Tender, flavor-packed pieces of pork are sweet, salty, sour, and tangy all at once. This Filipino Pork Adobo recipe is easy to make at home, and perfect for your next family dinner!
If you’re looking for a flavorful pork recipe for dinner, there’s nothing quite like Filipino Pork Adobo. The savory aroma of pork slowly simmered in soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and peppercorn is simply irresistible.
This dish is comforting yet exciting, with a balance of tang, salt, and subtle sweetness. It’s the kind of recipe that feels equally at home on a busy weeknight or a festive dinner table.
Growing up, I loved when my mom or my lola would make adobo. The smell of soy sauce, vinegar, and peppercorns filling the house was intoxicating.
My family would make both chicken adobo, which inspired my Instant Pot Filipino Chicken Adobo recipe, and also pork adobo.
This Filipino Pork Adobo is my Filipino-American twist on the traditional recipe that I think you’ll love. Whether you’re looking for an adobo recipe like your lola used to make, but with easy-to-find ingredients and a faster cooking method, or you’ve never had adobo before, this is a great recipe to try!
Table of Contents
About Filipino adobo
Adobo is often considered the unofficial national dish of the Philippines.
Its roots trace back to indigenous cooking methods preserved with vinegar, later blended with Spanish influences.
Today, every family – including mine! – has its own version, making it a beloved staple across generations.
Why you’ll love this family favorite recipe!
- Rich, savory sauce and tender, flavorful meat.
- A super easy recipe to follow. See my step-by-step photos below!
- The slow simmer fills your kitchen with irresistible aromas.
- The sauce is perfect spooned over rice or sopped up with bread.
- Leftovers taste even better the next day
- Made with simple ingredients that are easy to find in any local grocery store, Asian supermarket, or online.
- I’ve got substitutions for ingredients you may not be able to find in more remote locations.
- Has all the nostalgia of home for us Filipinos living outside of the Philippines.
Ingredient notes
With less than 10 ingredients, you’ll have a delicious Filipino dish the whole family will devour.
- Pork – I use pork shoulder, cut into pieces. Substitution: you could use pork belly instead.
- Coconut aminos – this keeps the dish soy-free and gluten-free, and makes a rich sauce. Substitution: you could use regular soy sauce instead.
- Cane vinegar – I keep a bottle of Datu Puti cane vinegar, a classic Filipino staple ingredient, in the pantry for all of our Filipino recipes. You can find cane vinegar at most Asian supermarkets as well as online. Substitution: you can use white vinegar instead.
- Garlic – A must in Filipino cooking, and I like a lot of garlic! You could use less if you prefer, but it won’t have the same intended deep flavors.
- Oil – Use your favorite neutral cooking oil. I prefer to use vegetable oil.
- Peppercorns – I keep them whole for this recipe, which is more traditional. If you prefer to take them out before serving, you can place them in cheesecloth that’s wrapped up.
- Bay leaves – These add subtle depth of flavor that is a must for this dish. You could omit them if you don’t have any, but the dish won’t have the same nuanced flavors.
- Sugar – Just a little bit of sweetness to balance out the flavors.
- Water – to cook the pork and create the yummy sauce. Substitution: You could also use chicken broth for added flavor, or even beef broth for super rich flavors.
Step-by-step instructions
You’ll find the full list of ingredients along with measurements, and more detailed instructions in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here are some step-by-step photos to show you how easy it is to make this Filipino recipe!
- and 2. Add oil and pork to a Dutch oven and cook until brown on all sides.
3. Add the coconut aminos, garlic, vinegar, bay leaves, sugar, water, and peppercorn.
4. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.
5. Remove the lid and cook for 30 more minutes or until the sauce has reduced and the pork is tender.
6. If desired, remove the peppercorns before serving.
Marlynn’s Tip
Recipe Tip
Traditional pork adobo doesn’t call for seasoning the pork, but I sometimes like to season the pork with a little salt and pepper before searing on all sides. Also, make sure you cut the pork into evenly sized pieces for more even cooking.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, chicken adobo is just as traditional and delicious. Try our popular Instant Pot Filipino Chicken Adobo recipe.
Absolutely. The flavors deepen overnight, making it perfect for meal prep.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 or 5 days.
Serving suggestions
This Filipino pork adobo is absolutely delicious served simply over Instant Pot garlic rice.
It’s also delicious served over our Instant Pot garlic mashed potatoes.
Create a complete Filipino meal by serving it with lumpia, pancit, and pandesal.
Turn leftovers into adobo fried rice!
🍷 🥂 Wine pairings
The savory sour and tangy flavors of pork adobo pair well with either an off-dry white wine or a light-bodied red wine.
- Riesling: its crisp acidity and light sweetness balance the salty-sour sauce and cut through the richness of the pork.
- Pinot Noir: its bright fruit and earthy undertones complement the savory depth of the adobo without overpowering it.
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Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you really loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!
Filipino Pork Adobo
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into small pieces
- ¼ cup cane vinegar, or white vinegar
- ⅓ cup coconut aminos, or soy sauce
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the pork and sear pieces on all sides until all sides are light brown.
- Add the vinegar, coconut aminos, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, sugar, and water.
- Bring to a low boil. Then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.
- Remove the cover and simmer uncovered for 30 more minutes to reduce sauce. If desired, take out the peppercorns before serving.
Notes
- If the sauce is too thin for your liking, you can stir in a cornstarch slurry (1 Tablespoon cornstarch + 1 Tablespoon water) and increase heat to medium to help thicken the sauce.
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