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Perfect Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Apples
Our perfect roasted pork tenderloin recipe guarantees juicy, fork-tender pork. If that’s not enough, the pork is roasted on top of a bed of apples, onions, and herbs. Delicious! Jump to the Pork Tenderloin Recipe
How to Make Perfectly Roasted Pork Tenderloin
There’s no need for dry overcooked pork tenderloin! With our simple method for cooking pork tenderloin, you will be rewarded with tender, flavorful pork. Based on all the reviews (see them below), you guys love this recipe! So let’s learn how to make it, shall we?
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Pork tenderloin is quite lean with almost no fat. So keeping it moist and juicy inside can be tricky. That is unless you know a few secrets:
Before roasting, we always sear our pork tenderloins on all sides first. To do this, we pat the pork dry, rub with a little oil, and then season with salt. Throw it into a hot pan and sear all sides until golden brown, which adds color and lots of flavor. We do this with other proteins, too. Take a look at our Easy Lemon Chicken Thighs, before baking them in the oven, we sear them first.
Be careful not to overcook the tenderloins. We know that sounds obvious, but we’ve all been served overcooked (and dry) pork tenderloin, right? Here’s the deal. Keep your oven temperature high (we go for a 425-degree oven). Then roast the pork for 15 to 20 minutes.
When Is Pork Tenderloin Cooked?
We cook our pork — wether we are making tenderloin or pork chops — until an internal thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers between 145 and 150 degrees F (63 and 65 degrees C).
That guarantees that the pork will be juicy inside. It also means the meat will be slightly pink in the middle, which we don’t mind at all. If you’re not a fan of the pink, cook a little longer, but be careful not to overdo it.
What to Serve With Pork Tenderloin
This pork tenderloin is so flavorful, you don’t need much extra effort to turn it into a full meal. Here are a few of our favorite side dishes to serve with it:
- Mashed potatoes — Try our favorite mashed potato recipe
- Low Carb Mashed Cauliflower — Here’s our mashed cauliflower recipe
- Roasted vegetables — I love this cinnamon roasted butternut squash or these easy roasted veggies
- Salad — Try our herb potato salad, this apple salad with celery and fennel or this mayo-free cilantro lime coleslaw salad
- Rice or Low Carb Cauliflower Rice — We love this garlic herb cauliflower rice
More Easy Pork Recipes
Best, Juicy Skillet Pork Chops — Say goodbye to dry and flavorless pork chops.
Easy Oven Baked Pork Chops — With a few simple tricks, you can make juicy and tender pork chops in the oven with very little fuss.
Quick and Easy Ground Pork Tacos — Thanks to ground pork, these easy pork tacos come together fast. You can even make the filling in advance.
Ultimate Slow Cooker Pulled Pork — How to make the best pulled pork in the slow cooker that’s perfect for sandwiches, salads, and tacos.
Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Peppers and Onions — The pork tastes amazing and we add even more flavor by roasting it in the oven on top of a bed of sautéed onions and peppers.
Recipe updated, originally posted February 2013. Since posting this in 2013, we have tweaked the recipe to be more clear and added a quick recipe video. – Adam and Joanne
Perfect Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Apples
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
The trick to flavorful and moist pork tenderloin is to sear the pork before roasting. In our recipe, the pork is seared and then is baked on top a bed of apples and onions. Most often, you will find that pork tenderloins are sold in packages with two tenderloins. One tenderloin should generously serve 2 people and most likely serve 3.
One note, “pork tenderloins” and “pork loin” are two different cuts of meat. Pork tenderloins are much thinner and take less time to cook.
Makes 6 Servings
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
2 pork tenderloins (about 1 1/2-pounds each)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more as needed
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, plus more as needed
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 apples, cored and sliced (we like Granny Smith, Golden Delicious or Braeburn)
2 onions, sliced
1 cup chicken stock, see our homemade chicken stock recipe
1 tablespoon butter
Directions
- Prepare Pork
- Prepare Apples and Onions
- To Finish
Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Trim each tenderloin of any silver skin (this can be tough when cooked). To do this, use a small sharp knife and slide the blade under and outward to remove it.
Pat pork dry with paper towels and then rub with one tablespoon of the oil and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a heavy-bottomed oven-safe skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot and shimmers, add the pork tenderloins and cook, occasionally turning, until evenly browned all over; about 12 minutes. Transfer to a large plate or cutting board. (The pork will not be cooked through).
Keep the pan used to sear the pork on the stove over medium heat. Check the pan, if it looks dry, add two to three teaspoons of additional oil. (If there is fat left in the pan from cooking the pork, there is no need to add extra oil).
Add the apples and onions then cook, occasionally stirring, until lightly browned around edges, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 teaspoon of thyme.
Use a pastry brush (or use your fingers) to rub the seared pork all over with the mustard, 2 teaspoons of thyme, and the black pepper. Place the seared pork tenderloins on top of the apples and onions, and then slide into the oven.
Roast 10 to 15 minutes or until an internal thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers between 145 and 150 degrees F. Transfer the pork to a large plate and cover with aluminum foil. Let rest about 10 minutes.
While the pork rests, place the pan with apples and onions back onto the stove and turn heat to medium. Add chicken stock and use a wooden spoon to scrape the pan, lifting any brown bits from the bottom. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced by half. Add butter and stir until melted.
To serve, slice pork into 1-inch slices then serve on a bed of the apples and onions with pan sauce drizzled on top.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Side Dish Suggestions: You cannot go wrong with the classics like Our Favorite Homemade Mashed Potatoes or Cinnamon Roasted Butternut Squash.
- Update: Some reviewers felt the apples became a little too soft in this recipe. We don’t mind it since they turn into a lovely sauce, but if you are concerned, try cooking the apples and onions separately to the pork — just use two pans. This way you can roast the pork until done, while at the same time cooking the apples and onions until you’re happy with their texture — possibly a few minutes less than stated above.
- Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA Supertracker recipe calculator to calculate approximate values.
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste
Nutrition Per Serving: Calories 293 / Protein 35 g / Carbohydrate 10 g / Dietary Fiber 2 g / Total Sugars 6 g / Total Fat 12 g / Saturated Fat 4 g / Cholesterol 101 mg
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Delicious. I halved the recipe. Cut the tenderloin in half and browned in cast iron. Added a little dry muscatel wine and flour to the apple and onion and fresh thyme sauce. sauce. Served with Italian potato croquettes and salad. Huge hit. Will be a regular dish now. Might even use the second pork tenderloin tomorrow as it was so perfect.
I made this recipe tonight. It was done in a snap and turned out delicious. Had a bit of a problem removing the silver skin, probably because the knife wasn’t sharp enough. Seasoned with salt and pepper as suggested and seared the two pieces in a cast iron skillet. Added the apples and onions, placed on low while I prep the pork for the oven. Seasoned with Rosemary, Thyme, Sage and Garlic. Did the same, but lightly to the apples and onions. Pork went back over the vegs in the skillet and into the oven for exactly 10 minutes. Removed and covered everything with foil. Instead of a pan sauce made a gravy using 1/3 chicken broth, 1/3 cider and 1/3 wine. Used Wondra flour to thicken. It came out perfect to serve over the pork, apples, onions and baked potatoes. The gravy was good, but a bit on the sweet side. Next time will use less cider. Thanks for the tips.
So delicious! Perfect combination, the apple sauce definitely compliments the pork. I added a little butter for an extra creamy taste. Thank you for sharing this!
MMMMMmmm YUMMY! I bought pork Tenderloin for the first time recently for a recipe and used only half in case I did not like it. So I tried your recipe for the 2nd piece. OMG this was Delish, easy-peasy and sooo elegant for a Sunday dinner. My boyfriend interrupted a phone-call to rush into the kitchen to see what smelled so good. He hasn’t had a souvlaki in a year due to CoVid, and it really did smell like a Greek Taverna, due to the browning and the thyme. Definitely going onto regular roatation! Leftovers very good the next day, or cut into pieces for a sandwich or rice dish. Stuffed into pita with tomatoes, cukes & Tsatziki. Great job at inspiring us!
Excellent! I’ve had that pork tenderloin for awhile. I wanted something other than honey and garlic. this was fantastic.
When roasting the loin/apple/onion, should the roasting pan be lidded?
No, we keep the roasting pan uncovered.
I made this dish last night for my husband who is not sure about eating fruit with meat. He absolutely loved it as did I. I highly recommend this for anyone who wants a comfort food type dish. It takes less than 30 min to make and you look like you’ve slaved for hours.
I tried the Prefect Pork Roast with the apples for the first time for my client’s and they loved it was tender and juicy made the dripping sauce. Put it over the slices of Pork, Apples and onions returned it to the oven for about 2 minutes. Served with Au Gratin potatoes and fresh steamed carrots with butter and honey. It was a hit out the park. Will make it again.
Tender and super delicious! I added some moscatel (sweet wine) and a teaspoon of sour cream to the sauce and served green beans as a side dish. We absolutely loved it.
PS: still very tender at 155 degrees, I was nervous about the prospect of pink.
The title says it all. This is our favorite pork loin recipe. So easy but sooooo delicious.
Hi all, tried this recipe last night, came out really good and is easy, followed the directions except 1. used 1 tsp butter with some evo to saute apples, onions 2. used one tenderloin, one med onion, three apples and 3. added some chicken broth to pan while in oven with pork on top of apples and onions (not covering apples, onions)(basted pork apples once will cooking). No further cooking after pork was done. Used sweet apples from trader joes that have used before and know hold up very well for cooking (do not get mushy!).