Super juicy and bursting with flavor, this pork tenderloin cooks to absolute perfection in your air fryer in about 20 minutes. Made with an easy balsamic marinade and simple seasonings, you will not believe how awesome it is!
By using balsamic vinegar as a base for our marinade, we’ll produce some amazing flavors for our pork tenderloin. This recipe is sweet, savory and absolutely delicious. It’s a perfect air fryer recipe to have an awesome dinner on your plate in under 30 minutes.
Make Sure It Says Pork Tenderloin
Pork tenderloin can frequently be confused with other similar cuts of pork. It’s important to know that actual pork tenderloin will always be labeled as such. You may see pork loin or pork loin filet, but these are NOT pork tenderloin and do not cook the same way. Pork tenderloin is a long, narrow and very lean cut of pork. It’s generally 1lb-1.5lbs in size (though that can vary slightly). It’s commonly sold in vacuum sealed packages, often with 2 tenderloins.
Easy Marinade
For our pork tenderloin marinade, we’ll use a combination of wet ingredients with a few dry seasonings. Chances are you probably have most of these ingredients on hand: Balsamic vinegar, soy sauce and lemon juice are the wet ingredients. For the seasonings we use dry crushed rosemary, onion powder, garlic powder, brown sugar, salt and pepper. That’s it!
To make things extra easy, we can mix all this up in a large zip-top bag. Once the tenderloin in placed in the bag with the marinade, seal it up and put it in the refrigerator. I love to let it marinate overnight for the most flavor possible. But, if you’re short on time, even a ½ hour will work. A couple of hours is even better.
Air Fry at 400° for 20 minutes
Pork tenderloin is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 145°(F). To achieve this, we’ll preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes at 400°. Then we’ll spray a little cooking spray in the basket (or tray if you’re using a tray style air fryer), place the marinated pork tenderloin inside, and use the air fry setting at 400° for 20 minutes. Pork tenderloins vary in size and air fryers vary as well. Smaller tenderloins may take as little as 16 minutes. Larger ones make take 22 minutes. Be sure to check internal temperature with an instant read thermometer for that perfect 145°(F).
Let it Rest
Once the pork tenderloin is done, remove it from the air fryer and place on a plate or cutting board and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving. Use a sharp knife and slice it into cuts of about ½″ thick. I love to serve with white rice and asparagus.
Recipe
Air Fryer Balsamic Pork Tenderloin
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 3-4 servings
Description
An absolutely savory pork tenderloin, marinated in a seasoned balsamic marinade and cooked to perfection in your air fryer.
Ingredients
- 1 pork tenderloin (1.25lb-1.75lb)
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dry crushed rosemary
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Remove any excess fat/silverskin from pork tenderloin.
- Mix all wet and dry ingredients in a large zip top bag. Mix well.
- Add pork tenderloin to bag, seal, and let marinate for at least 30 minutes. 2 hours is better; overnight is best!
- Preheat air fryer to 400° (F) for 5 minutes.
- Add pork tenderloin to air fryer and air fry at 400° (F) for 20 minutes, turning after 10 minutes. (see note below)
- When done, remove pork tenderloin to a plate or cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
Notes
Start checking for doneness after about 16 minutes with an instant read thermometer. Internal temp should be 145° (F).
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: American
Julie says
My family now jokingly asks “Is this a Best Damn recipe,” because they’ve all been winners! Balsamic pork tenderloin is on the menu for tomorrow and I’m already excited. Thanks for sharing your amazing recipes!
Glenda says
This Pork Tenderloin is by far the best a I have made,next time I will def marinade it overnight but it was exceptional!
We sliced some of the leftovers and paired it with Brie,apple and cranberry in a tortilla,omg divine!
Thanks so much for this great recipe:)
RecipeTeacher says
Hey Glenda… OMG I totally want to try your leftovers recipe! Brie, apple and cranberry with pork tenderloin does indeed sound absolutely divine!
Cookie says
Now you keep making it difficult for us! You call all of the recipes the “best damn” recipe, and then you have other ones you say are the “best damn” recipe! We’ve been hooked on your Coffee Citrus recipe, even using it on other proteins. It’s gotten to the point where my significant other doesn’t want to try any other recipe. I’ve even made Baby Back Ribs with the recipe as a rub, and found a coffee BBQ sauce to go along with it!
This one sounds great too, mimics the flavor of another favorite marinade of mine. I’ve made more of your recipes than other ones, and is always my go to place to search for recipes.
Thanks for sharing your recipes with us!
RecipeTeacher says
I’m so glad you’re enjoying them!! And thank you for the very kind words. I’ve got so many great recipes currently in development, I can’t wait for you to try them! – Jason
Angela Bernaldez says
Very juicy and tasty, almost like char sui. The thicker piece of pork tenderloin had to go in for a little bit longer. I had it with rice , snow peas from our garden. I will definitely make it again. Much better using the air fryer compared to the instant pot to make this 2
piece pork tenderloin
Jay Shaw says
Absolutely the best air fryer recipe. The smell and the flavor is amazing. My picky daughter loves it and that’s saying a lot. I make this once a week now.
Anne says
Can this also be prepared in the oven, and if so what temp and how long. Love your recipes
RecipeTeacher says
Hi Anne,
425f for 25-30 min or until internal temp of 145f
KrisA says
I love this marinade recipe. It is now my go-to for pork loin. It is simple and flavorful. The pork was juicy and delicious. By the way, this marinade recipe is not exclusive to pork. Try it on everything.
Betsy says
This recipe has become my favorite for a pork tenderloin! ????
Debbie Harvey says
Best pork tenderloin I’ve ever had! The meat is so tender you can cut it with your fork, so flavorful, and makes an amazing Au Jus sauce !!!! ????
RecipeTeacher says
Yay! I love feedback on this one. It really is great and we love it too! Thanks Debbie!
Janine says
The smell was amazing but ended up having to cook the 1.72lb pork tenderloin an extra 15min
Jackie says
Can I Cook both tenderloins together? Should I increase time?
RecipeTeacher says
Hi Jackie. If they will fit in the air fryer without overlapping or anything like that, the time should be the same. Make sure to keep an eye on the internal temperature with an instant read thermometer. The center should be 145°(F).