Ready in under 30 minutes, these easy pork bites are an easy appetizer or weeknight dinner. They’re succulent and tender, and tossed with a delicious keto “honey” garlic sauce.
I love pork recipes but I have a tendency to fall into a rut sometimes. More often than not, I will pan fry some parmesan crusted pork chops for the family. If I have mushrooms, I might make some easy pork medallions.
But every so often, I am inspired to do something a little different. And pork bites are a great way to shake things up a little. Especially when you toss them in a delectable “honey” garlic sauce.
Why you need to try this recipe
These pork bites are easy, delicious, and ready in 30 minutes or less. That’s my kind of recipe!
They also can be appetizers or the main course. The sticky, garlicky sauce has that sweet and savory thing going on, with a hint of umami.
And it’s a super family-friendly recipe too. My kids devoured theirs and asked for seconds, and I was more than happy to oblige. With less than 3g of carbs per serving, pork bites are healthy and satisfying.
Ingredients you need
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- Allulose honey: This is the best honey substitute I have found. While it’s not as thick as the real thing, it has good honey flavor, and it helps create a stickier sauce. If you can’t get any, try using 2 tablespoons of Swerve Brown, 1 tablespoon of granular allulose, and 1 tablespoon water.
- Swerve Brown: Some additional sweetener really brings out the flavor of the sauce. You can use granular sweetener as well, but I think Swerve Brown works best.
- Tamari: Tamari is a form of soy sauce that’s a little thicker and has more umami flavor. It’s also gluten-free, making it a good choice for Asian style keto recipes.
- Garlic: Don’t shy away from the garlic for these pork bites. I used 6 cloves, but you can cut that back to 4 if you prefer.
- Glucomannan: You need a thickener like glucomannan or xanthan gum. I prefer glucomannan as it makes keto gravy and other sauces less slimy.
- Boneless pork chops: This recipe calls for boneless pork chops because they are so flavorful. They also have some fat on them, which makes for great browning. But you can also use pork tenderloin, which tends to be quite lean.
- Sesame oil: Because this is an Asian style sauce, I opted for sesame oil for sautéing the pork bites. But any liquid oil will work here.
- Garnish: Toasted sesame seed and some sliced green onion make for a beautiful presentation.
Step by Step Directions
1. Prepare the sauce: Whisk the allulose honey, water, Swerve Brown, tamari, garlic, and glucomannan together until well combined. If you are using xanthan gum instead, be sure to sprinkle over the surface, whisking as you do, to make sure it combines without becoming clumpy.
2. Brown the pork: Heat the oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven and brown the pork all over. It’s best to work in batches so that you can add the pork bites in a single layer. They will brown much better that way. Then remove the pork to a bowl and drain any excess fat in the pan.
3. Thicken the sauce: Pour the sauce into the pan and cook a few minutes until it’s bubbly and thicker. This creates a stickier sauce that gives the pork more flavor.
4. Toss together: Add the pork back to the pan and toss to coat in the sauce. Then garnish with sesame seeds and green onion.
Expert Tips and FAQ
Allulose is the best sweetener for this pork bites recipe because it makes a sticky sauce. However, if you can’t find it, you can try BochaSweet instead. You can also use Swerve, but your sauce won’t become as thick and sticky.
Use tender cuts of pork. I like boneless pork chops, as they are easy to cut into 1 inch pieces. They also have a bit more fat on them than tenderloin, so they add flavor and brown nicely. They even get a little crispy!
Cook the pork quickly. Get the pan and oil nice and hot before adding the bites. You want to sear the outside, to keep the juices in the meat. Make sure to brown them on all sides, which takes 8 to 10 minutes per batch of pork bites.
Pork bites are typically made from boneless pork chops or pork tenderloin cut into 1 inch chunks. These two cuts of meat are the most tender and juicy.
Many keto side dishes taste delicious with pork. Try pairing these pork bites with cauliflower risotto, air fryer Brussels sprouts, or zucchini casserole.
You can serve them as an appetizer, with toothpicks or cocktail skewers. Or you can serve them with a side dish for an easy keto dinner recipe.
The USDA indicates that pork chops should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145ºF. Use an instant read thermometer to check the pork bites during cooking.
More recipes with allulose honey
I find this product very useful and it works well in a number of keto recipes. Try these delicious options:
- Keto Honey Mustard
- Honey Buffalo Shrimp
- Sugar-Free Golden BBQ Sauce
- Keto Baklava Bars (use it instead of the homemade honey syrup)
Looking for even more easy and healthy meals? Grab a copy of my cookbook Easy Keto Dinners!
Keto Pork Bites Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup allulose honey
- 2 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon Swerve Brown
- 1 tablespoon tamari
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon glucomannan or xanthan gum
- 2 pounds boneless chops cut into 1 inch pieces
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoon sesame oil (can sub other liquid oils)
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- 1 medium green onion sliced
Instructions
- In a bowl or glass measuring cup, whisk together the allulose honey, water, sweetener, tamari, sweetener, garlic, and glucomannan. Set aside.
- Sprinkle the pork all over with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium high heat. Add half of the pork bites in a single layer and sear 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until browned and crispy.
- Transfer to a bowl and repeat with the remaining oil and pork bites. Transfer those to the bowl and drain any excess fat from the pan.
- Reduce the heat to medium low. Add the sauce to the pan and bring to a simmer. Cook until bubbling and thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the pork bites back to the pan and toss to coat in the sauce. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onion before serving.
Vivian says
Have you ever tried this with chicken breast? I’m afraid it’ll be too dry but that’s what I have thawing in the frig.
Carolyn Jorgensen says
I made this recipe, basically using what I had on hand. Boneless pork chops, cut up, keto, honey, I had no green onion, but I did add some diced onion , after browning the pork bites. I cook some broccoli, in the microwave from frozen and added it. It was delicious.
Robert Marshall says
Made this tonight; except I used boneless-skinless chicken thighs, which I had in my freezer. Very pleasant. Not overly sweet from the fake honey. Might put a bit more in next time to see how that goes. Either that, or more of the Swerve Brown Sugar. Served it over TJ’s Heart of Palm Rice.
But, will definitely make it again sometime.
Lorie H says
This is SO good!!!! This recipe has been on my “want to try” list for awhile now, and I finally remembered to get the pork chops this week. It will definitely be on my rotation now. Easy to make, and goes together quickly. I could see making this for either a meal or a great appetizer. Thank you again, Carolyn!
Dixie says
This was so good, used left over pork chops from last night, just added pork chops and reheated for supper, winner winner pork chop dinner
Carolyn says
Excellent!
Toni says
These are so good!! I love how easy it is to make!
Agnes says
I am drooling over here! These pork bites look absolutely delicious!
Allyssa says
Thanks a lot for this amazing and super easy to make pork bites recipe! It’s really tasty and very flavorful! Will surely have this again! Highly recommended!
Glenda says
The sauce is spot on!! Well done Carolyn! Another perfect keto recipe
Carolyn says
Glad you enjoyed it!