Instant Pot Air Fryer Pork Chops are spice-rubbed, air-fried to juicy perfection and smothered in a delicious maple mustard glaze. Enjoy these pork chops with a side of vegetables, mashed potatoes or salad for a satisfying and healthy weeknight dinner. We used Instant Pot Duo Crisp + Air Fryer model but you can make these with any air fryer.
Instant Pot Air Fryer Pork Chops
Air frying is quick and leaves your food crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside without the extra grease of shallow or deep frying. Ever since the Instant Pot brand has introduced its Air Fryer lid and the Duo Crisp + Air Fryer model, we've been obsessed with trying out all sorts of air fryer recipes.
We made these glazed air-fried pork chops (no breading) together with green vegetables using the Instant Pot Duo Crisp + Air Fryer but you can use a regular Instant Pot with the Air Fryer lid and basket or adapt this recipe to your own air fryer model.
These pork chops are rubbed with a blend of simple, tasty spice rub and lightly coated with olive oil, then air-fried to juicy perfection. A glaze of maple syrup, whole grain mustard and lemon juice is brushed over the pork chops for that irresistible sweet and savory flavor finish.
We cooked the pork chops alongside some vegetables and you get a full meal in less than 20 minutes - now that's a total win!
What To Serve With Pork Chops
e have sneakily placed some green vegetables on the bottom of the air fryer basket with the pork chops cooking on a broiling tray on top. The juices of the pork and the glaze drip down on top of the vegetables while they are air-fried/roasted at the same time. Other sides that go well with pork chops and that you can make in parallel or ahead of time:
- Mashed potatoes, boiled potatoes, baked potatoes, potato salad, or anything potato based is great with pork chops.
- Buttery brown or white rice, quinoa or creamy polenta, quick pasta noodles. Easy, out of the packet 2-minute quinoa, rice or other grain mixes make for a speedy cooking hack.
- Cabbage - either sauteed or braised cabbage or a fresh coleslaw are great with pork as well.
- Steamed, grilled or roasted vegetables like broccoli, asparagus, Brussel sprouts or green beans.
Ingredients For Glazed Pork Chops
Let's go over the ingredients you will need to make this dinner of pork chops and vegetables.
- Pork chops: You can use boneless or bone-in pork chops for this recipe. We used bone-in pork chops which are bigger, so our cooking time is designed for those specifically. If using smaller, boneless pork chops, subtract 2-3 minutes of cooking time. Depending on the size of the pork chops, you may be able to fit 2-4 pieces at a time (this also depends on the size of your air fryer). They don't take long, so it's easy to make two batches.
- Can you overlap pork chops in the air fryer? Ideally, you want to give another air around each pork chop for best browning but you can also overlap them slightly as you will be turning them over halfway.
- Pork chops spice rub: You can use a pre-made spice rub or make your own with onion and garlic powder, smoked paprika (or sweet), salt, pepper, coriander seed powder. You can also add cumin or celery salt, brown sugar, herbs.
- Glaze: We used wholegrain and Dijon mustard, maple syrup and lemon juice. You can swap for any kind of mustard here and honey can be used in place of maple syrup.
- Vegetables: This is optional but we decided to try and cook a few green vegetables alongside the pork chops. Using the Instant Pot + Air Fryer lid and a basket allows you to place food on the bottom of the basket and then the meat on the broiling tray on top. Cooking times worked well as most of the heat reached the pork chops with less hot air circulating around the veggies, which meant they didn't overcook or burn.
- You can prepare vegetables or another side dish separately.
How To Make Pork Chops In An Air Fryer
You will find the full recipe with ingredients and nutritional breakdown in the recipe card below. Here are some handy step-by-step photos of how to make pork chops in the air fryer. You can use a 6-quart Instant Pot with an additional Air Fryer lid, basket and broil tray OR the Instant Pot Duo Crisp + Air Fryer model (which is what we used). Feel free to adapt our recipe to your own air fryer model.
- Step 1. Take the pork chops out of the fridge 10 minutes before cooking to bring them to room temperature.
- Step 2. Mix the spice rub in a bowl and then sprinkle and rub all over the pork chops. Brush each side of the chops with a little bit of oil. You can drizzle and spread with your fingers or use a pastry brush; using olive oil spray is also quite handy.
- Step 3. In a bowl, drizzle about a tablespoon of olive over broccolini and asparagus and use your hands to coat the vegetables. Set aside. You can do this whether you're cooking vegetables in the Instant Pot or separately.
- Step 4. Set up the Instant Pot with an air-fryer basket inside. Place the vegetables on the bottom of the basket.
- Step 5. Insert the broiling tray into the pot (on top of the vegetables). Place the pork chops on the tray. The idea is that the pork chops will cook under broil heat, while the vegetables will roast underneath with the pork juices and the glaze dripping down to flavor them.
- Step 6. Place the air fryer lid on top. Select Air Fryer at 204 C / 399.2 F (the maximum heat available) and adjust the time to 13 minutes (12 minutes for thinner pork chops and 14-15 minutes for thicker ones).
- Step 7. In the meantime, mix the maple mustard glaze in a bowl and set it aside.
- Step 8. At halfway time, open the lid. Brush some of the glaze over the pork chops and turn them over. Brush most of the remaining glaze on top and pop the lid back on. The cooking will resume.
- Step 9. Once done, remove the pork chops and brush with any leftover glaze. Remove the broiling tray and shake it off over the vegetables to catch any juice drippings. Transfer vegetables to plates and serve with pork chops.
Make Ahead Prep Tip
You can prep the pork chops by seasoning them in the morning or even a day ahead, allowing the seasoning to penetrate into the pork chops for more flavor. Keep the chops covered in the fridge, remove them 10 minutes before cooking to come to room temperature. Then cook per instructions.
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Full Recipe
Find the full list of ingredients, instructions, and a nutritional breakdown below. If you have questions or cook this recipe, please let us know in the comments, and make sure to rate this recipe so it’s easy for others to find.
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Instant Pot Air Fryer Pork Chops With Maple Mustard Glaze (No Breading)
Ingredients
- 2 pork chops medium, about 0.5 lbs.
For spice rub
- 1 teaspoon onion powder flat
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon coriander seed powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ⅔ teaspoon salt
- A good pinch of pepper
For the glaze
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Wholegrain mustard
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
For vegetables
- A bunch of asparagus
- A bunch of broccolini /broccoli rabe
Instructions
- Take the pork chops out of the fridge 10 minutes before cooking to bring them to room temperature.
- Mix the spice rub in a bowl and then sprinkle and rub all over the pork chops. Brush each side of the chops with a little bit of oil. You can drizzle and spread with your fingers or use a pastry brush; using olive oil spray is also quite handy.
- In a bowl, drizzle about a tablespoon of olive over broccolini and asparagus and use your hands to coat the vegetables. Set aside.
- Set up the Instant Pot with an air fryer basket inside. Place the vegetables on the bottom of the basket. Insert the broiling tray in the pot (on top of the vegetables). Place the pork chops on the tray. The idea is that the pork chops will cook under broil heat, while the vegetables will roast underneath with the pork juices and the glaze dripping down to flavor them.
- Place the air fryer lid on top. Select Air Fryer at 204 C / 399.2 F (the maximum heat available) and adjust the time to 13 minutes (10 minutes for boneless pork chops, 12 minutes for thinner bone-in pork chops and 14-15 minutes for thicker ones).
- In the meantime, mix the maple mustard glaze in a bowl and set it aside.
- At halfway time, open the lid. Brush some of the glaze over the pork chops and turn them over. Brush most of the remaining glaze on top and pop the lid back on. The cooking will resume.
- Once done, remove the pork chops and brush with any leftover glaze. Remove the broiling tray and shake it off over the vegetables to catch any juice drippings. Transfer vegetables to plates and serve with pork chops.
Monica
If I wanted to make in the oven what would the temp and time be my air fryer is too small
Instant Pot Eats
Hey Monica, go with a very hot oven (200 C/399 F or even higher) and arrange the pork chops on a flat sheet tray and bake on the top shelf of the oven, closer to the broil. Around 20 minutes or so, turn halfway through. You can do a separate tray with vegetables on a lower shelf.