After I made this pork tenderloin in my air fryer, I was more excited than i’ve ever been about a recipe i’ve made. The flavors of the seasoning rub are so perfect, the meat is so juicy, and the taste is simply out of this world! Do you sense a little excitement from me about this recipe?
Pork tenderloin is the filet mignon of pork. It’s a very lean, very tender piece of pork. It can be prepared a number of ways and works well with so many different seasoning mixtures. One of my favorite ways to prepare pork recipes is with a seasoning rub combination of brown sugar, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, ground mustard, salt and pepper. And maybe just a dash of cayenne for a little heat. This seasoning mix, along with the simplicity of an air fryer, will produce a pork tenderloin that you will not believe. The outside of the tenderloin will crisp up and the brown sugar will caramelize to create a flavor explosion. With the high speed circulating heat of the air fryer, and being close to the heating element, it’s the perfect environment so that the pork tenderloin stays nice and juicy on the inside.
Air Fryer with the Best Damn Pork Seasoning Rub
Our recipe for air fryer pork tenderloin couldn’t be more simple. We use a medium sized bowl and mix together the dry ingredients. Before we rub the ingredients on the tenderloin, we’ll want to cut off any of the “silver skin”, which is just a thin membrane that is usually on part of the meat. Just use a sharp knife and peel it away. Then coat the pork tenderloin with some olive oil and rub in all the seasoning mix.
Preheat your Air Fryer
Set your air fryer to 400 degrees F and preheat for 5 minutes. Once the air fryer is preheated, keep the temperature at 400, select air fry, and set the time for 20-22 minutes. Most pork tenderloins are usually between 1.25lbs and 2lbs. For pork tenderloin on the small size, go with 20 minutes. For larger size meat, go with 22 minutes. Pork.org suggests cooking pork tenderloin to an internal temperature of 145° F – 160° F.
Let The Cooked Pork Tenderloin Rest
After the cooking is done, carefully remove the pork tenderloin from the air fryer and place on a plate or cutting board and let it rest for 3-5 minutes before slicing.
Best Damn Air Fryer Pork Tenderloin
- Total Time: 26 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
Description
Mouthwatering, tender, juicy and delicious pork tenderloin made in an air fryer.
Ingredients
- Pork tenderloin (1.25lbs – 1.75lbs)
- 2 tbs brown sugar
- 1 tbs smoked paprika
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground mustard
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp cayenne powder (optional)
- ½ tbs olive oil
Instructions
- Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl.
- Trim the pork tenderloin of any excess fat/silver skin. Coat with a ½ tablespoon olive oil. Rub spice mixture on entire pork tenderloin.
- Preheat air fryer to 400° F for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, carefully place pork tenderloin into air fryer and air fry at 400° F for 20-22 minutes. Internal temp should be 145° – 160° F.
- When air fryer cycle is complete, carefully remove pork tenderloin to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Save any juices to serve over sliced meat.
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 21 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: air fryer, pork tenderloin
A plate of juicy pork tenderloin served with fresh broccoli and roasted baby potatoes.
Charley
O.M.G!!!! I tried this recipe for the first time I did a pork tenderloin in the air fryer. My fiancé and I just love it and now we make it on a regular bases. Absolutely delicious and the meat is super tender and moist.
★★★★★
Cheryl
I thought this was okay but a little too spicy. I also found it to be dry and wish there had been juices to pour over it as the recipe suggests at the end.
★★★
kellee
super easy and delicious! thank you!
Alexis
Delicious! Didn’t have smoked paprika, but otherwise followed exactly!
★★★★★
Patti
Does the tenderloin cook on the bottom or on the rack?
Kathleen
I made it and it was great but I would cut down on the salt next time.
★★★★
MrsElizabeth
Delicious!!! Next time, I’ll follow the recipe to the T but last night I had to modify it because I didn’t have onion powder and mustard powder. So, this is what I did, I had regular yellow mustard in the fridge, I used that instead and didn’t use the onion powder at all. I think I slightly over cooked it but not by much my fault since we like to make sure pork and chicken are well done. It was still amazing and my toddler told me to cook it again next week. Win win at our house, Thank you for sharing!!
★★★★★