Filipino Pork Adobo
Filipino Pork Adobo is marinated with vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and bay leaves, and then simmered, browned, and served with the sauce. In the Philippines this would be served with rice, but if you serve Pork Adobo with low-carb side dishes, it’s perfect for a low-carb meal.
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Filipino Pork Adobo is a traditional dish that’s from the Philippines, where there’s a style of cooking called Adobo. In recipes for Adobo, chicken or pork is cooked in soy sauce, vinegar, and water and seasoned with garlic, bay leaves, and black pepper. Then the meat is browned or grilled and served with the cooking liquid, which is reduced to a tasty thick sauce.
And this Pork Adobo was seriously delicious, easy to make, and low in carbs! And along the way of trying the recipe I discovered that cooks all over the Philippines have their own take on this dish.
A few Pinoy bloggers have weighed in on my version in the comments saying it’s a good variation for this classic dish. I hope you enjoy trying my version of Filipino Adobo if you like the sound of these ingredients!
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What ingredients do you need?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe with ingredient amounts.)
- pork sirloin chops (or other boneless pork cut into cubes)
- water
- vegetable oil
- cloves of garlic, finely chopped, or use Minced Garlic (affiliate link)
- soy sauce or Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (affiliate link)
- white vinegar
- Bay Leaves (affiliate link)
- coarse ground black pepper
- Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link)
What made me try Filipino Pork Adobo?
The inspiring recipe for this Pork Adobo appeared in my local newspaper years ago. I’d been hearing about Chicken Adobo and Pork Adobo in the international food blogging community, so I decided to try it. The credit in the newspaper said the recipe was adapted from Madhur Jaffrey’s Step-by-Step Cooking (affiliate link). Then I adapted it more when I made it and again when I revisited the recipe!
Is this an authentic Filipino Pork Adobo recipe?
I haven’t been to the Phillipines, although I do have a nephew who lived there and raved about the food. So I’m not claiming this is an authentic recipe for Pork Adobo. But when I first shared it on the blog I knew a number of Filipino food bloggers who left comments on the recipe. They said thing like “There are thousands of versions of the dish, but you were able to capture a popular method of making it.” And “Pinoy food blogger here…yep Adobo can be done just like the way you’ve made it.” So I think my version is comparable to how it’s made in the Philippines, but I do hope I get to go there and try it some day!
Don’t confuse Filipino Pork Adobo with Mexican Adobo!
Don’t confuse the word Adobo in this recipe with the Mexican sauce or spice blend that’s also called Adobo.
Want another tasty option for Filipino Adobo?
If you like the ingredients in the Adobo cooking liquid, you might also like to see my recipe for making Adobo with chicken. That recipe has been popular on the website!
How low in carbs is Filipino Pork Adobo?
This delicious Filipino-inspired pork recipe has only 3 net carbs per serving with 34 grams of protein!
How to Make Filipino Pork Adobo:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- I used pork sirloin chops, which I trimmed and cut into cubes. You need a cut of pork with at least some fat for this recipe.
- The flavorful marinade is a mixture of garlic, soy sauce, white vinegar, vegetable oil, bay leaves, black pepper, and just a touch of sweetener.
- Marinate the pork cubes for a few hours in the refrigerator.
- Then put the marinade and pork in a pan that’s small enough to keep the pork pieces submerged in the liquid. Add 1/2 cup water, cover, and simmer on low until the pork is very tender, about 30-45 minutes.
- I turned the pork cubes once and this is how they looked part-way through cooking.
- When pork cubes are tender add a little oil to a heavy pan, heat, and quickly brown the pork pieces on high. (If the heat is too low, it will toughen the meat; you want to barely brown the outside.)
- While the meat browns, turn the heat to high under the marinade, remove bay leaves, and let the mixture boil until reduced by about half.
- If you have a Fat Separator (affiliate link), you can use it to remove some of the fat before you reduce the sauce if you prefer.
- Serve the Pork Adobo hot. The sauce is great over rice or cauliflower rice, or just put it over the pork cubes if you’d like.
Make it a Low-Carb Meal Meal:
The Pork Adobo recipe would be great served with one of these low-carb side dishes:
- Spicy Szechuan Green Beans
- Quick Roasted Broccoli with Soy Sauce and Sesame
- Air Fryer Asian Green Beans
- Asparagus with Soy-Sesame Glaze
- Asian Green Salad with Soy-Sesame Dressing
Want more recipes with Pork?
You can use Pork Recipes to see lots more tasty dishes featuring pork!
Filipino Pork Adobo
Filipino Pork Adobo is pork that's marinated with vinegar, soy sauce, and bay leaves, and then simmered, browned, and served with the reduced marinade. And this is delicious for a low-carb meal with cauliflower rice!
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 lb. pork sirloin chops
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 T vegetable oil
Marinade Ingredients:
- 12 cloves garlic, finely chopped (see notes)
- 6 T soy sauce
- 6 T white vinegar
- 2 T vegetable oil (don’t use less, this keeps the sauce from being too strong)
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (see notes)
Instructions
- Trim the pork sirloin chops to remove as much fat as you prefer, then cut chops into cubes about 2 inches.
- Put pork cubes in a small plastic bag or a plastic container with a snap-tight lid.
- In a glass measuring cup, combine minced garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, 2 T oil, bay leaves, ground black pepper, and sweetener.
- Pour this mixture over the pork cubes, seal the plastic bag or container, and refrigerate for about 4 hours.
- After pork has marinated for a few hours, put pork cubes and marinating liquid into a pan that’s small enough so the meat is mostly submerged, add 1/2 cup water, and bring to a low simmer.
- Cover, be sure heat is very low and simmer gently until the meat is tender, about 30-45 minutes. (I turned the pork cubes once after 30 minutes.)
- When the meat is very tender, heat the other tablespoon of oil in a large heavy pan, add pork cubes, and quickly brown using high heat. (If the heat is too low, it will toughen the meat; you want to barely brown the outside.)
- While the meat browns, turn the heat to high under the marinating liquid and boil until it’s reduced by about half.
- You can use a spoon or fat separator to remove some of the fat from the sauce.
- Serve the Filipino Pork Adobo hot, with rice or cauliflower rice on the side if desired.
Notes
I used 2 T minced garlic from a jar, you could use less if you aren’t crazy about garlic.
I love Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link), but use any sweetener you prefer.
Original recipe adapted from Madhur Jaffrey and then adapted more by Kalyn.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 275Total Fat 13gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 86mgSodium 955mgCarbohydrates 3gFiber 0gSugar 0gProtein 34g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
If you serve the Pork Adobo with cauliflower rice or a low-carb side dish, this would be a great low-carb or Keto meal. It’s also suitable for the original South Beach Diet, although it’s recommended to use meat with 10% fat or less for South Beach.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Pork Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
My variation of Filipino Pork Adobo was first posted in 2005, with a photo that would make me shudder now! Through the years I adapted the recipe several times, and it was last updated with more information in 2026.
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31 Comments on “Filipino Pork Adobo”
This was a yummy dish!!! Â
Thanks, so glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Need to make ahead so will cook just prior to browning, then when ready, skewer the meat and grill basting with the sauce. Hope this works it looks so good!
That sounds like a good idea to me. Don’t cook too long on the grill though or it will dry out the meat.
I don’t know if I can compete with my Filipino mother in law but I’m sure gonna try tonight.
As I mentioned, I’m not claiming this is an authentic Filipino dish, but hope you enjoy!
Delicious. I hope people find this oldie but goodie on your blog.
Thanks Jodie, so glad you enjoyed it!
Oh yes, I realize it's not authentic but I'm glad you enjoyed it.
That's not how us Filipino's cook it. But, it is a good recipe, it still turns out really good.
Jeanie, glad it was a hit!
I've been looking for ways to cook pork since it's cheaper than beef. My husband claims he doesn't like pork, but oh my he liked this. Thanks!
Barbara I think you could do the simmering stage in a slow cooker, but you'd need to reduce the sauce much longer at the end. I think in the Phillipines the meat is sometimes grilled instead of frying. I found quite a few variations for this recipe when I was re-doing it.
I was going to ask about doing this in a slow cooker, and Lydia's comment has answered my question. Interesting technique frying meat pieces at end. I've never seen that before.
CJ, I think grilling will work, but remember the meat is already well done so just grill enough to get it a little browned. (Or you could probably marinate longer and just grill. It wouldn't quite be Adobo if you do it that way, but I bet it would be good!)
I adore pork and have been wanting to try something along the adobo line, but haven't. This is going on my must try roster. Since it's grilling season, I might skewer the pork, brush it with a little oil and grill it over high heat. Think that will work with this recipe?
Thanks Lauren. Hope you enjoy it.
This looks delicious and healthy! Can't wait to try it.
Amanda, that may have been one of the worst photos on my blog (although there are plenty of other bad ones as well.) Hope you enjoy the recipe.
Haha on the original photo, amazing how much we grow and change isn't it? This sounds really, really good, I'm bookmarking it for later! 🙂
Lydia, would love to try it in a slow cooker.
Nisrine, so glad I could introduce you to something you haven't tried!
Awesome marinade, Kalyn. Thanks for introducing me to adobo.
One of the recipes that came with my All-
Clad slow cooker was a chicken adobo, and it's the first dish I ever made in a slow cooker. Delicious, and I imagine the pork adobo is delicious, too.
Mrs. A, I have to make this again and take a new photo, but I still remember how delicious it was. I do wish I could taste the real thing!
Hello! It's very thrilling to know that our Adobo is a Southbeach dish and is appreciated by you!
I am a Filipino blogger and have just very recently decided to try out SBD for a healthier lifestyle. Of course, out of the 7107 islands of the country, there are thousands of versions of the dish, but you were able to capture a popular method of making it.
Personally, I dont add any sweetener and just 'encourage' the natural sugars to come out by panfrying it twice. The first time is when the marinated meat is placed on a heated pan, and browned before the addition of the marinade or any other ingredient and second, after all is done and we are about ready to serve, I separate the cooked meat and panfry it. The sauce is then served on the sider sometimes poured over the twice-cooked meat. Trust me, its heavenly!
A friend of mine even shreds the cooked meat prior to frying it the second time.
Thanks for sharing the recipe and all the other helpful information in your site.More power!
Thanks to the Pinoy bloggers for the feedback! I really need to make this again and take better photos!
Pinoy food blogger here…yep Adobo can be done just like the way you’ve made it..that’s really yummy..you can also add potatos and that will make it tastes even better..keep up the good work!
Oh Yum, I’m glad that Adobong baboy is part of the South Beach diet – it’s one of my favorite filipino dishes and so easy to make. Now this needs to be eaten with rice…I guess 1/2 cup of brown rice would be good? Baby bok choy goes well as a side dish. Also to extend the life of the Adobo, we add some hard boiled eggs which tastes so yummy after soaking in the adobo liquid.
Eugene, thanks for the feedback, and I keep thinking about making it again (to get a better photo!). Next time I’d love to try chicken and pork.
YAY! Your recipes are the best, and I’m reminded that Filipino food can be South Beach friendly–you just have to think about it! This recipe can also work for chicken, or a combo of the two–the way that my parents make it.
Thanks, Kalyn, I’m liking the sound of this! I’m gonna try it this weekend!