Cooked in a savory yet sweet sauce made with soy sauce, ginger, and garlic, this Slow Cooker Mongolian Pork recipe shows you how to take pork tenderloin and make an absolutely delicious and easy dinner!
Hello Reader! I try my hardest to research recipes as best as I can before posting to ensure I am representing each culture correctly. If this recipe is from your country and I have made a mistake or you have suggestions for how to make it more authentic, I would love to hear! Please leave a comment below letting me know what should be different, and I will rework the recipe. It is always my intention to pay homage and respect to each cultural dish that I cook. Thanks for reading!
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Mongolian Beef is one of the most popular recipes to come out of Mongolia, and for good reason! It is the flavorful dish that made the world fall in love with Mongolian cuisine.
This recipe takes the same flavors that everyone loves but uses pork tenderloin as an easy and affordable approach!
The pork is sliced thinly, then placed in my Magnifique Clay Pot Oven (or other slow cooker) and tossed in a sauce of soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, and garlic. The sauce is savory, but a hint of sweetness shines through from the addition of sugar. It reminds me of the sauce on these Dim Sum Chicken Feet from China!
You can cook vegetables into your Slow Cooker Mongolian Pork if desired, or serve it plain, like this! It is best enjoyed when topped with plenty of green onions and sesame seeds and then served on a bed of white rice. You are going to love this recipe!
If you love pork, try out some other pork recipes from around the world including Chinese Steamed Pork Buns, Rum Soaked Pork Loin from Belize, Stegt Flaesk from Denmark, and Haitian Griot!
Why Make this Recipe
- Easy: Chop up some ginger and garlic and throw everything into a slow cooker or Magnifique Clay Pot Oven! Then just set it and forget it. It doesn’t get much easier than that.
- Fast: As far as slow cooker recipes goes, this one is done in a jiffy. A traditional slow cooker will be done in 2 hours, while the Magnifique Clay Pot Oven will have you eating in just 30 minutes! And the active work of this recipe only takes about 10 minutes.
- Taste Mongolia: I love when I can cook food at home and experience a taste of the world. Get a taste of Mongolia right from your kitchen!
Ingredients for Slow Cooker Mongolian Pork
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
- Pork Tenderloin: Mongolian Beef is traditionally made using flank steak, but this recipe substitutes pork tenderloin instead! This recipe calls for 1 lb of pork tenderloin but sometimes they come in 2 lb packages. You can either double the recipe or use the other pork tenderloin to make another dinner like this Sheet Pan Pork Tenderloin.
- Cornstarch: This recipe uses cornstarch to thicken the sauce while in the slow cooker. If you also stir fry the meat before adding it into the pot, the cornstarch will make the pork crispy on the outside.
- Toasted Sesame Oil: I love the flavor of toasted sesame oil, but you can substitute vegetable oil if necessary.
- Minced Ginger: I recommend mincing instead of grating the ginger for this recipe to get stronger bites of ginger taste!
- Minced Garlic: 2 Tbsp of minced garlic usually equals 3-4 garlic cloves.
- Soy Sauce
- Brown Sugar: Either light or dark brown sugar will work. Dark brown sugar will add a hint of molasses flavor.
- Green Onions: These are optional, but they add the perfect fresh taste into the dish!
- Sesame Seeds: For topping. You can toast them or leave them untoasted. I chose to enjoy mine untoasted.
Adaptations
This is a perfect base recipe for Mongolian Pork, but there are plenty of other ways that you can customize this dish! Try out some of these suggestions:
- Add Vegetables: Bell peppers or broccoli would be great additions. Make sure to add them into your slow cooker. It is best to add these tender vegetables near the end of the cooking process so that they do not get too mushy.
- Swap the Protein: Feel free to try this recipe with beef, chicken or even tofu! Different proteins will lend themselves to different textures and flavors.
- Add Some Spice: Traditionally, Mongolian Beef/Pork is not spicy. However, if you want a spicy dish, this is easy to accomplish! In that case, add chili flakes or sichuan peppercorns for some extra heat.
- Make it Crispy: If you want your pork to be nice and crispy, you can stir fry it prior to adding it into the slow cooker.
How to Make this Recipe
Step 1: Put the pork in the freezer for 15 minutes to make it easier to slice. Then slice it into ⅛” slices.
Step 2: Toss the pork in cornstarch to fully coat it.
Step 3: Add the sesame oil, ginger, garlic, sliced pork, soy sauce, brown sugar, and water into the Magnifique Clay Pot Oven (or other slow cooker). If using a Magnifique Clay Pot Oven, cook on high for 20-30 minutes. If using a slow cooker, cook on HIGH for 1½ – 2 hours.
Step 4: Cook until the sauce is thickened and pork is 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Then stir in the green onions and top with sesame seeds. Serve and enjoy!
Why Magnifique?
I have been playing around with my Magnifique Clay Pot Oven and I cannot get enough. This new product by Magnifique is similar to a slow cooker, but it is made with Kaolin Clay for the pot, lid, and glaze.
I especially love the fact that it is SO easy to clean, and those tough spots of stuck-on food that are usually found in slow cookers are SO easy to get off of my Magnifique!
The two different Slow Cook settings are perfect. Use the HIGH setting to cook your meal 4x faster than a traditional slow cooker! And if you want a meal that will sit in the slow cooker for longer, simply use the low setting. This recipe can be ready in 20 minutes or 3 hours, depending on what you need out of the day….. It’s the best of both worlds!
Check out my Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken Meatballs with Gnocchi and my Slow Cooker Carne Asada to see what else it can do!
Expert Tips
- Stir your Mongolian Pork one time during cooking to fully coat the pork in the sauce that is forming. Do not stir it more than that, because every time you take the lid off of your slow cooker, it lets heat and moisture out!
- For the best texture, stir fry some vegetables on the side and then serve them with the pork when it is ready!
- For another Slow Cooker Pork Recipe, try this Cafe Rio Sweet Pork!
Recipe FAQs
Leftovers will keep well in the fridge in an airtight container for 4-5 days. You can also freeze them by allowing the dish to cool completely and then freezing in an airtight container for 3 months.
You can reheat Mongolian Pork leftovers by microwaving or by warming it back up in a skillet with a dash of water or broth for moisture. You can also place it in your Magnifique Clay Pot Oven on the Keep Warm setting for a more casual approach.
Mongolian Pork is best served on a bed of rice and topped with green onions and sesame seeds. You can also serve it with fried rice, noodles, green beans, Korean Cucumber Salad or any other sides you enjoy!
Did you enjoy this Slow Cooker Mongolian Pork recipe? If so, make sure to check out these other recipes I picked out just for you:
If you tried this Slow Cooker Mongolian Pork Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Slow Cooker Mongolian Pork
Equipment
- Tongs
Ingredients
- 1 lb pork tenderloin
- 6 Tbsp Cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil
- 2 Tbsp Ginger, minced
- 2 Tbsp garlic, minced
- ½ cup Soy Sauce
- ½ cup Brown Sugar
- ¼ cup Water
- ½ cup Green Onions, the green part chopped
- ½ Tbsp Sesame Seeds, for topping
Instructions
- Put 1 lb pork tenderloin on a cookie sheet in the freezer for 10 minutes so that it is easier to slice.
- When the pork comes out of the freezer, slice it into thin slices (about ⅛”).
- Put the pork in a bowl and add 6 tbsp cornstarch. Use tongs to coat the pork in the cornstarch.
- Add 2 tbsp sesame oil, 2 tbsp ginger, 2 tbsp garlic, sliced pork, ½ cup soy sauce, ½ cup brown sugar, and ¼ cup water into your Magnifique Clay Pot Oven and cook on HIGH for 20-30 minutes, or until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit and the sauce is thickened. If you are using a different brand of slow cooker, you will need to cook the pork on HIGH for about 1½ – 2 hours. Stir the pork once in the middle of cooking so as to coat the sliced pork in the sauce.
- When the sauce has thickened and the pork tenderloin reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit, remove the lid and add the green onions. Stir to combine.
- Serve your Slow Cooker Mongolian Pork over a bed of rice topped with more green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Notes
- Pork Tenderloin: Mongolian Beef is traditionally made using flank steak, but this recipe substitutes pork tenderloin instead! This recipe calls for 1 lb of pork tenderloin but sometimes they come in 2 lb packages. You can either double the recipe or use the other pork tenderloin to make another dinner.
- Cornstarch: This recipe uses cornstarch to thicken the sauce while in the slow cooker. If you also stir fry the meat before adding it into the pot, the cornstarch will make the pork crispy on the outside.
- Toasted Sesame Oil: I love the flavor of toasted sesame oil, but you can substitute vegetable oil if necessary.
- Minced Ginger: I recommend mincing instead of grating the ginger for this recipe to get stronger bites of ginger taste!
- Minced Garlic: 2 Tbsp of minced garlic usually equals 3-4 garlic cloves.
- Brown Sugar: Either light or dark brown sugar will work. Dark brown sugar will add a hint of molasses flavor.
- Green Onions: These are optional, but they add the perfect fresh taste into the dish!
- Sesame Seeds: For topping. You can toast them or leave them untoasted. I chose to enjoy mine untoasted.
- Stir your Mongolian Pork one time during cooking to fully coat the pork in the sauce that is forming. Do not stir it more than that, because every time you take the lid off of your slow cooker, it lets heat and moisture out!
- For the best texture, stir fry some vegetables on the side and then serve them with the pork when it is ready!
Gwen says
FYI, this is definitely not a recipe representing Mongolia. Mongolians traditionally eat meat from grazing animals that can survive by eating the grasses of the steppe (not pigs). I’m guessing based on the flavor profile that it’s an American Chinese food recipe (like “Mongolian” barbecue). I’m sure it’s delicious, but it would be more accurately included as a dish from the US.
Alexandria Drzazgowski says
Hi Gwen, thank you! Yes this is just the name that this kind of dish is called in US culture 🙂 I explained in the intro that it is based off of another recipe called Mongolian Beef!
Nik says
My husband refuses to eat pork, can I sub beef or chicken for it in this recipe? I purchased the clay pot and am looking for recipes to use with it. Thanks!!
Alexandria Drzazgowski says
You can use beef! But keep an eye on it as the cooking time may need to be adjusted 🙂 I also have recipes for Carne Asada and Tuscan Chicken Meatballs with Gnocchi on my site, both of while also use the Clay Pot Oven. The meatballs are my fav! Hope you enjoy this recipe and the others 🙂
Lori says
Made this today and it was delicious! I added diced zucchini to the recipe at the last 15 minutes and cooked it in a crockpot. Served with plain white rice. It was a hit and will absolutely make it again, this time I will cut about 10 minutes off the cooking time for my crockpot as the pork was a little more done than I usually like. But, this is a keeper and will be a regular for us!
Alexandria Drzazgowski says
Hi Lori, I am so glad that you liked the recipe so much!! Adding zucchini is a great move, I want to try that now. I am glad that you figured out the timing that works for your preferences. Thank you so much for the review!