on how it goes !!
I can’t wait to hear what you think of this roast and the gravy! I even love the way this makes our house smell while it is cooking! Enjoy your day by the pool! Take care. Talk soon. Karin
Oh so good! Super easy and super delicious 😋! Served with roasted potatoes and steamed green beans! Thanks for sharing!
Awesome! So glad to hear! You really made my day! Thank you for getting back to me. You are welcome. Hopefully you find some other recipes you like just as much on our site! Take care and enjoy the rest of your day! All the best. Karin
Fabulous flavor. This will be made again. Paired it with a squash casserole and candied yams. Awesome. So glad you posted this recipe
We are so glad to hear you enjoyed it! We love this recipe around here! Squash and yams would go perfectly. Thank you so much for taking the time to let us know. Hopefully you find some other recipes on the site that you enjoy just as much! All the best. Karin
Just started the roast. 6-8 hours can’t get here fast enough!
We love this recipe around here! I can’t wait to hear what you thought of it! Your house will smell so good! Take care and enjoy! All the best. Karin
I just made this recipe for dinner last night and it was a hit! I had friends and family over and they loved it. The tenderloin was tender, tasty just delicious! Thank you for putting it out there for us.
No problem. You are welcome. Glad to hear you enjoyed it. Hopefully you find some other recipes you enjoy just as much on our site. Take care and all the best. Karin
Hi….I am using this recipe for a 6-7lb pork tenderloin and wonder how long I should cook it for??? Anxiously await your reply!
Will the entire tenderloin fit in your slow cooker? If it will not and you have to cut it into a couple chunks your time should be somewhere around 6 hours. We would leave a roast that size in the slow cooker for between 7 and 8 hours. Maybe closer to 8 hours. It will be cooked, tender and delicious! Please let us know what you think once you try it! This recipe is one of our favorites. Take care and all the best. Karin
I’m trying this recipe for tonight’s dinner. Let you know how it comes out. Can’t wait.
Maggie
We love this recipe. Especially how the house smells! Please let me know what you think after you try it! Take care and all the best. Karin
How many would this feed? We are thinking of having this for Christmas or New Year’s dinner as a change of pace. Yummy recipe. Thanks.
This is always so hard to say. My guess is 4 to 6 people. If you are feeding more buy a bigger roast! We believe there is more than enough gravy but you can always double up if you want to! This roast is one of our favorites. The house smells so good! Please let us know what you think once you try it. All the best. Karin
I don’t have Balsamic vinegar, but I have Balsamic salad dressing. I’ll try that as a substitute and hope for the best. Salad dressing works great for flavoring chicken, so I think it might work well for pork too. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Please let us know. We would appreciate it. We have never tried it but I am personally curious! I look forward to hear from you! Take care and all the best. Karin
This looks FABULOUS, but is the balsamic vinegar added to crockpot when cooking, or at the end when thickening the gravy???
We love this recipe around here! The house smells so good. Anyways add your balsamic vinegar at the beginning with the broth and honey. Please let us know what you think of this recipe after you make it. We would love to hear. Take care and all the best. Karin
I really don’t like the taste of worcestershire sauce, is there something else I could use in it’s place?
I personally would use soy sauce instead. Do you mind the taste of soy sauce? If soy doesn’t work there are other options. Please let me know. This recipe is fabulous! Take care and talk soon. Karin
Karin, thank you for,the tip, absolutely delicious! The 4hrs worked out very well. The gravy was very good.
Awesome. So glad to hear it. You made my day! I even love the way the house smells while cooking and after. Thank you so much for letting me know. I so appreciate it. Hopefully you find some other recipes on our site that you are interested in trying. Have a great night. Take care and be well. Karin
I have a whole pork tenderloin, do you think it will work? Slow cooking for 6 hours? This sounds like a great recipe! Looking forward to trying it.
I think your result would be delicious. This recipe is one of our favorites. I think four hours on low in the slow cooker should be plenty, depending on the size of your tenderloin of course. Please let me know how it goes and what you think. I would love to hear your opinion. Take care and all the best. Karin
Did you have a similar recipe for beef? If so I can’t find it. Maybe I just miss read it. Thanks for your help!
No problem! We have a chicken one too! You can always search under browse recipes, and key word balsamic vinegar or here is the link. Slow cooker Balsamic Pot Roast It is one of our most popular recipes and one of our favorites. Please let me know what you think if you try it. Take care and all the best. Karin
This would be very good over rice. This is almost like a sweet and sour pork. Delicious
This recipe is awesome over rice and even mashed potatoes. The gravy is delicious. Sorry I can’t help but go on about this gravy. We just love it. Please let me know what you think when you make it. I would love to hear your opinion. All the best. Karin
Can you please note the amount of water and flour? I’d love to try this myself. Thank you so much for sharing!
I can’t believe I never noticed that I did not include the amounts for the flour and water! Thank you for letting me know. I will update the recipe now! I use 1/3 cup flour and 1/4 cup water mixed in a cup and then added to the juices to thicken. This recipe is delicious and makes the house smell so good! Please let me know what you think when you try it! I would love to hear your opinion. Take care and all the best. Karin