The Best Baked Garlic Pork Tenderloin recipe ever… incredibly easy, delicious, and bursting with Italian garlic butter flavors the whole family loves!

An easy pork tenderloin dinner in under an hour – great for meal prep and makes amazing leftovers for a healthy, low carb keto or paleo diet eating plan, too!

One of my favorite easy dinners has always been an easy baked pork tenderloin – its hearty, rich and delicious, super easy to make, and soooooo delicious.

Easy baked pork tenderloin an incredibly versatile dinner that tastes great with a ton of different preparations – and is great on its own, with veggies, in stir frys and salads, or even sandwiches and wraps!

This recipe for The Best Baked Garlic Pork Tenderloin is one of my favorite ways to prepare pork tenderloin – it is bursting with delicious garlic butter flavor along with savory Italian spices for an unforgettable – and extraordinarily easy – way to make the best baked pork tenderloin you’ve ever had!

This never dry pork tenderloin is quickly pan seared and then popped into the oven where it cozies up to the most amazing garlic butter seasonings – for an easy to clean garlic butter pork tenderloin recipe you will want to make again and again.

This recipe is a perfect keto pork tenderloin dish – and is naturally gluten and grain free, and is also naturally low-carb.

Serve this easy baked pork loin with sauteed vegetables (this easy pan fried broccolini or this roasted green bean salad are favorites of mine), or alongside cauliflower rice, rice, or even pasta!

Just take me to the baked pork tenderloin recipe already!

If you’d rather skip my tips and tricks, essential cooking info, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to this deliciously easy never dry baked pork tenderloin – simply scroll to the bottom of the page where you can find the printable recipe card.

I get a lot of comments and questions on my recipes so I try to provide as much information as possible. I realize its a bit long for some with more cooking experience – so if you’d like to skip over them, please scroll to the bottom where you will find the recipe.

Pork Tenderloin vs. Pork Loin

I get a lot of questions on this recipe on whether to use pork tenderloin or pork loin.

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 pork tenderloin is much longer and skinnier than a pork loin.

Pork loins tend to be much fatter, much heavier, and over 3 lbs – while a pork tenderloin will be longer, skinnier, and around 1-2 pounds.

For this recipe, I am calling for a Pork Tenderloin – but a pork loin will also work!

To do so, continue with the recipe exactly as called for below, but plan on an additional 10-30 minutes (this will vary wildly depending on your pork loin, I always advocate for cooking off temperature rather than time when cooking meat.)

Simply check your pork tenderloin’s internal temperature as it bakes, and monitor for doneness.

How To Keep Pork Tenderloin From Drying Out

Since pork tenderloin has little fat, it can become tough very quickly when overcooked – I’m providing my best tips and tricks to keep pork tenderloin moist below:

-Marinate Pork Tenderloin

Marinating or brining pork tenderloin before cooking will always help to soften the pork tenderloin 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 pork tenderloin 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) – but if you’d like to kick your pork tenderloin up a bit, marinating is always a great idea!

-Sear Before Baking

Searing your pork before baking it not only helps to lock in the pork’s juices – it tastes great and gives you a perfect crunchy texture.

-Look for “Pre-Seasoned” Pork Tenderloins

Pre-seasoned pork tenderloins from your grocer are often dry-brined with salt beforehand, so it doesn’t need additional marinating or brining.

-Don’t Overcook. 

Pork tenderloin dries out very quickly when overcooked. I often pull my pork tenderloin at 140-145 degrees and tent it with foil to continue carryover cooking as it rests for about 10 minutes before serving.

Other Pork Dinners You’ll Love:

If you love this recipe for the best baked pork tenderloin as much as I do, you will love these other easy pork dinners, too!

Easy Baked Ranch Pork Tenderloin and Gravy Recipe

Ranch Diced Pork Lettuce Wraps

One Pot Lemon Garlic Pork Chops and Asparagus Skillet

The Best Baked Garlic Pork Chops Recipe

One Pan Tuscan Pork Chops

One Pot Garlic Butter Pork Chops and Mushrooms

Tips to a Perfect Baked Pork Tenderloin:

These tips for how to cook pork tenderloin in the oven will help you get a perfect baked pork tenderloin, no matter what herbs or marinades you use with it.

I like to take these tips to make all sorts of flavor combinations in addition to this garlic pork tenderloin dinner!

-Get a good sear on the pork tenderloin in a cast iron pan before baking.

This helps seal in the juices from the pork tenderloin and brings a rich, caramelized flavor that makes the pork tenderloin irresistible!

-Let Baked Pork Tenderloin Rest After Cooking.

Let the pork tenderloin rest for 5-10 minutes after removing form the oven to lock in the juices – don’t cut too early, or they will all run out! This is one of the best tips to never dry, juicy pork tenderloin from the oven.

-Follow Updated Suggested Pork Temperature Guidelines.

With newer guidelines for animal care, trichinosis is a much smaller risk – and the guidelines to cook pork have dropped to 150 degrees internal, which might look a touch pink. Don’t overcook out of fear and turn your tenderloin tough and dry!

To Make The Best Baked Garlic Pork Tenderloin Recipe You’ll Need:

While this easy baked garlic butter pork tenderloin recipe requires no special equipment, there are a couple tried and true kitchen favorites that help making this dish so much easier – no matter your experience level in the kitchen!

-Baking sheet

Any large baking sheet, casserole dish, or oven-safe vessel will work – make sure it has a bit of a lip in case you spill a little of the garlic butter out of the foil pouch when cooking or moving the baked pork tenderloin in/out of the oven.

-Aluminum Foil

After searing my tenderloin before baking, I prefer to wrap my pork in foil to bake to help lock in all the garlic butter deliciousness!

-Large Skillet or Frying Pan

This pork can be made without searing first (simply add about 5-10 minutes onto the baking time) – but I personally think getting a nice sear provides a TON of flavor, so a big pan is the best way to get that!

-Metal Tongs

-Oven

-Meat Thermometer

To check the doneness of pork tenderloin, a thermometer is my go-to. I can usually tell the doneness of steak or chicken by the texture, but tenderloin throws me off every time! Overcooked pork is tough, dry, and not very delicious – cook it to temperature, but not over!

The Best Baked Garlic Pork Tenderloin Recipe

If you love this baked garlic pork tenderloin recipe as much as I do, please write a five star review, and be sure to help me share on facebook and pinterest!

CONNECT WITH SWEET C’S!

Be sure to follow me on my social media, so you never miss a post!

Facebook | Twitter | Youtube | Pinterest | instagram 

Sign up to receive an email in your inbox for each new recipe:

FREE EMAIL SUBSCRIPTION

If you’re looking to make this recipe but you only have pork chops – please head here for my very similar Baked Garlic Pork Chop Recipe. 

And for an easy pork tenderloin that cooks in it’s own delicious ranch dressing gravy, please head here for my Easy Baked Ranch Pork Tenderloin and Gravy Recipe.

And finally, if you’re looking to GRILL this BAKED pork tenderloin, check out my never-dry Grilled Pork Tenderloin recipe!

It is so simple, easy, and BURSTING with flavor – guaranteed to knock your socks off!

Yield: 6

The Best Baked Garlic Pork Tenderloin

Prep Time: 5 minutes

: 10 minutes

Resting Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

This is the Best Baked Garlic Pork Tenderloin recipe ever... incredibly easy, delicious, and bursting with Italian garlic butter flavors the whole family loves! An easy pork tenderloin dinner in under an hour - great for meal prep and makes amazing leftovers for a healthy, low carb keto or paleo diet eating plan, too!

Print

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 for foolproof never dry tenderloin
• 4 oz butter, thin 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 1 tbsp Italian Herb Seasoning Blend

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil.
3. In a small bowl, combine garlic, basil, oregano, thyme, parsley, and sage. Set aside.
4. Generously season tenderloin with salt and pepper.
5. In a large pan, heat oil until shimmery.
6. Add tenderloin to pan, and cook on all sides until dark golden brown.
7. Add tenderloin to baking sheet.
8. Generously coat tenderloin with herb mix.
9. Place pats of butter on top of the tenderloin.
10. Wrap in foil, bake until pork is 150 degrees internally at the widest part of the tenderloin (about 25 minutes.)
11. When pork has come to temperature, remove and let rest for at least five minutes to lock in juices.
12. Slice against the grain and serve immediately.

Nutrition Information

Yield

6
Amount Per ServingCalories 449 Saturated Fat 13g Cholesterol 188mg Sodium 253mg Protein 47g

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.