This sweet and spicy instant pot keto pork belly is made with spicy flavours and a hint of sweetness made easily in the instant pot. This is literally an instant pot rendition of my original Sweet Spicy Keto Pork Belly Recipe.
Pork belly is one of those things that many people avoid due to it's high fat content. Plus many people think it's difficult to make but I am going to show you a quick and easy way to make this super delicious sweet and spicy crispy pork belly using the instant pot.
Pork belly will turn out crispy and golden and not make you feel like you are eating a load of blubbery pork belly bites. Making it in the instant pot will also cut down on the amount of time it takes to make this keto pork belly recipe. You might also enjoy this Keto Air Fryer Pork Belly Bites recipe.
What is pork belly?
Pork belly is a fatty cut of pork meat that comes from the belly of a pig.
🥘 Ingredients Used
Pork belly recipes can be made in a variety of ways. I am going to use my original recipe but show you how to make it in the instant pot for an easy keto pork belly recipe.
- Pork Belly: thick cut cubes of pork belly are used to make this recipe
- Chicken Stock: used to add flavour and cook the pork belly until it is tender
- Garlic: adding a nutty flavour to this sweet and spice recipe
- Erythritol: giving it a hint of sweetness that cuts into the spiciness of this dish
- Chili Pepper Flakes: giving the right amount of heat to this recipe without being too spicy
- Tamari Sauce: this sauce can be interchangeable with soy sauce or coconut aminos
👨🏻🍳 Steps to make this recipe
How to Cook Keto Pork Belly?
STEP 1: Cut the pork belly strips into one inch cubes and place in the instant pot with the chicken stock or broth, apple cider vinegar, ground ginger, erythritol and chopped garlic. Give it a mix and then place lid on instant pot and set to sealing, pressure cook on normal for 15 minutes.
STEP 2: Make the glaze sauce in a medium bowl by combining the salt, ginger, chili flakes, erythritol and tamari sauce. Mix well and set aside.
STEP 3: Allow instant pot to slow release for 10 minutes and then hit that venting switch and allow all the pressure to release. Remove lid and use a slotted spoon to transfer the pork belly to a bowl. Remove the remaining liquids from the pot.
- STEP 4: Set the instant pot to the saute function on normal and add the olive oil to the pot. Transfer the cooked pork belly back to the pot and continue to saute until golden brown (8-10 minutes). Stir often and you might have to play with the saute setting switching from low to normal regularly.
STEP 5: Next add the spicy glaze sauce into the pot and continue to stir until pork belly is well coated. Continue to saute stirring often alternating between low and normal heat. This takes a bit of patience but it's worth it. Please watch the video to see how I made them. Continue to saute for about 2 minutes or until desired crispiness is reached.
STEP 6: Pork belly should be almost brownish red in color. Remove once it has reached the desired colour and crispy skin. Some people like it extra crispy while others do not. Garnish with toasted sesame and chopped parsley.
👨🏻🍳 Substitutions and Variations
There are many variations of pork belly from burnt pork belly ends to pork belly sandwiches. Many chinese pork belly recipes make the use of a sticky sweet sauce often made with honey or brown sugar.
- Maple - add a touch of maple with a maple extract to give this recipe a slight molasses flavour
- Sweetener - brown sugar swerve or any other low carb sweeteners can be used in this dish. Monk fruit, allulose or xylitol are a few other options.
- Sauce - I used tamari sauce in this recipe as it has less additives than soy sauce. However, soy or coconut aminos can be used alternatively.
See this Low Carb Hoisin Sauce made with tamari that I used for a Low Carb Hoisin Beef Bowl recipe.
♨️ Top tips and serving suggestions
Top Tip: As the pork belly sautees in the instant pot alternating between low and normal heat is key. Sometimes it seems like low is too low and then normal is too high. Alternating between both temperatures helped to get it to the right crispiness.
Crispy Bits: it may seem like the pork belly is leaving all the crispy bits at the bottom of the pot. Once you add the glaze, scrape all the bits from the bottom. Continue to do so while cooking.
- Serving: pork belly should be served with something lighter like a salad to cut the richness from the meat. A coleslaw or a fresh Panzanella Salad would go well with the pork belly.
- Storage: you can store the completely cooled and cooked pork belly in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Reheat in a frying pan. It is not recommended to freeze the cooked pork belly with the spices and sauce.
🥣 Equipment used to make
Here is a list of kitchen equipment I used for this recipe:
💭 Frequently asked questions
Pork belly has the highest fat content in meat. However, not all fat is unhealthy. In fact animal fat is often misunderstood by health professionals especially those who provide nutritional information. Here is a link to an article from the Diet Doctor website that explains everything you need to know about healthy fats.
This pork belly recipe is sugar free and contains 4g of carbohydrates per serving. Depending on your daily macros this recipe should fit in to a low carb and keto friendly diet and is also diabetic friendly.
Most often something acidic goes well with pork belly to cut the richness. Therefore, a salad with vinegar in it will pair nicely with pork belly.
If the pork belly is not cooked on high enough heat it will not get too crispy. This is why I suggest alternating between low and normal heat without burning the pork. This should make it a crispy pork belly.
Pork belly is uncured, un-smoked and un-sliced where as bacon is usually all of those.
🍽 Other recipes you may like
If you enjoyed this recipe I would love if you would share on social or pin on pinterest.
Sweet and Spicy Instant Pot Keto Pork Belly
Ingredients
- 1 lb pork belly
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sweetener
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
Spicy Glaze
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon chili pepper flakes
- 1.5 tablespoon sweetener or other granular sweeteners
- 2 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce or coconut aminos
- dash salt
Instructions
- Cut the pork belly strips into one inch cubes and place in the instant pot with the chicken stock or broth, apple cider vinegar, ground ginger, erythritol and chopped garlic. Give it a mix and then place lid on instant pot and set to sealing, pressure cook on normal for 15 minutes.
- Make the glaze sauce in a medium bowl by combining the salt, ginger, chili flakes, erythritol and tamari sauce. Mix well and set aside.
- Allow the instant pot to slow release for 10 minutes and then hit that venting switch and allow all the pressure to release. Remove lid and use a slotted spoon to transfer the pork belly to a bowl. Remove the remaining liquids from the pot.
- Set the instant pot to the saute function on normal and add the olive oil to the pot. Transfer the pork belly back to the pot and continue to saute until golden brown (8-10 minutes). Stir often, you might have to play with the saute setting switching from low to normal regularly.
- Next add the spicy glaze sauce into the pot and continue to stir until pork belly is well coated. Continue to saute, stirring often and alternating between low and normal heat. This takes a bit of patience but it's worth it. Continue to saute for about 2 minutes or until desired crispiness is reached.
- Pork belly should be almost brownish red in color. Remove once it has reached the desired colour and crispiness. Some people like it extra crispy while others do not. Garnish with toasted sesame and chopped parsley.
Nutrition
Notes
This recipe card provides the basic details to make this recipe. For more information, questions or variations please review the content above the recipe card.
Updates and Revisions
If conflicting information between the video and recipe card, the recipe card will always have the most up to date information, ingredients and instructions.
Nutritional Information
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
Disclosure
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🌡️ Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more food guidelines
Sharon Miller
This turned out wonderful! My husband enjoyed his with coleslaw, but I opened a jar of homemade dill pickles and it was crispy perfection. I did use natural sweetener (maple syrup) in the chicken broth and skipped the erythritol. The substitutions were easy to do.
Oscar Chimenti
Thanks, glad you both enjoyed it.
Addie
This pork is so tender and flavorful! Loved the sauce.
Oscar Chimenti
Thank you.
Agnieszka
This pork belly is so delicious my mouth is watering just thinking about it! Amazing recipe!
Alexandra
The flavours of this are just so good! That glaze is incredible. Look forward to making again.
Oscar Chimenti
The glaze make it amazing.
Makhaya
This pork recipe was amazing! So flavorful and tender. Thanks for sharing!
Natalie
I'm seriously hungry right now. This looks very delicious. I love added ginger here in this recipe. I'm making this for sure!
Jessica l Tao of Spice
I don't usually comment on recipes but this dish was so good I just had to. My whole family loved it so I will definitely be making it again soon. Thanks!
Oscar Chimenti
Glad you enjoyed it. Thank you.
Natalie
This is so tasty and easy to make! Looking forward to leftovers!
Kayla DiMaggio
This sweet and spicy pork belly was so delicious! I loved all the flavors and it was so easy to make!
Megan Ellam
Now this is my kind of food. Thanks so much for sharing your recipes Oscar.
Marcellina
What amazing flavours! This is going to be delicious!
Anaiah
Thanks for making a keto version of this sweet and spicy pork belly. Love how easy it is to make in the instant pot. It turned out perfect!
Andrea White
YUM! Love this so much! So tasty!
Geetanjali Tung
This looks delicious! Will love this in dinner.
Rob
You had me at sweet and spicy. Great recipe!
Amy
Yum! I'm such a sucker for a good pork belly recipe!
Nora
Yum! This looks delicious! Can't wait to try it out myself! Thanks for sharing!
Oscar Chimenti
Welcome, enjoy 🙂
Jean
we love anything sweet and spicy, this is perfect for our rice meals!
Oscar Chimenti
Right on!