Juiciest Baked Pork Tenderloin
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You’re looking at the juiciest baked pork tenderloin recipe ever. With over 800+ reviews, you can count on the recipe working every time. Keep reading to find out exactly how we make this incredible meal!
One reader, Liz says, “Followed recipe exactly — best pork tenderloin I have ever made/had. Whole family loved it. Delicious. ★★★★★”
This is my favorite pork tenderloin recipe. The pork is buttery soft and practically melts in your mouth. It’s coated in an easy spice rub, quickly browned in a pan to create a lovely crust, and then baked in a simple pan sauce to keep it incredibly tender, juicy, and delicious.
The spices I use are the same as the ones in my popular baked pork chops recipe. The combination of paprika, onion, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and pepper is simply delicious.
Pork Tenderloin vs Pork Loin
Pork tenderloin and pork loin are two different cuts of meat that require different cooking methods.
The tenderloin comes from a muscle that runs along the spine. It is not a well-used muscle, so it is very tender. It is long, thin, and very lean.
Pork loin is often referred to as a rib roast and comes from (you guessed it) the rib section. It is a large cut that can be bone-in or boneless and is often sold with a thick fat cap.
In this recipe, I use pork tenderloin.
Oven baked pork tenderloin ingredients
Pork tenderloin: If yours are larger than 1lb, they’ll take longer to bake. Be sure to check on them until they’re cooked through.
From the spice rack: Paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and pepper combine to season your tenderloin and bring out the best flavors.
Cooking oil: Helps to create a beautiful sear on the pork! A neutral, high-heat oil like vegetable oil or avocado oil is ideal.
Beef broth: For depth and richness of the beautiful sauce.
Apple cider vinegar: A little acidity is key to cutting through the sauce’s richness and tenderizing the meat.
Butter: If needed, you can swap out the butter for olive oil or dairy-free butter.
To garnish: A little minced parsley adds a fresh, herbaceous finish.
Pork Tenderloin Cooking Temp
Pork tenderloin should be cooked for a short time in a hot oven to prevent it from drying out.
Bake pork tenderloin in a 400-degree Fahrenheit oven for 20-25 minutes. The exact cooking time will depend on the size of the tenderloins and how long you seared them. For the best results, use an instant-read thermometer and remove the pork from the oven when it reaches 145 degrees.
Making a sauce for pork tenderloin
I love this sauce! Not only does it help keep the pork tender, but it’s also delicious poured over everything on your plate.
- Beef stock: I use it to deglaze the pan so that all the delicious bits stuck to the pan after searing the pork become part of the sauce.
- Apple cider vinegar: adds the best flavor.
- Pork juice: as the pork bakes, it releases liquid that becomes part of the sauce. Yum!
There are no extra steps needed to make this sauce. Once the tenderloin is ready to serve, remove it from the pan and pour the pan juices over the sliced pork.
Tips for baking the best pork tenderloin
- Do not overcook the meat. As with any lean cut of meat, if it is overcooked, it will be dry. The key is to cook it to 145 degrees Fahrenheit and no more. The pork will be a tiny bit pink in the center and buttery soft.
- Use an instant-read meat thermometer. It’s an inexpensive kitchen tool that every kitchen should have. Using a thermometer will ensure that your meat is perfectly cooked.
- Sear the pork before you bake it. Taking the 6ish minutes to do this step will not only give it a beautiful color but also add flavor and seal in the juices, so it stays more tender.
- Add a little liquid. I deglaze the searing pan with some beef stock and add it to the roasting pan. It adds a fantastic flavor and helps keep the tenderloin juicy.
- Pour a little apple cider vinegar over the pork. It will help tenderize the meat and give the sauce a delicious flavor.
What to serve with baked pork tenderloin
The simple spices we use in this recipe means the pork goes well with many different sides. Here are a few of my family’s favorites:
How to store leftovers
If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, let them cool to room temperature before transferring them to an airtight container. Pop the container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Or, keep it in a freezer-proof container in the freezer for up to three months.
Watch how to make this recipe
Juiciest Baked Pork Tenderloin Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pork tenderloins (about 1 lb each – see notes)
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika (see notes)
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoons pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup beef broth
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (see notes)
- 2 tablespoons butter (can sub olive oil for dairy-free)
- Minced parsley (to serve)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Dry the pork tenderloins well with paper towels.2 pork tenderloins
- Mix the paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl. Rub this spice mix over all sides of the pork.1 tablespoon sweet paprika, 2 teaspoons onion powder, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoons salt , 1 teaspoons pepper
- Heat the oil in a large, stainless steel or cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Add the pork, working in 2 batches if your pan is not large enough to fit both tenderloins without them touching. Sear the pork on all sides until it is brown, for about 6 minutes. If searing in batches, add an extra splash of oil for the second batch. Take the pan off the heat.2 tablespoons olive oil
- Move the pork to a baking dish. If the spices left in the pan are black, wipe them away with a paper towel. Return the pan to the heat and add the beef broth. Scrape the bottom of the pan to remove any stuck-on bits then boil for 1 minute until it reduces to about ¼ cup. Pour this sauce over the pork.½ cup beef broth
- Pour the apple cider vinegar over the pork then dot the top with the butter. Cover the baking dish with foil.1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons butter
- Bake the pork for 20-25 minutes, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Let the pork rest for 5 minutes before slicing it into ¼ -inch thick rounds. Pour the pan juices over the pork tenderloin slices and serve with a little minced parsley, for color.Minced parsley
Last step:
- After you make this recipe, take a picture with your phone and share it in the comments section below. I love seeing it when you make my recipes!
Equipment
Video
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
What to do with leftover oven baked pork tenderloin
This tenderloin makes amazing leftovers. I prefer to serve leftovers cold as it’s easy to accidentally overcook meat when reheating it.
- Make a pork sandwich with mayo, horseradish, red onion, and some arugula.
- Slice it thin and put it on top of a big salad.
- Use it instead of chicken in this chicken salad recipe.
- Dice it and put it in some fried rice or this cauliflower fried rice. Add it at the very end, just long enough to warm it through.
Followed recipe exactly — best pork tenderloin I have ever made/had. Whole family loved it. Delicious.
Was the pork 145 degrees. The video when cutting the loin looked raw to me. I know pink is fine but video looked raw to me.
The pork in the video was cooked to 145 Fahrenehit!
This recipe is absolutely delicious! This is my first time ever cooking tenderloin and it came out perfectly! The meat was tender and juicy as well as flavorful from the seasoning rub.
I recommend using a probe thermometer to make sure that the meat is cooked thoroughly because it can get tricky trying to time the oven when you don’t know the internal temperature of the meat. Would definitely cook this again!
The best pork I’ve ever had and I’ve tried a ton of different recipes. Thank you so much for sharing! 🙂
Excellent! So easy and so delicious, it’s my go to recipe for pork tenderloin!
I’m vegetarian so I didn’t eat it but the rest in the family did and high fived it.
Just what I was looking for!!!
My fiance said, “I told you, dear. It was very good.”
I know … it doesn’t sound like rave feedback, but that’s actually very high praise! He really enjoyed this dinner! Thank you the such a great, easy-to-follow recipe.
Seems like a very basic recipe was easy to prepare and cook time was great
I forgot to rate my review, 5 stars for sure!!
Thank you Kristen. I rarely go back to a website to leave a review but success of our meal tonight guilted me into it! 😉 ! i’m so glad I chose this recipe to try . My partner said it was the best tenderloin he had ever had. Our teens loved it too and one is an ultra picky eater. I only had a single tenderloin and we so just halved the recipe. Still roasted for 28 minutes. I did not have beef stock so used water instead and there was enough browning in the frying pan for a nice sauce to drizzle over it after the vinegar. While it was cooking I sautéed a package of mushrooms in a little bit of butter in the same pan used for browning. Once the roast was out we topped it with the mushrooms then added a couple of tablespoons of water to the fry pan again to use the yummy browning from the sauteed mushrooms for some extra flavour and drizzled that over the finished product. Served with reheated leftover mashed Yukon Gold potatoes and our stalwart steamed broccoli. next time I’ll put the rub on early and let it sit in for a bit before browning to see if any difference. But seriously this recipe was not lacking any flavour at all even minus the beef stock. If using beef stock I’d use caution – we don’t cook with a lot of salt, so we really notice saltiness. I found this slightly salty with the halved measurement. Definitely adding this in to our meal rotation, and on the list for family get together‘s. this would be a real crowd pleaser and if you’re lucky enough to have any leftovers would make for some great cold pork sandwiches the next day.
I’m so happy that you and your family loved the recipe!
I would suggest that you include the note about wiping away the black “burnt” spices IN step #4 so it can be easily seen as you follow the steps. It is much more user friendly that way, rather than while you are cooking, having to scroll down to read the note then back to follow the recipe steps.
That’s a great suggestion!
My pork is always dry whether I roast it or grill it, such a bummer! And then I came across this recipe oh boy thank you so much now this is the only way I cook my pork tenderloins and they are juicy tasty and just perfect every time! Thank you so much and FYI I changed absolutely nothing because it was perfect like it already was!
Made your pork tenderloin. My husband gave me a standing ovation 👏. I was afraid to use too much rub but I think more after searing would have been good. Thanks for the recipe👍
Very bland and I doubled the seasoning which was needed to cover both pork tenderloins. There really was no taste to the cooked pork. Even my husband was not impressed and he likes bland food!
I suspect that your spices may need to be replaced. All spices lose their flavor over time and if they’ve been in your pantry a while they may not have a lot of flavor left in them. The fresher the better. 🙂
What a great recipe! My family and few additional dinner guests loved it! Thank you for sharing this fantastic recipe!
Absolutely delicious! Tender & juicy, and tasty! Highly recommended. My husband thought it was one of the best recipes I’ve ever used!
I used just one tenderloin, and made the recipe as written, except that I substituted with Spanish Paprika. It was nice having plenty of juice for leftovers.)
Do you think I could add some baby carrots and potatoes in with this dish while baking? Would they go well with this?
Yes! Just make sure that the potatoes are quite small so that they will cook in 20 minutes. Or you can bake them in a separate pan and put them in the oven earlier to give them a head start in cooking.