Craving Chinese takeout but trying to stick to a ketogenic diet? Look no further! This keto sweet and sour pork recipe delivers all the familiar flavors you love, without the guilt. Bright red and green peppers sizzle with thinly-sliced pork in a sweet and sour sauce that smells so good you’ll think you’re in a Chinese restaurant. It sounds too good to be true, but this recipe is a no-fail Chinese pork recipe that fits in with a keto diet.
Why This Recipe Works
Traditional sweet and sour pork is often loaded with sugar and unhealthy additives. This keto version uses low-carb alternatives to recreate the signature sweet and tangy flavor profile, making it a healthy and satisfying meal option. This recipe is a healthy spin on one of my favourite Chinese takeout dishes. Tender pieces of pork and juicy chunks of pineapple are coated in a delicious sweet and sour sauce that tastes just like the real thing, but without all of the bad stuff! Best of all, it takes just 25 minutes to make!
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
Here is the entire list of ingredients that you’ll need when you make keto sweet and sour pork.
- Pork: Various cuts of pork will work for this recipe. Use anything from the neck, shoulder, or belly. I used pork chops because they are easy to slice and I can usually find them on sale at the grocery store. Any cut of pork will work. You can use pork shoulder, either boneless or bone-in to make this dish. Another option is to use pork loin or pork tenderloin. Cut the pork tenderloin into small bite sized cubes. Cut the pork tenderloin into similar sized pieces (approx 1 inch cubes). Whatever cut of pork you use, you’ll want to cut it into bite sized pieces before cooking it. If you do not eat pork, you can simply swap the pork in this recipe for 1.5 pounds chicken breasts to make sweet and sour chicken (which is another dish you can find at a lot of chinese restaurants). If pork isn’t your favorite, you can easily substitute chicken or shrimp in this tasty keto version of the Chinese takeout classic!
- Vegetables: Bell peppers: Cubed bell pepper is the primary vegetable in the stir fry. For the bell peppers, you can use any color or color combination to make this dish. I used a red and orange pepper because it’s what I had on hand, but you can use a green pepper or yellow pepper. I’m not a fan of green bell peppers, so I opted for red and yellow here, but if you are good with the green then you can certainly add those in. Cut the green and red bell pepper into small cubes and thinly sliced the onion. You can also Chop up some broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, or mushrooms.
- Sweetener: If you want it to taste a bit sweeter, add a teaspoon of Swerve brown sugar substitute. To make this sweet and sour pork dish Whole30, use medjool dates in place of honey as a sweetener in the sauce. Honey: Honey is what gives the sweet and sour sauce its lovely sweet flavour and balances out the tang from the vinegar. To make this sauce, we combine keto brown sugar with both apple cider vinegar and rice vinegar. I used the Swerve brand for my brown sugar. It contains zero calories and zero net carbs, and is incredibly similar in its sweetness level to regular brown sugar.
- Vinegar: Apple Cider Vinegar: a key ingredient in the tangy sauce.
- Thickening Agent: Apricots: Dried apricots might seem like a strange ingredient to add to this recipe, but they thicken the sauce while also giving it a sticky and sweet flavor.
- Other Sauce Ingredients: When it comes to most dishes, it’s the sauce that has all the hidden sugars and carbs, so why not make your own sauce at home! It can seem intimidating, but we have a fool proof low carb sweet and sour sauce using no sugar added ketchup! We then add keto ketchup, tamari, and ground ginger to complete our sauce. You can use your favorite keto ketchup, or you can easily make homemade keto ketchup!
- Pineapple: Pineapple: Both pineapple juice and pineapple chunks are used in this recipe. This Sweet and Sour Pork tastes just like the real thing with tender pieces of pork, juicy chunks of pineapple and a thick sauce that is the perfect combination of sweet and sour. To save items I have to buy, I usually just use canned pineapple in juice so that I can use both the juice and pineapple in the can.
- Tenderizer: Baking soda: baking soda is used as a tenderizer for the meat.
- Flavor Enhancers: Ginger: When it comes to ginger, by view is always the more the merrier.
If you’re fully gluten free then I recommend replacing the soy sauce with gluten free tamari sauce - if you also avoid all soy, then fish sauce or coconut aminos would work well in this recipe too.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- The only part of this recipe that takes any real time is marinating the pork. Choose to marinate just for an hour or overnight the choice is yours. Combine five-spice, soy sauce, ginger paste, and egg in a non-reactive bowl. Add the pork and marinate for 30 minutes. In a bowl whisk together the coconut aminos, baking soda and pineapple juice and add in the cubed pork. Toss the pork cubes so that they are all well coated in the marinade. Set aside. Cut the pork tenderloin into similar sized pieces (approx 1 inch cubes) and place them in a medium bowl along with the coconut aminos, baking soda and pineapple juice. Stir the pork pieces around so that they are all well coated in the marinade ingredients.
- Heat the oil in a large pot over high heat. After the pork has marinated toss each piece of pork in the coating and place into hot oil and deep fry. Work in batches so that you don’t over-crowd the pan. Try not to sample too much while frying. In a cast iron skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Fry the pork in batches. About 2 minutes on each side (pork should not have any pink in the middle). Transfer to paper towel lined plate to absorb some oil. Heat a little bit of oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Once hot add in the marinated pork and sear for 5 minutes until the pork is golden brown in colour.
- While the pork is draining on some paper towel whip up the very delicious and easy Sugar Free Sweet and Sour Sauce. Make the sauce: Heat a medium saucepan over high heat. Add all sauce ingredients to the saucepan. Stir frequently, allowing it to boil and thicken and to not burn. Meanwhile, combine all of the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and microwave for 1 - 2 minutes, or until hot and bubbling. In a high speed blender or nutribullet container combine the garlic, pineapple juice, coconut aminos, apple cider vinegar, tomato paste, honey or dates and dried apricots and blend until completely smooth. While vegetables are cooking, to a small bowl add brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar, ketchup, tamari, and ginger. Whisk to combine.
- Return the crispy pork back to the pan and add in the pineapple. Pour the sweet and sour sauce overtop and stir to ensure everything is well coated in the sauce. Leave to cook for 2-3 minutes on medium heat until everything is heated through. Return the pork back to the pan and add in the pineapple. Pour the sweet and sour sauce overtop and stir to ensure everything is well coated in the sauce. Leave to cook for 2-3 minutes until everything is heated through. Remove the sheet pan from oven and pour the sauce over the ingredients. Pour the sweet and sour sauce over cooked pork. Add sauce and pork to skillet. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Sprinkle xanthan gum over mixture and stir in to combine. Simmer 2-3 minutes, until thickened.
- Add in the chopped ginger to the pan and cook for 2 minutes until it becomes fragrant and then add the chopped onion and peppers. Leave to cook for 5 minutes until the peppers begin to soften. Saute until the vegetables are a crisp tender, and the pork is cooked through. Add peppers and onions to skillet. Saute over medium high heat 5-7 minutes, to desired crispness level.
- Garnish with chopped scallions and sesame seeds before serving.
Season the pork with salt and pepper to taste, and add to the heated skillet.
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Serving Suggestions
This Keto Sweet & Sour Pork would go perfectly with cauliflower rice - and the sauce would flavor it nicely. I like to serve this sweet and sour pork stir fry over a bed of rice to absorb any excess sauce. You have some awesome low carb options for serving this dish! It’s amazingly delicious served just as it is, and I can personally attest to that. You can serve this dish for lunch, brunch, or dinner. It’s also great to serve for everyday meals or for special occasion meals and all kinds of get togethers. Another great option is to serve your sweet and sour pork over some cauliflower rice. I’ve made cauliflower rice from a head of cauliflower and it’s easy to do. But I actually prefer the texture and convenience of using frozen cauliflower rice. You can cook your rice in a skillet or can microwave it. Both are quick and easy choices.
There are a lot of different sides you can make with sweet and sour pork. Start out with a copycat Olive Garden salad. For more veggies, make some keto Keto Sweet and Sour Pork Skillet recipe. If you are going to be serving an Asian-inspired dinner, then I suggest making some keto bok choy stir fry with soy sauce eggs. And start out your dinner with some keto egg drop soup - it’s a staple whenever I make Chinese food for dinner. Instead of a salad, I’ll serve some low-carb tuna sushi in a bowl. If you are going to serve this at a dinner for a lot of people, then you can make some crowd-pleasing keto deviled egg salad and some cauliflower potato salad.
Tips and Tricks
- Marinating: The longer you marinate the pork, the more flavorful and tender it will become.
- Frying: Fry the pork in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan and ensure even cooking.
- Sauce Consistency: Adjust the amount of xanthan gum or other thickening agent to achieve your desired sauce consistency.
- This is a very filling meal, so don’t be surprised if you can’t finish a serve.
Make Ahead and Storage Instructions
This is the perfect recipe to use in your meal prep! All you have to do is keep it in a food storage container with a lid and put it in the refrigerator. Absolutely! This sweet and sour pork reheats incredibly well and is a great dish to make for busy weeknights when everyone is eating at different times. Simply prepare the meal and either store it in the fridge for people to microwave when ready, or keep it warm in a skillet on the stove top. Leftovers will last for up to 4 days stored in the fridge in an airtight container.
Is it Spicy?
No this easy pork stir fry is a 0 out of 10 for spiciness.
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