Our slow cooker honey balsamic pork roast is the perfect meal to make in your crock pot! Every once in a while, pork roasts at my local grocery store go on sale for incredibly cheap, so I buy a couple of them and freeze them for later, but then I run out of ideas of what to do with them.
This recipe kind of came together by accident, but my kids and husband LOVED it. I took some of the juices from the bottom of the crock pot, mixed in some cornstarch, and it made an amazing gravy to drizzle over the top. An awesome meal that takes only minutes to prepare (but looks and tastes like you spent a lot of time on it.).
Recipe Ingredient Notes
To make our slow cooker honey balsamic pork roast, you need the following ingredients:
- Shoulder pork roast
- Salt and pepper
- Honey
- Beef broth
- Balsamic vinegar
- Worcestershire sauce
- Garlic powder
- Cornstarch
- Water
Equipment Needed
For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:
How to Make Our Slow Cooker Honey Balsamic Pork Roast
- Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.
- Sprinkle salt and pepper on all sides of the pork roast and place inside the slow cooker.
- Drizzle honey over the top of the roast.
- In a medium bowl, mix together beef broth, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder. Pour over the roast.
- Cook on low for 8-10 hours (which is the method I prefer- low and slow!) or you could cook on high for 5-6 hours (but I feel like it never falls apart as easily as when you cook it on low all day long).
- When it’s finished, remove juices from bottom of slow cooker and place in a small saucepan over medium high heat.
- In a small bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon of corn starch and 1 tablespoon of water. Pour cornstarch mixture into saucepan and whisk quickly. When mixture starts to thicken, pour over roast.
Recipe Notes
Some pork roasts can be extremely juicy, while others are incredibly dry. This could be just a cut of the meat, however, it could also be something that you are doing wrong. Here is how to keep your roast perfectly moist and juicy, every time.
- Cook the roast according to it’s size. If you got a small roast, it’s not going to need to cook as long. This is a common mistake people will make when cooking their roast. Depending on what size roast you get, and how heavy it is, will determine how long it needs to cook.We usually try to cook it for 20 minutes per pound.
- Don’t open up the slow cooker. This is the biggest mistake people make that will quickly dry out their meat. They keep checking on it, and all the moisture that has built up in the slow cooker, is released and the slow cooker and meat have to work to get it back. Keep the slow cooker closed until close to the end of your cooking. There is no need to randomly open it as it cooks.
- Don’t cut into the roast as it is cooking. This is similar to opening the lid of the slow cooker. All that moisture is released, and if it leaves the meat, it will be hard to get that back. Don’t cut into it. Use a thermometer to check the meat if worried.
Freezer Meal Modification
In a gallon-sized freezer bag, add pork roast, honey, beef broth, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder. Squeeze out as much air as possible and seal bag closed. Place freezer bag into freezer and it will last 60-90 days. When ready to use, spray inside of slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray and dump ingredients from bag into slow cooker. Place the lid on top and cook for 9-10 hours on low heat (you can cook it for 5-6 hours on high heat, but it will not be as tender as cooking it low and slow. We highly recommend low and slow!). Follow the rest of the instructions as written.
Serving Suggestions
We recommend serving this recipe with our Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes, Oven Baked Green Beans, or our Mom’s Sweet Potatoes. You can find more classic American recipes here.
Enjoy More Delicious Pork Main Dishes
Whether you like your pork cooked in the slow cooker, grill, or Instant Pot, pork is one of the most versatile main dishes. Check out our comprehensive collection of pork main dishes here.
- Maple and Brown Sugar Pork Tenderloin
- Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Pork
- Slow Cooker Honey Ribs
- Slow Cooker Mississippi-Style Country Ribs
- Slow Cooker Parmesan Honey Pork Roast
- Slow Cooker Pineapple Glazed Ham
- Slow Cooker Pork Chops
- Slow Cooker Pork Chops and Gravy
- Slow Cooker Pork Stroganoff
- Slow Cooker Ranch Pork Roast
- Slow Cooker San Francisco Pork Chops
- Slow Cooker Short Ribs
- Slow Cooker St. Louis Ribs
- Slow Cooker Sweet and Tangy Pork
Slow Cooker Honey Balsamic Pork Roast Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 pound shoulder pork roast
- salt and pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 cup beef broth
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 Tablespoon water
Instructions
- Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.
- Sprinkle salt and pepper on all sides of the pork roast and place inside the slow cooker.
- Drizzle honey over the top of the roast.
- In a medium bowl, mix together beef broth, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder. Pour over the roast.
- Cook on low for 8-10 hours (which is the method I prefer- low and slow!) or you could cook on high for 5-6 hours (but I feel like it never falls apart as easily as when you cook it on low all day long).
- When it's finished, remove juices from bottom of slow cooker and place in a small saucepan over medium high heat.
- In a small bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon of corn starch and 1 tablespoon of water. Pour cornstarch mixture into saucepan and whisk quickly. When mixture starts to thicken, pour over roast.
Notes
- Cook the roast according to it’s size. If you got a small roast, it’s not going to need to cook as long. This is a common mistake people will make when cooking their roast. Depending on what size roast you get, and how heavy it is, will determine how long it needs to cook. We usually try to cook it for 20 minutes per pound.
- Don’t open up the slow cooker. This is the biggest mistake people make that will quickly dry out their meat. They keep checking on it, and all the moisture that has built up in the slow cooker, is released and the slow cooker and meat have to work to get it back. Keep the slow cooker closed until close to the end of your cooking. There is no need to randomly open it as it cooks.
- Don’t cut into the roast as it is cooking. This is similar to opening the lid of the slow cooker. All that moisture is released, and if it leaves the meat, it will be hard to get that back. Don’t cut into it. Use a thermometer to check the meat if worried.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
That looks so very good, love it and that it is done in a slow cooker, even better!!
Thanks so much, Tara!!
My family are not huge fans of pork, would this be as good with a beef roast?
Thank you for the nice recipe.
This look fabulous. Going to try this for the weekend. Thanks!!
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I am always looking for different pork recipes
I can’t wait to try this!
I think it would work great with a beef roast.
This sounds very good, but am wondering if it would work with a pork loin?
Pork loin would work great too!
Do you think the gravy would be good on mashed potatoes or would it be better to make roasted potatoes on the side?
This gravy would be great on both. So just go with the potatoes you love the most!! 🙂
I’m making this for tonight’s dinner. My only struggle with meals is trying to think of the side dish. What would work nicely with this honey balsamic pork?
On the Six Sisters home page click on “recipe index” then click on “side dish/vegetables”. We have so many recipes that would go great with this pork roast. Our roasted parmesan potatoes or Cheesy ranch potatoes would go well. Then have a delicious side salad or veggie. Hope this helps! Thanks so much for stopping by our blog.
Tried this tonight and it turned out quite tasty. I don’t think I used enough cornstarch as my juice didn’t thicken, but the flavours were awesome!
This is the second time I that I have made this dish! I used apple cider vinegar instead of the balsamic. It was delicious!
Is it possible to make this in a Dutch oven? Would I have to do anything different?
Hi Amanda, We have not tried this in a dutch oven, so not sure what adjustments would need to be made. This would really taste amazing though in a dutch oven. Can’t wait to hear how it goes! Keep us posted!
What would be a good substitute for the balsamic vinegar?
If you don’t have balsamic vinegar you can make your own that will work as a substitute. You can use 1 tablespoon cider or red wine vinegar plus 1/2 teaspoon sugar to substitute for 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar. So this recipes calls for 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar, you would need 1/2 cups cider or red wine vinegar and 2 teaspoons of sugar.
Well, I did it, Going to bed, can’t wait till tomorrow. It looks like it is going to be so good. Thank you for sharing. So easy and fast. A welcome treat for a working woman!
This is in my crockpot right now for supper tonight!
I love throwing carrots and potatoes in with my roasts. Do you think this would be a problem with this recipe?
No problem at all. We often throw in carrots and potatoes with our roasts!
This was a big hit with the entire family. The taste reminded me of German Saurbraten with much less time and effort. I will definitely make this again! I ended up using 2 Tbsp cornstarch to get the desire thickness in the sauce. It was yummy over Spaetzle/egg noodles.
Hello
What great site. The crockpot is not so commen in the Netherlands so little recipes.
Now i have got more recipes for my crockpot
Greeting from Ridderkerk, the Netherlands
Marco
This is awesome with pork loin!
I was wondering if I could use a center cut pork roast with this since my family prefers the white meat.
This was very good! My husband said it was the best pork roast he had ever had!
It should work fine with a center cut pork roast. Some cuts are fattier than others. Check it every now and then to be sure it doesn’t dry out.
I just made this last night, used beef. It came out AMAZING! Thank you for the recipe!
I didn’t get this tarted early enough to use my slow cooker so it is in the oven. I am roasting it at a low temperature, hoping it will be as good as in the slow cooker. I loved finding a recipe for a pork roast that is different! Thanks for sharing.
We made this tonight. I roughly chopped up some onions and peeled, cored apples, then put those in the bottom of the crock pot. Put the roast on top of the apple and onions. This was delicious and is now our favorite way to cook pork roast. Thanks for sharing!
Just wanted to say I made this for my parents for Mother’s Day dinner yesterday, and it was a huge hit. So super tasty! I did use 2 tbsp corn flour to get the desired sauce thickness, though. I turned the leftovers into pulled pork for sandwiches. Possibly the best pork I’ve ever had. ^^
Would this also work with a couple of pork tenderloins?
I have tried baking a pork roast and it always comes out dry. I will definitley give this one a try
Do you think this recipe can be made with boneless/skinnless chicken?
This should work fine with pork tenderloin.
Thank you for a great recipe. Made it today and my family loved it.
On soccer days, I try to put our dinner in the crockpot in the morning so it can be ready as soon as we get in from practice. This was a perfect recipe for that: easy and delicious. We had it tonight, and used only half the marinade,and shredded the pork to put into sandwiches. Everyone loved it and asked for seconds! It was so easy and delicious. Thank you!
Love this recipe! I’ve made it for Christmas two years in a row and everyone loves it.
I hate to be one to leave bad comments, but this, at least to us, was not very good. When I read the list of ingredients and they sound like weird combinations, I really should listen to my gut. I didn’t this time because of other positive reviews and learned my lesson. Mixing beef broth with honey, for one thing, well, that should have gotten my attention, and as another mentioned, the balsamic was way too strong. I like balsamic, too, but just not in this shape or form. Anyway, sorry to leave a less than great review, but thought it was necessary.
I have made this twice…its amazing. I rarely cook, to be honest, but this is sooo good. Served it with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli.
Made this last night and LOVED it. My belly thanks you!
Love this idea! Which I would have thought of it! I bet adding some walnuts and white raisins might be good too!
Our site has been under construction. I just pulled up the recipe and it’s there today.
I won’t make this recipe (with beef broth) again. I lightened up on the balsamic because of some of the reviews. I didn’t MIND the taste, but it wasn’t great either. My husband was a solid NO. I will try this recipe again sometime in the future with either chicken broth, or vegetable broth or maybe even just plain water to let the honey and balsamic shine through.
I make this fairly often. My only adjustment is that I mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with enough cold water to make a thick slurry and stir it into the roast while shredding about an hour before I’m ready to serve. Seems to thicken it just the right amount. I usually serve on slider rolls with homemade Cole slaw. Roasted sweet potatoes are a great side and I have also done sweet potato chips with it (I usually bake them instead of frying).
We make this into pulled pork it’s soo good!
Great idea!