Instant Pot pork adobo is cooked in a salty, sweet & tangy sauce until the meat is fall-apart tender. This recipe is the easiest possible way to make pork adobo. Just combine the ingredients in your pressure cooker and dinner cooks itself!
Featured Review
"Absolutely delicious! This was a big hit with the family." - Amy
This Instant Pot pork adobo recipe has the same irresistible flavors that make Instant Pot chicken adobo so good. Vinegar, soy sauce and brown sugar flavor the meat and then turn into a sauce that's salty, sweet and tangy.
Instant Pot pork adobo is often served with rice, to soak up the flavorful sauce. You can also serve it over baked polenta, Instant Pot egg noodles or easy Instant Pot barley. I've also been known to shred the pork into corn tortillas for tacos!
Why You Should Make This Recipe
- Simple list of easy-to-find ingredients
- Hands-off cooking method
- Very little prep - just combine the ingredients in your Instant Pot
- Perfect balance of salty, sweet and sour flavors
- Delicious leftovers!
Ingredients
Pork shoulder: Ask the butcher to cut the pork shoulder roast into 2-inch pieces, so you don't have to do it at home, or look for pre-cut pork stew meat. Just like cider-braised pork or Instant Pot pork butt, you can use pork butt instead of pork shoulder.
Both the pork butt and pork shoulder come from the same part of the pig (the upper and lower shoulder). Both are tough and fatty and are best cooked at a low temperature for a long time, or in a pressure cooker. Pressure cookers do an amazing job of tenderizing meat.
For this recipe, don't include too much of the hard, white fat that often covers a large piece of pork shoulder or butt. It will just make the dish too oily. (But don't throw that fat away! You can render pork fat and use it for cooking)
Soy sauce:Traditional Filipino adobo uses Filipino soy sauce. For this recipe, I use the reduced sodium soy sauce that can be bought in any grocery store. Reduced sodium soy sauce is essential so that the meat isn't too salty.
Vinegar: Traditional Filipino adobo often uses Filipino cane sugar vinegar. For this recipe, you can use apple cider vinegar or white vinegar.
Brown sugar: Sometimes adobo recipes add sugar, sometimes they don't. I like adding just 2 teaspoons of brown sugar to balance the salty and vinegary flavors. You could use white sugar instead, if necessary.
Black pepper, scallions, garlic and bay leaf: Yes, yes, yes and yes!
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Saute the green onion and smashed garlic cloves for a minute or two.
2. Add reduced sodium soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, black pepper and a bay leaf.
3. Add 2-inch pieces of pork shoulder or pork butt. Mix well to coat the pork.
4. Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes, with a natural release
5. Remove the pork. Skim the fat off the sauce before serving.
*see recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts
What is Adobo?
"Adobo" comes from the Spanish word adobar, which means "marinade" or "sauce" or "seasoning." Because the word means many things, "adobo" can mean different things in different cuisines.
This recipe is adapted from traditional Filipino adobo. While the cooking method and ingredients for Filipino adobo is indigenous to the Philippines, the dish wasn't called adobo until the Spanish empire colonized the Philippines in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Most often, you'll find recipes for Filipino pork adobo or chicken adobo. Adobo recipes can vary greatly from cook to cook. But most marinate meat in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, bay leaves and black pepper. I also add a pinch of brown sugar to balance the salty and sour flavors with a hint of sweetness.
This recipe also takes advantage of a pressure cooker to make an adobo recipe that is easy, fairly fast and guarantees tender meat.
More Filipino Recipes
There's so much to explore! A good place to start is with Chef Roline Casper's cookbook, The Easy Filipino Cookbook. It's filled with simple, authentic recipes.
I Am a Filipino: And This is How We Cook is an award-winning cookbook by Chef Nicole Ponseca that's also one of my favorites.
FAQ About Instant Pot Pork Adobo
Yes, you can use either pork cuts: pork shoulder or pork butt. Sometimes pork belly is used to make adobo, but I find that it's too fatty.
Authentic pork adobo calls for cane vinegar. For this quick and easy Instant Pot version, I use apple cider vinegar. You can also use white vinegar.
You can, but it's not necessary.
If you have time, sure! Brown the pork using the Instant Pot saute setting. If necessary, you can drain off excess oil that accumulates in the pot before adding the rest of the ingredients and proceeding with the recipe.
If you're in a hurry, skip this step and just throw all the ingredients in at once. I promise, it will still be delicious!
I find that the meat is more tender when a natural release is used.
More Instant Pot Recipes
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Pork Adobo
Instant Pot pork adobo is cooked in a salty, sweet & tangy sauce until the meat is fall-apart tender. This recipe is the easiest possible way to make pork adobo. Just combine the ingredients in your pressure cooker and dinner cooks itself!
Consider serving this meal with white rice on the side, to soaks up the sauce.
Tip: Ask a butcher to cut the pork into 2-inch pieces before you bring it home, or buy pork stew meat
Total Instant Pot Cooking Time: 10 minutes to reach pressure + 30 minutes cooking time + 15 minute natural release
- Prep Time: 25
- Cook Time: 60
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x
- Category: Instant Pot
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Filipino
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder or pork butt, cut into 2-inch chunks
- 1 tablespoon sunflower oil or canola oil
- 1 small bunch scallions (6 to 8 scallions)
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed (press down on the clove with your palm to smash it)
- ½ cup REDUCED SODIUM soy sauce
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper or 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
Optional, to thicken the sauce
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons cool water
Instructions
- Add oil to the Instant Pot and press the Saute button to heat the oil.
- Press the saute mode button and saute the green onion and cloves of garlic, just a few minutes until lightly browned.
- Add soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, pepper and bay leaf. Mix well.
- Add the pork. Mix well to coat the pork.
- Secure the lid. Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes.
- Let the pressure release naturally when the cooking time is complete (this will take about 15 minutes)
- Remove the pieces of pork with tongs or a slotted spoon and set aside. Skim the fat off the surface of the sauce (see notes below)
- Serve the adobo pork either in whole chunks or shredded. The sauce can be served over the pork or on the side.
- Serve adobo pork over rice or other types of grains (like barley) to soak up the sauce.
Optional - Thicken the Sauce
I don't personally like thickened sauce, but if you prefer a thicker sauce it's easy to do.
- Press the Saute button to bring the sauce to a simmer.
- In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cool water until smooth.
- Slowly pour the cornstarch and water slurry into the sauce, whisking constantly. Simmer about 1 minute more, while whisking frequently until the sauce has thickened.
Notes
To skim the fat/oil off the sauce, you have 3 options.
#1 Use a ladle to skim off the fat. This can be hard to do without also removing some of the sauce
#2 Use a fat separator. This is the fastest and most efficient method.
# 3 Refrigerate the sauce overnight before serving. The fat will harden on top and is easier to remove.
This recipe was tested in a 6-quart Instant Pot
Pork adobo keeps well for up to 5 days in airtight containers in the refrigerator
Sharon
I veganized this by using young green jackfruit as the "pork" substitute. Truly delightful. I made a half recipe and ate it all myself. 🤭
Jenny
That sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing a vegan option.
Amy
Absolutely delicious! This was a big hit with the family.
Jenny
Thank for letting me know! I'm so glad your family liked it.
Jen
My new favorite way to cook pork! So much flavor and the meat is really tender.