The Best Pork Chop Marinade

Name: Pork Chop Marinade
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 65 min
Ingredients: 4 tablespoons olive oil; 3 tablespoons soy sauce; 2 tablespoons lemon juice; 1 teaspoon honey (OR maple OR brown sugar OR low carb sweetener); 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce; 1 tablespoon chopped parsley; 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard; 2 garlic cloves (minced); 1/2 teaspoon salt; ¼ teaspoon black pepper; 4 bone-in pork chops

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4.92 from 49 votes

Jump to Recipe 06/09/20 | Updated: 01/05/21 | by Nora

This is the best easy pork chop marinade recipe! It’s great for pork chops on the grill, but you can make them on the stove in a grill pan, too. Simple ingredients, pantry staples, and only 5 minutes of prep time!

I love a good summer backyard BBQ, and pork chops are one of my favorite cuts to use. I pretty much always marinate them to add more flavor, so I thought I’d share my favorite recipe.

The great thing about marinades is that they are so quick and easy to pull together, but can make such a huge difference to the flavor and texture of your grilled meat!

Ingredients you’ll need

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!

photo of ingredients for pork chop marinade with labels — Ingredients for pork chop marinade: Pork chops, fresh herbs, olive oil, soy sauce, honey, garlic, mustard, parsley, lemon juice, Worcestershire, salt & pepper.

Ingredient notes

Pork: I recommend using bone-in chops because they stay juicier on the grill, but if you only have boneless you can use those, too. Just make sure you don’t overcook them.
Sweetener: A little bit of sugar helps balance the flavor of the marinade, but feel free to leave it out if you prefer.
Parsley: You can use 1 teaspoon dried parsley in place of the fresh.
Garlic: You can use ¼ teaspoon dried garlic powder in place of the fresh.

Step by step photos

measuring jug with pork chop marinade — First, make the marinade.

pouring marinade over pork chops — Then, pour the marinade over pork chops in a freezer bag.

Recipe tips

You can double the recipe, just make sure to use a large enough freezer bag to hold all the chops and all the marinade.
If you want to go plastic-free, you may use a glass or stainless steel container with a lid. Or even a ceramic baking dish works, if you can cover it well. Make sure the marinade entirely covers the pork chops. You may need to make more marinade to cover them. Then put on the lid and place in the fridge as directed in the recipe.
Adding the fresh sprigs of herbs to the bag isn’t crucial, so if you don’t keep fresh herbs on hand don’t worry about them. They do add some extra flavor we really enjoy, but the marinade works well without them, too.

Pork chop marinade FAQs

How long can you marinate pork chops?

I recommend to go for at least 1 hour, ideally 6-8 hours. You can leave pork in marinade in the fridge for around 3 days in a clean, covered container or freezer bag. Source: USDA Knowledge Article

Why do my pork chops come out tough?

Pork chops are a lean cut, so they are easy to overcook. Overcooking them can lead to dry, tough meat. It’s also important to rest the pork chops for around 5 minutes before slicing into them after cooking. That way, the juices can redistribute, which contributes to a more tender chop.

How can you tell if pork chops are done?

According to new USDA guidelines, it’s ok if pork is a little bit pink in the middle. To make sure meat is safe to eat, I always recommend using a food thermometer at the thickest part of the chops. The internal temperature should reach at least 145°F with a rest time of 3 minutes after cooking. Source: Safe Minimum Cooking Temperature Charts

More marinades

PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.

Printable recipe

4.92 from 49 votes (31 ratings without comment)