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….😂
Suzanne says
Loved this. Never cooked this cut before and the soy, garlic and cider vinegar sauce is amazing. Amazing meal ready in half an hour
Mike C says
Love this recipe, so easy to do.
First time I followed exactly and served with the cauliflower and potatoes.
Hope you don’t mind but…………………………………………………Second time I used Chinese 5 spice for the rub and replace half the honey with Hoisin sauce, served with rice and stir fried veggies.
Either way is delicious:)
Nagi says
Sounds fab Mike!! N x
Dustin says
Very tasty!!
Bec says
Hi Nagi. Is blushing pink pork safe to eat? I always thought it had to be fully cooked through?
Julie Craig says
YES…”blushing” is an ideal way to describe it! I learned this about 20 years ago from my Dad! My Mom used to cook it til gray all the way through!
Cindy Jones says
I absolutely love all of your recipes. Your pork tenderloin with honey garlic sauce is great. I have a recipe that uses garlic, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar and soy sauce reduced down in a small pot on the stove. I cook the pork in a slow cooker rubbed with ground sage. the sauce is so delicious and pork is so tender and juicy. The sauce can be used on chicken and salmon as well.
Diane says
Really delicious!
Unfortunately I put my frypan in the oven then pulled it out without oven gloves! 😬
Nagi says
We’ve all done is Diane!!! I hope you’re ok!!! N x
Humberto Martinez says
Sorry, i did not read the recipe carefully
Humberto Martinez says
Yor recipe does not specify the amount of garlic you have to add to the soy garlic sauce
Barbara Gladney says
Thanks for this – really delicious!
Erin Barres says
Delicious and relatively quick to make. My family loved it and are already asking me to make it again. A keeper for sure!! Served with mashed potatoes and a salad (apple, dill and walnuts with mixed greens). Yum!
Julie says
I have cooked this a few times, one of my favs and so easy
Nagi I love love 💕 seeing Dozer he is so sweet
AB says
I’ve made this many times and it’s always a hit. Friends I’ve shared this recipe with love it too. Perfect over mashed potatoes.
Bob says
Question; I have a 1500 degree grill/salamander . Can I sear them on the cast iron griddle let them rest then finish them in the salamander about 3” below the heat source?
Megui says
I tried this recipe, but instead of 150gr I put only 80gr of honey because I was worried it would turn out very sweet for my taste, and the sauce came out perfect! Had a few problems with the cooking time, 15 minutes wasnt enough. It was in the oven for at least 30-35 minutes until fully cooked.
Oh and i added some mushrooms in the sauce, the combination was very good
Maria says
So glad when I typed in ‘pork fillet recipe’ and this came up first 🙂 Replaced soy sauce with some salt and dash of fish sauce and turned out so tasty. Thank you again, Nagi. Life saver.
Judy says
I made the pork tenderloin with the honey. This was the best pork tenderloin recipe I’ve ever had. It was absolutely delicious. Couldn’t stop eating it.
Colleen says
Delicious! I messed up a little on the sauce and cooked my pork in it, but it turned out perfect. My husband doesn’t like his pork pink so I cooked it about twenty five minutes and kept turning the pork over in the sauce. Not dry at all! Maybe it’s a no fail recipe. Thanks.
Paula says
I made this tonight for dinner and it was absolutely delicious. Simple ingredients put together beautifully.
Nagi says
I’m so happy you enjoyed it Paula, thanks so much for letting me know!! N x
Lisa says
This is now a family favourite. The kids request it whenever we have pork fillet, absolutely love it and have even got some friends on to it too.
Susannah says
If you ably have dark soy sauce, will it still be okay to use. Would you just use less?