Healthy Crockpot Pulled Pork

Name: Healthy Crockpot Pulled Pork
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 360 min
Total time: 370 min
Yield: 6 people
Ingredients: 2.5 lbs pork tenderloin (approximately 2 medium pork tenderloins); 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil; 1 tablespoon paprika; 1 tablespoon garlic powder; 1 teaspoon pepper; 1/2 teaspoon onion powder; 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon ginger; 1 cups chicken stock; 1/2 cup Barbecue Sauce of Choice (We like Tessemae's)

WW Freestyle Points 7

Calories 346kcal

March 30, 2018 61 Comments

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This Healthy Crockpot Pulled Pork recipe is a perfect easy, filling weeknight dinner. Made in the slow cooker with only a few ingredients, it’s low in fat, packed with protein, and paleo / Whole30 approved!

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Warning: You’re going to want to eat this Healthy Crockpot Pulled Pork for dinner almost EVERY week once you try it!

Partially because it’s one of the easiest recipes ever, but also because it’s super delicious! This healthy pulled pork only requires 10 ingredients and 10 minutes of prep time.

The crockpot does the rest of the work for you to make the tastiest pulled pork with minimal effort and maximum flavor!

A few months ago I was in a total dinner/cooking rut.

I was so bored with everything that I was finding on Pinterest, totally sick of all my favorite recipes that I had found and saved over the years… and just plain didn’t want to cook.

If you’re looking for other slow cooker recipes – check out these 28 Delicious Paleo Crockpot Recipes.

Then this pulled pork came into my life, and it has hands down been my favorite thing to make for dinner. Mostly because it requires so little work, which is perfect because I’ve been SO busy.

It’s good to be busy because it means I have lots of opportunities – but I’d rather spend my energy on the things that matter than pondering what to make for dinner!

P.S. – If you love crockpot recipes, check out these 45 Healthy Crockpot Recipes!

What makes this pulled pork healthy?

Low fat – Traditionally pulled pork is made with pork shoulder or pork butt which is higher in fat. We use pork tenderloins in this recipe which are much leaner!
High Protein – This recipe is pure protein! 41g per serving!
Low sugar BBQ sauce – We recommend you use a low or no sugar BBQ sauce to keep this low carb. So many BBQ sauces are high in sugar and honestly.. you don’t need all that sugar!

You all feel me on that right? We’re all doing a gazillion things.. and while I truly love cooking, there are some nights when I just need a break.

This recipe takes about 1o minutes to pull together (a little longer if you roast up potatoes + green beans like I did), but otherwise it’s super simple.

It’s also paleo, whole30 friendly, gluten free, sugar free, and dairy free. Most importantly it’s DELICIOUS. Cause that’s what really matters, right?

Ingredients for Healthy Pulled Pork:

To make pulled pork you’ll need: pork tenderloins, olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, pepper, onion powder, cinnamon, ginger, chicken stock and BBQ sauce.

I really love topping this with Tessemae’s Barbecue Sauce. It’s paleo/Whole30 friendly, but it also tastes amazing! I hate when BBQ spices are too sweet, or too smoky.

You can get it right on amazon with this link. This is a must make if you’re doing a Whole 30, but it’s also an awesome healthier, leaner version of a meal that everyone loves!

How to make healthy crockpot pulled pork:

Cooking healthy pulled pork is very easy. The key is the spices!

Get your spices + other ingredients. Whisk together your olive oil+ spices. Marinate your pork tenderloin.

Allow your pork tenderloin to marinate. When you’re ready to cook. Put it in the crockpot with chicken stock. Allow it to cook low + slow.

When it’s cooked, shred + toss with barbecue sauce.

Do you need to use pork tenderloins for this?

I prefer to use pork tenderloins in this recipe because they tend to be less fatty and very lean. You could also use a pork shoulder or pork butt if you prefer!

Can you make pulled pork in the instant pot?

Yes you totally can! This pulled pork is much better if you make it in the crockpot, but you can make it in the instant pot. Follow all the instructions for marinating. When you’re ready to cook – get instant pot to Sealing, Pressure Cook for 18 minutes.

When the instant pot is done, allow the pressure to naturally release for at least 15 minutes, then quick release. It’s better if you can naturally release the pressure completely because it keeps the pork super tender.

Substitutions for healthy pulled pork:

This recipe is pretty straight forward but there are a few substitutions you can easily make!

Pork – You can use pork shoulder or butt for this recipe, but i prefer the pork tenderloins because they are so lean. Chicken will also work with this recipe!
Liquid Smoke – You can add 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke to the marinade if you’re looking for that smoky flavor!
Chicken – If you don’t eat pork you can use chicken breasts for this!
Spices – Feel free to change up the spices in this recipe or use your favorite BBQ rub
Oil – Avocado oil will work in this recipe in place of olive oil.
Instant Pot: You can also make this recipe in the instant pot. See below for instructions in the recipe!
BBQ Sauce: Any BBQ sauce will work great on this pulled pork but make sure to read your ingredients if you’re strict paleo/whole30

Do you need to use barbecue sauce in this recipe?

You could leave the barbecue sauce off this recipe, but I love adding Tessemae’s BBQ Sauce to it for extra flavor and to keep it moist.

Just be careful with the barbecue sauce you use because many of them have tons of added sugars and funky ingredients.

How to serve this Healthy Crockpot Pulled Pork:

We love to serve this recipe with Crispy Roasted Potatoes and Healthy Green Beans Almondine. You can also serve them on a slider, or with some of our other veggie side dishes

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