This pork roast recipe is as easy as can be: Rub the pork with spices and cook it in the oven until the outside is browned and crispy and the inside is tender and juicy.
It's a simple recipe that produces reliably juicy results, time after time. It's one of the recipes most often requested by my family! It's easy, delicious, and affordable.

I love making roasts for dinner. Like casseroles (such as this ground beef casserole), roasts provide lots of food for minimal work - they practically cook themselves!
When it comes to pork, I enjoy these oven-baked pork chops, but this tasty pork roast is easier to make. You simply rub the meat with seasonings, then bake it until it reaches an internal temperature of 145°F.
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Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this pork roast. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
- Olive oil spray: I love olive oil and use it frequently. If you prefer an oil with a higher smoke point, you can use avocado oil instead.
- Kosher salt and black pepper: I use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Spices: Garlic powder, paprika, dried sage, and dried thyme. I prefer garlic powder to minced fresh garlic in this recipe. It more evenly coats the meat.
- Boneless pork shoulder: I usually pick a 3-pound roast. I prefer a boneless roast because it's easier to slice and serve.
Variations
The best way to vary this recipe is to experiment with different spices. Good options that I tried and liked include onion powder, dried oregano, ground cumin, and ground mustard. You can add ½ to 1 teaspoon of any of these spices to the spice mixture.
You can also spray the pork with ghee instead of olive oil. It's delicious!
Pork Roast Instructions
Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps for making this recipe:
Prepare the spice mixture: Mix the kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, sage, and thyme.
Rub the spice mixture over the pork and spray its top liberally with olive oil.
Cook the pork for 15 minutes in a preheated 425°F oven. Lower the oven to 375°F and continue roasting the pork to an internal temperature of 145°F for about 75 more minutes. When done, it will be beautifully browned:
Let the pork rest for 20 minutes before slicing and serving.
Expert Tip
It's essential to allow the fully cooked roast to rest for at least 20 minutes before slicing it. This allows the juices to redistribute and settle.
If you cut into the roast too soon, juices will be lost, and the pork will end up dry and not as flavorful.
Recipe FAQs
After the first 15 minutes of browning the roast in a hot oven, a rough estimate is to keep cooking it for approximately 25 minutes per pound. But this is just an estimate.
As with all roasts, including ribeye roast and beef tenderloin roast, it's important to use a meat thermometer that you insert into the meat and alerts you when it's fully cooked. There's no other reliable way to ensure the meat is done.
This is especially important with pork because the lowest internal temperature you want it to reach is 145 degrees (medium).
I usually get a 3-pound pork shoulder. If your roast is bigger, increase the cooking time accordingly. If the top seems to be getting too dark, loosely cover it with foil.
No. In 2011, the USDA lowered its temperature recommendation for cooking whole cuts of pork from 160°F (dry, tough, completely white meat) to 145°F (juicy and slightly pink in the center) with a 3-minute rest period.
This means that a cut of pork may still look pink when it reaches 145 degrees. That, says the USDA, is OK.
After years of being conditioned to expect pork to appear white when fully cooked, this change is not easy for many of us. But this is a good change: meat cooked to medium is juicy, while well-done meat is dry.
No. You want it nicely browned, so you shouldn't cover it. However, if your roast is big and the top is getting too dark while the inside is not yet fully cooked, you should loosely cover the top with foil to protect it from over-browning.
I prefer a boneless roast because it's easier to slice and serve. The only disadvantage is that once it's done, you don't have bones to use for a tasty soup.
I don't recommend using pork loin. Although tender, it's lean and will dry out during prolonged cooking. You should stick with pork shoulder, a fatty cut that won't dry easily.
Serving Suggestions
Since pork roast is rich and flavorful, I like to keep the sides simple. Here are a few of the easy side dishes I usually serve with this roast:
Storing Leftovers
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. Reheat them gently, covered, in the microwave at 50% power. They won't be as good as the freshly prepared roast, but they will still be delicious.
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Recipe Card
Easy Pork Roast
Ingredients
- Olive oil spray
- 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt or ½ tablespoon of any other salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika regular or smoked
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 pounds pork shoulder roast boneless
Instructions
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and fit it with a wire rack. Spray the wire rack with olive oil.
- In a small bowl, mix the kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, sage, and thyme.Â
- Pat the pork dry with paper towels. Place it on the wire rack. Rub the spice mixture all over the roast. Spray its top liberally with olive oil.
- Heat the oven to 425°F. Let the roast sit at room temperature while the oven is warming, about 30 minutes.Â
- Insert a meat thermometer probe into the middle of the pork roast and place it in the hot oven. Roast it for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 375°F and continue roasting until the meat thermometer reads 145°F. In my oven, it takes 75 minutes (about 25 minutes per pound).Â
- Remove the roast from the oven. Loosely tent it with foil and allow it to rest for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the butcher twine from the roast, slice, and serve.Â
Video
Notes
- If your roast is bigger than 3 pounds, you will need to cook it for longer. A general rule of thumb is 25 minutes per pound. Its internal temperature should reach 145°F. If the top seems to be browning too much after the initial 75 minutes, loosely cover it with foil.
- It's important to allow the fully cooked roast to rest for at least 20 minutes before slicing it. This allows the juices to redistribute and settle. If you cut into the roast too soon, yummy juices will be lost, and the meat will end up dry and not as flavorful.
- You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. Reheat them gently, covered, in the microwave at 50% power.
- The nutrition info is based on the USDA database.
Add Your Own Notes
Nutrition per Serving
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Christine
Excellent, flavourful recipe. My family were convinced I'd used an expensive market pork because it was really juicy, but in fact it was from our local supermarket.
Vered DeLeeuw
Wonderful! I'm so glad everyone enjoyed this roast, Christine!
Howard
Nice and simple recipe. I typically let my pork roasts from any cut reach 150° internally before I rest them. Old habits.
BTW: Healthy Recipes Blog could ease up on the ads. There were times when it was hard to read the recipe.
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm glad you enjoyed this pork roast, Howard!
Thank you for the feedback about the ads. Those ads are how I'm able to provide free content to my readers.
Christy
Delicious and easy! Made exactly to recipe (used smoked paprika), smelled and tasted delicious. Will make again.
Vered DeLeeuw
Yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed this pork roast, Christy!
Gabrielle
I decided to use chili powder instead of smoked paprika. I think it was the right call - delish!
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm glad you enjoyed it, Gabrielle! Thank you for leaving a comment.
Jordan
My family loved this pork roast. I loved how easy it was to cook!
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm so glad you and your family enjoyed this recipe, Jordan! Thank you for leaving a comment.
Ashley
My roast took 85 minutes to reach 145°F. Maybe my oven runs low. It was perfect in every way - flavor, juiciness. I made sandwiches with the leftovers and those were great too.
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Ashley! Thank you for leaving a comment.
Jerry
Like all your recipes, this was delicious and - just as important - easy. Didn't have sage so used rosemary. Came out great!
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Jerry! Thank you for leaving a comment.
Brielle
Great recipe! I used smoked paprika and after rubbing all my spices in, I massaged about a tablespoon of Dijon mustard and drizzled the olive oil on top. I also put water at the bottom of the pan as it helps keep the pork nice and moist. All in all great quick recipe!
Vered DeLeeuw
Glad you liked it, Brielle! Thank you for sharing the changes you've made.
Mic
Will definitely make this again! Easy and tasty.
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm so glad to hear you've enjoyed this roast and will make it again! Thank you for leaving a comment.
Linda
I’ve made this roast before and turned out delicious! This time, I’m going to make a bread dressing to put around the roast 40 minutes before serving.
Vered DeLeeuw
Sounds lovely, Linda!
Jens
Dumb question of the day for you. I do not have dry sage or dry thyme. I have fresh growing in the garden. How do I adjust this recipe to use fresh herbs, and fresh garlic?
Vered DeLeeuw
Not dumb at all! I use a dry spice rub, then spray the pork with oil. If you'd like to use fresh garlic and herbs, mix them with olive oil and apply that to the roast. You can use two tablespoons of fresh minced garlic, two tablespoons of minced thyme, and two tablespoons of minced sage. Mix them with the salt, pepper, and paprika in enough olive oil to create a paste - I suggest 1/4 cup. You want enough paste to cover the entire roast, so add more olive oil if needed.
Marlene
I made this recipe today, very moist and so delicious!
Vered DeLeeuw
Glad you liked it, Marlene!
Carla
I have a pork loin center cut roast. Can I cook it the same way as the pork shoulder? Thank you so much!
Vered DeLeeuw
Hi Carla,
This is a different cut. It's tender but lean and will dry out during prolonged cooking. I recommend you search for recipes for a "pork loin roast."
Carla
Thanks so much! I'll definitely keep this recipe on file for a future pork roast. 😉
Heather
My favorite recipe so far! Turns out delicious every time! I ended up taking leftovers to work and shared with a coworker, she said it was the best roast she's ever had.
Vered DeLeeuw
Yay! I'm so glad you like this recipe, Heather! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.
Lily Cookson
I am not much of a cook, but you made this easy. My husband loves this, and he's not so easy to please. This recipe is fantastic; I can't wait to try more of your recipes.
Vered DeLeeuw
Yay! I'm so glad this was a success, Lily!
Cheryl
This recipe is delicious, and so easy to make. I like it a lot more than pork chops. Thanks!
Vered DeLeeuw
Glad you like it, Cheryl! It's better than pork chops because pork shoulder is fattier and juicier. Pork chops, while flavorful, are relatively lean.
Ana
This came out absolutely delicious. Perfectly cooked, tender and juicy, with a crispy exterior. My guests raved about it, and I gave you the credit and referred them to this recipe. The only thing different I did was that I did not have garlic powder, so I used onion powder instead, and I made an onion gravy with the drippings. Everything came out yummy!
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm so glad this was a success, Ana! Thank you for referring your guests to my website. I appreciate it.
An onion gravy sounds marvelous!
Lali D
Most delicious pork roast ever!!!
Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm glad you enjoyed this recipe, Lali. 🙂
Walter
Very easy recipe. The roast is moist, tender, and very tasty. Delicious!
Vered DeLeeuw
Thank you for the feedback, Walter! I appreciate it.