If you’re looking to make the best pork roast with perfect crackling, look no further! This Air Fryer Pork Loin Roast is so easy to throw together and ready in an hour. Perfect for special occasions or an easy no-fuss weeknight dinner, this is one of those simple recipes the whole family will enjoy.
❤️ Why you will love this recipe
- Easy: All you have to do for this simple dish is dry, slice a little, season the outside of the pork roast, and air fry it. I like to check it halfway through, but really you don’t even need to do that.
- Quick: One thing I love about using an air fryer is the cooking time is reduced significantly, compared to roasting this tender cut of pork in the oven.
- Tasty: Tender pork with crispy crackling, served with a couple of your favorite vegetable side dishes, this simple delicious air fryer pork loin truly makes a great meal!
- Simple ingredients: All you need to make this air fryer pork roast recipe is a boneless pork loin roast, olive oil, sea salt, ground black pepper, smoked paprika, and garlic powder. So simple, and it has so much flavor!
- Great for any occasion: This easy main dish is great for a hand-off weeknight dinner, or make it to serve guests. Of course, it’s also great for New Year’s Day with some sauerkraut!
- Fits many diets: It’s perfect for a Whole30, paleo, keto, low-carb, gluten-free, or dairy-free diet.
🗝️ Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Pork: I used a 2.5lb boneless pork loin roast and made sure the layer of fat was still intact on top so that it would turn into crispy cracking (my favorite part!). Different cuts of meat like Boston butt or pork shoulder may work with this recipe, however, I don’t think they would fit in my air fryer!
- Oil: Plain and simple olive oil is great for this recipe, however, avocado oil would be a great substitution.
- Spices & seasoning: I wanted to keep this recipe really simple so I mixed together kosher salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika to form a dry rub. Onion powder would work instead of garlic powder if needed.
🥣 How to Make Air Fryer Pork Loin Roast
1. Pat and sit: Begin by taking the pork out of the fridge, patting it down with one or two paper towels, and allowing it to sit at room temperature for 1 hour. This makes it a little quicker to cook.
2. Score: After an hour, pull back any kitchen twine around the pork and score the layer of fat or pork skin with a sharp knife. I like to score where I will slice it later.
3. Preheat the air fryer: Preheat the air fryer to 200 degrees C/400 degrees F.
4. Mix the spice blend: In a small bowl, mix the seasoning and olive oil together and rub it all over the pork roast, starting with the bottom and sides, and finally the top, making sure you get in between the sliced fat.
5. Air fry: Place the pork loin in the air fryer basket and cook it for 20 minutes.
6. Check: After 20 minutes, open the basket to check how it is doing. If it seems to be cooking quicker in one area, rotate the roast around 180 degrees.
7. Air fry: Close the air fryer and cook it for a further 20 minutes.
8. Check the temperature: Once the 40 minutes are up, check the internal temperature by inserting a meat thermometer into the middle of the roast. An instant-read thermometer (or digital meat thermometer) is the best way to do this. When it reads 62°C/145°F, it is ready to rest. Cook times can vary between different air fryers, so if it’s not quite done yet, air fry the pork for another 5-10 minutes and check it again. Repeat as necessary.
9. Rest: Remove the pork from the air fryer and let the meat rest for 20 minutes before slicing it on a cutting board.
🫙 Storage Instructions
- Store any leftover pork roast in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
- Reheat pork roast slices in the air fryer for 10 minutes until heated through, or in the microwave. The air fryer is a great way to reheat the pork because the crackling gets crispy again.
- Freeze for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container or ziplock bag. Thaw completely before reheating.
🪄 Recipe Notes & Tips
- Short on time: If you don’t have time to bring the pork to room temperature before cooking it, it can still be cooked straight from the fridge. Follow the instructions as they are, and add another 10 minutes to the cooking time to start. Cook the pork loin in bursts of extra 10 minutes until it reaches 62°C/145°F, and then take it out to rest.
- Don’t overcook: The temperature of the pork roast will rise while it’s resting, so make sure that the internal temperature reads 145°F (or close to it). Overcooking meat can lead to dry pork, and it’s just not as tasty!
- Rest: Allowing the air fryer roast pork to rest is crucial to lock in the juices, making the meat succulent and tender. This is the best juicy pork roast!
- Add a little heat: I occasionally like to add 1/2-1 teaspoon of chili powder for a kick of heat. Hot paprika or cayenne powder would be great as well.
🍽️ What can I serve with this Air Fryer Pork Loin Recipe?
Here are my favorite side dishes to make this a complete family dinner:
- Mashed Potatoes
- Mashed Rutabaga
- Parsnip Puree
- Sweet Potatoes
- Sauerkraut
- Brussels Sprouts
- Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
- Honey Butter Carrots
❓ Frequently Asked Questi0ns
In total, the cooking part takes 40 minutes. I cook it for 20 minutes initially, check it and rotate it if needed, and then cook the pork roast for another 20 minutes. Check the internal temperature of the meat with an instant read thermometer. If it needs a little longer, try 5-10 more minutes and check again, repeating as necessary. When the internal temperature reaches 145°F, take it out of the air fryer basket and allow it to rest for 20 minutes.
When cooking at 200°C/400°F, it takes 16 minutes per pound, so air frying a 4lb pork roast would take 1 hour and 4 minutes.
There are two easy ways to keep the pork loin from drying in the air fryer.
1. Don’t overcook it: Make sure you check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer after 40 minutes. When the thermometer reads 145°F, it’s time to take it out.
2. Let it rest: Before slicing it, you must allow it to rest. This locks in so much moisture and really makes the difference between a dry slice of pork and a juicy one. I let my roast rest for 20 minutes before slicing.
I cook my pork roast at 200°C/400°F. It takes 16 minutes per pound to cook, so a 3lb pork roast would take approximately 48 minutes.
🤔 Looking to roast a pork loin in the oven?
Try my Apple and Sage Paleo Pork Loin with crispy crackling. It is delicious and an easy recipe to make!
😋 More Air Fryer recipes you will love
- Air Fryer Pork and Sauerkraut Recipe
- Air Fryer Steak Bites
- Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks
- Air Fryer Roasted Walnuts
- 100+ Best Keto Air Fryer Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Pork Loin Roast Recipe
Ingredients
- 1.156 kg 2.5lbs Pork loin
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Instructions
Air Fryer Pork Loin
- Remove the pork from the fridge, patting it dry with a paper towel, and allowing it to sit at room temperature for an hour.
- After an hour, preheat the air fryer to 200°C/400°F. Set the timer to 65 minutes.
- If the pork loin has kitchen twine over it, pull it back and score the thick fat on top. I slice the fat right down to the meat. Place the twine back on the meat. If it comes loose, discard it and re-wrap the pork roast 2-3 times with fresh twine.
- Mix the rub spices together with the olive oil and rub it all over the pork loin, beginning with the bottom, then turning it over to get the sides and top of the roast. Make sure to get in between the sliced fat on top.
- Place the pork loin in the air fryer basket with the fat facing the top and cook it for 20 minutes (skip down to the air fryer sauerkraut instructions to begin those while the pork cooks).
- After 20 minutes, have a quick check. If the pork loin is cooking quicker in one area, turn it around.
- Cook for a further 20 minutes.
- Check the internal temperature of the pork loin reaches 62°C/145°F. I used a dial meat thermometer, however, an instant-read thermometer is ideal.
- Remove the pork loin from the air fryer and allow it to rest for 20 minutes. Turn the temperature down to 177°C/350°F on the air fryer.
- After the pork has rested, cut it into slices and serve.
