Name: Slow Cooker Apple Cider Pork Roast
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 490 min
Total time: 510 min
Ingredients: 4-5 lb pork shoulder ((pork butt/shoulder, boston butt)); 1 tsp black pepper; 1 ½ tsp sea salt (more or less as desired); 1-2 Tbsp olive oil (for searing); 2 cups apple cider; 5-6 garlic cloves; 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar; 2 tsp Worcestershire; can add salt and pepper (best to wait until the end and do it to taste so you don’t over do it); 1 yellow onion (sliced); 1 ½ lbs. baby gold potatoes; 1 ½ lbs. carrots cut in 2-3 inch chunks; 1 apple (cored and sliced (about 8 pieces)); Fresh thyme (optional); 2 tsp garlic powder; 2 tsp paprika; 1 ½ tsp thyme; 1 tsp onion powder; 1 tsp mustard; 2 tsp brown sugar; pinch of nutmeg; optional to make a gravy in the end: 2 Tbsp cornstarch plus ¼ cup cold water

Jump to Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links.

This slow cooker apple cider pork roast is a simple meal full of flavor and tender, melt in your mouth pork. An entire meal in one pot that comes together with about 20 minutes of prep. This pork dinner can easily be a weeknight meal, but is perfect for a special gathering or celebration. Apple cider, a touch of brown sugar and nutmeg, apples and herbs make for the best pork roast you will make!

Apple cider pork roast served on plate with potatoes, onions and carrots.

Why We Love This Apple Cider Pork Roast
Ingredient Notes
Ways To Vary This Recipe
Step-By-Step Instructions
Recipe Tips
Storage
More Slow Cooker REcipes
Slow Cooker Apple Cider Pork Roast Recipe
Shop This Post

When it comes to slow cooker recipes, I want nothing but tender, fall apart meat paired with vegetables and potatoes. That is my dream meal.

This apple cider pork roast cooks a perfectly seared pork shoulder in apple cider low and slow to make the most juicy, melt in your mouth meat you will love!

Why We Love This Apple Cider Pork Roast

When it comes to fall recipes, I use apple cider in plenty of sweet treats like these Apple Cinnamon Donuts with Apple Cider Glaze, but I always have some leftover and recently started adding it to pork in the slow cooker and let me tell you, it is WOW and beyond. The most delicious, tender meat, and this dinner recipe is an entire meal, so added bonus!

This slow cooker apple cider pork roast:

is simple enough to be a weeknight dinner, but luxurious enough for a special meal or gathering
cooks low and slow and comes out so tender and flavorful
is an entire meal with just 20 minutes of prep
can be easily frozen for a meal later when you really need it

If you are a fan of pork recipes, make sure to try these other favorites: Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Pork Tenderloin, Instant Pot Carnitas, Dutch Oven Pork Tenderloin, or this reader favorite, Cream of Mushroom Pork Chops!

Ingredient Notes

Potatoes, carrot chunks, pork shoulder and other ingredients labeled.

The hardest part of this recipe is figuring out whether you bought the correct cut of pork. The good news is that several cuts/cut names are acceptable for this pork roast. You can select a boneless pork shoulder, pork butt or boston butt, one of the cuts from the shoulder of the pig. These have nice fat and marbling that help make the roast super tender and when cooked low and slow, it becomes fall-apart meat perfection. You do NOT want a leaner cut of pork like tenderloin or loin. You also do not have to tie your roast, sometimes the butcher has it like this already.
Using petite gold or red potatoes makes for one less ingredient to chop or cut. If you have larger yukon gold potatoes, you can cut them into smaller pieces.
When it comes to adding fresh apples to to a pork roast, we love to use Fuji apples or Gala. Honeycrisp is also a good option–firm and sweet.
If you can’t get apple cider, or if it’s not apple cider season, you can use an unfiltered apple juice like this honeycrisp apple juice that we used once. You want an apple juice without any sugar added and is much richer than filtered apple juice.
The apple cider vinegar helps tenderize and balance the flavor of this pork roast and helps break down the tissues of the meat so it’s definitely a piece of this recipe I wouldn’t skip!

Ways To Vary This Recipe

add more fresh herbs: toss in some fresh rosemary, sage, etc.
vary the rub spices: add a touch more of some cozy warm spices like cinnamon or some ginger, add Italian seasoning, dried oregano etc. to vary the flavor.
add more depth to the liquid: you can add a touch of dijon mustard, add a splash of white wine, or a touch of balsamic vinegar, to give more depth to the liquid the meat is cooked in.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Step 1: Whisk together the seasonings for the pork in a small dish. Whisk the cooking liquid ingredients together in another separate dish. Set both aside.

Seared pork shoulder in skillet with oil.

Step 2: Pat the pork dry with a paper towel. Generously salt and pepper the pork, amounts given are suggestions, but you can do what you need to cover the meat to your liking. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat and sear all sides of the pork for 2-3 minutes, or until it easily pulls away from the pan. If it’s easiest for you to just sear two sides due to the shape of the meat, that is ok!

Pork shoulder in crockpot with vegetables surrounding and apple cider mixture poured over top.

Step 3: Add the meat to the bottom of a 6 quart slow cooker. Surround the meat as much as possible with the carrots, potatoes and onions, tucking them to the sides. Pour the liquid over top of the meat and vegetables.

Crockpot with pork topped with pork rub.

Step 4: Sprinkle about 2/3 of the spices over top of the meat to cover and then add in any other veggies that didn’t fit to the sides of the meat gently on top.

Apples and fresh thyme over top of vegetables and meat in slow cooker.

Step 5: Sprinkle remaining spice mixture over the carrots, potatoes and onions. Lay the apples and optional thyme over top.

Cooked pork roast in slow cooker with carrots, potatoes and apples.

Step 6: Cover and cook on low for about 8-10 hours or until the meat easily falls apart with a fork. It will do this at about 200°F to 205°F internal temperature. When the meat is ready, transfer to a serving platter and serve with juices spooned over top or see recipe card below for tips to make a gravy from the juices.

Recipe Tips

You definitely need at least a 6 quart crockpot for this pork roast recipe. With a large piece of meat along with vegetables, you will need lots of room in the pot. My 6 quart slow cooker was filled pretty much to the top.

For the best meat texture, always cook on low heat. It is certainly possible to cook this on high heat in the crockpot, but cooking on low will result in the most tender meat for sure, so it is highly recommended.

You can certainly skip the searing to save time. The pork will still turn out delicious, but nothing beats the flavor and texture of the pork when you have a few minutes to sear it and get that golden browned crust on the outside.

Pulled pork roast on plate with carrots and potatoes.

Storage

We prefer to store the potatoes and carrots separate from the meat and juices when we have leftovers of this pork roast. This allows the meat to stay nice and juicy and the vegetables don’t become extra mushy.

Refrigerate in airtight containers for about 3-4 days. Or allow everything to cool completely and then transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. If freezing, you can freeze it all together if preferred.