These are my 10 favorite easy pork belly recipes, the ones my family asks for again and again! There's something for every craving, from extra crispy Chinese roast pork belly and sticky honey soy pork belly bites in the air fryer to grilled sliced pork belly and slow braised hong shao rou.
Most of these are Asian pork belly recipes, and a lot of them are ready in about 30 minutes. Pork belly is rich, so I love serving it family style with a big bowl of rice, my garlic noodles, or something fresh and crunchy like Taiwanese cucumber salad on the side. Trust me, it goes fast!
Jump to:
- 😍 Why you'll love these pork belly recipes
- 🥓 What is pork belly?
- 🍯 Air fryer pork belly bites
- 🍯 Sticky Honey Soy Pork Belly Bites
- 🍖 Honey Glazed Pork Belly Bites
- 🥢 Honey Teriyaki Pork Belly Bites
- 🇵🇭 Filipino BBQ Pork Belly Bites
- 🔥 Crispy pork belly
- 🥓 Crispy Chinese Roast Pork Belly (Siu Yuk)
- 🍢 Grilled and sliced pork belly
- 🔥 Sticky Grilled Pork Belly
- 🍢 Vietnamese Pork Skewers
- 🍲 Braised pork belly
- 🇨🇳 Chinese Red Braised Pork Belly (Hong Shao Rou)
- 🥚 Vietnamese Braised Pork Belly and Eggs (Thịt Kho Trứng)
- 🥬 Fresh and light
- 🦐 Vietnamese Spring Rolls with Pork Belly and Shrimp
- 💡 How to cook pork belly strips and sliced pork belly
- 💭 Pork belly recipes FAQ
- 🫙 Storing and reheating pork belly
- 💬 Comments
😍 Why you'll love these pork belly recipes
- Easy weeknight dinners: the air fryer pork belly bites and grilled pork belly are ready in about 25 to 35 minutes.
- Every texture: crispy crackling skin, sticky glazed bites, chargrilled slices and melt-in-your-mouth braised pork belly.
- Big flavor from simple marinades: most use pantry sauces like soy sauce, oyster sauce, honey and fish sauce.
- Feed a crowd: perfect for game day, potlucks and family style dinners with rice.
🥓 What is pork belly?
Pork belly is the boneless cut from the underside of the pig, with layers of fat and meat. It's the same cut used to make bacon, but fresh pork belly isn't cured or smoked, so you get to season it any way you like. When it's cooked right, the fat turns tender and juicy and the outside gets sticky or crispy.
How to buy pork belly
- Skin-on slab: what you want for crispy roast pork belly with crackling skin.
- Skinless pork belly: best for cubed pork belly bites, skewers and braises. Ask the butcher to remove the skin, or slice it off yourself with a sharp knife.
- Pork belly strips and thin sliced pork belly: perfect for grilling and quick marinades. You'll find them at most Asian grocery stores, sometimes labeled for Korean BBQ.
🍯 Air fryer pork belly bites
Cubed pork belly, a quick marinade and the air fryer. These sticky pork belly bites are my most popular recipes for a reason!
🍯 Sticky Honey Soy Pork Belly Bites
Sweet and savory honey soy glazed pork belly bites with crispy edges, ready in about 30 minutes in the air fryer. Serve them over rice or as a game day appetizer.
🍖 Honey Glazed Pork Belly Bites
Glossy, caramelized pork belly bites in a honey, hoisin and oyster sauce glaze. They take about 35 minutes and make a big batch for a crowd.
🥢 Honey Teriyaki Pork Belly Bites
Skinless pork belly bites tossed in a sticky honey teriyaki sauce with a little hoisin. An easy 30 minute dinner the whole family loves.
🇵🇭 Filipino BBQ Pork Belly Bites
Filipino BBQ flavor with banana ketchup, soy sauce and brown sugar, basted until sticky. Ready in under 30 minutes, just like the street market favorite!
🔥 Crispy pork belly
🥓 Crispy Chinese Roast Pork Belly (Siu Yuk)
Extra crispy crackling skin and juicy, five spice seasoned meat, made in the air fryer or oven. The skin dries in the fridge for a couple of days, so plan ahead. It's worth it!
🍢 Grilled and sliced pork belly
Thin sliced pork belly and pork belly strips cook fast and soak up a marinade in minutes.
🔥 Sticky Grilled Pork Belly
Thin sliced pork belly in a sweet and savory ketchup, soy and fish sauce marinade, grilled and basted until sticky. About 25 minutes from start to finish.
🍢 Vietnamese Pork Skewers
Juicy pork on a stick with a fish sauce, oyster sauce and brown sugar marinade. I use skinless pork belly (or pork butt) so they stay tender and juicy.
🍲 Braised pork belly
Low and slow, cozy and so tender. These are my go-to braised pork belly recipes for chilly nights.
🇨🇳 Chinese Red Braised Pork Belly (Hong Shao Rou)
Classic Chinese braised pork belly simmered in soy sauce, rock sugar and cooking wine until glossy and melt-in-your-mouth tender. About 1 hour 20 minutes, mostly hands off.
🥚 Vietnamese Braised Pork Belly and Eggs (Thịt Kho Trứng)
Pork belly and hard boiled eggs braised in coconut juice and fish sauce, sweet, salty and so comforting. A classic for Tết (Lunar New Year)!
🥬 Fresh and light
🦐 Vietnamese Spring Rolls with Pork Belly and Shrimp
Fresh rice paper rolls filled with boiled pork belly, shrimp, noodles and herbs, served with my easy peanut sauce. A lighter way to enjoy pork belly!
💡 How to cook pork belly strips and sliced pork belly
- Marinate: thin slices only need about 10 minutes in the marinade, but overnight in the fridge gives you even more flavor.
- Use high heat: a hot grill, grill pan or air fryer caramelizes the sugar in the marinade and crisps up the fat.
- Save some marinade for basting: set a few spoonfuls aside before it touches the raw pork, then brush it on at the end for that sticky glaze.
- Watch it closely: sweet marinades can go from caramelized to burnt fast, so flip often and pull it as soon as it's done.
- Cut it right: for pork belly bites, cut skinless pork belly into 1 inch cubes so every piece cooks evenly.
My favorite pork belly marinades
Looking for a good pork belly marinade? My honey soy marinade is the one I make the most. For BBQ flavor, try the banana ketchup marinade from my Filipino BBQ pork belly, and for something savory and garlicky, the fish sauce marinade from my Vietnamese pork skewers works on pork belly strips too.
💭 Pork belly recipes FAQ
It depends on the texture you want! For crispy skin, roast a skin-on slab in the air fryer or oven. For sticky bites, cube skinless pork belly and air fry it with a glaze. For tender, melt-in-your-mouth pork belly, braise it low and slow like hong shao rou or thịt kho.
Marinate pork belly strips or thin sliced pork belly for at least 10 minutes, then cook them over high heat on a grill, grill pan or in the air fryer until caramelized. Baste with reserved marinade at the end for a sticky glaze.
Buy skin-on pork belly for crispy roast pork belly with crackling. For pork belly bites, skewers, grilling and most braises, skinless pork belly is easier to cut and cook.
Bacon is made from pork belly that has been cured and usually smoked. Fresh pork belly is not cured, so it has a milder pork flavor and takes on whatever marinade or seasoning you use.
A simple pork belly marinade of soy sauce, oyster sauce, honey or brown sugar and garlic is hard to beat. Banana ketchup and soy sauce make a sweet Filipino BBQ marinade, and fish sauce with brown sugar gives you Vietnamese grilled pork flavor.
Pork belly is rich, so serve it with steamed rice and something fresh and crunchy, like cucumber salad, pickled carrots and daikon or sautéed greens. Garlic noodles and fried rice are great too.
🫙 Storing and reheating pork belly
Keep leftover cooked pork belly in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Reheat crispy and sticky pork belly in the air fryer for a few minutes so it crisps back up, and warm braised pork belly gently on the stove with a splash of water. Braised pork belly is even better the next day!
Which one are you making?
I'd love to hear which pork belly recipe is your favorite! Leave a comment below and tag @thesavorychopstick on Instagram.
