Nordic slow cooker pork roast with apples
June 29, 2026 · 1 min read
Pork with apples is one of the oldest pairings in the Nordic kitchen — the sweetness of orchard fruit against rich pork is a combination that turns up from Danish roasts to Swedish holiday tables. Slow-cooked with onions and a handful of prunes, the pork goes meltingly tender and the fruit collapses into the pan juices. It's a hands-off way to put a proper Sunday roast on the table.
Browning the pork first matters here too; everything else just goes in the pot and waits.
Ingredients
- 3 lb pork shoulder or loin roast
- 1 tablespoon rapeseed (canola) oil
- 2 apples, cored and cut in wedges
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1/2 cup pitted prunes
- 1.5 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- Salt and pepper
- Fresh thyme, to serve
Steps
- Pat the pork dry, season with salt and pepper, and brown it in the oil on all sides.
- Scatter the onion, apples, and prunes in the slow cooker and set the pork on top.
- Whisk the broth, mustard, and dried thyme together and pour around the roast.
- Cover and cook on low 8 hours (or high 5), until the pork is tender and pulls apart.
- Rest the pork, then slice or pull it. Serve with the apples, onions, and spooned-over pan juices.
Notes and swaps
A fattier pork shoulder will be the most tender and forgiving; a loin roast is leaner and cooks faster, so check it earlier. Apples and prunes are the traditional Nordic fruit pairing, but pears work too. A spoon of mustard balances the sweetness. Serve with roasted roots or potatoes and a cucumber salad for contrast.
Tell Nordic Diet Companion "pork roast with apples" and it reflects how the meal fits your Nordic pattern.