Tender, juicy, delicious and delicious with a crunchy crust – the best baked pork tenderloin recipe ever has loads of garlic butter flavor baked to perfection in less than 40 minutes!
This dish comes together in under an hour – great for meal prep for weekday lunches, and makes amazing leftovers for a healthy, low carb keto or paleo diet eating plan, too!
Here at Sweet C’s, we have lots of types of readers – those who like to get straight to the recipe, and those who would like more information, including tips and tricks to feeling more comfortable in the kitchen.
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.
Table of contents
Baked Pork Tenderloin
One of my favorite easy recipes has always been an easy baked pork tenderloin – it is hearty, rich and delicious, super easy to make, and so delicious.
This is a great recipe to try if you’ve never cooked pork before, as it is perfect for even beginner home cooks – though the flavor is rich enough to please even those with a lot of experience cooking!
Pork tenderloin is a great dinner to serve for family dinners, is great for keto diets and picky eaters, and is a healthy option that will fill you up with fresh flavor.
This recipe has been one of the top rated on the internet for some time now – with close to 3 thousand five star reviews! It’s no secret why- this method brings perfect, tender, juicy pork that is easy to whip up and melt in your mouth delicious.
We’re going to quickly pan sear and then pop it into the oven where it cozies up to the most amazing garlic butter seasoning – making it’s own gravy right in the pan. This dinner is naturally gluten and grain free, and is also naturally low-carb. For a slightly sweeter kick, check out my Teriyaki Baked Pork Tenderloin recipe.
You can also find some of our favorite pork recipes – like our garlic pork chops, air fryer pork chops, crunchy baked pulled pork, slow cooker pork steaks, and more in our complete pork recipe archives.
How to Bake Pork Tenderloin
Since tenderloin is a cut of meat that has very little fat, it can become tough very quickly when overcooked – I’m providing my best tips and tricks to bake the perfect dinner, every single time you make it.
- Extra virgin olive oil – olive oil is a great lightly flavored fat that is perfect for browning pork tenderloin in before baking. Since pork tenderloin doesn’t have much fat, it is helpful to add oil to a pan to help brown it quickly without cooking through, so it can get a sear on all sides before going into the oven, for the best color and extra caramelized flavor!
- Celtic sea salt and fresh cracked pepper – I find using a high quality celtic sea salt not only improves the flavor of foods, but doesn’t have as high a sodium content as table salt, even though it often has a “saltier” flavor. More intense salty taste, with less sodium. Likewise, we prefer using freshly cracked pepper for the most intense and flavorful heat from peppercorns.
- Pork tenderloin – pork tenderloin is a fabulous low carb, lower fat meat that has a classic pork flavor and juicy texture when baked – the meat is easy to pair with other dishes, doesn’t contain much fat or gristle for picky eaters to fuss over, and is easy to prepare for beginners.
- Butter – butter helps to add flavor and fat to this recipe by acting as a baste for our pork as it cooks in foil after browning, and mixes with pork’s juices and herbs to create a rich delicious garlic butter sauce that is great drizzled over sliced pork tenderloin when it is done cooking.
- Garlic – garlic has a pungeant, earthy flavor that is a nice addition to pork’s light flavor, making it meatier, and giving a richer, more developed flavor.
- Basil*
- Oregano*
- Thyme*
- Parsley*
- Sage*
- *OR 2 tbsp Italian Herb Seasoning Blend – you can mix your own Italian Herbs or use pre-mixed herbs, fresh or dried, to flavor pork. Since pork has a light flavor, we’re going with classic Italian herbs that won’t overpower the pork and make a lovely sauce when mixed with butter as pork bakes.
Once you’ve gathered all of your ingredients, we’re going to follow this method:
- Prep. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil. In a small bowl, combine garlic, basil, oregano, thyme, parsley, and sage. Set aside. Generously season meat with salt and pepper.
- Sear. In a large pan, heat oil until shimmery. Add to pan, and cook on all sides until dark golden brown.
- Bake. Transfer to baking sheet. Generously coat with herb mix. Place pats of butter on top of the pork. Wrap in foil, bake until meat is 145 degrees internally at the widest, thickest part of the tenderloin (about 25 minutes.)
- Rest. When pork has come to temperature, remove and let rest, tented with foil, for at least five minutes to lock in juices.
- Enjoy! Slice against the grain and serve immediately.
Tips and Tricks to Bake Perfect Pork Tenderloin & FAQs
These tips for how to cook tenderloin in the oven will help you get a perfect dinner, no matter what herbs or marinades you use with it!
Pork loin vs tenderloin. I get a lot of questions on this recipe on whether to use a tenderloin or loin – and what the difference is between tenderloin and loin since they are similar cuts from the pig, and can both be used in this recipe. The two cuts are from similar areas (off the back of the pig), and are both leaner and respond to the same cooking methods, but a tenderloin is much longer and skinnier than a loin.
- Loins tend to be much fatter, much heavier, and over 3 lbs – while a tenderloin will be longer, skinnier, and around 1-2 pounds.
- For this recipe, I am calling for a Pork Tenderloin – but a loin will also work with the modification for time below. If you’re going for a one-pot pork loin dinner, please check out my knockout Garlic Herb Butter Pork Loin and Potatoes recipe!
- To make this recipe with a loin, which is larger and thicker than a tenderloin, continue with the recipe exactly as called for below, but plan on an additional 20-30 minutes (this will vary depending on your loin – I always advocate for cooking off temperature, rather than time, when cooking meat, but this time-frame should help you plan your dinner around.)
How to store leftovers. If you love this easy recipe, but can’t eat it all, never fear – it is beautiful and delicious as leftovers.
- In the fridge. Place all leftovers in an airtight container and keep in refrigerator for up to three days.
- In the freezer. To freeze so you can eat later, place in a plastic bag or wrap in plastic wrap and keep in freezer for up to three months. Try to freeze in small batches – ideally, you will freeze in individual servings, or the amount you will need to reheat. If you freeze a large tenderloin and go to thaw and reheat it, you shouldn’t freeze again afterwards – so try to freeze only as much as you will be eating again when reheating in each freezer bag.
How To Reheat Leftovers. Let frozen leftovers thaw naturally in the refrigerator overnight, and bake at 350, wrapped in foil, until piping hot when ready to serve. If reheating from the refrigerator, bake at 350 in a foil pouch until piping hot. You can also pan-fry slices of pork tenderloin in a bit of butter or olive oil – simply cook on medium until very hot – and serve.
Marinate before cooking. Marinating or brining a tenderloin before cooking will always help to soften the meat and keep it from drying out. I love using a bottle of simple Italian Dressing or a cup of olive oil with some lemon juice, salt, and pepper for an easy overnight marinade. I’m not calling for marinade in this specific recipe because we’re wrapping it in foil and slathering it in butter so it cooks in its own sort of gravy (I designed this recipe to taste great even if you didn’t remember to marinate) – if you’d like to kick your dinner up a bit, or are trying a different technique, marinating makes this recipe taste even better.
Don’t overcook. Pork dries out very quickly when overcooked – and the meat can become tough and very chewy. I pull my tenderloin at 140 degrees and tent with foil to continue carryover cooking as it rests for about 10 minutes before serving.
Remove silver skin. If your tenderloin has a large sliver skin (the tough, white membrane that is often trimmed off and removed by many grocers, but is sometimes still left on), you can remove it by making a small slit with a sharp knife and pulling the membrane off the tenderloin to remove before marinating and cooking. This process is just like removing silver skin from ribs.
Add different spices to your taste. I like to take these tips to make all sorts of flavor combinations in addition – you can make this recipe with all sorts of herbs and spices!
Brown before roasting. Get a good sear in a cast iron or heavy pan before baking. Getting a good sear first helps seal in the juices from the pork and brings a rich, caramelized flavor that makes this recipe irresistible! Searing meat before baking also helps it look less gray, giving it a much more appetizing appearance.
Let rest. Let meat rest for 5-10 minutes after removing from the oven to lock in the juices – don’t cut too early, or they will all run out!
Cook to 145 degrees. The USDA set the guideline of 145 degrees as a safe temperature for pork consumption. This might look a touch pink – pink pork is no longer an indicator of “doneness”, or that the tenderloin is unsafe to eat, as long as it has reached 145 degrees. Don’t overcook out of fear and turn your dinner tough and dry!
Remove pork at 140 degrees. Cooking to 145 means removing tenderloin from the oven at 140 degrees – as it will carryover cook the additional 5 degrees in the foil as you let it rest.
Recipe 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!
You can use either fresh or dried herbs in this recipe.
If using fresh, you might want to add a bit more, since dried herbs are more intense.
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.
Remove baked pork tenderloin from the oven at 140 degrees as it will carryover cook to 145 degrees as it rests before serving.
Pork 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.
What to Serve With Pork Tenderloin
Serve this dinner with no knead bread, sautéed vegetables (this easy pan fried broccolini or this roasted green bean salad are favorites of mine), lighter air fryer french fries, or alongside cauliflower rice, rice pilaf, or perfect buttery soft Parker house style dinner rolls!
Garlic butter lovers – you can get even more of this garlic butter flavor with our favorite garlic butter chicken and mushrooms dinner, garlic butter lobster tails, or even garlic butter Texas toast!
For some keto side dish recommendations, I love this ham and cheese roll, jalapeno poppers, or keto everything bagels.
If you’re looking for a pork chop version, please check out my guide to cooking pork chops, as well as this garlic butter pork chop recipe that is super simple and a huge family favorite!
The Best Baked Pork Tenderloin Recipe
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The Best Garlic Baked Pork Tenderloin Recipe Ever
The Best Garlic Baked Pork Tenderloin recipe - delicious easy melt in your mouth tender pork tenderloin baked to perfection in a buttery garlic sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp celtic sea salt and fresh cracked pepper
- 2 lb pork tenderloin, optional: pre-marinate pork before cooking
- 4 tbsp butter, sliced into 4-6 pats
- 2 tbsp diced garlic
- 1 tsp dried basil*
- 1 tsp dried oregano*
- 1 tsp dried thyme*
- 1 tsp dried parsley*
- 1/2 tsp dried sage*
- *OR 2 tbsp Italian Herb Seasoning Blend
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Line baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- In a small bowl, combine garlic, basil, oregano, thyme, parsley, and sage. Set aside.
- Generously season meat with salt and pepper.
- In a large pan, heat oil until shimmery.
- Add meat to pan and cook on all sides until dark golden brown.
- Transfer to baking sheet.
- Generously coat with herb mix.
- Place pats of butter on top of the pork.
- Wrap in foil, bake until meat is 145 degrees internally at the widest, thickest part of the tenderloin (about 25 minutes.)
- When pork has come to temperature, remove and let rest, tented with foil, for at least five minutes to lock in juices.
- Slice against the grain and serve immediately.
- To store leftovers, place in an airtight container and keep in refrigerator for up to three days.
- To freeze leftovers, place in a plastic bag or wrap in plastic wrap and keep in freezer for up to three months.
- To reheat, let thaw naturally in the refrigerator overnight, and bake at 350, wrapped in foil, until piping hot when ready to serve.
Notes
Pork tenderloin might look pink in middle - if thermometer reads 145 degrees in center of tenderloin, it is fully cooked, regardless of color.
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Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
3 ozAmount Per Serving Calories 279Total Fat 15gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 107mgSodium 438mgCarbohydrates 1gFiber 0gSugar 0gProtein 33g
Nutrition is automatically calculated by Nutritionix - please verify all nutrition information independently and consult with a doctor or nutritionist for any and all medical and diet advice.
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Lisa Bymark
I am so excited to make this today..my birthday no less…and to all those nay sayers..click the “jump to recipe”…but I have found all the extras helpful..as well as reading the comments..and your replies are spot on!
Tom
Just a quick question; What’s with the seven photos that appear to be a pork tenderloin being prepped with flour, eggwash(?), bread crumbs & finally the prepped tenderloin in a foil pocket? Don’t see anything anywhere in the recipe including the added ingredients to bread the tenderloin or the process so why the photos with no explanation? Is it supposed to be an added alternative without any explanation? I’ve cooked tenderloins before but not breaded although it’s seems like a very interesting add….. thank you!
Courtney ODell
Hey Tom – the photos might just be coming up small, they are just showing the melted butter and herbs coating the pork, no breadcrumbs or eggwash.
TallyhoMark
I made this tonight. I took the tenderloins out of the aluminum foil. I cut them into slices. I put them in a casserole dish. I poured the juices on top of the slices. I put the tenderloin back into the oven and let the juices carmelized. I cooked foil wrapped baked potatoes and fresh green beans. It was delicious and both tenderloins were consumed. It’s a keeper!
G. Groves
Ok so I followed the recipe with two large tenderloin pieces. I mixed up the spices as the recipe said. I seared the tenderloin placed them in a baking pan rubbed on the mixture added butter covered everything in foil.
It’s terrible. The meat in overly garlicky and dry as a bone my wife and son both turned it down and I cooked some leftovers instead. Sorry not trying this again.
Courtney ODell
Hey G,
Sorry it didn’t work out for you, what a bummer! So, I’m guessing if it was dry as a bone your pork was probably overcooked. I really caution in the post to go off a meat thermometer vs cooking time since pork tenderloins can vary wildly with how thick they are and how fast they cook. I understand you don’t want to try this one again, but next time making a pork tenderloin, I’d keep that meat thermometer hand and remove pork from heat when it reaches 140 degrees at the fattest part of the meat, and let it carryover cook to 145. That will help your pork stay nice and juicy!
Joseph C Hart
Same thing here, followed recipe within 95%. Two tenderloins, which if anything will help the case. Super overcooked, came out of the oven at 175* and super dry. I had to throw both away.
Courtney ODell
Hey Joseph – Pork tenderloin can overcook very quickly – which is why in the recipe (and the notes above, which most people skip over, though I promise it’s not my life story) I caution to go by pork temperature, not by cook time. It does have to be checked partway through cooking to see how it is progressing, as pork tenderloins cook at different speeds, many ovens vary wildly, and the browning step can cook pork differently for each home cook doing it. I am so sorry you had to throw out your pork, and hope you have success with a reduced cook time in the future.
Heather Pike
Hey can I pit like potatoes in the foil like on ur pork loin recipe ?? I love roasted potatoes but nkt sure never wrapped them with foil with meat ??
Courtney ODell
Heather – I have a recipe with a pork loin and potatoes actually! I don’t like to wrap the potatoes in foil with the tenderloin since they tend to get a bit soggy that way with all the liquid pooling in one spot (great for pork, not as much crispy potatoes). You can find that recipe here: https://sweetcsdesigns.com/garlic-herb-butter-baked-pork-loin-and-potatoes/
Cinzia
Made it tonight and my husband can’t wait to make his lunch for tomorrow. It was sooo God and moist and tender. I was worried about the spices overpowering it but I was wrong. Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
Megan
Can you make a pork tenderloin the same way if it’s 2.6 lbs?
Courtney ODell
Yes – just watch the temperature as you cook it, as it will go a bit faster.
Elizabeth G
Really nice and tender. I was afraid that the seasoning would be too heavy, but as some would say, it was “just right.” Added the recipe to the family cookbook, thanks!
Jessica
When wrapping the tenderloin in foil, is it being tightly wrapped or loosely?
Courtney ODell
Loosely -kind of think of it as making a pouch for it vs wrapping a present.
Sara C
This turned out amazingly! I was worried when I opened the foil packet after letting the meat rest and there was sooooo much liquid in it, but the meat was still super juicy, perfect doneness, amazing flavor… I was just sad I didn’t double the recipe! Hubby liked it too and he’s not usually big on pork loin. Thanks for my new go-to pork loin recipe!
Rodney Bakerfield
Good recipe, but cut to the chase, I don’t want to read 3 pages before finally finding the recipe at the bottom
Courtney ODell
Next time, click the “skip to recipe” button at the top! I have it there to take you right to it! 🙂
Siobhan
And just as an fyi if you click the print button it brings you to a printable page with just the recipe and nutrition info. I do this w/all recipes once I start to cook but I do like to scroll comments in case interesting options and that you won’t see on print page so I spend time here too before I begin.
Chrystal
Welcome to SEO and websites in general, but if you look at the top, they added a link that says “go right to recipe”. Lots of sites do the same.
Glen
Talk about no respect, Rodney Bakersfield. I tell ya…
Mike
This truly was the BEST pork tenderloin ever! I’ve made tenderloins before and they never really turn out great…way to dry. This sounded yummy so I gave it a shot. I’m so glad I did as my family couldn’t stop raving about it! They said it was the BEST tenderloin ever! Then I showed them the name of the recipe! :). This is definitely a keeper! Thank you!
Kyla
I’m excited to try this recipe tonight. I wish there was a way to post the photos we take of our finished product! I’m no photographer, but I do think it would be fun (especially for yoy) to see the different variations made of this recipe from all different kinds of people.
Courtney ODell
Hey Kyla! I LOVE to see photos of the dishes you try and make – I don’t have them in comments on my site anymore because I got some (ahem) not super fun ones from men who wanted to share their equipment vs food they made if you get what I mean (yikes!!) – but I’d love if you posted them on my facebook page or tag me in them on Instagram @sweetcsdesigns !
Karen (of course)
They post memes about how terrible it can be to be find a recipe – well this literally the CVS receipt of recipes.
I became more and more annoyed the longer I scrolled. Then I couldn’t stop out of sheer confusion to know if there actually was a recipe.
Courtney ODell
Literally just have to click “skip to recipe” at the top and you don’t have to scroll, or comment about how hard it made your day!
Michelle
Some people just like to complain…seriously. I am making this tonight, i will let you know how it goes!
Heather
Oh my gosh! I have never scrolled through such a mess!
Courtney ODell
theres a skip to recipe button and a table of contents that allows you to skip
Tara
What is actually annoying is reading so many reviews that just complain about needing to scroll so much. THE BUTTON on the upper left!!!!
Pork was perfect~ followed recipe exactly. My tenderloin was smaller so checked the temp and took it out a bit sooner. Thanks!
Wendy
I came across your site after a google search when looking for a new recipe for pork tenderloin. So many recipes have way too many or odd ingredients and this seemed easy and I had all ingredients. It was so good and honey liked it too. It was so good, I sent the recipe to my sister.
Courtney ODell
So glad you loved it, thanks so much for sharing with your sister too!
David
You’re the best, Courtney!
This was a great recipe and absolutely delicious. I am so glad that I came across your site. I made this and was so impressed that I went to the market and bought another tenderloin. Great directions! I don’t see how anybody could fail with this one. Thanks
Beck & Bulow
Amazing. Best pork recipe I’ve ever made.
Rob
Took a lot longer than 30 minutes. closer to 45 for me
Abigail
Thank you so much for this recipe! I’m newer to cooking and get VERY nervous cooking meat dishes. Your guide made it super easy and this dish was delicious!
Harry T
Thanks for the many information and tips! I saw many unhelpful and rude comments here so here I am to say thank you. I have extra 1kg pork that I did not get to eat since a get-together was cancelled due to lockdown. I will try this tomorrow!
And just for clarification, the degree is in Fahrenheit right? Since my oven is only up to 280 deg “celcius”.
Thanks!
Chris David
This recipe is amazing! This was my first time making pork and it exceeded expectations!!