The Best Gluten Free Ground Pork Recipes

Ground pork is a meat that I find is underused in cooking. Ground pork is considered the “other white meat” and is full of protein and nutrients. I am sharing my best gluten free ground pork recipes with you in hopes that you find some new favorites, and that you are inspired to try something new.

If you are looking for more meal ideas, you will want to check out my round-up of gluten free chicken recipes too because you can never have enough easy gluten free dinner recipes to make.

These are easy ground pork recipes, and many are perfect for busy weeknights.

Table of Contents

What is ground pork?

Ground pork comes from a pig and is similar to ground beef in looks and texture. It typically is ground pork shoulder, but often the butcher will grind in some pork loin as well.

Is ground pork high calorie?

Unfortunately, ground pork is higher in calories than other cuts of pork. One way to combat the extra calories is to drain off the grease after you cook it. See my note below about cooking ground pork on how to safely drain the grease.

How to brown ground pork?

Browning ground pork is easy. Add it to a cast-iron skillet or regular skillet and cook it on medium heat. Use a spatula to break apart the ground pork as it cooks so that it forms crumbles or chunks.

Ground pork doesn’t typically come in lean options so after you brown your ground pork, drain the hot grease into a dish. (*NOTE: Do NOT pour the grease down the kitchen drain because it will harden along your kitchen pipes.)

Where can you buy ground pork?

Most grocery stores sell ground pork in the same meat department section as the ground beef and other meats. I also love Costco ground pork. You can buy it in three packs so you always have ground pork on-hand for recipes.

How do you defrost ground pork?

Defrosting ground pork is easy. There are three ways I recommend defrosting ground pork.

Place the package of frozen ground pork on a plate and let it defrost in the refrigerator for 2 days. This takes a little more time, but it is the easiest way to defrost ground pork.
Put the pork in the package in the sink and let a slow drip (or teeny tiny stream) of cool water drop onto it. Let it sit under the drip for 15 minutes and then check to see if it is softened enough to remove from the package and cook.
If you are in a big hurry, add the frozen ground pork to a skillet and cook over medium heat, turning it over frequently and scraping the cooked sides off. This is fast for cooking the pork, but you won’t be able to make meatballs or meatloaf using this method.

Want more pork recipes? Try some of these: