Juicy Roasted Pork Tenderloin

Our perfect roasted pork tenderloin 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!

Watch the Video

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Apples Recipe Video

Related: We love this juicy pork tenderloin with peppers and onions

How to Make Perfectly Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Apples

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? By the way, if you love the combination of apples and onions with pork, take a look at our cheesy apple stuffed pork chops!

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.

Perfect Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Apples

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.

Cooking pork tenderloin in cast iron pan

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:

Perfect Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Apples

Juicy Roasted Pork Tenderloin

  • 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
  • 1Heat 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.Pork Tenderloin Step 1

    2Pat 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).

  • Prepare Apples and Onions
  • 1Keep 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).

    2Add the apples and onions then cook, occasionally stirring, until lightly browned around edges, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 teaspoon of thyme.

  • To Finish
  • 1Use 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.

    2Roast 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.

    3While 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.

    4To 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
AUTHOR:  Adam and Joanne Gallagher
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505 comments… Leave a Review
  • Inspired cook September 25, 2023, 7:30 pm

    I’ve never left a review for a recipe before but this one was too good. We just went apple picking & found your recipe as I was searching for things to do with all these apples. I did add a little heavy cream to the apples & onions at the end to make the sauce a little creamy. This was delicious.
    Thank you

    Reply
    • Adam September 25, 2023, 8:51 pm

      Yay! We are so thrilled that you loved it and took the time to come back to let us know. That really means a lot to us 🙂

      Reply
  • Judy June 26, 2023, 9:40 pm

    This recipe was delicious and very easy. It’s one I’ll turn to regularly. Great for company as well!

    Reply
  • Sharon January 24, 2023, 10:46 am

    Excellent, easy and delicious recipe!

    Reply
    • Joanne January 24, 2023, 2:24 pm

      That’s wonderful, Sharon. Thanks for coming back and letting us know.

      Reply
  • Jim Pollock December 1, 2022, 1:01 pm

    Tried your recipe on November 30, 2022. Put a splash of cognac in the apples and onions at the initial cooking stage and that seemed to provide enough liquid for the sauce, so I didn’t add the full measure of chicken stock. Perhaps I didn’t brown the tenderloin as long as recipe would like, just until I got a nice crust all over, but that entailed a little longer in the oven. Thermometer provided a good gauge on doneness, however, and meat was still pink and juicy. Very nice dish. Thank you.

    Reply
  • Emmie February 22, 2022, 10:35 pm

    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.

    Reply
  • Susan January 20, 2022, 10:19 pm

    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.

    Reply
  • Nicole January 1, 2022, 10:36 am

    Such a hit! My kiddos normally complain about meat dishes. They inhaled this and asked for more. Added thin potato slices to the dish, and substituted beef stock for chicken (didn’t have any). Still delish!

    Reply

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