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
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
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….😂
That was so insanely good. Absolute restaurant quality and one I will make for company. Thank you again Nagi for another beautiful recipe
First time with this recipe and as an inexperienced cook, I didn’t expect it to turn out so very well.
Will serve to our guests next time.
Thanks,
Paul
Made this for dinner tonight, Absolutely restaurant quality. So quick and easy. Served with Wok veggies in sweet chilli and oyster sauce. Thanks Nagi
Made this today. It was absolutely delicious. You never disappoint Nagi. Will definitely be making this again and again.
Thank you for sharing your recipes❤
Perfectly done
Made this for tea 31/07/23 OMG it was absolutely amazing 😋😋 me and my son really enjoyed it and will be having it again soon thanks for sharing your recipe nagi 😊😊
I’ve just made this. It was delicious and I will be making it again tgankyou
OMG Gob smacking deliciousness!!
Will definitely make again. I also plan to try the rub & sauce with chicken thighs & shrimp. On first bite I thought I might take it up a notch & add a few chili pepper flakes, but as I continued eating it already had a pleasant little kick to it. My husband took seconds, so that is always a good sign. Thank you for sharing. This is one recipe that tastes as good as it looks.
I made this last night for dinner and it was delicious! So simple to make and we all loved it. Another great dish to add into our rotation and one that I would proudly prepare for company (which for me is always a sign of a winner dinner!).
Oh my goodness, this recipe is amazing, super simple, tasty and very affordable to make! My 3 young kids ate it with absolutely no complaints.
This dish was so tasty. Such a delicious way to cook pork. My husband and I both loved it, and my fussy eater gave it a 10 out of 10. Served with mash potatoes and beans. Yum!! Thanks Nagi for another amazing recipe!!
Cooked this for my wife’s birthday dinner. Total success. Not only did it cook exactly as shown on the webpage, it tasted delicious, We have visitors coming next week and I’m cooking this for them.
A wonderful recipe and a wonderful website. Thanks
Everything about this dish was wonderful; the flavour, texture and the blushing pinkness. The best part about it is that it was so quick and easy to make. I usually stay away from tenderloins. They always came out hard and dry. But I took the challenge putting my faith in Nagi’s words and it was an eye opening experience. Thank you for another great recipe.
Very tasty but the ingredients for the sauce need to be doubled or even tripled as there was very little sauce to pour over both loins
We love pork but hubby hasn’t been able to eat it the past two years. He’s been on chemo and it makes all meats taste like chemicals, pork being the worst offender. I’ve had to be creative in cooking. Most things I’ve been able to come up with a few ways that he can eat except for pork, until now. This dish was a hit! He loved it and said he didn’t notice any chemical taste at all. Thank you so much!
Served this for the family followed by your chocolate cream pie. It’s now our new favourite. I can usually find something to criticise about the meals I serve but this turned out so fantastic, I was speechless (for which my family thanks you.) So tender, so juicy, so fast to prepare….and the sauce is the nicest I’ve ever had. Thanks, Nagi. Another triumph!
Hi Nagi,
I’ve made so many of your wonderful recipes and always check your website first when looking for a new recipes. Ive bought all the basics you said so I’m always ready to put something together But mostly at first I followed you because my dog was also named Dozer a golden that I loved but Im hook on your food thank you for sharing all these great recipes and dozers life
Was exactly what I expected from the recipe. Great meal! Thank you for posting.
Absolutely delicious recipe. Hubby doesn’t like pork but he devoured this along with my 3yr old. So tender and flavoursome. Thanks Nagi xx