Introduction 

As somebody who is constantly cooking, this Garlic Pork Stir Fry Recipe is one of those dishes that is the culmination of my efforts! It’s fast, cheap, and delicious to make. Thinly sliced pork belly is one of the most flavorful meat cuts, and when you pair it with a simple garlic sauce and stir fry it, the resulting dish tastes like something you would get at a restaurant. Even my friends said so! I make a lot of stir fries on this blog, but this Garlic Pork Stir Fry Recipe stands out because of how much more flavorful it is without requiring any more effort. 

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What Makes This Garlic Pork Stir Fry Recipe My Favorite 

Out of all the stir fry recipes that I’ve made and created, this Garlic Pork Stir Fry Recipe is my absolute favorite one out of all of them due to the convenience, flavor, and richness of the dish. Using thinly sliced pork belly not only allows you to get those crispy edges on the outside, but the rendered fat also soaks into all of the aromatics and sauce, perfuming the rest of the dish with its meaty goodness. That singular ingredient adds more complexity and flavor than any other stir fry I’ve made! 

Additionally, what makes this Garlic Pork Stir Fry Recipe stand out is the flavor and texture. In a typical stir fry, the meat is just tender, but the pork belly is both crispy and tender with the onions providing that soft bite to mix things up. The pork and onions are then coated in a salty and slightly sweet sauce that brings everything together, making it perfect for weeknights when you still want flavor without a lot of time. 

Why Pork Belly Is The Most Flavorful Meat 

Pork belly naturally has a lot fat (don’t be scared!), and that fat plays an integral role in flavoring the rest of the dish as well as the pork. When the pork renders its own fat, it bastes the meat from the inside, which is why pork belly, unlike chicken or beef, never gets too dry or lose its flavor. Instead, the pork belly gets crispy on the edges and still remains juicy in the middle, developing a deep and savory rich flavor profile and multiple textures in a single bite. 

What also makes pork belly so amazing in a stir fry is how well it absorbs flavors from other ingredients like the aromatics and sauce. Whether it’s soy sauce, garlic, or sugar, the pork belly acts like a sponge, holding those flavors and intensifying them with the rendered pork fat. This creates a natural umami flavor that is irreplicable with other meats. Even though pork belly isn’t consumed nearly as much as chicken or beef, I think its properties compliment stir fries the best, like this Garlic Pork Stir Fry Recipe. 

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Garlic Pork Stir Fry Recipe Ingredients 

Thinly sliced pork belly – The star of the dish. It provides richness and flavor, and when cooked, it gets crispy edges while still staying tender on the inside. 

Onion – Not only does it add more sweetness and texture, but as it cooks, it softens and also absorbs the sauce, making each bite balanced rather than too rich. 

Scallions – The scallion whites are used like the onions, which is to add more aromatic flavor to the stir fry while the greens are added at the end for that signature color. 

Garlic – The backbone of the dish. It infuses the oil you’re cooking with an amazing aroma that flavors the entire dish. 

Dark soy sauce & Light soy sauce – The main sources of color and savoriness that helps flavor every component. 

Oyster sauce – Adds a subtle sweetness and umami flavor that rounds out the sauce. 

Sugar – Balances the saltiness and acidity of the soy sauces and also helps give the stir fry that signature shiny finish. 

Steamed rice – Optional, but it’s the ideal ingredient to serve your stir fry because it soaks up all that amazing sauce and turns this stir fry into a complete meal. 

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How to Make Garlic Pork Stir Fry 

Cut the onion into thick wedges and slice the scallions into ½-inch pieces, separating the whites and greens. 

In a small bowl, mix dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar, then set aside. 

Heat a pan over medium-high heat and cook the onions, scallion whites, and minced garlic until softened. 

Add the sliced pork belly and cook until browned on all sides and the fat has rendered out. 

Pour in the sauce and stir frequently as it thickens and coats the pork evenly. 

Add the scallion greens and cook briefly until just wilted. 

Serve immediately over rice or enjoy on its own. 

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What to Serve with Garlic Pork Stir Fry 

I always serve this Garlic Pork Stir Fry Recipe with a bowl of steamed white rice because it adds more balance to that rich Garlic Pork Stir Fry and also soaks up that delicious sauce. If you need a veggie (like I do for every meal), I’ve found that a blanched or steamed veggie, such as spinach or broccoli works the best since it doesn’t overpower the pork’s flavors but keeps the meal well balanced. Chinese families traditionally like to serve this Garlic Pork Stir Fry Recipe this way! 

There are those nights where I also want a bit more indulgent as well, and I’ve found that lighter noodle dishes, such as my Garlic Noodles, taste amazing when paired with this stir fry recipe! In this case, most families will serve the stir fry by itself instead of with rice. If you want to mix things up even further, you can mix in some cooked rice cakes in the stir fry, which will yield a dish very similar to Chinese Stir Fried Rice Cakes, which are amazing and provide another layer of texture! Whichever way you choose to serve it, you cannot go wrong! 

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How to Store Garlic Pork Stir Fry For Meal Prep 

This Garlic Pork Stir Fry Recipe is a perfect meal for meal prep, and it’s a constant staple in our household meal prep rotation. Even though storing the pork and rice separately is ideal, when you’re bringing food to the office, it’s not always the most convenient. When my household stores this, we make sure to store the pork and rice side-by-side in so the rice doesn’t get too soft from the sauce soaking into it. When stored this way, the Garlic Pork Stir Fry will stay fresh for about 4 days. 

When reheating this stir fry, I recommend microwaving for 2-3 minutes on medium-high power covered. This is because the stir fry will begin to slightly cook again, and the oils may pop, which will make a mess of the microwave. Sometimes, the sauce may thicken even further once cooled, and if that happens, add a splash of water and mix slightly before reheating! You’ll have a meal just as delicious as if it came from the pan. 

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Garlic Pork Stir Fry Substitutions 

One of the best parts of this Garlic Pork Stir Fry Recipe is how flexible it is too. If you don’t want to use pork belly, you can use thinly sliced pork shoulder or even ground pork. You can still get that amazing rendering qualities with those alternative cuts, and even chicken or beef works if you really want to use something a little lighter. For the sauce, oyster sauce is hard to come by if you don’t live near any grocery stores, so you can use hoisin sauce instead!  

If you want to add more vegetables to the stir fry, bell peppers, mushrooms, or snap peas all work great and add more texture to the stir fry. The base flavor of this Garlic Pork Stir Fry Recipe is strong and pronounced, so you can tweak the ingredients and their measurements without losing any of that amazing flavor! When I make this at home, I tend to just use a single spoon to eyeball all the ingredients! 

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What to Make Next 

Want something with a similar flavor profile? Try my Soy Braised Pork Belly!  

Craving another pork dish? You’ll love my Ginger Pork Bowl!  

Feeling like chicken instead? Cook my Garlic Butter Chicken!