There are times when I want that takeaway vibe at home, but I don't want the batter. This is why I created this sweet and sour pork without batter (but keeping the pineapple because yum). I've added in extra veggies to make this fakeaway recipe meal prep friendly - plus, it takes less than 30 minutes to put together so perfect for a weeknight dinner.
I know a lot of people don't like having savoury dishes with pineapple added. But I am definitely one to enjoy pineapple on my pizza (and pineapple in my sweet and sour pork). But if you aren't a pineapple fan, you can omit the pineapple chunks from the recipe and just use the juice for your homemade sweet and sour pork.
If you've been around for a while, you'll know that I love a good fakeaway recipe from my pineapple chicken fried rice to my easy beef pad see ew and even a classic (or in my case, not so classic) lemon chicken.
Jump to:
Ingredients
Pork steaks. I find pork steaks are the best to use for stir frys as they are versatile and tender, but you can substitute with ready-diced pork for ease.
If you're not a fan of pork, try my sweet and sour chicken.
Pineapples in juice. Use the pineapple pieces directly in the stir fry and then use the juice for the sauce.
Vinegar. There's a lot of sweetness in this dish with the pineapple, sugar and ketchup so the vinegar helps balance those flavours.
You can use any type of white vinegar - they'll have slightly different tastes, but the overall purpose of the ingredient will still work.
Cornflour/cornstarch. When added with the pork, it helps to tenderise it. When added to the sauce, the cornstarch will make it thicker so it coats the pork nicely.
Check recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
How to make sweet and sour pork
Step 1: Coat the pork pieces in cornflour. This keeps the moisture in the pork without the need for batter.
Step 2: Mix sauce ingredients together
Step 3: Saute onion for 2 minutes and then add chicken until mostly golden
Step 4: Add vegetables into the pan and cook for another 2 minutes.
Step 5: Add sauce and bring to a boil. Lower heat and let simmer for another 5 minutes or until pork is cooked.
Step 6: Serve on top of rice.
My Top Tips
Add vegetables at the right time. Capsicum / bell pepper and pineapple should be tender but still have bite. Add them towards the end so they don't go mushy-especially important if you're planning leftovers.
Balance sweet, sour, and salty. A good sweet and sour sauce needs all three. Taste before serving and adjust: a splash of vinegar or lime for sharpness, a little sugar or pineapple juice for sweetness, and soy sauce for saltiness.
Meal prepping sweet and sour pork stir fry
This sweet and sour pork with pineapple recipe is a balanced meal prep recipe with the pork for protein, rice as the carb source and lots of colourful veggies (it's actually really fun to eat because it's like a rainbow haha).
Storing
To store, add it with the rice (preferably separately as the sauce will continue to cook the rice and make it soggy) into an airtight container and store in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Reheating
To reheat, place an icecube or sprinkle some water over the dish. Reheat on 1 minute intervals, stirring in between, until the sweet and sour pork with rice is heated all the way through.
Don't reheat in a plastic container, make sure you use a glass container or transfer to a ceramic bowl as the sauce can discolour the plastic container.
Freezing
You can freeze sweet and sour pork by adding the ingredients into an air tight container, ziplock bag (I like the reusable ones) or vacuum sealer bag and store for 6.
If possible, keep the sweet and sour pork separate from the rice to prevent the rice from absorbing the liquid from the sweet and sour sauce. You could store on top of the sauce (like pictured) as the next best.
Defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat as above.
If you want more meal prep information, check out my Meal Prep for Beginners post and my Meal Prep Basics E-Book.
FAQs
The red colour in sweet and sour pork typically comes from the addition of red food colouring or a combination of red ingredients used in the sauce.
While there can be variations in recipes, the vibrant red hue is often achieved by incorporating ingredients such as ketchup, tomato sauce, or red chili sauce. I don't use red food colouring in mine, but the red colour is still quite vibrant because of the addition of tomato sauce in the sweet & sour sauce recipe.
In some cases, red food colouring is used to intensify and enhance the red colour of the dish. Food colouring is a common additive used in cooking and baking to alter the appearance of dishes. If you want to have a very vibrant sweet & sour pork, feel free to add a drop or two of the food colouring.
Absolutely! Freeze sweet and sour pork with pineapple in a ziplock bag, airtight container or vacuum sealer for 6-12 months. Ensure there's no/limited air on the meal to prevent freezer burn.
Yes! And my recipe does just this. I always feel really gross after eating food with a lot of batter and deep frying which is why I created this healthy sweet and sour pork option.
Other easy pork recipes
Or, you can have a browse through my easy pork recipes for more delicious eats.
I hope you enjoy this as much as I do - Love & Pasta, Lauren x
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Recipe
Sweet and Sour Pork with Pineapple no Batter
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Equipment
Ingredients
Stir Fry Ingredients
- 600 g (1 ⅓ lb) pork steaks, see note 1
- 20 g (2 tablespoon) corn flour / corn starch
- 1 brown onion
- 1 red bell pepper / capsicum
- 1 green bell pepper / capsicum
- 2 carrots
- 15 g (1 tablespoon) olive oil
- 300 g (14 oz) pineapple pieces, in juice, see note 2, approx. 1 can
- 250 g (1 ¼ cups) rice
Sweet & Sour Sauce Ingredients (or use store-bought)
- 15 g (1 tablespoon) white sugar
- 75 g (¼ cups) white vinegar, subs Note 3
- 140 g (¼ cups) pineapple juice, from the can
- 45 g (3 tablespoon) tomato sauce
- 5 g (1 teaspoon) worcestershire sauce, subs Note 4
- 15 g (1 tablespoon) soy sauce, subs Note 5
- 5 g (1 teaspoon) oyster sauce, subs Note 6
- 2 cloves garlic, subs Note 7
- 5 g (2 teaspoon) ginger, subs Note 7
- 10 g (1 tablespoon) corn flour / corn starch
- 125 ml (¼ cups) water
Instructions
Prepare ingredients
- Dice 600 g (1 ⅓ lb) pork steaks into approx. 1inch pieces. Add to a large bowl and coat in 20 g (2 tablespoon) corn flour / corn starch. Let sit for at least 10 minutes
- Grate or mince 2 cloves garlic and 5 g (2 teaspoon) ginger then mix with 15 g (1 tablespoon) white sugar, 75 g (¼ cups) white vinegar, 140 g (¼ cups) pineapple juice, 45 g (3 tablespoon) tomato sauce, 5 g (1 teaspoon) worcestershire sauce, 15 g (1 tablespoon) soy sauce, 5 g (1 teaspoon) oyster sauce, 10 g (1 tablespoon) corn flour / corn starch, 125 ml (¼ cups) water. Make sure sugar dissolves.
- Dice: 1 brown onion, 300 g (14 oz) pineapple pieces. Thinly slice/dice: 1 red bell pepper / capsicum, 1 green bell pepper / capsicum, 2 carrots
- Cook 250 g (1 ¼ cups) rice your preferred way, or see my post about cooking rice from scratch.
Cook
- Heat 15 g (1 tablespoon) olive oil on a large pan over medium heat and add 1 brown onion. Sauté until fragrant (approx. 2 minutes).
- Add pork and cook until the outside has changed colour.
- Add 1 red bell pepper / capsicum, 1 green bell pepper / capsicum, 2 carrots and sauté for another 2 minutes.
- Add sauce and wait for it to come to a bubble then lower the heat and add 300 g (14 oz) pineapple piecesand mix well and cook until thickened and pork is cooked through.It should start to thicken in 5-10 minutes. If it doesn't, make a corn flour slurry out of 1 tablespoon cornflour and 2 tablespoon water, mixed and then add to the sauce.
- Serve over rice.
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