Pork chop marinades are easy to make, healthy, and use simple ingredients. Barbecue, balsamic, sweet and spicy, honey mustard, chili lime, and lemon garlic marinades will make your pork chops taste great without overpowering the pork.
Pork Chop Marinades
If you're bored with eating plain old pork chops, it's easy to zest them up with these six healthy pork chop marinades. These are made with fresh, healthy ingredients.
It's easy to grab a pack of pork chops on sale and add them to one of these marinades as soon as you get home. You can even do this before freezing the pork chops.
When you're ready to cook them, just thaw overnight in the fridge and make for dinner using whatever cooking method you'd like. I'll go over how to cook pork chops in detail below.
Recipe Tips
- These marinade recipes will work for 1-2 pork chops. If you want to do more, just double the recipe. Grab a large freezer bag, add the marinade and the pork chops. Store it in the fridge or place directly into the freezer to use later.
- I recommend marinating your pork chops overnight to get the most flavor. But if you're short on time, then you can marinate for one hour in the fridge before use.
- Because the marinade has been in contact with raw pork, it’s not safe to reuse it, so don’t save it for next time.
- I use Ziploc freezer bags to freeze my marinating pork chops to avoid leaks. When adding the ingredients to freezer bags, I like to use these bag clips that will help the bag stand up and avoid spilling. You can also place the pork in a glass container and seal it with a lid. This can be stored in the fridge before cooking.
- These marinated pork chops can be cooked in a variety of ways including frying, baked, grilling, and air fryer. I'll go over details on how to use each cooking method below.
Is It Safe To Marinate Pork Chops Overnight? Yes! It is safe to marinate the pork chops in the fridge overnight. You can keep raw pork in the fridge for 2-3 days before it needs to be tossed. Any longer and it should be frozen instead.
If you like these recipes, then you’ll have to try my six healthy chicken marinade recipes or my six easy salmon marinades. They’re delicious and the perfect way to add flavor to your chicken or fish
1. Barbecue Pork Chop Marinade
- ¼ cup barbecue sauce
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar - or honey
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice - or white vinegar
- ¼ tsp chili powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp ground black pepper
Mix ingredients and marinate pork chops minimum 1 hour or overnight. You can grill, pan fry, air fry or bake these. Just note that the sugars in the sauce will want to burn so it's best to remove as much marinade as possible before cooking.
2. Honey Mustard Pork Chop Marinade
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 Tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp whole grain mustard
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Mix ingredients and marinate pork chops minimum 1 hour or overnight. You can grill, pan fry, air fry or bake these.
3. Sweet and Spicy Pork Chop Marinade
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp honey - brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp hot sauce
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Mix ingredients and marinate pork chops minimum 1 hour or overnight. You can grill, pan fry, air fry or bake these.
4. Lemon Garlic Pork Chop Marinade
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves - minced
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Mix ingredients and marinate pork chops minimum 1 hour or overnight. You can grill, pan fry, air fry or bake these.
5. Basil Balsamic Pork Chop Marinade
- 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp dried basil
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Mix ingredients and marinate pork chops minimum 1 hour or overnight. You can grill, pan fry, air fry or bake these.
6. Chili Lime Pork Chop Marinade
- ¼ cup lime juice - about 3 limes
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp lime zest
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Mix ingredients and marinate pork chops minimum 1 hour or overnight. You can grill, pan fry, air fry or bake these.
How To Cook Pork Chops
Serve cooked pork chops with roasted vegetables, quinoa, or rice. You can bake the pork chops, grill on the barbecue, or even air fry them. Here are the instructions for each way to cook the pork chops.
Cooking Pork Chops On A Frying Pan
- Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat with cooking oil. Once the pan is hot, add the pork chops and sear on one side for 3-5 minutes then flip over and cook an additional 3-5 minutes, or until browned. Keep in mind that this time will vary on the size and thickness of pork chop you have.
- At this point, depending on how thick the pork chop is, the juices will run clear when you poke a hole in it. Remove from heat and let sit 2-3 minutes before cutting into it or serving.
Baking Pork Chops In The Oven
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place pork chops on the baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
Grilling Pork Chops On The Barbecue
Heat barbecue to medium-high heat (400°F), place pork chops on the hottest part of the grill, and sear 2-3 minutes for each side. Move off the hottest part of the grill and continue to cook until pork reaches an internal temperature of 145°F. Remove from the barbecue and let rest for 3 minutes before slicing into or serving.
Air Frying Pork Chops
Lightly coat the inside of the air fryer tray or basket with olive oil or cooking spray. Preheat the air fryer to 400°F for 2 minutes. Add the pork chops and cook for a total of 12 minutes, flipping them half way through.
How Do You Know When Pork Chops Are Cooked?
According to the USDA recommended cooking temperatures, the safest internal temperature for cooking all types of pork is 145°F. This is the interior temperature that the pork will read at before removing from the heat source.
You can use a food thermometer, which will be poked into the thickest part of the pork to read the temperature. They also specify that after cooking, the pork should rest for 3 minutes on a plate without cutting into it.
More Marinade Recipes
- Chicken Marinades – These six marinade recipes will take boring chicken and zest them up with flavor.
- Salmon Marinades – These marinade recipes will give your salmon amazing taste without overpowering the fish.
- Tofu Marinades - Marinated tofu takes a vegetarian meal to the next level. These 7 tofu marinades are made with fresh healthy ingredients.
- Stir Fry Sauces – These homemade sauces are an easy way to add incredible flavor to your vegetables, grains and meats
Pork Marinades
Ingredients
Barbecue Marinade
- ¼ cup barbecue sauce
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar - or honey
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice - or white vinegar
- ¼ tsp chili powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp ground black pepper
Balsamic Marinade
- 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp dried basil
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Sweet and Spicy Marinade
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp honey - brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp hot sauce
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Honey Mustard Marinade
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 Tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp whole grain mustard
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Chili Lime Marinade
- ¼ cup lime juice - about 3 limes
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp lime zest
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp garlic pwoder
- ¼ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Lemon Garlic Marinade
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves - minced
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
Pork Chop Marinade Instructions:
- Add the marinade ingredients to a small bowl and mix together.
- Add the pork chops to a plastic bag or glass container. Pour the marinade sauce overtop. The container should be small enough so that pork chops can soak up the sauce. Seal and let it sit in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour, but preferably overnight. Pork chops can also be frozen with the marinade included.
Baking Pork Chops Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the pork chops on the baking sheet and for 15-20 minutes, or until pork chops reach 145°F internal temperature.
Pan Frying Pork Chops:
- Heat the frying pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle a small amount of cooking oil. Once the pan is hot, add the pork chops and sear on one side for 3-5 minutes then flip over and cook an additional 3-5 minutes, or until browned. Keep in mind that this time will vary on the size and thickness of pork chop you have.
- At this point, depending on how thick the pork chop is, the juices will run clear when you poke a hole in it. Pork chops are done when they reach 145°F internal temperature. Remove from heat and let sit three for three minutes before cutting into it or serving.
Grilling Pork Chops Instructions:
- Heat barbecue to medium high heat (400°F), and place the pork chops on the hottest part of the grill. Sear for 2-3 minutes on both sides. Move off the hottest part of the grill, check internal temperature. Cook until it reaches 145°F internally on a part of the grill that isn't as hot. Add to a plate and let rest for 3 minutes before slicing into or serving.
Air Frying Instructions:
- Lightly coat the inside of the air fryer tray or basket with cooking spray. Preheat the air fryer to 400°F for 2 minutes. Add the pork chops and cook for a total of 12 minutes, flipping them half way through.
Recipe Notes:
- These marinade servings will work for 1-2 pork chops. If you’re using more pork I recommend doubling the marinade recipe to maximize flavor.
- Loving these recipes? Then you’ll have to try my six healthy chicken marinades or and my healthy salmon marinades.
- See more of my healthy family-friendly recipes at www.andianne.com
The nutritional information provided is an estimate and is per serving.
