This is a beginner-friendly recipe for easy Instant Pot pork shoulder with gravy. With our step-by-step pictures and instructions, you will be able to master a pressure cooking method for making succulent, juicy and delicious pork meat. The gravy is made with the cooking broth incorporating all those wonderful flavors of the meat, onions, garlic and seasoning. This recipe is gluten-free, keto and low-carb, paleo and Whole30 friendly. It’s great as a simpler main for Thanksgiving or Christmas and as a family dinner main.
If you’re new to Instant Pot pressure cooker, cooking a large piece of meat like pork shoulder might seem intimidating at first. However, this easy Instant Pot pork roast is actually one of the best recipes to attempt as a beginner.
Using the Instant Pot is very convenient for making an equivalent of pork shoulder roast and gravy in less time. We’re talking 2-3 times quicker! In this recipe, cut-up pork shoulder pieces are pressure cooked in a simple yet tasty broth until tender and juicy. The cooking liquid is then used to make a flavorful gravy sauce. Everything is done with the Instant Pot keeping the clean-up clean and your oven available for roasted vegetables or dessert.
You will find an easy everyday recipe for mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot just below or you can jump to detailed step-by-step photo instructions under the recipe card. These are especially handy if you’re an Instant Pot beginner.
You might like more recipes from our Instant Pot For Beginners series:
- How To Cook Rice In Instant Pot
- Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken Pasta (Step-By-Step)
- Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes (Instant Pot Step-By-Step Recipe)
- Instant Pot Settings & Buttons Explained (Not Just For Beginners!)
WATCH OUR TOP 10 VIDEO RECIPES HERE
Easy Instant Pot Pork Shoulder & Gravy (Step-By-Step)
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 80 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: British
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Learn how to make a beginner-friendly recipe for Instant Pot pork shoulder with tasty gravy. Using a pressure cooker is very convenient for making an equivalent of slow-roasted pork in less time (2-3 times quicker). In this method, cut up pork meat pieces are pressure cooked in a tasty broth until tender and juicy. The cooking liquid is then used to make a flavorful gravy sauce in the same pot. Pork shoulder is served shredded with gravy on top and on the side. This recipe is gluten-free, keto and low-carb, paleo and Whole30 friendly.
Ingredients
To cook the pork shoulder
About 3.5–4 pounds boneless pork shoulder (1.5-1.8kg, cut into 3 large pieces)
1.5 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup chicken stock
½ teaspoon pepper
1 large onion, cut into quarters
10 large cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves or a sprig of rosemary (if available)
For the gravy
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons cornflour (or regular flour, arrowroot/tapioca flour)
3 tablespoons water
Instructions
1. Prep. Season the pork pieces with salt evenly.
2. Sauté. Turn the Instant Pot on and select Sauté (on Normal). Once hot, add the oil and pork pieces. Sear for 1-2 minutes each side or until lightly browned. Remove the meat and add the stock to deglaze the pot. Stir some of the stock around scraping any stuck pieces from the bottom. Select Cancel/Keep Warm to stop the Sauté process.
3. Add other ingredients. Add back the pork with any juices and top with pepper, onions, garlic, Worcestershire and bay leaves. Add the remaining stock and stir gently to nestle the meat in between the onions and garlic.
4. Set & cook. Secure and lock the lid; make sure the pressure handle is pointing to Sealing. Select Manual/Pressure Cook and adjust the timer to 50 minutes on HIGH pressure. After a few seconds, the ON sign will come on indicating the pressure is building (you might also hear 3 beeps on some models); pressurizing will take about 10 minutes and then the 50-minute timer will begin. Once the cooking timer is done, leave the pot undisturbed to allow the pressure to release naturally, about 20 minutes. Open the lid and remove the pork pieces.
5. Prepare the gravy. Strain the broth through a sieve to catch onions and garlic, and return to the pot (minus the garlic, onions, bay leaf). Select Sauté again and bring the liquid to a simmer. Stir in 1 tablespoon of butter to melt. Turn the Instant Pot off at this stage (press Cancel).
Dissolve and whisk the flour in water in a small bowl. Stir into the hot liquid, which will thicken it into a gravy-like texture.
6. Serve. Once the pork is cool enough to handle, shred the meat or cut into serving pieces. Serve with gravy on the side and some poured over the top.
Notes
Pressurizing time: 10 minutes | Cooking under pressure: 50 minutes (on HIGH) | Release: natural release, take about 20 minutes, but you can also manually release after 10 if in a rush.
FREEZING/STORAGE TIPS: Store leftover pork and gravy for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Freeze cooked pork and gravy (separately) for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight or in a microwave.
LEFTOVERS: Leftover pork is great in wraps and sandwiches, pasta or rice casseroles, fried rice, as protein on a salad. You can mix it with BBQ sauce or add to a vegetable stew or soup.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5-7 oz of meat and gravy
- Calories: 378
- Sugar: 1.1 g
- Sodium: 627.1 mg
- Fat: 13.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 6.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 4.7 g
- Fiber: 0.2 g
- Protein: 55.8 g
- Cholesterol: 168.7 mg
Keywords: Pork Roast, Pork Shoulder, Instant Pot, Gravy, Sunday Roast, Meat, Gluten-Free, Paleo, Whole30, Low-Carb, Keto
HOW TO COOK INSTANT POT PORK SHOULDER
You will find the full list of ingredients, quick instructions, notes and nutritional breakdown in a printable recipe card below. Here are step-by-step images for how to make pork shoulder in Instant Pot.
STEP 1. Season the pork pieces with salt evenly.
STEP 2. Turn the Instant Pot and select the Sauté setting on (it should say normal, 30 minutes – don’t worry about the 30-minute timer, it’s just there give you some reference point). Once the pot feels hot inside, add the oil and pork pieces.
STEP 3. Sear the meat for 1-2 minutes, then turn over and do the same on the other side.
STEP 4. Remove the pork shoulder pieces to a plate. Pour in some stock into the pot to deglaze it. At this stage, press Cancel to stop the Sauteing process.
STEP 5. Add the pork pieces back in together with garlic, onions, herbs, Worcestershire sauce and the remaining chicken stock or bone broth. Nestle the meat in the liquid.
STEP 6. Secure and lock the lid. Select Pressure Cook (Manual on older models) and adjust the time using – and + buttons to 50 minutes. It should say HIGH pressure. The ON sign will display indicating that the Instant Pot is starting to heat up and build the pressure. Once the pressure is built up, the top valve will float to the top and then the 50-minute timer will begin.
STEP 7.Once the cooking timer is done, leave the pot undisturbed to allow the pressure to release naturally. This should take about 20 minutes. You can also release the pressure manually by pressing the top button but do this after at least 10 minutes of natural release. Open the lid and remove the pork pieces.
MAKING INSTANT POT GRAVY
Once the pork shoulder is cooked, you can make the gravy with the remaining cooking broth, butter and flour or cornstarch. This is done directly in the Instant Pot as well.
Strain the broth through a sieve to catch onions and garlic, and return to the pot (minus the garlic, onions, bay leaf). Select Sauté again and bring the liquid to a simmer. Stir in 1 tablespoon of butter to melt. Turn the Instant Pot off at this stage (press Cancel). Dissolve and whisk the flour in water in a small bowl. Stir into the hot liquid, which will thicken it into a gravy-like texture.
Once the pork is cool enough to handle, shred the meat or cut into serving pieces. Serve with gravy on the side and some poured over the top.
SAVE THIS PORK SHOULDER RECIPE TO PINTEREST
Oh My! I have been making this recipe for some time now and it’s always been a fave! This time I threw in a couple of peeled, coarsely chopped carrots and about a cup of leftover cauliflower. When the cooking process ended I removed the meat to a platter and discarded the bay leaf. Then I used my immersion blender to purée the gravy instead of thickening it with cornstarch. The flavour was amazing! All those veggies and aromatics! Yummy. And really simple to make. Great recipe as written and one we really enjoy.
★★★★★
Thanks, Maggie. What a great idea to puree all those cooked veggies into the gravy!!! Will have to try it ourselves.
This was *so* good, and will go into our regular rotation. Your instructions are so specific that anyone can do it, regardless of their cooking skill. Thank you.
★★★★★
Thank you and glad you found the instructions handy.
yummy!
★★★★★
Really easy and tasted yummy! Went down very well in our house!
★★★★★
I’m confused as to how this recipe is Paleo and Whole30 friendly when it calls for butter – do you have a suggested substitution for that? Also if using arrowroot instead of flour do you mix it in the same way?
Hi Amy,
Many paleo recipes use butter but for a Whole30 version simply replace it with ghee (clarified butter, which is compliant with that program). Yes, you would use arrowroot or tapioca flour (cassava flour can also be used) in the same way as regular flour.
Hope that helps,
IPE team