What to Eat with Pork Loin – Apples, Potatoes and Sides

How it works

What to eat with pork loin starts with apples: in Britain and Sweden, applesauce is commonly served with roast pork. These 42 sides go on to other fruit, gravy and stuffing, potatoes, cabbage, beans and drinks.

Read the full guide

The roast and its partners

On a British Sunday roast, pork comes with crackling, sage and onion stuffing, and applesauce or mustard. American kitchens serve applesauce with pork chops, which are cut from the loin.

Sharp, soft and green

Roast pork is mild and savory, so the plate wants a fruit or a mustard for sharpness, something soft to carry the gravy, and cabbage, beans or greens. Choose one of each and stop.

A fruit sauce and a sweet vegetable together make the plate too sweet. If applesauce is on it, skip the sweet potatoes.
Cold slices the next day want sharper partners: mustard, apple chutney and a soft roll.

Questions and answers

What goes with pork loin besides applesauce?

Other fruit does the same job: fried apples, roasted pears, stewed prunes, apple chutney or fig jam. Mustard gives sharpness without the sweetness.

What vegetable goes with pork loin?

Green beans and glazed carrots are the simplest. Braised red cabbage with apple, sauerkraut, Brussels sprouts with bacon, turnip greens and baked acorn squash all stand up to roast pork.

What potatoes go with pork loin?

Roasted potatoes if the oven is on anyway, mashed potatoes if there is gravy, and scalloped potatoes for a table with guests. Parsnip mash and mashed sweet potatoes are the sweeter swaps.

What sauce goes with pork loin?

Pan gravy, made from what is left in the roasting pan, or a mustard cream sauce. For a fruit sauce, try cherry sauce or rhubarb compote.

What do you drink with pork loin?

Without alcohol: cold apple juice, pear juice over ice, or cranberry juice with sparkling water. Fruit in the glass does the same work as fruit on the plate.

All 42 sides

Apples and fruit 12

Apple chutney Sweet, sour and spiced. Good on cold slices too.
Applesauce A cold spoonful beside each slice.
Baked apples Whole, soft and sweet, one to a plate.
Cherry sauce Dark, tart and glossy, spooned over the slices.
Fig jam A small spoonful, as you would use a chutney.
Fried apples Sliced and cooked in butter until soft and brown at the edges.
Grilled peaches Cut side down until marked, for a loin cooked outdoors.
Pepper jelly Sweet with a little heat, melted over warm slices.
Rhubarb compote Pink and sharp, where applesauce would be too mild.
Roasted apples and onions Cut in wedges and roasted in the pan round the meat.
Roasted pears Halved and browned, with a little thyme.
Stewed prunes Soft and sweet. Tuck a few beside the meat.

Gravy, mustard and stuffing 6

Crackling Snap it into pieces and give everyone a share.
Garlic and herb butter A slice set on the hot meat to melt.
Mustard A dab of a sharp one on the edge of the plate.
Mustard cream sauce Smooth and sharp. Pour it over, or pass it in a jug.
Pan gravy Made from what is left in the roasting pan.
Sage and onion stuffing Baked in a dish of its own until the top is crisp.

Potatoes and starches 8

Mashed potatoes Smooth and buttery, with gravy over the top.
Mashed sweet potatoes Soft and sweet. They take the place of a fruit sauce.
Parsnip mash Sweeter than potato, with plenty of butter.
Pork sandwich, the day after Thin cold slices, mustard and a soft roll.
Roasted potatoes Crisp at the edges, cooked in the same oven.
Scalloped potatoes Thin slices baked in cream until the top browns.
Spoonbread Soft cornmeal, scooped hot from the dish.
Yorkshire puddings Crisp cups to fill with gravy.

Cabbage and greens 6

Apple and cabbage slaw Raw, crisp and sharp beside warm meat.
Braised red cabbage with apple Sweet and sour, cooked low until it is soft.
Brussels sprouts with bacon Roasted until the outer leaves crisp.
Bubble and squeak Leftover potato and cabbage fried in a pan until it crusts.
Sauerkraut Warm it through and set the slices on top.
Turnip greens Cooked down and finished with a splash of vinegar.

Beans and vegetables 7

Baked acorn squash Halved, buttered and baked until a spoon goes through.
Braised lentils Small and earthy, a bed for the slices.
Corn pudding Baked until set and cut in squares.
Creamed corn Sweet and soft next to salty meat.
Glazed carrots Shiny with butter and a little honey.
Green beans Kept a little crisp and tossed with butter.
White beans with sage Soft, creamy and good at soaking up the juices.

Drinks 3

Cold apple juice The same fruit as the sauce, in a glass.
Cranberry juice with sparkling water Tart, red and fizzy.
Pear juice Mild and sweet, served over ice.