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.
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PinIngredients
- Pork tenderloin (1.25lbs – 1.75lbs)
- 2 tbs brown sugar
- 1 tbs smoked paprika
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground mustard
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne powder (optional)
- 1/2 tbs olive oil
Instructions
- Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl.
- Trim the pork tenderloin of any excess fat/silver skin. Coat with a 1/2 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.
A plate of juicy pork tenderloin served with fresh broccoli and roasted baby potatoes.
OH! MY! GOSH! Seriously, this is the best recipe ever! I tend to overcook meat in the air fryer – but If you follow this recipe and timing – it comes out perfect! (and don’t skip the cayenne aka red pepper). A new family favorite! THANK YOU!
Would this rub work well for boneless chicken breasts too? And if so – how long do you suggest cooking them, and to what internal temp? (I tend to overcook chicken too).
Please give additional ideas for chicken and pork air fryer recipes/flavorings.
thank you!
★★★★★
Wow, thank YOU, Faith! Indeed the run works great with chicken. I actually have a recipe on the way for it. The timing for chicken can be a little more difficult to nail down, but you always want an internal temp when it’s done of 165. Stay tuned, I should have the recipe up in about a week or so!
Great! thanks so much! Again – best thing I’ve made in the air fryer – totally impressed everyone! 🙂
Ok. Don’t know where we went wrong , been cooking this tenderloin for going on 35 min now and still raw in the middle , preheated air fryer to 400 as instructed , about to give up and toss it in the oven
Hi Tessa, 35 minutes should be way more than enough time to cook a pork tenderloin. Are you certain all the settings are correct and the air fryer is functioning properly? Also, what is the size of the tenderloin?
My pork tenderloin never tasted so damn moist and delicious! I will definitely use this for company! I always seemed to over cook pork tenderloin! A problem solved! Thank you!
Awesome, Karen! Thank you for the feedback!
What can I substitute for dry mustard? I do not have any. This recipe sounds awesome!L
Hi Laura, just go ahead and leave the dry mustard out. It will still be really good.
Perfect! So juicy and great flavor. I omitted cayenne because I’m a weenie. Juicy and delicious at 20 min! 1.35 lb tenderloin in two pieces. Perfect amount of rub as well. Thank you! I have already shared this recipe. Yum 👍🏼👍🏼
★★★★★
Thanks, Nicole! Nah, you’re not a weenie for omitting the cayenne. As long as you liked it than it’s indeed perfect. Thank you so much for the feedback!
RT–I own a Power XL and somebody I saw online when searching recipes cooked a 1-1/4 lb pork tenderloin for 18 minutes at 375, flipped, then another 18 minutes. Said it came out great. It’s so hard to believe for a loin of that size at that temp needs all that time. Opinion?
Hi Eddie. Yes indeed that amount of time seems excessive. If you have an instant read thermometer you can always check the internal temp and the indicted times of the recipe to be sure.
I have the air fryer that has the racks still ok to use? Seems the pork would be dried out.
Yes it will be great! I’ve made this in both a basket style air fryer as well as one with trays. Not dried out at all.
No Foil when I made mine
Did you wrap in foil to cook.
No foil
This was a DELICIOUS rub!!
★★★★★
This was the first recipe I found to make my first loin in my Air Fryer. The name says it all. Followed exactly cooked 20 minutes let rest 5 minutes. The whole family agrees “The Best Fork Loin Ever” air fryer or not.
Very cool!! I’m so glad you and the family liked it. Thanks for the feedback, Terri!
For easier clean up, would it be ok to put the tenderloin in a pie plate (I have one of those disposable foil ones) before putting it in the air fryer?
Hi Pia, so I’d recommend a piece of foil on the bottom of the actual air fryer so that the air can circulate.
This recipe sounds delicious! How long would you cook a 3 pound pork loin roast?
Hi Sylvia. So a pork loin roast is actually different than a pork tenderloin. I’ve had to do pork loin roasts as long as 25 minutes. However, I don’t have an exact time to give you as I’ve not tested yet on enough different size pork loin roasts. That said, my notes have my best one, which was about 2 lbs, taking 25 minutes.
Doesn’t wattage have something to do with temp mine is 1700watts
Hi Betty, with air fryers they will have specific temperature settings, and they do not need to be adjusted based on wattage.
Do you just cook it in the basket? Do you turn it over When the air fryer indicates?
Hi Rachel. Yes it cooks right in the basket. Did not need to turn over.
could you put this on the rotisserie? same time?
Hi Rebecca. Yes you can actually. I originally made it in a Vortex Plus and used the rotisserie and it worked great. It was just cumbersome to get the spit all the way through. So the final version was done in a regular basket style air fryer.
Would it be beneficial to cut the pork tenderloin in half before air frying it? It seems like a pork tenderloin is kind of an awkwardly-sized thing to place in the basket of an air fryer.
Hi Mark. Yes you certainly can do that. Same times and everything else.
This is the best thing I’ve made with my Emeril Pressure Air Fryer since I bought it last month. I finally found a website I will follow and make other recipes to love.
★★★★★
Thanks Lisa! And I’ve got many more air fryer recipes on the way. Thanks for the feedback!
Just like the title says, this was the Best Damn Pork Tenderloin Recipe. We loved the results.
★★★★★
Thanks, Tim!!