The ultimate recipe for glazed pork chops! Coated with an apple cider glaze, and grilled to perfection, these sweet and savory apple cider chops are perfect any time you’re in the mood for meat!
These Apple Cider Glazed Pork Chops are the perfect weeknight dinner for a family to reconnect during the week. Made with a simple, yet delicious apple cider glaze, these pork chops seriously deliver on flavor.
Glazed pork chops are fantastic for a great, easy-to-make family dinner. We love pork at our house, and I cook and grill with it often. Pork is healthy and lean, it’s easy to cook, versatile, and best of all its really economical.
What do I need to make apple cider pork chops?
Here’s a quick reference check list of the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe:
- 1 1/2 lbs. bone-in OR boneless pork chops
- Brown sugar – light or dark brown sugar will work for this recipe. If you’re looking to cut refined sugar, you can also use Swerve Brown Sugar Substitute.
- Chili powder
- Garlic powder
- Olive oil
- salt and pepper
For the apple cider glaze:
- Apple cider (if not available, apple juice works just as well)
- Maple syrup
- Dijon mustard
- Crushed red pepper flakes
For exact ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the post to the recipe card. Thanks!
How do I add a rub to pork chops?
Mix together the brown sugar, olive oil, chili powder, garlic powder, olive oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl. The rub will have the texture of a paste. Add about 1/2 tablespoon of the rub to each side of the pork chop and lightly rub into the chop with your hands to coat the meat.
What do I need to make an apple cider glaze for pork chops?
To make the apple cider glaze, simply whisk together the apple cider (or apple juice), Dijon mustard, maple syrup and crushed red pepper flakes.
Cooking Note: The glaze for these pork chops will be thin. It’s not meant to be overly thick or sticky like a sauce. Brushing the chops with the glaze will add wonderful flavor to every bite.
How do I make glazed pork chops on the grill?
To glaze pork chops, start by cooking the chops on one side for 6-8 minutes. Flip over to begin cooking on the uncooked side. To the cooked side, brush on the apple cider glaze with several brushes of apple cider glaze.
What temperature do I cook pork chops?
When grilling pork chops on a gas, charcoal or grill pan, cook over medium heat, at approximately 375 – 400 degrees. This will allow the outer side of the chop to sear, while maintaining a temperature to allow the inner meat to cook through without drying out the meat.
How long do bone-in pork chops need to cook?
Bone-in pork chops (approx. 1 – 1 1/2″ thickness) need to cook for approximately 6-8 minutes per side at 375-400 degrees. To test for doneness make sure the internal temperature of the meat is 160 degrees. A digital meat thermometer is the ideal tool to help measure meat temperature.
Thermapen ONE Instant Read Digital Thermometer
This is my go-to tool for grilling and roasting! With a Thermapen there’s no guessing if or when the meat is done. The precise temperature will provide you with meat that is perfectly cooked, juicy and delicious EVERY time!
I adapted this recipe from what I normally use for grilled pork loin, and with the apple cider glaze, these chops turn out juicy, and delicious.
The spice rub seasons the pork perfectly, and as it grills you brush the chops with the apple cider glaze, which really gives the pork amazing flavor!
While grilling these bone-in chops, I also threw on some halved apples brushed with the cider glaze. These were a perfect side with the pork chops!
Wondering what to serve with apple cider pork chops? These side dish recipes are great options:
- Kale and Roasted Carrot Salad with Apples
- Cranberry Apple Salad
- Air Fryer Butternut Squash
- Calico Beans Recipe
- Deviled Egg Potato Salad
- Roasted Rainbow Carrots
- Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
- Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad
- Easy Greek Tortellini Salad Recipe
- Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad
- Roasted Butternut Squash Medley
- Healthy Green Bean Casserole
- Zesty Italian Pasta Salad
- Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
- Garlic Herb Roasted Red Potatoes
- Healthy Broccoli Salad with Apples and Cherries
Love cooking with Apple Cider? Check out some of my other apple cider recipes:
Can I make these glazed pork chops without a grill?
If you don’t have an outdoor gas or charcoal grill, no worries. You can certainly use an indoor grill pan or a cast iron skillet.
If you’re using a grill pan or skillet, you’ll use the same technique, just be sure to adequately oil the pan, and set it on medium-high heat. Depending on the thickness of the chop (these were about 3/4″ thickness), you’ll cook for about 10-12 minutes total.
If you loved this grilled pork chop recipe, be sure to check out some of my other fantastic recipes from the grill:
- BBQ Grilled Chicken Drumsticks
- Grilled Steak Kabobs
- Italian Grilled Chicken
- Lemon Pepper Grilled Chicken
- Brown Sugar Balsamic Grilled Chicken
- Cilantro Lime Chicken Recipe
- Salsa Burgers
- Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce
Here’s the recipe for these amazing Apple Cider Glazed Pork Chops:
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Apple Cider Glazed Pork Chops
Equipment
- Grilling Tongs These stainless steel grilling tongs by OXO are perfect for quick grilling.
- Sauce Brush Ideal for brushing sauce, butter, and more. Great for grilling!
- Griddle Great for indoor grilling!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs bone-in pork chops or pork loin chops
Rub:
- 2 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
Apple Cider Glaze:
- 1/2 cup apple cider or apple juice
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Light your gas or charcoal grill and heat to medium high heat, approximately 400 degrees.
- Place the pork chops on a sheet pan or flat work surface. Pat dry with paper towels.
- In a small bowl combine the brown sugar, chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly with a fork. Mix in the oil to the spice mixture. It will be the consistency of a crumbly paste. Cover the chops on all sides with the spice rub.
For the apple cider glaze:
- In a small bowl, prepare the glaze by whisking together the apple cider, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, crushed red pepper flakes, and salt.
- Put the spice covered pork chops on the heated grill. Grill for about 6 minutes. Flip the chops and thoroughly brush with the glaze on the cooked side. Grill for about 2 more minutes, flip and brush again with the glaze. Repeat this process until the chops cook for 10-12 minutes total, and reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees.
For grilled apples:
- Cut small to medium apples in half. Brush the halved apples with glaze and grill face-down for about 5-6 minutes. No need to flip. Serve along with the pork chops.
Notes
Nutrition
These pork chops look amazing! Pork chops is one thing I rarely cook — I find it so hard to get the cooking time right and keep them moist. I will have to try this!
Oh my WOW! These look so good. Can’t wait to try!
This looks absolutely mouthwatering! Thanks for a great pork recipe!
Thanks so much!
How would you cook these in the oven? Don’t use my grill in the winter.
Hi Gina – For this specific recipe, instead of grilling outdoors, I would recommend following the recipe as directed using an indoor grill-pan or skillet. Enjoy!
Wow, these look so yummy! I love to make glazes and my husband loves pork chops.
Thanks for the recipe,
Bev
Thanks so much Beverly! They really are fantastic. Enjoy! ~Erin
Oh man, that apple cider glaze sounds AMAZING! Gotta put this on the list of things to try in the very near future 🙂 Meandering on by from the Time to Sparkle link up. If you get a chance, I’d love it if you stopped by my blog sometime. Have a great day!
Thanks so much Courtney! Will definitely stop by soon. ~Erin
Amazing! Your photos are fabulous, makes my mouth water! I am going to feature this on my blog tomorrow so keep an eye out! Thanks so much for sharing!
Thanks so much, Alyssa!
Oh my, these chops look delicious. Love the photography too. Yum! Thanks for stopping by Foodie Fridays. Hope to see you again tonight!
Blessings,
Shari
This looks so good and the picture is gorgeous!
These look and sound FAB! I was wondering, how do you think this recipe would work with a hard cider?
thank you!
Hard Cider would certainly be fun to try. You might find a variation in flavor, but a hard cider could be a really fantastic way to go. If you give it a try, let me know how it turns out. Enjoy!
Hi, do you think apple juice will work just as well as cider?
Hi Shauna! Yes, I’ve actually tried apple juice (instead of apple cider) and it works really well. Enjoy! ~Erin
Just wanted to say–I misread the recipe and actually used apple cider VINEGAR instead…and this recipe still came out amazingly well.
Wow!! Hahaha! I’m glad they turned out even though you used the vinegar. Give it a try with cider next time – they’ll be even better. 🙂 So glad you enjoyed, Mike! ~Erin
Same
Then I tried it the way it was written and didn’t like it as much as with the vinegar. Tonight I’m mixing half coder half vinegar
i made these last night and im wondering if i did something wrong? the glaze wasnt really a “glaze” it was really liquidy-was that how yours was?
Hi Brittany! You’re correct in the fact that the glaze for the chops remains liquidy – it doesn’t really reduce. The purpose of the glaze is to coat the chops a few times as you flip them, almost giving them a laquered sear. I discovered the more you glaze and flip, the better the glaze flavor on the chops.
can you bake these in the oven.? How long and for how much?
Just can’t do the grill today. Thanks.
Hi Deb, You could probably bake in the oven, but you won’t get the nice sear on the outside of the chop. The seasoning will do well, but the glaze may not have the same effect. Give it a try and let me know how it goes. Thanks so much for stopping by. ~E
we made this last night and it was AWESOME! i may finally talk my hubby into getting a grill pan, too, thanks to this recipe! as soon as the first chop hit the hot skillet, noses twitched. teen and hubby were not complaining about doing the dishes last night. score! thanks!!
Awesome!! So glad to hear you and your family enjoyed this. Thanks so much for stopping by! ~Erin
Do you think this glaze could work on chicken breast?
Hi Aislinn! Yes, this would be great on chicken. I would utilize the seasoning along with the glaze to keep the chicken, tender and flavorful. Let me know how it turns out! Thanks so much for stopping by! ~Erin
These were very good! I am not sure if I just missed it in the recipe, but I had to cook the glaze for 25-30 min to get it to reduce down to “glaze” consistency. And a little crushed red pepper goes a LONG way!!
Glad you enjoyed these, Colleen. The glaze doesn’t necessarily need to reduce down – it will still be juicy/liquidy when brushing on the chops. I had the most success when I was brushing and flipping the chops several times. It gave them an almost laquered finish. And yes, you’re right – a little pepper goes a long way. Thanks so much for stopping by. ~Erin
I just made these and after reading some of the comments I decided to add cornstarch to the rub. It was perfect! It made the glaze thicken nicely. Will be making this again!
So glad it worked out Traci! Enjoy!
Do you think Apple Cider Vinegar would work?
I wouldn’t recommend it, as the glaze is more of a sweet coating on the pork. Hope you were able to enjoy! ~Erin
Trying this for dinner this week! So excited to use our new grill. We’re in AZ :/
Awesome! Hope you enjoyed as much as we have. Being in AZ, you’ll likely be able to grill year-round! Enjoy!
Made these tonight and they were delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
So glad you enjoyed these, Abby! ~Erin
Made these tonight and they were Awesome!!! I used an indoor grill pan. Thanks for posting!
Fantastic Tania! So glad you enjoyed! ~E
I do not have dijon mustard can i use yellow?
Yellow will likely work. Let me know how it turned out. Thanks for visiting Kassi! ~Erin
There is nothing “all natural” about Smithfield pork, and in fact people should be aware that the label “all natural” really means nothing, as there are no meaningful restrictions placed on the use of this label. Any meat that is conventionally raised is poison both to your body and to our planet. Vote with your wallets, and buy only organic or at least humanely-raised, antibiotic and hormone free meats and poultry!!!!!!
These pork chops were delicious! They didn’t taste so much like apple or maple, but the combined flavors were savory and good. I cut the brown sugar and salt in half. Will definitely do these again & again! Thanks for a keeper!
Great! So glad you enjoyed them and were able to adapt the recipe to your preferences. Keep on grillin’! ~Erin
would this be good on a grilled pork tenderloin
Yes, definitely! We grill pork tenderloin often, and this is one of my go-to recipes. Enjoy!
Used Apple cider vinegar because I did not read the recipe thoroughly. But they were delicious and my husband said they were the best pork chops he has ever had 🙂
So glad it worked with the Apple Cider vinegar. 😉 And glad you and your husband loved the pork chops – they are definitely a go-to recipe at our house. Enjoy!
Adding these to my list of pork recipes to try. Thanks!
LOVED THIS RECIPE! My husband said good flavor, and asked if I put it in a brine before grilling.. Very moist!
Well be made again!
So glad you and your husband loved these! Happy grilling! ~Erin
I cant wait to make these tonight! Can I sub the oil for apple sauce?
Hi Kristina! Normally in baking I would say yes, however, since you’re grilling these chops, they will need some oil on the surface once they hit the high heat of the grill. If you really need to, cut the oil in half, but don’t eliminate it completely. You’ll love these! Soo good!! Enjoy ~Erin
Family loved this tonight. Son said make sure I marked this one so when he asked next time “to make that one with that sauce that was so good” I would know what he meant. Only variation I was forced into was coarse mustard instead of dijon. YUM!
how thick are the chops that you used? Thanks.
Tried this tonight and it was amazing! I’m considering trying a crockpot version of this next time I make it (which will be soon!).
I made these last night and used apple cider vinegar on purpose- they were fabulous!! Thanks for a great recipe!
Could you do this in the crockpot?!
I made these last night and they were delicious. The rub is the best!! I took your advice and turned them often, using the glaze. Just wonderful! Thank you!!
Thank you so much for this recipe.. My husband and I are trying this tonight, and we will be using an apple ale. But we were wondering.. Why do you say to pat the chops dry before applying the rub? Thanks so much, Amy
Try rubbing the pork chops and wrapping in plastic and refrigerating for a couple of hours or overnight. Allows the rub to really get into the meat. Allow to warm up a bit before grilling
I added a cup of crushed pineapple juice and a tablespoon of cornstarch it was awesome.
Hello! These look AMAZING! I have one question.. if I make them with boneless pork chops, how should I adjust the cooking time on an indoor grill pan?
Depending on the thickness of the cut, I would reduce the cook time to approximately 4 minutes per side. Before removing from the pan, cut into the thickest area of the chop, insuring it is no longer pink in the center. Enjoy! ~Erin
Prepared these last night. Grilled on outdoor gas grill. These were soooo good! They were probably the most moist chops we have ever grilled. Thank you for this keeper of a recipe!
So glad you enjoyed them, Christy! Best, Erin
I made these tonight for dinner, and they are the best pork chops that I have ever eaten. I will be making them again. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
I’m making freezer meals. Would it work to apply the rub to the chops, then freeze the chops and glaze separately so they’re ready to thaw and cook at a later time?
Can the glaze and rub be put on the pork overnight to marinade ?
I’m always looking for good pork chop recipes. I can’t wait to try this one!
We love pork chops and these look SO good! Thanks for sharing at The Creative Corner… featuring you tonight and hope to see you there again!
Erin, you make the best food!
Congrats – your mouth watering recipe is featured at Inspire Me Monday at Create With Joy this week!
Made these tonight. Used 1 cup Apple Cider and 1/4 bourbon. Was fantastic!
I made this recipe, but substituted pineapple juice instead of apple cider. Excellent!
We made these tonight for dinner and it was great! The glaze never thickened for me. I couldn’t find my cornstarch but did try adding a flour/water mixture. We decided to spoon it over only half the chops since I was afraid I did something wrong but those half was amazing! The rest with just the rub were still really good! Will def make again.
I enjoy your post… thanks for this recipe the apple cider glazed pork chops… love it;
Smacking my lips over the chops! They look amazing!
Most amazing pork chops I’ve ever made.
My man asked for this twice in 3 days.
Love it
I didn’t have apple cider so I made my own apple juice from a juicer and still terrific
I’ve been making these for years and they are absolutely my go to for pork chops. So delicious! I Love them!
These were absolutely delicious! I was out of regular maple syrup so I substituted bourbon maple syrup…… Yum!
These sounds delicious and will try them tonight for dinner. Thank you
This recipe was delicious!! Thank you for sharing!
Hi! I don’t like bones in my food, so how long would I bake the pork chops? I’m glad I read the comments because I saw Apple Cider thinking it was ACV.
Tried these tonight…
FABULOUS!
My son who only eats 6 things now eats 7!!!
(Uhm he is 22 just saying)
The flavour is sooo good.and the meat is tender and juicy.
I am going to rub this on chicken and brush on glaze as it cooks(beer can chicken style)
I made these last week for the first cold front of the year and they were AMAZING! I ran out of dijon so half the amount the recipe called for i had to sub for plain yellow mustard but it still came out incredible! No corn starch so i just took the time to cook it down to a pan sauce after the glaze and then used the remaining bit to toss some brussels sprouts in before roasting and 10/10 recommend
Yay!! That’s awesome – so great to hear. Glad you enjoyed them!
I’m paying more attention to calories and fat these days, the info can’t be right for 1 serving! I’m trying them either way though!
Hi Carol – you’re right. There is an error with the calorie calculator for this specific recipe. When plugging in the ingredients to MyFitnessPal calculator, you’ll roughly have 220 calories, 8 g fat, 9 g carbs, and 23 g of protein per pork chop. To go a healthier route, use pork loin chops instead of bone-in chops. These will be much leaner with less fat. With this in mind, loin chops need less time to cook (approx. 5 minutes per side, depending on thickness.) Let us know how you like them. This is one of our top recipes that readers absolutely love. Happy Holidays! -Erin
08 / 08 / 2023 Made this for tea for ma & my son and oh my word it was absolutely amazing the glaze was so nice I could have drank it out of the pan lol 😂 I served it with garlic mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli. My son said this was one of the best sauces I’ve made yet. This is definitely a keeper and will make on a regular basis . On a star rating of 1 to 10 it’s definitely a 11 😋😋 Thanks for sharing your recipe.
I live in an apartment and I don’t have access to a grill. Can you tell me what temperature to use and how long they have to cook in the oven? Also, they sound delicious and I will come back to rate them after I make them. Thinking of brining them so that they don’t dry out. What do you think?
Yes, you could certainly bake them in the oven. I recommend 375 for 20 minutes (for boneless), and 30 minutes for bone-in chops. Thickness of porkchops can vary greatly. To test for doneness, make sure the internal temperature of your chops are 165 degrees. You can also cut through the chops – if there is no more pink in the center, the chops are done. Enjoy! – Erin
Juicy tender and so flavorful.They looked so beautiful on the plate and were delicious with my husband’s favorite cold slaw
I made these Apple Cider Glazed Pork Chops for dinner last night, and they were incredible! The glaze gave them such a deliciously sweet and tangy flavor that paired perfectly with the juicy pork. I’ll definitely be adding this recipe to my regular rotation. Thank you for sharing!
These are a favorite recipe in our rotation. Thank you!
These are the absolute best pork chops I’ve had. I skillet fried them because my grill was out of gas.