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Get It NowIf you’ve never had crispy pork belly or are intimated with how to cook it, you are in for a treat! It’s not quite the same as bacon, but if you like bacon, you’ll love this pork belly recipe. It’s the perfect combination of crispy and tender, incredibly simple to make, and lets the pork flavor shine. And it’s so easy to do!
Why You’ll Love This Pork Belly Recipe
- Tender like a pork loin with crispy crackling on top
- Rich, salty flavor
- Only 4 simple ingredients
- Prep in 5 minutes, then hands-off in the oven
- Perfect for family meals
What Is Pork Belly?
Pork belly is a flavorful, boneless, fatty cut of meat from the belly of the pig, known for its rich, meaty taste and melt-in-your-mouth texture, topped with crispy skin (similar to pork rinds).
Unlike bacon, which comes from the same cut, pork belly recipes aren’t cured or smoked, and are typically served in thicker, unsliced portions. It’s a versatile ingredient in global cuisines, including Chinese, Hispanic, Danish, Norwegian, Korean, Thai, and Filipino cooking.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This section explains how to season pork belly, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
- Pork Belly – I can’t always find it at the grocery store, but it’s readily available at butcher shops, specialty meat stores, and Asian markets. Select cuts with uniform thickness for even cooking.
- Avocado Oil – This gets your baked pork belly recipe nice and crispy. You can also use olive oil or any heat-safe cooking oil.
- Sea Salt & Black Pepper – I prefer sea salt, but kosher salt also works.
VARIATION: Add more seasonings!
The only thing you really need to season pork belly is salt and pepper! Of course, feel free to branch out. These seasonings are also delicious and common in pork belly recipes:
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Brown sugar (or Besti Brown natural sweetener!)
- Smoked paprika
- Cayenne pepper
- Chinese five spice – One of the most popular options
- Cajun seasoning – Separate from the spices above
How To Cook Pork Belly
This section shows how to make crispy pork belly, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Score the skin. Use a sharp knife to make a crisscross pattern across the skin of the pork.
- Season. Brush the avocado oil over the top of the pork. (I like to use this brush.) Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Bake. Roast the pork belly recipe in a baking dish or on a sheet pan with sides, skin side up. Increase heat and bake again, until the top is golden brown.
- Broil. Place under the broiler for a few minutes to crisp up the skin.
- Serve. Slice the pork into thin, 1-inch slices.
Tips For Best Results
- Position the oven rack correctly. It should be in the middle while baking, but you can move it to 6 inches away from the broiler for the broiling step.
- Bake time will vary. This can depend on the thickness of your pork belly, the baking dish you use, and your oven. An hour for the first baking step is a good starting point regardless, but when you bake after increasing the oven temperature, watch for a golden brown skin.
- Watch closely when broiling. Pork belly can go from crispy to burnt very quickly, so check on it every minute or so.
- Slice against the grain. This makes each bite more tender.
Storage Tips
- Store: Crispy pork belly has the best texture when it’s fresh, but you can keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
- Reheat: Reheat in a hot skillet, or in the oven at 400 degrees F.
- Freeze: Slice and store in a freezer container or zip lock bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
What To Serve With Crispy Pork Belly
You can serve pork belly as a breakfast meat, like bacon, or as a main protein dish with a side. There are so many options! Here are some of my favorite ways:
- Veggies – Try serving this pork belly recipe with roasted asparagus, simple stir fry veggies, or sauteed zucchini. I also like it with sauteed spinach to balance the richness of the pork.
- Rice – Serve over white rice, brown rice, or cauliflower rice.
- Salad – Make a lighter meal with a creamy radish salad, an Asian-inspired cabbage salad, or a smashed cucumber salad.
- Sandwich – Stuff pork belly in between two slices of your favorite bread with a drizzle of BBQ sauce and a lettuce leaf for any easy sandwich.
- Pork Belly Tacos – Slice into bites or thin strips, and serve in warm tortillas with your choice of toppings, like fresh salsa, avocado, and fresh cilantro.
- Eggs – Whip up a special breakfast or brunch with a spinach quiche, customizable egg muffin cups, or simply hard boiled eggs.
More Flavorful Pork Recipes
Craving more tasty pork dishes? These other flavorful pork recipes focus on big flavors and easy cooking:
Crispy Pork Belly Recipe
Learn how to cook pork belly that's tender inside and crunchy on top! This crispy pork belly recipe is simple, flavorful, and so easy.
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C).
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Using a knife, score the skin of the pork belly.
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Use a silicone basting brush to brush the avocado oil over the top of the pork belly. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
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Place the pork belly into a baking dish, skin side up, and bake for 1 hour.
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Increase oven to 425 degrees F (218 degrees C) and bake for an additional 35-45 minutes, until the top is golden brown.
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Change oven to broil and broil the pork belly on high for 2-5 minutes, until the skin is crispy to your liking. It will crisp up more as it cools from hot to warm.
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Allow the pork belly to rest for 10 minutes before cutting into 1-inch slices.
Did You Like It?
Leave a rating to help other readers, or get the recipe sent to your inbox.
Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 slice, or 1/12 entire recipe
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead. 🙂
64 Comments
Laurie
1Just love it. So much easier than I thought and very tasty. Topped with cayenne pepper and swerve brown sugar replacement.
Jay
1I decided to try this recipe with some leftover pork belly. I only had a pound so I adjusted the cook time just slightly. 50 minutes at 350 and 425 for 25 minutes until internal temperature was 199 to 203. This was fantastic melt in your mouth, delicious. Thanks for the recipe it is very easy.
C Brady
1Love the ease and results of this recipe. Next time I’ll use less salt, but I think it wasn’t the recipe but my error in measuring the salt. I used less pepper than the recipe called for, due to personal choice. This is definitely a keeper and a great addition to our keto way of eating.
Jim Clark
1Loved this! Making it for the second time this month right now. My wife requested it. Very good to have something different from the norm.
Kara
1Easy, foolproof, and DELICIOUS!! So happy to find this easy recipe! All other recipes involved marinating overnight or parboiling or using spices I didn’t have on hand. The only thing is I cooked it too early so after cooling for 10 min out of the oven, I put the big pieces in a warm oven for about an hour before cutting and serving. Also, I used 2-2lb pieces of pork belly and a little less salt/pepper. Thank you for this recipe, definitely a keeper!
Kristyn
0Mmm!! Crisp on the outside, but tender & juicy in the middle!! My hubby loved it!!
Paige D
0Loved this!! I can’t believe how crispy this turned out- my picky 14 year old even loved it!
Sha
0I love the outcome of this recipe! It turned out so crispy outside and tender and juicy inside!
Carl
0Took it out 10 minutes early as it was already dark brown
tasted ok… wasnt really crispy though… just like regular pork
Katie
0Unfortunately I did not get to enjoy the skin as it burnt to a crisp during the broiling process. I broiled it on high for 3 mins but looks like that was too much too. The meat underneath was good though.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Katie, Oh no, sorry to hear that! The time can vary depending on your broiler and how close the rack is to the heating element. I’m glad the meat underneath was still good. I’ll add a note on the recipe card to watch more closely when broiling so that others know.
Steve
0Best easiest pork belly recipe I have tried. Great result. Do you have variations. Am going to try drying the pork belly overnight in the fridge. Do you think this will be better or worse. Crackle perfect & juicy meat. Well done.
Pearl
0This recipe turned out great. The pork belly was so crisp and unctuous I loved it! I wish I could add a picture to see how beautiful it looks.
Bruce
0the recipe was fine until it got to the actually cooking part. When I finished the step to broil it, I took it out of the oven and so much smoke came out of the oven, is this supposed to happen or what happened? The pork was also burnt so we couldn’t eat parts of the skin.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Bruce, Sorry to hear that! It sounds like your broiler runs hotter than mine or the pork was closer to the heating element than mine. When broiling, it’s a good idea to check every couple of minutes since the difference between perfect and burned is often just 1-2 minutes.
Amber
0Do you have to do pork belly with skin? Not many places near me where I can find pork belly (shockingly) but when I have it’s only in a massive quantity or no skin.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Amber, I have never tried this recipe without the skin, but it should work for you.
Steve sadler
0The simplest & best pork belly I have ever tried. Been using for some time & don’t bother with trying others. Reheats to the same great moist meat with crunchy rind to boot. Unreal. Winner.
Wendy
0How much sodium in recipes – I try to cook low sodium recipes so I would like to know if you know the sodium content.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Wendy, Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. If you have questions please see my nutrition policy.
Kayleigh
0Hi I made this today and my pork skin blistered and burnt 10 mins into the 425, I had to stop cooking it, also I do believe I didn’t put oil on the skin and wondered if that is a vital part in cooking and not causing the skin to blister, I’m looking for a solid thick crunchy skin, any help will be great.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Kayleigh, Sounds like the dish might have been too close to the heating element. I do recommend using the oil for this recipe.
Rosemerry
0Is salt pork the same as pork belly just salted?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Rosemerry, Salt pork is salt-cured pork belly.
Emily
0If I don’t have stoneware if there replacement dish to cook it in. Like a metal pan?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Emily, Yes, that would work.
Emily
0Could you cook a two pound version at the same time, or would you lower the time?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Emily, Yes, I would recommend shorting the cooking time for a 2lb pork belly.
Dana H
0This question was asked in March and April and you gave different answers. Please explain. Question: Should I cook the pork belly skin side up or skin side down?” Would you please explain when he’s better to use avocado oil than olive oil? I’ve only used avocado a couple of times when a recipe called for it. I don’t know why you would use it instead of olive oil for your first choice. * I haven’t made the recipe yet so I can’t rate it. Thank you!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Sorry about the confusion – cook skin side up. Avocado oil handles high heat a bit better than olive oil without oxidizing, so that’s why it was chosen for this recipe. Olive oil is not ideal when the broiler is used.
William jones
0You have to leave the oven partially open when broiling and watch it the whole time.
Ms Vee
0What can be substituted for Avocado oil?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Ms Vee, You can also use olive oil.
Chuck
0Try toasted sesame oil for an Asian flair.
Michelle
0I used brown sugar as recommended and it burned horribly.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Michelle, Sorry this recipe didn’t turn out as you expected. Did your pork belly burn while baking or while broiling?
Terri
0Would be nice to know the oven temperature. Read through your whole article and do not see it
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Terri, You can find that information in the recipe card which is right above where you left this comment.
Christine Landsberg
0I made this in the air fryer today and used the same times. It came out perfect! Thank you.
Sarah Johnson
0Can this pork belly be cooked in the Air Fryer? If so what temp. would you use ? Thank you so much for all of your wonderful keto recipes. !!!!!
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Sarah, I would use 400-425 but the cooking time will be different compared to the oven.
Teresa Little
0Awesome
Ilene
0This looks delicious! However my belly is already sliced like in your pictures. Can I still somehow adapt and cook it? Please let me know your thoughts, I’m thinking mine would take less time. Thanks for a great recipe!!!
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Ilene, You could lower the cooking time if your pork belly is thinner than what mine was.
Mrs Carol Matham
0Question: Does one place the belly skin side up or down when roasting?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Mrs Carol, Skin side up.
Trini L Marchese
0So in this recipe, the skin side that is scored goes down??
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Trini, No skin-side goes up.
Cici
0If you’re cooking only 1 lb. Should the timing be different?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Cici, Yes, If you go to the recipe card and change the servings to 4, it will give you directions on cooking a 1 lb of pork belly.
Holley
0When I adjust the servings it doesn’t change the cooking time, it only changes the ingredients. What am I missing?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Holley, Adjusting the serving size only scales the recipe, it wouldn’t be possible to adjust the cooking time for all possibilities.
Julie Bower
0Excellent recipe and tutorial! We did two 3-pounders at the same time but in different pans. One was s/p/salt-free garlic herb seasoning (best flavor) and the other was s/p/smoked paprika. Thank you!
Natalie
0Very tasty. And easy to make. Great recipe. Thanks
Kristyn
0Love the crisp top! Delicious flavor! My hubby loves pork belly!
Natalie
0Looks incredibly juicy!! Love this cut of meat! Great alone or for so many recipes!
Paula
0We love pork belly, got to try your version! Looks yummy
Natalie
0Gosh this looks so good. It’s perfectly crispy and delicious. I will definitely make this for my family. Yum!
Toni
0I love how crispy it turned out! I loved it!
Jen
0Totally impressed my hubby with this! Thank you for making me look like a rockstar!
Michelle
0Yum, what an easy and delicious recipe! Love how the pork belly got so crisp!
Av
0Lovely recipe. Thanks so much!
Beth Sachs
0Such a delicious easy recipe for the perfect pork belly! It was so crispy.
Scarlet
0I was glad you answered what to serve with it because I was thinking this looks good but what would I put with it? I took your suggestions and the pork belly turned out to be the star of the show. Everyone loved it!