Pork Tenderloin seasoned with a rub, seared until golden then oven baked in an incredible Honey Garlic Sauce until it’s sticky on the outside and juicy on the inside! A quick and easy pork fillet recipe with high returns for very minimal effort.
Pork tenderloin recipe
Pork tenderloin is like chicken breast – it’s a lean, tender cut of meat and when cooked just right, it’s juicy and succulent.
It is also easy to overcook, and overcooked tenderloin = dry and bland.
Hence the beauty of this pork tenderloin recipe. It’s unbelievable when the pork is cooked perfectly.
But if you go slightly over, no one’s going to notice with this outrageously delicious honey garlic sauce!
What you need
VERY few ingredients! This is another one of those recipes with high returns for low effort – minimal ingredients, less than 10 minutes of active effort for incredible flavours!
How to cook pork tenderloin
The best way to cook pork tenderloin is to start it on the stove and finish it in the oven. Sear the pork first to give it a nice crust (remember, colour = flavour 🙌🏻) then finish cooking it in the oven.
Can’t it be cooked entirely on the stove??
Yep, it sure can, but the outside ring of the tenderloin will be cooked more than ideal by the time the centre is just cooked. Reduce this uneven cooking by bringing the pork to room temperature before cooking.
What about in the oven?
Again, yep, you sure can, but you won’t get the same colour on the surface of the tenderloin so you’ll notice a loss of flavour. But with a sauce this good, it’s forgivable to skip the initial sear! 😇 Directions in the recipe notes.
Look at that sauce glazing the pork!!! Doesn’t it look incredible??!
The Honey Garlic Sauce used in this pork tenderloin recipe has made an appearance in various forms on my website, such as with Salmon, Chicken Breast and as a dipping sauce for the crispiest ever Baked Chicken Wings.
It’s just one of those terrific back pocket sauces that works with virtually every protein. Just a few ingredients that totally transforms when simmered on the stove into a savoury-sweet sauce.
It’s inevitable that it will make yet another appearance one of these days!
What to serve with pork tenderloin
Though you cannot see it properly in the photo above, that yellow/green blur in the background is this Lemon Potato Salad which I added steamed green beans to. A two-in-one carb + veg side that keeps for days, I’m a big fan of those! Here’s a few more:
Kale and Quinoa Salad and Garlic Butter Rice with Kale (kale is a nutrition powerhouse and these are 2 seriously tasty ways to eat it!)
Otherwise, serve it with a fresh garden salad tossed with a fresh vinaigrette like French, Italian or the everyday salad dressing used in this Cabbage Salad.
I’d also recommend something to slop up the sauce with – bread, mashed potato, or Cauliflower Mash. What looks like mash in the photo below is actually Mashed Cauliflower. Carb free, creamy smooth indulgence – you’ll see it in the recipe video! ~ N x ❤️
Watch how to make it
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Pork Tenderloin with Honey Garlic Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 pork tenderloin (pork fillet), 500g/1lb each (Note 1)
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil (or butter)
- 3 garlic cloves , very finely chopped
Pork Tenderloin Rub:
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Honey Garlic Sauce:
- 3 tbsp cider vinegar (Note 2)
- 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce, light or all purpose (Note 2)
- 1/2 cup honey (or maple syrup)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
- Mix Sauce ingredients together.
- Mix Rub ingredients then sprinkle over the pork.
- Heat oil in a large oven proof skillet (Note 3) over high heat. Add pork and sear until golden all over.
- When pork is almost seared, push to the side, add garlic and cook until golden.
- Pour sauce in. Turn pork once, then immediately transfer to the oven.
- Roast 15 – 18 minutes or until the internal temperature is 68C / 155F (Note 4).
- Remove pork onto plate, cover loosely with foil and rest 5 minutes.
- Place skillet with sauce on stove over medium high heat, simmer rapidly for 3 minutes until liquid reduces down to thin syrup.
- Remove from stove, put pork in and turn to coat in sauce.
- Cut pork into thick slices and serve with sauce!
Recipe Notes:
- Cider vinegar – white wine vinegar, rice vinegar or champagne vinegar. OR 2 tbsp normal white vinegar.
- Soy Sauce – Use light or all purpose. Do not use dark soy sauce or sweet soy sauce.
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
I love the robe so much, I got another one and put his name on it. Poor boy, now he’s been named and shamed….😂
I’ve made this 3 times and the pork always comes out perfectly. My trouble is with the sauce. Either it is watery thin or so thick it hardens on my fork. Each time I simmered it for three minutes. What am I doing wrong?
This was really delicious. I cooked the baked veg and rice suggested in the blog (varying the veg slightly to use what I had) and it all came together brilliantly. I had to roast the pork fillets at 200 degrees to sync with the final stage of the veg baking temp. I only roasted the pork for 15 minutes because of this higher temp. It all came together right on time and was absolutely delicious – with some leftovers to reheat for lunch tomorrow. Another brilliant recipe, thanks Nagi!
Beautiful and so easy.
Did it exactly to the recipe. Thanks for another lovely recipe Nagi
Did this today, but I used thin-cut pork (strimlet). 🙂 Some of the things I did differently: I had to tone down the honey to 1/4 cup rather than 1/2 cup. I love sweet & savory dishes, but the latter was a bit too much for me. I wanted to have sauce, so I added 1/4 cup of water to the mixture and simmered it. I put broccolis in it too. I also used chili flakes, more salt & pepper. I didn’t use the oven, just the pan, since the slices were thin. I was thinking it would be tastier with more garlic
Thanks Nagi for this recipe! It’s quick and yummy. 🙂
I keep coming back to this, it is just amazing! I don’t tweak it or anything, perfect as it is. Always so juicy and the flavour profile, hands down will never make another garlic honey pork tenderloin again. 10/10
So good it so easy and tasty
OMG. It is sooo delicious. Juicy and tender. Love the flavour. Easy to make. Thank you Nagi for the wonderful recipe.
Amazing!!! Absolutely love this recipe! Now my husband’s favourite meal. 🙂
First time cooking this. Flavour was delish! We are big fans of Nagi and her recipes and this did not disappoint. Thank you
Amazing flavour, had 2 small tenderloin so halved everything. Rub, cooked in the pan 2.5 min each side, rest. Made sauce, cooked microwave stir fry veg. Put veg back in pan with sauce, added meat. Perfection.
Delish. Simple to make.
Ingredients in the pantry.
Thanks for this delish recipe
Fantastic pork with Nagi’s 12 minute cous cous! Omg it’s sooo good. Drizzle pan juices over meat and gobble up! Thanks Nagi for another fantastic mid week meal ❤️❤️
Wow, this was an awesome recipe. I used maple syrup instead of honey, other than that followed the recipe. I can’t wait to make it for a dinner party. Thank you!!!
I made this for my family (4 people) and it was absolutely superb! Incredible sauce and tenderness! I highly recommend it!
10/10 absolutely delicious, and so easy.
This was a good recipe. I’ve made it twice and it could use some more salt but overall good.
Made this for company and it was a big hit. Easy directions.
OMG! This is the absolute best! I went to bed last night trying to decide when I can make it again, and who I can make it for. We must have a dinner party and use this recipe. It’s PERFECT!
I don’t know why but both times I have made this the sauce burns in the oven and definitely can not be reduced without turning into a burnt pan with charcoal in it !
Pork cooks perfectly sauce seems delish once put in the pan but I don’t know what to do to have more sauce left over to reduce make double ?
Don’t put the sauce on the pork in the oven. Simmer it on the stove while the pork rests then coat the meat.
I made this last night and it was perfect! I used one tenderloin, seared it before and cooked for 15 mins – tested with meat thermometer and cooked for five more minutes. After sitting i cut and added back to the warm sauce. I’ve tires a few honey garlic recipes and this was my favourite. I had a side of green beans and quinoa- delicious!