Sweet and Sour Pork (Gluten-Free)

This Gluten-Free Sweet & Sour Pork recipe brings your favorite Chinese takeout to the comfort of your own kitchen. This simple recipe requires basic ingredients that you probably already have on hand and can be made in less than 40 minutes!

No marinating or fancy maneuvers required 🙂 A paleo option is included in this recipe!

Ahhh, the sweet and sours.

If you’re anything like me, Sweet and Sour everything is your jam. 

I shared my Healthy Sweet and Sour Chicken and Paleo Sweet and Sour Shrimp recipes already, and now it’s time for the pork rendition!

Sweet and sour sauce may seem like a complex feat, but as you will see in this recipe (and my sweet and sour chicken and shrimp recipes), you can easily make that authentic tasting sweet and sour sauce using cleaner ingredients, most or all of which you likely already have. 

This simple recipe comes together in less than 40 minutes, so you can toss it together any night of the week. It also saves well, so it’s great for meal prep! Sweet and sour work lunches? Why not??

Let’s dive into the details.

Is Sweet and Sour Pork Spicy?:

Some restaurants serve sweet and sour pork with a little kick, but the majority of the time, it really is just sweet and sour with very little or no spice. I add sriracha to my sweet and sour sauce for a small kick but if you prefer mild food, simply leave out the sriracha.

What Kind of Pork Should I Use for Sweet & Sour Pork?:

You have many options for the type of pork you use in this recipe. I went with pork tenderloin, which is easy to find, very easy to chop, and also nice and tender. You can also use any type of pork roast or pork chops. Just note that you only need 1 ½ pounds of meat, and it can be difficult to find a pork roast that small. 

The pork tenderloins at my grocery store are just over 2 ½ pounds, so I use 1 ½ pounds for the recipe and simply season and roast the other 1 pound in the oven. If you’d like, you can always make a bigger batch of sweet and sour pork – just be sure to adjust the amount of sauce, eggs, flour, and veggies depending on how big of a batch you make.

Ingredients for Sweet and Sour Pork:

Pork: Pork tenderloin, eggs, and gluten-free all-purpose flour are the ingredients we need for the breaded pork portion of this recipe. The pork gets chopped into chunks, then dredged in beaten eggs and sprinkled with flour so that we can pan-fry it for the most amazing crisp. You can also use regular all-purpose flour if you aren’t gluten-free, or tapioca flour if you are grain-free (this will make the recipe paleo).

Stir Fry: Avocado oil, onion, bell pepper, and garlic. These vibrant, flavorful veggies add freshness and flavor to the meal.

Sweet and Sour Sauce: honey, rice vinegar, tomato paste, liquid aminos, and sriracha make up this simple sweet and sour sauce. You have a few options for replacements here! You can use pure maple syrup instead of honey, ketchup instead of tomato paste, and/or soy sauce or coconut aminos instead of liquid aminos.

How to Make Sweet & Sour Pork:

Add the ingredients for the sauce to a small blender and blend until smooth (you can also whisk ingredients together in a measuring cup if you don’t have a small blender). Set aside until ready to use.

Cut the pork into 1-inch cubes. Whisk the eggs into a large mixing bowl until well beaten. Add the chopped pork and stir until pork is coated in egg. Pour in the gluten-free all-purpose flour and stir until the pork is coated in flour.

Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high and add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally for 2 minutes, until the onion begins to soften. Add the bell pepper and garlic and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until softened, about another 3 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a plate or bowl and set aside.

Add another tablespoon of avocado oil to the skillet and return to heat. Transfer the breaded pork to the skillet. Allow pork to brown without touching it for about 2 to 3 minutes, until golden-brown. Flip or stir and continue browning the meat, stirring occasionally, for another 4 to 5 minutes, until the meat is well-browned on all sides.

Pour the sauce into the skillet and stir well. Transfer the vegetables back to the skillet and add the pineapple chunks. Stir well, then cover the skillet.

Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes, until the pork is cooked through and vegetables have reached desired doneness.

Stir in the green onion and sesame seeds. Taste the sweet and sour pork for flavor and add sea salt and/or liquid aminos or sriracha to taste.

Paleo Sweet and Sour Pork:

Looking to make this recipe paleo? No sweat! Simply use tapioca flour instead of gluten-free all-purpose flour, cider vinegar instead of rice vinegar, and coconut aminos instead of liquid aminos. If you use tapioca flour, be sure to pan-fry the pork immediately after tossing it with tapioca flour or the pieces of pork will stick together.

Recipe Adaptations:

• If you don’t follow a gluten-free diet, swap the gluten-free all-purpose flour for regular all-purpose flour.
• Use soy sauce instead of liquid aminos.
• Replace the honey with pure maple syrup.

More Asian-Inspired Recipes:

• Paleo General Chicken
• Chicken Egg Roll in a Bowl
• Healthy Szechuan Beef
• Easy 30-Minute Paleo Mongolian Beef
• Paleo Chinese Chicken Salad

My cookbook, Paleo Power Bowls, is now available! CLICK HERE to check it out. Thank you for your support!

If you make this recipe, please feel free to share a photo and tag @The.Roasted.Root on Instagram!

Sweet and Sour Pork

An easy, healthier sweet & sour pork recipe made in less than 45 minutes for a fun weeknight meal that is better than takeout!

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

6 servings

Ingredients

Sweet & Sour Sauce:

• ▢ ½ cup honey*
• ▢ ⅓ cup rice vinegar, or cider vinegar
• ▢ 3 Tbsp tomato paste or ketchup
• ▢ 2 Tbsp liquid aminos, or coconut aminos
• ▢ 1 Tbsp sriracha, optional

Pork:

• ▢ 1 ½ lbs pork tenderloin, chopped into 1-inch cubes
• ▢ ½ cup gluten-free all-purpose flour, or tapioca flour
• ▢ 1 tsp sea salt
• ▢ ¼ tsp black pepper
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 3 Tbsp avocado oil
• ▢ ½ white onion, sliced (about 1 cup)
• ▢ 5 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ 1 red bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
• ▢ 1 green bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ 1 cup pineapple chunks
• ▢ 4 green onions, sliced
• ▢ 1 Tbsp sesame seeds, optional

Instructions

• Add the ingredients for the sauce to a small blender and blend until smooth (you can also whisk ingredients together in a measuring cup if you don’t have a small blender). Set aside until ready to use.
• Cut the pork into 1-inch cubes. Whisk the eggs into a large mixing bowl until well beaten. Add the chopped pork and stir until pork is coated in egg. Pour in the gluten-free all-purpose flour and stir until the pork is coated in flour.
• Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high and add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally for 2 minutes, until the onion begins to soften. Add the bell pepper and garlic and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until softened, about another 3 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a plate or bowl and set aside.
• Add another tablespoon of avocado oil to the skillet and return to heat. Transfer the breaded pork to the skillet. Allow pork to brown without touching it for about 2 to 3 minutes, until golden-brown. Flip or stir and continue browning the meat, stirring occasionally, for another 4 to 5 minutes, until the meat is well-browned on all sides.
• Pour the sauce into the skillet and stir well. Transfer the vegetables back to the skillet and add the pineapple chunks. Stir well, then cover the skillet. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes, until the pork is cooked through and vegetables have reached desired doneness.
• Stir in the green onion and sesame seeds. Taste the sweet and sour pork for flavor and add sea salt and/or liquid aminos or sriracha to taste.

Nutrition

Serving: 1of 6 - Calories: 435kcal - Carbohydrates: 44g - Protein: 34g - Fat: 14g - Fiber: 2g - Sugar: 26g

Course: Main Dishes

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: Chinese food, gluten free, pork, sweet and sour pork

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 435kcal

Author: Julia