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These creamy garlic pork chops are smothered in a garlic cream sauce with whole garlic cloves! This recipe is quick and easy to make in about 30 minutes.
You may also like my Creamy Garlic Pork Tenderloin or Creamy Pork Tenderloin Medallions.
Why you’ll love it
If you’re fan of my popular Creamy Garlic Chicken recipe and also like pork, you may want to try this recipe. I tweaked the sauce a bit to make it work with pork chops. Garlicky goodness. These pork chops are just so good and really simple to make.
Yes, there’s a whole head of garlic in here as well as garlic powder. The garlic cloves mellow out. You can eat them and they’re not overly garlicky… they taste kinda like roasted garlic. I like building layers of garlic flavor! It’s the perfect weeknight meal.
What you’ll need
- Pork chops – I use 0.75-1″ boneless pork chops seasoned generously with salt & pepper to bring out the flavor
- Olive oil and butter – for pan frying and the base of the sauce
- Garlic and garlic powder – there’s absolutely a whole head of garlic in here and garlic powder
- Flour – to thicken the sauce
- Chicken broth – more savory depth of flavor
- Lemon juice – a pop of acidity to balance everything
- Heavy cream – to make the sauce luxurious
Pro tip
I recommend taking the pork chops out of the fridge at least 15-30 minutes prior to starting the recipe. They will cook better this way!
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- Pork chops can easily dry out (especially boneless ones), so I highly recommend getting an instant read meat thermometer so you can check the temperature and not overcook them. Pork is safe to eat at 145F (and don’t forget the temperature continues to climb for a few minutes after you finish cooking it). It’s ok if pork is a bit pink in the middle.
- You can use either boneless or bone-in pork chops. For larger bone-in chops, you may need to sear them in two batches. If your skillet goes dry, I’d add up to 1 tablespoon extra olive oil for the second batch.
- Measure out the butter easily with this butter dish that has measurement marks right on it.
How to make creamy garlic pork chops
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Season the pork with salt & pepper. Heat up the oil and some of the butter in a skillet, then sear the chops on both sides until golden. Transfer to a plate. Add the remaining butter and the garlic cloves, and cook until the garlic is lightly browned.
Push the garlic to one side of the skillet, then stir in the flour to make a roux. Pour in the broth and lemon juice, and cook until thickened. Add the cream and garlic powder, and stir until it’s dissolved in.
Return the pork to the skillet, and cook through until the sauce reduces more and the pork is cooked to 145F. Season with extra salt & pepper if needed, and top with fresh parsley if using.
Substitutions and variations
- I don’t recommend subbing the cream for a lower fat alternative as it may curdle and the sauce won’t be as thick.
- You could throw in a handful of spinach at the end before adding the pork back to the pan if you want some greens.
- Looking to make this with chicken? Try my Creamy Garlic Chicken instead.
What to serve with garlic pork chops
- These creamy pork chops are delicious with Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Potatoes, Stick of Butter Rice, or even pasta like my Quick Garlic Butter Noodles.
- For veggie options, try my Easy Roasted Cauliflower or Easy Roasted Green Beans.
- Craving a salad? Make my 10 Minute Easy Caesar Salad Dressing.
Leftovers and storage
- Store any leftover pork chops in the fridge in a covered container for 3-4 days.
- Reheat over a low heat slowly until warmed through so the chops don’t dry out.
- I don’t recommend freezing this one.
More delicious pork chop recipes
Questions about this creamy garlic pork chop recipe? Made it? Talk to me in the comments below! Tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram if you make this.
Creamy Garlic Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 4 pork chops see notes
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter divided
- 1 whole head garlic cloves peeled
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1/2 cup chicken broth or stock
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3/4 cup heavy/whipping cream
- Fresh parsley chopped (optional, to taste)
Instructions
- Take the pork chops out of the fridge 15-30 minutes prior to starting the recipe if possible. Season the pork generously with salt & pepper on both sides.
- In a deep skillet, add the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat. Let the pan heat up for a few minutes, and once it's hot, cook the pork chops for 3-5 minutes/side or until golden (3 minutes for thinner chops and 5 minutes for pork chops up to 1" thick). Once the pork chops are done searing, transfer them to a plate.
- Add the remaining butter and the garlic cloves to the skillet. Turn the heat down to medium (or medium-low if using cast iron). Cook it, stirring fairly often, for about 3 minutes or until the garlic has somewhat browned on the outside.
- Push the garlic to one side of the pan and sprinkle the flour in (avoiding the garlic). Let it cook for around 30 seconds, and give it a stir so it's incorporated with the butter (we're making a quick roux).
- Add in the chicken broth and lemon juice. Stir and let it cook for about a minute or until the sauce is noticeably thickened.
- Add in the garlic powder and cream. Stir or whisk it until the garlic powder has dissolved.
- Add the pork back in and cook for another 3-5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened up a bit (let the sauce bubble a bit but not furiously boil) and the pork chops are fully cooked through (145F minimum). Keep in mind the pork's temperature will continue to rise once you stop cooking it, so if it's close, I'd take it off the heat and let it rest for a few minutes before serving. Season the sauce with extra salt & pepper as needed and parsley if you wish.
Notes
- It’s very easy to overcook pork and turn it into shoe leather. I highly recommend using an instant read thermometer to take the guesswork out. Pork that’s 145F and pink inside is safe to eat.
- You can use boneless pork chops like I did or bone-in. I recommend pork chops that are 0.75-1″ thick. Anything much thicker or thinner is likely to end up under or overcooked with this particular recipe since it’s finished in the cream sauce.
- This recipe is also in the Salt & Lavender: Everyday Essentials cookbook.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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My husband and I cooked supper tonite and man o man did we ever loved it. It was an awesome meal we made. He made some frozen veggies with Honey Dijon vinaigrette. What a marvellous combination. Thank,you so much for this recipe and don’t worry, I saved it.
You’re very welcome, Lise!! 😀 Thanks for your review!
So good! I was worried about the amount of garlic (and we love garlic) but it was perfect! The sauce is amazing and the whole dish is so quick and simple! We will use this sauce for lots of recipes.
I served with grits and pan grilled bokchoy. Would have given it 5 stars but I think it needs a kick. Maybe a little cayenne? Not sure but will definitely make it again.
Hi! Yes – a pinch of cayenne pepper would definitely give it a gentle heat that you may enjoy.
Made this for New Year’s Day and we loved it! I’m not a big pork eater and my kids can be super picky when it comes to meat but wow this recipe was delicious!! Served with black eyed peas, collard greens and cornbread for the superstitions of New Years Day. Going to make it again soon!
That’s amazing!! Thanks for letting me know! 😀
Always looking for new recipes for pork. Hubby is a pork lover. This dish was delicious and super easy. Thanks so much
You’re very welcome, Kerry!! 😀
This was so delicious!
My husband who does not like to try new things loved it!
I made it exactly as the recipe was written! Thank you!!!
That’s awesome!!! 😀
Recipe looks great – trying it tonight. However, it is NOT okay for pork to be a bit pink. My dad was in the restaurant business. I sat at the table while he studied for classes on food safety and I watched the videos. One of three things that was stressed over and over was never serve pink pork. I saw what can happen to a person if they get trichinosis – awful! No pink pork!
Hi! That’s outdated and inaccurate information. Over a decade ago, on May 24, 2011, the USDA lowered the safe internal temperature guideline for pork to 145F, when it’s a little pink inside. This is due to changes in farming practices. Perhaps you’d be interested in a quick Google search on the subject to learn more.
What do you do with the whole head of garlic after pushing it to the side of the pan?
Hi Sandy! I recommend you look at the step-by-step photos in the blog post as they illustrate it more clearly.
I started making this right now and realized I don’t have lemon juice 😫 I am going to keep going without, I hope it doesn’t change it too much!
Hi Jess! It shouldn’t matter too much. It’s basically just to add a tiny bit of acidity to balance the flavors.
My family loved it when I made even without the lemon juice! I am going to try it again tonight but they wanted more sauce, would I just double everything? Or just double the cream and flour?
Hi Jess! I’m thrilled it was a hit. I would double all the sauce ingredients if you liked the flavors as-is.
What would you suggest to serve with this😊
Hi Cheryl! There’s serving suggestions in the blog post with links under the “what to serve with creamy pork chops” section. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
I’ve made this with both pork and chicken and my meat eating honey loved both. Tonight I added a bit of crunchy crushed crispy bacon to the top. I’m going to try with cauliflower for a vegetarian spin (using veggie broth instead of chicken broth). Even though I don’t eat meat it smells absolutely delicious to me.
I’m so happy it’s favorite for your partner! 😀 Let me know how the cauliflower version goes! Thanks for your review, Amy.
Made this tonight. It was quick and easy. Used half of the head of garlic because that’s all I had. Still delicious. Next time I will make it with spinach and probably 1 and a half times the gravy. We made jasmine rice and green beans to go with it this time. Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
You’re very welcome!! 😀