3-Ingredient Crock Pot Pork Chop Recipe

On busy weeks, the slow cooker can be an absolute lifesaver. It doesn't matter whether you're a beginner in the kitchen or a professional chef — we all have those days where we simply don't feel like cooking. Having a Crock-Pot or Instant Pot allows you to dump the ingredients into the bowl, choose the appropriate setting, and let the machine do all the work. Instead of spending time and money picking up take-out, you can come home to a ready-to-eat, home-cooked meal.

Slow cooker recipes that only use three ingredients are even better — like this 3-ingredient Crock Pot pork chops recipe. We use pantry-staple ingredients and inexpensive pork chops to create a filling, flavorful meal that tastes fancier than it is. You can even plan ahead, freezing all three ingredients together in a freezer bag for those days when the fridge is sad and empty. After it's finished cooking, feel free to keep things simple. This pork chops and gravy dish tastes great on its own, but don't be afraid to fancy up the meal with elegant side dishes, either. Your choice!

There are several different ways to make 3-ingredient Crock Pot pork chops. Some people use condensed soup, like cream of mushroom, cream of chicken, or cream of celery soup. Many use ranch seasoning to add flavor, while others add a splash of ketchup to the mix. We've also made a great version of this dish using chicken broth and onion soup mix.

This particular 3-ingredient Crock Pot pork chops recipe is our absolute favorite. It combines bone-in pork chops with a few tablespoons of ranch seasoning and a store-bought jar of chicken gravy. It not only creates tender, melt-in-your-mouth pork, but the sauce is out of this world. It will satisfy the pickiest eater in your house, and you can double the recipe if your slow cooker is large enough. The leftovers almost taste better the next day.

Scroll down to the directions portion of this article to check out the full ingredients list and step-by-step instructions.

There are a hundred reasons to love ranch dressing, and even more reasons to love the seasoning packets. They contain all spices you'll need to make these pork chops shine: salt, garlic, onion, dill, chives, and parsley. Hidden Valley makes a few different options, but we opted for the original Ranch Seasoning Salad Dressing & Recipe Mix. It also contains buttermilk and MSG (an ingredient we love for its ability to enhance other flavors). Any packet should work, but we'd recommend avoiding the Restaurant-Style packet. It contains cornstarch and can thicken the gravy too much.

Each packet contains about three tablespoons of ranch seasoning. You can spread out the seasoning enough to make it work for four pork chops, but if you happen to have a canister of the seasoning, use one full tablespoon for each pork chop. It just makes that ranch flavor even stronger — and we all love ranch flavor. 

We fell in love with the combination of store-bought gravy and ranch seasoning when we first made these 3-ingredient Crock Pot pork chops. They not only keep your pork chops flavorful and moist as they cook, but these ingredients also combine to create the perfect sauce for serving pork chops. It's perfectly seasoned and naturally thick, so you don't need to add cornstarch or reduce the sauce before serving.

Any brand of gravy works here, so pick your favorite. We chose a pre-mixed jar, but the dry gravy seasoning packets work just as well. Just be sure to mix the powder with water according to the packet instructions before pouring it over the pork chops. In a pinch, you could use two cups of chicken broth instead, but keep in mind that the sauce will be very thin in the end.

If you're looking for a creamier sauce, feel free to swap in a can of condensed soup. Cream of mushroom works particularly well if you're not serving picky eaters, but cream of chicken and cream of celery have fewer chunky ingredients. You'll need to add a can of water to the Crock Pot, too, if you're going this route.

For the best, most flavorful 3-ingredient Crock Pot pork chops, we recommend buying bone-in pork chops. Boneless pork chops would absolutely work in this recipe, but we find they taste a little bit drier than the bone-in variety. The bone radiates heat during the cooking process, cooking the meat more evenly while also working hard to keep the pork chops tender and juicy. As far as the thickness of the pork chop, one-inch-thick pork chops work just as well as double-cut chops, so choose the one that looks best to you.

Be sure to double-check the label before you head out of the store, too. The term "pork chops" is more generic than you'd think, and you may not be getting the best cut if you don't inquire. Look for loin chops or rib chops for the most tender results. A sirloin chop would work if it's the only cut you can find, but avoid pork tenderloin and shoulder chops. The tenderloin is too lean, and it will dry out with extended cooking times. The cuts from the shoulder can still be tough after six hours in the slow cooker, and they tend to shred like pulled pork instead of creating nice slices.

The only hard part about making this 3-ingredient Crock Pot pork chops recipe is gathering the ingredients. From there, you don't have to do any prep work at all. If the pork chops look like they're too fatty, you can trim off some of the fat cap, but most packages come trimmed and ready to eat. You won't need to brine them, either, because the low-and-slow cooking method ensures they'll turn out nice and tender.

Simply place the chops into the bowl of the slow cooker (or an Instant Pot, if you prefer). Sprinkle some of the ranch seasoning on each pork chop, turning them over to coat each side. Then, pour on the gravy, turning the pork chops so they're well coated. If you want to meal-prep this recipe, feel free to combine all the ingredients in a freezer-safe bag and freeze the seasoned chops in a single layer. Thaw the bag in the refrigerator overnight before cooking them in the slow cooker.

From there, set the slow cooker to low (or use the medium setting on the Instant Pot's slow cooker function). After six to eight hours, the pork chops should be cooked through and tender.

When you're ready to eat, remove the pork chops from the slow cooker, and cut off the bone. You can serve the pork chops whole and let each eater cut their own chops at the table, or you can cut the pork chops into quarter-inch slices before plating. Either way, you shouldn't have to serve the pork chops with a steak knife if you don't want to — they're tender enough to cut with a fork. Don't forget to spoon some of the incredibly flavorful gravy over the pork chops, too!

Our favorite way to serve 3-ingredient Crock Pot pork chops is over a bed of mashed potatoes, but many sides work well here. Try serving them with polenta or grits, couscous, roasted potatoes or broccoli, braised greens, or even a nice side salad. When we have leftovers, we toss the sliced pork chops with gravy and use it to make sandwiches, fried rice, breakfast hash, soups, stew, or pasta dishes. It's not an exact replica, but the leftovers actually make a pretty good copycat McRib sandwich.

This recipe is an absolute keeper. It took no time at all to prep, and we didn't even have to dirty a knife and cutting board since there was nothing to chop. It was a true dump-and-cook kind of recipe, and the frozen meal-prep version was even easier since the ingredients were already mixed together in the bag. The pork chops turned out fork-tender and moist, and the gravy was packed full of flavor. Plus, the house smelled phenomenal while the chops simmered away!

We've made this recipe as a quick-and-easy weeknight dinner for two or four, but we've also doubled the recipe to purposefully create lots of leftover pork. It's a great way to make sure you'll have cooked meat on hand for whatever the week throws at you. And if you still end up with leftovers at the end of the week, freeze them in individual portions in freezer-safe bags for a rainy day.