Name: Juiciest Pork Tenderloin
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes, plus at least 1 hour marinating
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 2 1–1½-lb. pork tenderloins; 3 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 2¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, divided; 2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper; 2 Tbsp. thyme leaves; 4 garlic cloves; ¼ cup apple cider vinegar; ¼ cup Dijon mustard; ¼ cup honey; 1 tsp. onion powder; ½ tsp. red pepper flakes; 2 Tbsp. neutral oil (such as grapeseed)

Active Time
20 minutes
Total Time
35 minutes, plus at least 1 hour marinating

The best method for truly juicy pork tenderloin is to first pan-sear it and then finish it in the oven. A lean cut like this can become very dry if overcooked, so the move is to go hot and fast—which also means dinner is ready in about half an hour if you’ve marinated the pork earlier in the day. A big batch of a tangy-sweet mixture of honey, mustard, and apple cider vinegar gets split in half to serve as both marinade and sauce in this simple recipe. The honey helps create a nice crust on the meat in a shorter amount of time. Grab an instant-read thermometer—it’s a great tool to take the guesswork out of cooking perfectly done pork.

This pork tenderloin recipe serves six; it’s ideal for a dinner party, served alongside a big green salad and some roasted potatoes. But it can also easily be halved for a weeknight dinner for two or three.

Ingredients

6 servings

2 1–1½-lb. pork tenderloins

3 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 2¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, divided

2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 Tbsp. thyme leaves

4 garlic cloves

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

¼ cup Dijon mustard

¼ cup honey

1 tsp. onion powder

½ tsp. red pepper flakes

2 Tbsp. neutral oil (such as grapeseed)

Step 1
Season two 1–1½-lb. pork tenderloins all over with 2½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 2 tsp. Morton kosher salt and 2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper and transfer to a large bowl or resealable bag. Add 2 Tbsp. thyme leaves and finely grate 4 garlic cloves over the pork.
Step 2
Mix ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, ¼ cup Dijon mustard, ¼ cup honey, 1 tsp. onion powder, and ½ tsp. red pepper flakes in a small bowl until just combined. Season with remaining ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt. Pour half of honey-mustard sauce over pork and turn to coat. Reserve remaining honey-mustard sauce for serving. Cover or seal bag and let marinate, refrigerated, for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
Step 3
Preheat oven to 425°.
Step 4
Heat 2 Tbsp. neutral oil (such as grapeseed) in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Remove pork from marinade and let excess drip off. Sear pork, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, 6–8 minutes.
Step 5
Transfer skillet to oven and roast, flipping pork halfway through, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 140°, 14–18 minutes. Transfer pork to a cutting board and let rest at least 5 minutes before slicing ½” thick. Serve drizzled with reserved honey-mustard sauce.

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Reviews (14)

Wonderful, juicy pork recipe! I followed another commenters advice and used Maple Syrup. I served it with cauliflower puree and roasted butternut squash. Wonderful mid-winter dish!
- Sarah
- 2/20/2023
I've just simmer the sauce and let slices there before I served. Great recipe! thank you
- Maru Rangel
- Ciudad de México, México
- 1/13/2023
Use MAPLE SYRUP instead of honey. AMAZING!!
- Anonymous
- Canaan, NY
- 1/12/2023
Simple to make and DELICIOUS!
- Anonymous
- Okanagan Falls BC
- 10/21/2022
I'll definitely try this, but my spice-rubbed grilled tenderloin is also perfect every time...4 minutes a side, turn 4 times, let rest for 10 minutes - delish!
- Julie P.
- Alamo, CA
- 10/1/2022
This is the best pork tenderloin recipe ever!! We followed the directions for the mustard marinade and sear/roast method. My husband is great with the grill, so we actually did all of this outside. A screaming hot cast iron skillet is the best tool ever. Letting it rest is essential. TENDER!!! NOT DRY!!! Absolutely delicious. We had it first warm with potatoes/onions done in foil on the grill. We had it again on soft rolls with some of the cold marinade (the part that you set aside for drizzling on your meat after cooking). We will use this method again. Thank you!!
- TeeLynch
- Elgin, IL
- 9/28/2022
delicious!
- Anonymous
- 5/10/2023
Subbed the tenderloin with pork chops, turned out great
- JF
- Queens, NY
- 2/5/2023
We found this too sweet for our taste. Won’t make it again.
- Anonymous
- Burnaby BC
- 1/10/2023