Sweet and Sour Pork – this is the perfect homemade version of the popular Chinese restaurant takeout dish. No need to order take-out anymore, this quick and easy version is so much better!
My dad used to make the best sweet and sour pork. It was his specialty and it was one of those dishes that would get us running to the table every.time. It was always perfectly crispy on the outside while the meat stayed nice and tender packed with a flavorful sweet and sour punch.
It’s now one of my husband’s favorite dishes that he used to get for lunch when he worked in the city.Now that we moved to a smaller town with less choices for takeout, I started recreating his favorite takeout dish at home.
I love making our favorite takeout dishes at home because you can completely customize them with whatever ingredients you have on hand. The flavors are spot on amazing and he says it’s even better than the restaurant version!
We start off by marinating the meat and then coating it in some flour along with other seasonings.
Next, we fry the pieces in batches until it gets perfectly crispy. Add in your favorite veggies – in this case we use red and green bell peppers, pineapples and some green onions tossed in at the end.
The authentic sweet and sour flavors are perfectly balanced with the crispy pieces of meat and crispy vegetables.

- 1/2 lb pork tenderloin cut into bite sized pieces
- 1/2 fresh pineapple cut and cored
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil I used canola oil for deep frying
- 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce can substitute with coconut aminos or tamari
- pinch black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch omit if low carb
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
- 1/2 teaspoon vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce omit if vegetarian
- 1-2 teaspoons potato or cornstarch omit if low carb
- 1/2 tablespoon sugar can use erythritol or stevia
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
- Cut the pork tenderloin into pieces and marinate pork for 20 minutes.
Mix all the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl and set aside.
- Heat up a skillet or frying pan and fill with the cooking oil for deep frying.
Once the pork is well marinated, transfer into the frying batter and coat each piece well. Deep fry the pork until they turn golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels. (If desired you can deep-fry the pork a second time to make it extra crispy)
- Heat up another frying pan or wok on medium and add 1 teaspoon of oil. Add the garlic once the oil is heated up and stir-fry for about 1 minute. Add the chopped bell peppers and pineapples and stir-fry for another 4-6 minutes depending on how crisp you want the vegetables.
Add the sauce and let it come to a boil. The sauce will thicken up and you can adjust or add in more seasonings according to your taste.
- Add the pork and mix all the ingredients together.
- Optional sprinkle some sesame seeds and cilantro and serve with or over white rice.
Looking for more take-out favorites?
Follow Life Made Sweeter’s board Asian-Inspired Dishes on Pinterest.
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ela@GrayApron -
Beautiful dish, full of colors and flavors! 🙂 ela
Savannah@HappilyeverAppetite -
This dish looks good. Thanks for the recipe and step-by-step photos!!!