The Yogurt-Based Grilled Pork Chop Marinade That Might Replace Your Usual Go-To

When it comes to marinating pork chops, most of us have our go-to combinations. Maybe you stick with the classics like honey and mustard, or reach for something fruity with apple juice and brown sugar. Perhaps you lean into Asian flavors with soy sauce and fresh ginger, or get adventurous by marinating with root beer. With so many marinade possibilities, it's easy to get stuck in a rotation of familiar flavors.

That's exactly why you should try our tandoori pork chop recipe: It delivers a completely different flavor profile that might just become your new favorite. One warning though — once you taste how good these turn out, you might find yourself reaching for this marinade every single time.

To make this tandoori marinade, mix plain yogurt, minced garlic cloves, grated fresh ginger, sea salt, black pepper, garam masala, ground cumin, sweet paprika, ground turmeric, ground coriander, and juiced limes. Make sure you use the sweet paprika, and not smoked or hot paprika; it adds beautiful color to the pork chops without the intense heat that might overpower the other spices in the marinade. Once the pork chops are coated in the marinade they just sit in the refrigerator for a few hours before being grilled or cooked in the oven.

If you've ever wondered why so many Indian recipes call for yogurt in the marinade, there's a very good reason for it. Acids are the workhorses of any marinade, breaking down proteins to tenderize the meat. While lime juice and vinegar also do that job, yogurt takes a gentler, more foolproof approach. Lactic acid found in yogurt is milder than the citric acid found in lime, making it perfect for longer marinades without over-tenderizing. This same principle explains why buttermilk is the gold standard for fried chicken marinades.

Yogurt is also an amazing carrier for flavors, which is one of the reasons why yogurt-based dips are popular all around the world. From a classic tzatziki to more experimental sweeter dessert dips using yogurt, the versatile ingredient provides a solid base for a wide variety of flavors to shine. For our tandoori pork chops, this means you get incredibly tender, intensely flavorful and subtly spiced meat every single time — three great reasons to make this your new go-to marinade.