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If you’re craving a dinner that feels restaurant-worthy but is secretly so simple to make, this baked teriyaki pork tenderloin is about to become your new go-to. Juicy, tender pork is marinated, seared, and oven-baked in a rich, sticky homemade teriyaki sauce that’s perfectly sweet, savory, and totally irresistible.
This is one of those foolproof recipes you can rely on for busy weeknights or impressing guests—no complicated techniques, just tried-and-true steps that deliver consistently delicious results every time.
Don’t want all the extras in a recipe post? We provide a skip to recipe button in the top left corner, as well as a clickable table of contents, just below, to help make this page easier to navigate.
At Sweet C’s, I add lots of tips in all of my recipes – because I am a home cook without any formal training, and I find I am more confident making dishes when I understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. My goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.
Table of Contents
How To Bake Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin
This recipe is based off our insanely popular Baked Pork Tenderloin recipe – it has almost 3,000 five star reviews, making it the top reviewed recipe on Sweet Cs Designs (and one of the best rated pork tenderloin recipes on the internet!) While this recipe is similar, we recommend making that one first to get all the awesome info we have packed in if this is your first time baking pork tenderloin.
Baked Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin Ingredients
Making pork tenderloin is super simple, but there are a few steps to help get perfect results, ever time.
- Pork Tenderloin: The star of the dish; it’s lean, tender, and takes well to marinades.
- Celtic Sea Salt: A mineral-rich salt that enhances the natural flavors of the pork and balances the sweetness of the teriyaki sauce.
- Olive Oil: Helps in searing the pork and adds a layer of richness.
- Sesame Seeds: Adds a nutty crunch, enhancing both the flavor and presentation.
- Fresh Chopped Cilantro or Parsley: Adds a fresh, herbal element that contrasts the rich, salty teriyaki sauce.
- Honey: Adds natural sweetness (skip for keto).
- Soy Sauce: The base of teriyaki sauce, providing depth and saltiness. For keto, use coconut aminos.
- Rice Wine Vinegar: Adds acidity to balance the sweetness and saltiness.
- Garlic, Minced: Provides a robust, earthy flavor.
- Ginger, Minced: Adds a spicy, aromatic kick, typical of teriyaki dishes.
- Brown Sugar: Enhances sweetness and caramelization (skip for keto).
- Sesame Oil: Adds a toasty, nutty aroma, rounding out the teriyaki flavor.
- Sriracha Sauce: For those who like a little heat, sriracha adds a spicy dimension.
Steps to Make Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin
Marinate
In a small bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, sesame oil, and sriracha. Mix well with a wire whisk. Save half and use half to marinate the pork.
Brown
Remove tenderloin from marinade (discard the marinade pork was in) and rub it with the celtic sea salt and pepper. Brown pork tenderloin on all sides – about 2-3 minutes per side.
Wrap
Cover with remaining sauce and wrap in foil. Baking in foil helps to add steam to cook your pork more evenly and quickly, locking in moisture, and keeping your pork melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
Bake and Rest
Bake at 350 degrees. Don’t overcook pork – remove from oven at 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Let pork continue to cook to 145 degrees after removing from oven and let it rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Tips and Tricks to Perfect Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin
Thicken sauce after cooking. This teriyaki is NOT designed to be super thick like a gravy – but you can pour it off from the baking sheet into a small pan with some instant cornstarch and simmer to thicken into a rich, thick sauce to spoon over your tenderloin if you’d like!
Pork can be pink. Pork might look a little pink when fully cooked – this is ok! As long as your pork has reached 145 degrees it has reached a temperature where it is deemed safe to eat and free from food-borne illness, so do not go off color of pork as we used to in the old days. Pink in pork has nothing to do with risk – if it is at a safe temperature, it is safe to eat!
Go off temperature, not time. Again, always go off your thermometer – measuring the middle of the thickest part of your tenderloin – to judge doneness instead of going off time on the clock or color of the meat.
Marinate Longer: For best flavor, marinate the pork tenderloin for at least 4 hours, or overnight if possible.
Searing is Key: Searing the pork in a hot pan before baking locks in flavors and gives it a nice crust. Use high heat and a little oil for this step.
Check Internal Temp: Pork tenderloin can dry out quickly. Aim for an internal temp of 145°F (63°C) to keep it juicy.
Rest the Meat: Let the pork rest for about 5-10 minutes after baking. This allows the juices to redistribute, making it moist and tender.
Sauce on the Side: If you’re worried about the sauce burning in the oven, you can cook it separately on the stovetop and then pour it over the meat when serving.
Keto Adjustments: If you’re going keto, use coconut aminos in place of soy sauce and skip the honey and brown sugar. You can use a keto-friendly sweetener like stevia if you still want a touch of sweetness.
Ginger and Garlic: Fresh is best for maximum flavor. Mince them finely for better distribution in the sauce.
What To Serve With Pork Tenderloin
If you’re looking for a delicious, easy, and crowd pleasing side, we’re sharing some of our favorite dishes to go along with a pork tenderloin below.
Serve this pork dinner up with air fryer french fries, a delicious BLT salad, some buttery soft dinner rolls, a quick and easy rice pilaf, or some quick and easy broccolini for a dinner everyone will love!
We love serving this pork tenderloin with rice pilaf, roasted onions, cheesy khachapuri, or grilled bok choy.
Try these sides:
You can find our complete side dish recipe index here.
You can find our entire pork tenderloin recipe archives here.
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Best Baked Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
- 2 lb pork tenderloin
- 2 teaspoons celtic sea salt
- fresh cracked pepper, to taste
For the Marinade
- 2 tablespoons honey, keto version, please skip
- ½ cup soy sauce, keto version, please use coconut aminos
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar, keto version, please skip
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1-2 teaspoons sesame seeds, to garnish
- fresh chopped cilantro or parsley, to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a small bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, sesame oil, and sriracha. Mix well with a wire whisk.
- Place pork tenderloin in a plastic bag or large, shallow dish.
- Pour half marinade over pork. Reserve other half for cooking.
- Cover with plastic wrap and marinate at least 20 minutes, up to overnight. (Please refrigerate if marinating over 20 minutes.)
- Heat olive oil in a large nonstick pan.
- Remove tenderloin from marinade (discard the marinade pork was in) and rub it with the celtic sea salt and pepper. Brown pork tenderloin on all sides – about 2-3 minutes per side.
- When pork has browned, remove from pan and place on a large piece of foil on a baking sheet.
- Add reserved marinade to top of pork.
- Fold foil into pouch.
- Bake 20-25 minutes, until pork tenderloin is 140 degrees internal temperature in the middle of the thickest part.
- Remove pork at 140 degrees and leave in foil to carryover cook to 145 degrees as it rests for 10 minutes.
- Slice after 10 minutes, garnish with sesame seeds, parsley and sauce from the pan, and enjoy!
- If you would like a thicker sauce, you may drain sauce from pan and heat in pan on stove with 1 tablespoon instant cornstarch to thicken (the kind you don't need to mix with water before adding to recipes is my preference), then spoon over sliced pork!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Asian Pork Tenderloin FAQs
What temperature should I cook pork at?
This recipe calls for baking pork at 350 degrees in a foil pouch.
While this is lower than many roast pork recipes, it works with the pouch to keep your pork from drying out and staying tender and juicy!
Pork can be slightly pink and fully safe to eat as long as it has reached 145 degrees internal temperature.
Pork needs to reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees to remove the risk of foodborne illness, but this will sometimes still have a light pink color.
Pork tenderloin can be reheated in a foil pouch, baked in the oven at 350 degrees until it reached 140 degrees F.
It can also be pan fried with a little butter, or microwaved, to reheat.
If your tenderloin has a large silver skin you may remove it, however, this method will give you tender pork regardless.
You can add a cornstarch slurry (1 tbsp cornstarch + 1 tbsp cold water) to thicken it up.
Yes, but cooking time and tenderness may vary. Pork loin is usually larger and less tender.
Apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar can be decent substitutes.
Absolutely! Grilling will give it a nice smoky flavor. Just watch for flare-ups from the marinade.
At least 4 hours is ideal, but overnight will give the most flavor.
Sure, but homemade allows you to control the ingredients and adjust for dietary needs.
It can be! Use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce and omit the honey and brown sugar.
I love this recipe and have used many a times but never toss the marinade yet pour it over top of the pork with the reserved marinade. What is your reason for tossing the used marinade?
Glad you enjoyed it!
By why do you toss the used marinade?
When it has been in contact with raw meat for such a long time it can be a source of harmful bacteria to reuse it or pour it over rice etc.
There’s no instruction as to when or where to add the “celtic sea salt” or “fresh cracked pepper”!
Thank you for letting me know there was an issue. The salt and pepper should be rubbed all over the tenderloin after it is removed from the marinade and before browning it in the pan. I have updated, the recipe, thanks again.
Thanks, Courtney! You answered my salt/pepper question in time for me to make it last October. I’m making it for dinner again tonight. I guess that will tell you that we really enjoyed it the last time. It is easy, but pays off with big flavor. This recipe has become a fast fav.
Oven temp missing!
Woops! Thank you for pointing this out, I have fixed it in the recipe card, the correct temp is 350 degrees.
What oven temperature should I use? I must have missed it somewhere.
350 degrees, sorry it took me so long to respond, I have updated the recipe card, thank you for noting it was missing!
Ohh too much text. It should not be a poem. It sould be a recepie.
Thats why there is a “skip to recipe” button up top. Some people like extra help with recipes, some don’t.
The Baked Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin was as advertised … moist, tender and delicious .. as well as easy. One thing flummoxed me for a minute … the oven temperature did not seem to be included in the recipe, but I found it in the recipe FAQs. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes, thank you for this quick and delicious pork tenderloin.