Tender and juicy, this Dutch oven pork roast recipe transforms an affordable cut of meat into a delicious comfort food dinner. The pork loin slowly bakes in an apple cider broth with potatoes, veggies, and herbs. A quick pan gravy adds the perfect finishing touch!
Table of Contents
- Video: How to Make Dutch Oven Pork Roast
- The Best Cut of Meat for a Pork Roast Recipe
- Why Use a Dutch Oven
- How to Cook a Dutch Oven Pork Roast
- How Long to Cook a Pork Roast
- Serving Suggestions
- Preparation and Storage Tips
- Tips for the Best Pork Roast Recipe
- Dutch Oven Pork Roast Recipe
- Simple Pork Roast Recipe Variations
Looking for even more pork recipes? Try this Mississippi roasted pork shoulder, a 5-minute pork sirloin roast, oven baked pork steaks, pork schnitzel, smothered pork chops, cream of mushroom pork chops, these Dutch oven pork chops, this pork roast recipe, slow cooker pulled pork, and Dr. Pepper pulled pork, too!
I have always struggled with a pork loin coming too dry. But, this roast came out so juicy and tender. After cooking the veggies, I added apple slices and cinnamon for a sweeter taste. Came out delicious. Served this with garlic mashed potatoes.
– Angela
Video: How to Make Dutch Oven Pork Roast
Nothing beats the comfort of a juicy and tender Dutch oven pork roast in the oven. The aroma that wafts through your home as it cooks is like a warm hug from your grandmother! This melt-in-your-mouth easy dinner recipe yields succulent pork loin and flavorful vegetables that have soaked up all of the juices from the meat. Finish it off with a quick pot roast gravy for the ultimate Sunday supper!
The Best Cut of Meat for a Pork Roast Recipe
A “pot roast” is a braised meat dish that’s made by searing a large cut of pork (usually an inexpensive roast) and then slowly cooking the meat in a covered dish called a Dutch oven. You can use many different cuts of meat for a pork roast, including a pork shoulder (or Boston butt), a sirloin roast, or a boneless pork loin roast.
I opted for the boneless pork loin roast, which is smaller and more tender than the pork shoulder. As a result, the loin cooks faster and doesn’t need the extended slow roasting time required with a pork shoulder (or Boston Butt).
I do not recommend a pork tenderloin for this recipe, since that cut is naturally lean and tender. It does best when cooked quickly at high temperatures. By contrast, pork loin and pork sirloin lend themselves well to slower roasting and grilling techniques (giving any tough fibers a chance to slowly break down).
Why Use a Dutch Oven
Many folks prefer the convenience of a Crock Pot slow cooker or even an Instant Pot, but I find that the Dutch oven yields the best tasting pork roast every time.
Dutch ovens are made from cast iron, so they retain and evenly distribute the heat. Plus, the tight-fitting lid traps the moisture inside the pot — resulting in the juiciest pork loin roast that you will ever taste. Instead of a dried-out piece of meat that has been cooked to death in a slow cooker, you can easily control the cooking time of both the pork and the potatoes when using a Dutch oven. It’s the way to go!
The Best Dutch Oven to Use for Pork Roast
We rounded up the best Dutch ovens you can buy, including 3 (yes, 3!) that I personally own and love! It was difficult to choose my favorite, but the Staub Cast Iron Dutch Oven (5.5 quarts) earned the top spot. You can buy it on Amazon for $311.50 or at Walmart for $359.95. That said, the Le Creuset Enameled Cast Iron Dutch oven was a close second that’s just a little bit larger (7.5 quarts). It’s available on Amazon for $459.95. For a more affordable option, I recommend the Lodge 6-quart enameled cast iron Dutch oven or this 5.5 quart Figmint Dutch oven from Target (such great quality for the price)!
How to Cook a Dutch Oven Pork Roast
This particular pork roast recipe works so well because you wait to add the potatoes to the pot during the final 40 minutes so that they don’t get overcooked and mushy. The vegetables, meat, and herbs flavor the rich juices that are further enhanced by a touch of apple cider, and ultimately used for gravy.
- Dredge the roast in seasoned flour, then sear in the Dutch oven.
- Deglaze the pot with chicken broth and saute the vegetables.
- Return the pork to the pot, and stir in broth, cider, herbs and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper.
- Cover and bake in a 350°F oven for a total of about 70-80 minutes.
- Add the potatoes to the pot during the final 40-45 minutes, mixing them into the liquid. You’ll know they’re done when the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Let the meat rest for 10-15 minutes while you prepare the gravy, if desired.
- Whisk together the gravy with butter, flour, and strained pan drippings.
- Pour the gravy over the pork and garnish with chopped fresh herbs for a bright, colorful touch at the end.
How Long to Cook a Pork Roast
As a general rule of thumb, you want to cook the boneless pork loin roast at 350°F for about 20 minutes per pound. In this case, a 4-lb. roast needs about 1 hour, 20 minutes in the oven. Always check the roast early, though. The heat of the Dutch oven often speeds up the cooking time, so you might find that your pork is done within about 70 minutes.
Ultimately, an instant read meat thermometer is the best way to know when your pork loin is perfectly cooked. It’s done when it reaches an internal temperature of 145˚F. Since the temperature of the meat will increase slightly as it rests, it’s fine to pull the pork out of the oven when it gets to about 140˚F.
Serving Suggestions
An easy pork loin roast makes a delicious Sunday supper. Pair the juicy meat, veggies, and potatoes with extra sides like flaky biscuits, a spinach casserole, Jiffy cornbread with creamed corn, creamed peas, pumpkin muffins, braised red cabbage, old-fashioned applesauce, fried apples, creamy baked mac and cheese, squash casserole, or a house salad with candied pecans.
Preparation and Storage Tips
Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, or wrapped tightly in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat the pork in a 325°F oven just until warmed through, about 15-20 minutes.
You can also reheat smaller amounts of pork in the microwave. We love to enjoy the leftover thinly-sliced meat on pork sandwiches with bbq sauce the next day!
Tips for the Best Pork Roast Recipe
- Cook the pork roast covered in the Dutch oven to trap the moisture in the pot and keep the pork roast from drying out. Tender and juicy is the ultimate goal!
- Check the meat early, since the efficient heat of the Dutch oven often speeds up the cooking time. As a general rule of thumb, you want to cook the boneless pork loin roast at 350°F for about 20 minutes per pound. That said, a 4-lb. roast might be done in as little as 70 minutes.
- The total cooking time will vary depending on the size, thickness, and temperature of your pork when it goes into the oven. As a result, it’s best to use a meat thermometer to know exactly when your pork reaches 145˚F.
- Let the meat rest before slicing and serving. This will allow the juices to redistribute, rather than just running onto the cutting board.
Came out perfectly! I didn’t have apple cider but I had one lonely apple so I quartered and tossed in with the veggies. It was our New Year’s traditional meal. I let mine go up to 150 degrees (accidentally), but it was moist and delicious. The gravy was easy and went great with everything. My roast was small and cooked in less than an hour. One could pull this off on a weeknight. Thanks for the recipe!
– Mitzi
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Watch How to Make It
Dutch Oven Pork Roast
Equipment
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 4 lb. boneless pork loin roast
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups chicken broth, divided
- 5 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
- 4 large ribs celery, cut into ½-inch crescents
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
- 1 cup apple cider (not apple cider vinegar)
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme (or ¼ teaspoon dried)
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary (or ¼ teaspoon dried)
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 medium Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into eighths
Optional Gravy
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 – 1 ½ cups of juices/drippings from the pot
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix the flour with a generous amount of salt and pepper on a sheet of waxed paper. Pat the roast dry; dredge it in the flour mixture. Heat butter and olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until it is hot but not smoking. Sear the pork on four sides (about 4-6 minutes per side), just until a nice golden-brown color develops and the meat releases easily from the pan. You don’t need to cook the meat all of the way through since it will finish in the oven. Remove the pork to a plate.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add 1 cup of the chicken broth, scraping with a wooden spoon to deglaze the pan (loosening all of the browned bits from the bottom). Add the carrots, onion, celery, and garlic to the pot. Cook, stirring, until the onions are translucent (about 10 minutes).
- Place the pork on top of the vegetables. Add the remaining 1 cup of chicken broth, apple cider, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper, cover, and bake in the 350°F oven for a total of about 70-80 minutes (about 20 minutes per pound), adding the potatoes during the final 40-45 minutes.
- When there are about 40-45 minutes left in the cooking time, stir the potatoes into the pot, mixing them into the liquid. Cover and return to the oven for the final 40-45 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft and the meat reaches an internal temperature of 145˚F.
- Let the pork rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.
For the Optional Gravy
- Strain the juices and drippings from the pot. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat until bubbly. Whisk in the flour and cook for 30 seconds. While continually whisking, gradually add the juices until the gravy reaches the desired consistency. Continue whisking while the gravy bubbles and cooks for 1-2 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste.
Notes
Nutrition
Simple Pork Roast Recipe Variations
- Substitute white wine or additional chicken broth for the apple cider.
- Use a 3-4 lb. pork sirloin roast; the cooking instructions remain the same.
- Season the meat with your favorite herbs. Other good options include parsley, oregano, chives and basil.
More Pork Loin Recipes to Try
4-Ingredient Pork Loin Roast
1 hour hr 25 minutes mins
Beer-Braised Pork Loin Roast
1 hour hr 55 minutes mins
Oven Roasted Pork Loin with Apple Glaze
1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
This recipe was originally published in August, 2021. It was updated in December, 2024.
Excellent exactly as is!! No changes!! Fresh herbs from the garden were spectacular! My sincere thanks to The Seasoned Mom!
Yay! So glad that you liked it, Carol!
Absolutely delicious!!! My family loved it. Didn’t change a thing. Even made the gravy.
In my experience, this recipe is A1 as is. Pork comes out great, and vegetables are tasty. I’ve cooked this one multiple times. Personally, I think the gravy is a must.
Thank you so much, David!
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this recipe!! I return to it many many Sundays to feed my family. Thank you, so much. It’s absolutely delicious. 12 out of 10
Amazing! Thank you, Kymberlee!
Substituted the apple cider with apple sauce and white cooking wine and it was very tasty! Followed the 20 minutes per pound rule for the size of my pork roast and it was juicy and perfectly cooked.
Yum! We’re so glad it turned out well for you, RonnAnn!
My pork turned out tough. Otherwise everything was perfect. I added cabbage and used a sweeter white wine instead of apple cider. Any ideas on how to kee the pork from getting tough?
Hi, Heather! It sounds like the pork just cooked too long. Cooking times can vary for different reasons, so the thermometer is key. You’ll know your pork is perfect when it reaches 145 degrees F.
If I wanted to use sweet potatoes or turnips instead of white potatoes what else should I change?
Hi, Donna! If using sweet potatoes, I would probably wait to add them until the final 35-40 minutes. I find that sweet potatoes seem to cook a bit faster than russets. For the turnips, I’d just add them along with the carrots and other veggies. Hope you enjoy!
I have been making this recipe at least once a week now that it is cold outside! The flavors are delicious (the gravy is so good) and it is super simple to throw together after work.
That’s great to hear, Rachel. Thank you so much!
This pork loin was so good!! Made this for New Year’s Day, and we will use this recipe all the time when cooking a pork loin. Only thing I did a little differently was to add more spice to the loin before browning. Mixed some salt, pepper, rosemary, dry mustard, paprika and garlic powder together and rubbed loin with the dry rub. Then browned in dutch oven. Also, I found that if I cut the potatoes in larger portions, it wasn’t necessary to add them later. Just added them with carrots and onions. My family loved this recipe. Also, I bought a larger loin than I should have, but I cut it in half and fit it on top of the veggies and broth. Took a little longer to cook but was outstanding. Thanks, seasoned mom, for a great recipe!!!
Got my first dutch oven for Christmas and this bad boy gave’r her first spin! This was the first time I cooked meat in 4 years and this recipe is a keeper! Absolutely every step was well laid out and I recommend it gets followed as is!
Thank you so much, Burgundy! We’re happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe.
This recipe was excellent and a keeper. I used beef bone broth instead of chicken broth. It added a nice richness of flavour.
Thanks, Natalie!
This recipe was so easy and turned out so good! I used a 3# roast, didn’t have applesauce so used half cup applesauce, cooked it an extra 40 minutes to fall apart soft status. I added the potatoes the last half hour in quarters. So they aren’t mush. 8ths on our potatoes would be minced, then mush…lol. Great detail, ez to follow directions. Yum!
Thank you for the feedback, Beth! We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe.
I don’t have any apple cider, can I use apple juice?
Yes, ma’am! Hope you enjoy, Margaret!
This recipe looks amazing. I purchased a Pork Loin roast that is only 2.5 pounds. I won’t be adding potatoes, so if I want it to take at least an hour to cook, should I reduce the heat?
Hi, Kelly! As a general rule, a boneless pork loin roast should cook at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes per pound. For your 2.5 lb. roast, that would be about 50 minutes. If you’re looking for a longer cooking time, then yes — you’ll want to reduce the temp to 325 degrees or even 300, keeping a close eye on the temperature of the meat so that you know when it’s ready to come out. Hope you enjoy the meal!
looks good first time visit , while looking for pork ribeye roast, Ribeye roast my favorite sliced pounded milinase creat cut of pork will let ya know how it turns out. tomorrow
Awesome! Hope you enjoy it, Joseph!
This sounds delicious and I would love to try, but I don’t have a dutch oven. Can it be made in a crock pot? If so, could you please recommend cooking time. Thank you!
Hi Rachael! It should work in a crock pot. In general, one to 1.5 hours on high or four to six hours on low in a slow cooker equals 15 to 30 minutes in the oven. So, this recipe will take around 4.5 hours on high or seven to nine hours on low. Of course, every crockpot cooks differently, and cooking times will vary based on the size of the roast. So, be sure to keep an eye on it! Hope this helps!
Thank you for your quick response! Looking forward to another wonderful meal from Blair’s recipes!
It’s honestly amazing. So much depth in flavor. It’s a once a week thing. I use pork shoulder instead.
Thank you!! 🙂
Really simple to follow and fun to execute! Kudos to the writer for their instructions and I encourage anyone to give this simple recipe a try. Came out super moist and delicious!
Thank you so much, Matthew! We’re so glad you enjoyed it and appreciate you taking the time to write such a nice review.
This is one of the best pork roast I ever made and I most definitely will be making many more. My entire family really love it as wel
Thank you so much, Mary!
How can I make what I have work for have a 4.3 LB roast. I have a 4.6 qt Crofton (Aldi) enameled cast iron french oven (wanted the 6qt dutch, they were sold out) and a 5 qt Gotham Steel nonstick stock pot with lid that claims it can be used as a dutch oven. Some notes about the gotham- i have never used it in the oven but it claims 500 degree safe, the lid does have a small steam release hole, i believe aluminum core with ceramic & titanium nonstick blend, recommended low and medium cooking to preserve nonstick.
How could I make that work?! Cut the roast in half, cook meat and veg separately, take a chance with the gotham.. HALP lol
O! I also have an 8 qt All Clad D3 Stainless Stock pot with lid. Again never used in oven but claims up to 600, no vent hole in lid and aluminum core with stainless steel coating.
Hi Cara! Can you fit all the ingredients in the 8 qt pot by chance? Maybe working with the roast cut in two?
I can fit the roast in the 8 qt pot. It touches on 2 sides because of the oblong shape, but isn’t crammed in there. Is that ok or should I cut it in half? It can fit in the 4.6 qt french oven but not room for many veggies that way which is what I was worried about. I’m wanting it to be enough for left overs (2 people, 2 nights) so more room for veggies is better! Should I make any adjustments to recipe for the type of pot or if I cut it in half? Thank you so much for your help!
Your best bet is probably to use the 8 qt pot and cut the roast in half so it’s not touching the sides. Keep an eye on the cooking time, but it should work just fine!
Thank you! Will 80ish min be ok (4 LB total) or should I reduce since it’ll be two 2 LB roast, closer to 40ish min at 20min per pound? I’m so nervous to ruin it.
We’ve found that a four pound roast takes about the same amount of time. If you use larger boneless roasts (such as 4-5 lbs.), you’ll need to increase the cooking time by about 1 hour.
left out a few items in the recipe. Very moist and tasty, and crispy brown on the outside. Veggies yummy! Used pan drippings and made gravy to drizzle over dish.
Thank you, Haley! We’re happy to hear you were able to make it work for you.
This was fantastic, thank you so much for sharing this!
Thank you, Wilson. I’m so glad that you enjoyed it!
Did not use the herbs and forgot to buy apply cider when I was out so substituted an apple added rutabaga and it was delicious. I did put everything in the oven at the same time as my roast was only 2.3 lbs. It was at 145 in about 35 minutes. We let it sit covered for 15 minutes. No left over pork which I was counting on for hash tomorrow! Guess I need a new plan! Oh and the gravy came out good. It was a bit sweet from the apple and rutabaga.
Sorry to hear your plan for leftovers didn’t work, but we’re so glad the recipe was a winner! Thank you for trying it out and taking the time to leave feedback, Dawn.
How much apple cider and chicken stock do you use?