Best Hawaiian Pork Loin Recipe (Slow Cooker)

Transform a simple pork loin into a shredded pork masterpiece with a simple homemade rub, pineapple, onion, and soy sauce. Easy ingredients and your slow cooker make this Hawaiian Pork Loin a new dinner favorite, any night of the week!

overhead shot of hawaiian pork loin shredded on platter


 

What You’ll Need

This Hawaiian pork loin roast recipe uses simple ingredients that are shelf stable, with the exception of the pork and onion, so it is easy to throw together. A full list of ingredients with measurements for this recipe is available in the printable recipe card below.

  • Pork Loin– Pork loin is a cut of meat from the back of a pig, located just below the shoulder and above the tenderloin. It’s a lean and tender cut that’s commonly used for roasts, chops, and other pork dishes.
  • Low-sodium soy sauce
  • Pineapple chunks in 10% juice
  • Sweet onion
  • Ground ginger
  • Paprika
  • Onion powder
  • Coarse Kosher salt
  • Dash of oil
  • Cornstarch
pork loin in slow cooker

Pork Loin vs Pork Tenderloin

If there’s one thing to remember it’s to make sure you’re picking up the right cut. Pork loin is not to be confused with pork tenderloin!

  • Pork Loin – A lean, large, wide cut of meat that is broken down into many different cuts, like chops and roasts. You want a boneless pork loin roast for this recipe. It may be sold as a top loin or center loin roast and it benefits from low, long cooks. It also has a nice layer of fat, which helps keep it juicy and adds flavor.
  • Pork Tenderloin – Similarly named but NOT a similar cut in any other way. Tenderloin is a thin, narrow cut that averages about 1 pound and is considered one of the most tender cuts of pork available. It’s best cooked quickly at high heat, and cannot be substituted in this recipe. It is also a lean cut of meat.

5S Philosophy 👩🏻‍

  • Salt – Make sure you are familiar with your soy sauce and the levels of salt it has. Different brands are saltier than others. If yours is particularly salty or you do not like salty foods, then omit the additional 1 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
  • Seasonings – If you like a peppery sauce, add a few grinds of fresh black pepper. Alternatively, you can also add cayenne pepper or some fresh herbs for more flavor.
  • Sauces – For a sweeter, sticky sauce, add 2-3 tablespoons of light brown sugar or dark brown sugar.
  • Swaps – Changing the type of onion used will change the flavor profile of the sauce. A sweet onion gives sweeter results while a yellow or red onion will be more oniony.
  • Senses – Slow cooker Hawaiian pork loin is tender and juicy, filling the air with a sweet, tropical aroma of pineapple and garlic. Each bite melts in your mouth, bursting with savory-sweet flavor and a hint of tangy glaze.
close up shot of shredded pork with pineapple

Perfect Pairings

This slow cooker pork loin is easiest served over a bed of white rice, but you can also use toasted couscous or ranch rice. It is also great over mashed potatoes or roasted sweet potatoes.

It also make an amazing pulled pork sandwich.

As a side, consider serving with vegetables like marinated green beans, roasted rainbow carrots, or whole roasted cauliflower.

Shredded meat can be used in tacos or even quesadillas and nachos! Leftovers can be served on top of a fun leafy green salad too.

overhead shot of shredded hawaiian pork loin over rice on plate
overhead shot of hawaiian pork loin shredded on platter

Hawaiian Slow Cook Pork Loin

4.40 from 252 votes
Bring the island flavors to the table with this simple, slow cooker Hawaiian Pork loin made with pantry staples and finished with an easy to make sauce.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 5 hours
Total Time: 5 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Combine the salt, paprika, onion powder, and ginger in a bowl.
  • Pat your pork loin dry with paper towels then rub in the spice mixture.
  • Sear the pork in the hot pan until browned on each side, beginning the the fat side down. 3 to 4 minutes on each side.
  • Meanwhile, dice your onion. Then combine the soy sauce with the juice from the can of pineapple chunks, you should get about ¾ cups of juice from the can.
  • Place half the pineapple chunks on the bottom of your slow cooker then place your seared pork loin on top of them with the fat side up.
  • Add in the remaining pineapple, diced onion, and pour the soy sauce/pineapple juice mixture over the top.
  • Cover and cook on low for 5 hours. The pork should shred easily with a fork.
  • Strain the liquid from the slow cooker through a sieve into a medium saucepan over medium high heat and bring to a simmer. Reserve some pineapple chunks from the slow cooker for serving.
  • Whisk the cornstarch with 1 ½ tbs cold water to make a slurry then slowly whisk it into the simmering sauce. Continue to stir gently until thickened.
  • Serve the pork with the sauce and reserved pineapple chunks.
  • If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was!

Video

Notes

* Make sure you are familiar with your soy sauce and the levels of salt it has. Different brands are saltier than others. If yours is particularly salty or you do not like salty foods, then omit the additional 1 1/2 teaspoon of salt. 

Nutrition

Calories: 297 kcal, Carbohydrates: 13 g, Protein: 40 g, Fat: 9 g, Saturated Fat: 4 g, Cholesterol: 107 mg, Sodium: 1331 mg, Potassium: 760 mg, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 10 g, Vitamin A: 159 IU, Vitamin C: 7 mg, Calcium: 23 mg, Iron: 2 mg
Author: Mikayla Marin
Calories: 297
Course: Main Course, Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: hawaiian pork, slow cooker hawaiian pork loin
Did you make this recipe?I’d love to see your recipes – snap a picture and mention @savoryexperiments or tag #savoryexperiments!

Storage and Freezing

How to store Hawaiian pork loin?

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Use in another recipe that calls for pulled pork or reheat the meat only in the microwave.

Can cooked pork loin be frozen?

Absolutely. Prepare the Hawaiian pork loin as directed, then shred and freeze in desired portions. I recommend making the sauce and freezing it in an ice cube tray, then adding cubes to the bags or containers of shredded pork.

close up of bite of shredded pork on fork

Pork Loin Roast Slow Cooker FAQs

Can I skip searing the pork loin?

Technically yes. Your pork loin will cook fine without searing it first. However searing the spice rubbed pork first wakes up the aromatic nature of the spices (big flavor), and creates a crust.

That crust creates a beautiful texture when you shred the pork, a lovely combination of crunchy browned edges and tender shredded meat.

Can I use different cuts of meat?

Absolutely! This recipe will work with either pork butt (pork shoulder) or boneless pork country ribs.

Can I make this in the oven instead?

Yes! Simply start your recipe by searing the pork in a large dutch oven or oven safe pot. Then add in the pineapple, onion, and the pineapple juice/soy sauce mixture.

Cover and place in a 325°F oven for 2 to 3 hours, or until you can shred it easily with a fork.

Can you put raw pork in a slow cooker?

You can put raw pork in a slow cooker and even though this roast will be browned on the exterior, the interior will still be raw.

More Easy Pork Recipes

Pork is one of our favorite things to cook for dinner. Here are some of our favorite pork recipes.

collage of hawaiian pork loin
Jessica Formicola in her ktichen

About the Author

Chef Jessica Anne Formicola

Jessica the mom, wife and chef behind Savory Experiments. You might see her on the Emmy- nominated TV show Plate It! or on bookshelves as a cookbook author. Jessica is a Le Cordon Bleu certified recipe developer and regularly contributed to Parade, Better Homes & Gardens, The Daily Meal, Mashed and more!

Read More About Jessica

4.40 from 252 votes (211 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




Questions and Reviews

  1. 5 stars
    Absolutely loved this recipe! Definitely take the few minutes to brown up your roast, it seals that moisture in. The only thing we were a bit disappointed in was we could have easily doubled the “gravy” part of the recipe. This ones a keeper in our house. Thanks!!

  2. 5 stars
    Tried this yesterday. Unfortunately, my “slow cooker” cooked this 4 pound loin way too fast and when I checked on it at 4 hours, it was already at 160!!😭. I had it set to the low setting, not sure why it cooked it so far. We still are this dried, though meat and the only saving grace was the sauce which we drowned each bite in… I’ll definitely give this another try tho…

    1. Wow! Id say that is fast, low setting is usually only about 200 degrees. I’m glad the sauce saved the day!

  3. 5 stars
    Flavor is really good but I think next time, I’ll use pork shoulder. The loin just gets so dried out in the slow cooker. Sauce is delicious though!

  4. 5 stars
    Not a big pork fan but husband loves it, so always looking for pork recipes that I can tolerate. This was really good. I really enjoyed it and husband said we can “add it to the rotation” – so he liked it too!

  5. 5 stars
    We made this for dinner tonight and it was AMAZING! I love the flavors of pineapple and pork together 😊 I ended up using twice the amount of cornstarch/water and our sauce never thickened, but we did spoon it on top of the wild rice we made to eat with this meal and it was delicious. Thanks for the recipe!

    1. You could. Still brown it, then manual high pressure for 25 minutes. Allow natural release for 10 minutes, then quick release. You might need to cut the roast into two pieces to get it to fit into a standard 6 quart IP.

    1. Hi Nancy, brown sugar can replace the honey, but not much will replace the onion. You can leave it out if you are opposed to onion.