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!

Honey Balsamic Crock Pot Pork Loin with text overlay.


 

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!

Aerial view of labeled ingredients to make pork loin crock pot recipe.

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.
Crock Pot Pork Loin on plate with honey balsamic glaze.

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!

  1. Place the pork loin in your slow cooker.
Aerial view of pork loin in crock pot.
  1. Combine the seasonings and sprinkle over the pork loin, pressing it into all sides.
Dry spice rub for pork loin crock pot recipes.
Pork loin crock pot recipe.
  1. Sprinkle minced garlic over the top and pour water into the bottom of the slow cooker.
Pork loin crock pot with spice rub and garlic.
Crock Pot Pork Loin ready to slow cook.
  1. Cover and cook on LOW for around 8 hours or until the Crock Pot Pork Loin is very tender.
How to cook pork loin in crock pot.

An hour before serving, prepare the honey balsamic glaze.

  1. Whisk the glaze ingredients together in a small pot until the cornstarch is completely dissolved.
  2. Bring the mixture to a low simmer and cook, while stirring, until thickened.
Combining honey balsamic glaze ingredients in pot on stove.
Whisking together honey balsamic glaze ingredients in pot.
Honey balsamic glaze ready to brush on pork loin in slow cooker.
  1. During the last hour of cooking time, brush the Crock Pot Pork Loin with the glaze three times.
Brushing glaze over Crock Pot Pork Loin.
Glaze brushed on pork loin in crock pot.

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

Crock Pot Pork Loin with honey balsamic glaze in slow cooker.

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

Aerial view of Crock Pot Pork Loin on platter with glaze.

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?!).

Slices of Crock Pot Pork Loin on plate.

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?

Aerial view of Crock Pot Pork Loin with honey balsamic glaze on plate and platter.

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

Or check out all of my BEST Slow Cooker Recipes in one place! 🙂

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!
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: 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.

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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Recipe Rating




37 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Thank you for this recipe! It was so easy to make (love my slow cooker) and everyone asked when I can make it again!

  2. 5 stars
    My family loved this dish so much, I think it's become a new favorite dinner in our house! Thanks for the recipe

    1. Hi Amy! The final cooking time will definitely depend on the size of your pork loin as well as how hot your particular slow cooker runs. I haven't tried a pork loin this small, but I'm guessing it would be done in 4 to 6 hours if cooked on LOW? It needs to reach a safe internal temperature for pork (145°F), but I have found that pork loin also needs a bit of extra time beyond that to get even more tender in the slow cooker. Hope that helps! 🙂

  3. 5 stars
    We love this meal and it’s in our regular rotation! We’ve also made just the sauce and used it on other things. It’s so delicious! I wondered if I could use a pork shoulder instead and just cook it longer? My grocery pick up subbed the shoulder for the pork loin I ordered this week. Thanks!

  4. 5 stars
    This glazed pork recipe is so very delicious. Omg is all my family said except when are you making this again! Thankyou for sharing this recipe as i will do also

  5. Making this for the husband for supper tonight it sounds amazing and I'm even adding carrots and red potatoes to get that awesome flavor in them

  6. 5 stars
    I cooked this long and low this in a casserole , we don't use slow cookers very much here in England. Was a big hit with my family, thought I would have some left over for pulled pork roll but no such luck. Will be making this regularly.

    1. So glad that your family enjoyed this, Irene! I'm sure it was delicious "slow cooking" it in the oven. Hope you enjoy it just as much next time! 🙂

  7. 5 stars
    Made this tonight and it was delicious!! I'll definitely be adding it to our rotation of yummy dinners. My husband, who is super picky, wasn't crazy about the sauce but liked the pork all by itself. I loved the sauce and am looking forward to leftovers for lunch tomorrow! Thank you for sharing.

    1. I'm happy to hear that this recipe was a hit, Julie! Hope you enjoyed the lunchtime leftovers just as much, and thanks for taking the time to come back and comment! 🙂

  8. I was thinking of trying this with boneless Bork chops as that is what I have in my freezer. Do you think it will taste the same?

    1. I think the flavor of this recipe would be great using boneless pork chops, Regina! Just keep an eye on the cooking time since you would be using smaller/thinner pieces of meat. 😉 Enjoy!

  9. I'd like to thank you for the efforts you have put in penning
    this website. I am hoping to view the same high-grade blog posts
    from you in the future as well. In fact, your creative
    writing abilities has inspired me to get my own, personal blog now 😉

    1. Thank you so much, Phoebe! I'm glad you enjoy the site and I appreciate your thoughtful comment. Best of luck with your own blog...it's a fun adventure! 🙂

    1. Hi Lou Ann! I have served this pork loin with all of those choices at different times! The gravy/sauce is one of the best parts of this recipe, so you definitely want some rice, noodles, or mashed potatoes to soak it up. It's just a matter of personal preference. 🙂 Thanks for the question and enjoy!

  10. I have this in the crock pot right now. I was kind of worried about using sage, but it smells so good. I know my wife and kids are going to love it. I even invited my mom over for dinner.
    Being from North Carolina, we are pretty serious about our pork, and this one smells like a winner. I will be sure to let you know how it turns out!
    Thank you for the recipe, I think it's going to be a keeper.

    1. I hope you all enjoyed this, Chris! I don't use sage very often either and find that it can be rather overpowering in certain recipes, but I think it complements this one perfectly. However, thyme would probably be a good substitute in this recipe for anyone who doesn't like or have sage on hand. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment...and I hope this lived up to your high pork expectations! 😉

      1. 5 stars
        Samantha,
        It turned out great! The glaze really set this recipe apart from others. The pork was really tender and it was full of flavor. This is a keeper for sure!
        One thing I might do different next time is substitute vegetable stock in the place of water, and as you mentioned, maybe try thyme or rosemary.
        You hit this one out of the park!

        1. I'm so happy to hear that, Chris! Thanks so much for stopping back by to let me know. 🙂 Hope you have a great week!

  11. Hi Samantha! I am afraid i don't have time for the slow cooker, can i prepare in a dutch oven? thanks for the recipe!!

    1. Hi Lisa! Yes, I think you could totally make this on the stovetop or in the oven in a Dutch oven or other big pot! Just glaze it towards the end of the cooking time per the directions in this recipe. It might not be quite as fall-apart tender as if you had made it in the slow cooker, but I think it will be pretty close. Please let me know how it turns out if you try it!

    1. I have not tried cooking the pork with the sauce at the same time Pascale, because I worry about two things: (1.) the sauce may end up burning because of the high sugar content of the honey, and (2.) even if it didn't burn, I think it would become pretty watered down over the course of the cooking time. However, these are just assumptions since I haven't actually tried it! Please let me know how it works out if you decide to give it a go... 🙂

  12. I couldn't get the sauce/glaze to thicken. I doubled checked the ingredients and amounts, even increased heat and added another tbs of cornstarch, but it never thickened. What did I do wrong?

    1. Hi, Alison! I'm so sorry to hear that the sauce wouldn't thicken for you! I've never had that problem in all the times I've made this recipe, so I'm honestly not sure what went wrong.

      If you stirred the cornstarch in with the other cold ingredients and then brought the mixture up to a low simmer, it should have started thickening pretty quickly. If it didn't get to your desired thickness initially, stirring in a bit more cornstarch should have remedied the problem (but if you stir cornstarch into an already warm/hot liquid, you need to dissolve it in a small amount of water first to make a slurry, and then stir that slurry into your hot liquid...otherwise you'll get big lumps!).

      If your sauce thickened initially but then thinned back out, it could have been because it cooked too long, boiled, or was stirred too vigorously. These variables break down the corn starch and its ability to thicken. Do you think any of these issues could have been the culprit?

      I hope something here helps, and I hope the sauce works for you if you end up trying it again! Thanks so much for the question...have a great night! 🙂

      1. I figured it out!

        I had the pork in for 7 hours with the .5 cup water, as you recommended. When the sauce never thickened, I poured out the water, and the poured the "sauce "(since it was more like broth, consistency-wise), in instead.

        Well, 15 minutes later, it had thickened up! So then I rotated the pork to keep getting that glaze on either side. I asked my chef friend, and he said that sometimes, depending on the type/brand/freshness of cornstarch, sometimes you have to "boil" the sauce first, then simmer. That's what helps it thicken. And since I store my cornstarch in the fridge, it was probably fresh, but needed more than just "simmer" for heat.

        I will say, for others reading this, that the pork was SO TENDER it was literally falling apart! I was flipping it with tongs, and a side piece - about 3 inches - fell off! And then when I flipped it again, to make sure everything got marinated and whatnot, another huge piece fell off! So this recipe clearly made the meat so tender it was falling off the.. well, not bone, but falling in general!

        And the sauce, once it did thicken, was a huge hit with the family. Unlike myself, everyone else does NOT like "sweet" marinades or sauces. So something with honey in it made everyone groan. But, as it turns out, we ALL love it! It's not sweet, but not spicy. It's sweet enough to satisfy my unending sweet tooth, yet flavorful enough to please all the other family members that HATE sweets! What a weird dichotomy, yet everyone was happy!

        As a result, I've now suscribed to this blog 😉 Thank you, not only for this delicious recipe, but for responding so quickly to my question AND so thoroughly!! I can't wait to tell all my friends about your site!!!

        1. I am so glad you got the sauce to thicken, Alison, and that the recipe was a hit with your family! That makes my night. 🙂 And I really appreciate you coming back to share what worked for you so that your experience can help anyone else who might encounter the same problem.

          I'm so happy to have you as a subscriber now and I'm honored that you plan on sharing this blog with your friends. Hope you find a lot more recipes and ideas that appeal to you! Thanks again for stopping back by to share your results...have a great night!

  13. My husband would die to eat this for dinner one day! I've never been much of a pork person but I'm not gonna lie I could eat this NOW. Thanks for the recipe!

    1. I hope y'all love it (and I'm sure you will)! I make this recipe probably every other week and my family hasn't gotten tired of it yet. In fact -- and I'm completely serious when I say this -- I have it in the crock pot right now! Thanks so much for visiting the site! 🙂