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….😂
Made this tonight and has quickly become a favourite!!! Will definitely make this again…and again….lol
Excellent recipe. Tender pork tenderloin will be my go to recipe.
Easy to make
Would an option be to marinate the pork tenderloins in the sauce before cooking ? Wondering if this would allow the sauce to permeate the meat more ? This looks great and I’m going to try it tomorrow
It was cooked to perfection. I used a meater plus thermometer.. the sauce was amazing and couldn’t stop eating it… definitely keeping this recipe to show off with guests in the future
This was delicious. I think. What little I could taste due to getting radiation burn on my tastebuds. No one showed up for the meal and now i have 2 lbs of leftover pork I don’t know how to fix as a leftover. Does anyone have suggestions? Pretty much all I can taste is the dijon mustard so I’d like suggestions that don’t include more of that. Is this recipe sweet? I cannot tell. What little I could taste did taste good but now I don’t know what to do with the rest. I live alone so can’t expect anyone to help me make a good leftover meal. Grateful if anyone has thoughts on what they’d do in my place.
Hi Dianne
This broke my heart. I’m so sorry your friends were so thoughtless. Sending big hugs to you xx
Hi Dianne I’m really sorry your friends did not show up that is very rude. I hope your future is bright and I will be thinking of you.
Thank you, Lily, you’re very kind. Yes, not showing up is just shocking to me. Letting me use up food like that and not even a call…people just don’t act right anymore it seems. Thank you for your kind thoughts. <3
Hi Dianne, it broke my heart to read what you’ve experienced. As a fellow cancer person, I’ve also been abandoned by so-called friends so I perfectly understand your pain. Doing any work, even cooking is not easy after treatment so I really applaud you for cooking and inviting people over. Well, you do need better friends. Maybe there’s a support group of people coping with cancer too? I am in such support group and the members/friends there are truly the only ones to really UNDERSTAND. I wish you a full recovery, a bunch of new, supportive friends and a life full of joy and happy cooking. Sending you a big hug from Israel <3
p.s. Apologies if my English is a bit off…
Hi Dianne! I’m so sorry to hear you’re undergoing treatment. Although there’s no Dijon in this recipe, I assume you ate it with mustard. Here’s some ideas for the leftovers! Slice thinly and add to a salad (click HERE and HERE for my salads); Put it in a soup (see my soups HERE. Pick one with veg only, or sub out a meat if it seems suitable); Make a pasta bake using my universal recipe CLICK HERE and add chopped up pork; Use it regular or grilled sandwiches or wraps with other fridge leftovers; Make simple tacos or quesadillas; Make little pizzas using pre-bought flatbreads and any leftovers. I hope these ideas help! Get well and take care. – Nagi xx
Thank you Nagi, I appreciate all your help. Yes, I confused myself somehow – they say Chemo Brain is real and apparently I am living proof, lol. I will check out all the recipes and suggestions you so kindly gave me. Yes, people can be so thoughtless. 2 lbs of pork tenderloin…sigh. Well, that’s ok. I guess I won’t ask them again. I’ll find better friends 😉
This was SOOO good! I never leave comments but I had to tell you how much I loved this. Such a quick and easy weeknight meal! Definitely a staple from now on!
I made this last night for Easter dinner and it was a hit! The simple ingredients and easy preparation allowed me to spend more time with my family. The pork was so tender and the sauce was delicious. I will definitely be making this recipe again! I love your recipes!
Cooked this pork tenderloin with honey garlic sauce tonight. It was terrific. Thank you.
Omg I love this recipe. The meat was perfectly cooked and the sauce was divine. I combined maple syrup and honey as I didn’t have enough of either and I also added some chilli flakes for a bit of heat. Im a fussy cook and always looking for inspiration and this recipe was easy and so tasty!
Made the pork tenderlon with honey & garlic sauce & served it with cauliflower mash & greens. It was absolutely delicious..
I made this for dinner last night and both my husband and I enjoyed. He took leftovers today and when he came home he said “That was really good last night and today…What was in the sauce”? I told him the “who woulda thunk” simple ingredients and he again said it was very good. Talk about a meal in 30 minutes!!! Well done Nagi. You deserve whatever reaping rewards you get from your website.
Made this tonight and it was AMAZING! Highly recommend and will definitely be making it again and again!
I would like to try this. Do you use a sweet paprika(?) OR smoked. Also do you have a piticular brand of soy sauce you like. I usualky buy light soy sauce (lower sodium type)But since I am out, I thought I would check on that too.
Hi GMJ, I use sweet paprika here and you can check out my sauces in this link here 🙂 https://promotown.info/soy-sauce/%3C/a%3E N x
Not the third ingredient in the Honey Garlic sauce, third ingredient at the beginning, its in with the olive oil! A little confusing.
I made this several weeks ago and my adult son said, “now that’s the way I wish pork roast was always made!”. Making again for Easter. Thanks for a great recipe!
I made this last night. SO GOOD. Super moist and really easy to put together. Thank you. Anytime I try one of your recipes they are always fantastic. thank you
I made this last night. SO GOOD. Super moist and really easy to put together. Thank you. Anytime I try one of your recipes they are always fantastic. thank you
Whole family loved it.
Ok i see where the garlic sneaks into the sauce now 🙂
I see no garlic in the ingredients of the honey garlic sauce. That’s a puzzle.
Look again! Third in list