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°F and preheat for 5 minutes. Once the air fryer is preheated, keep the temperature at 400°, select air fry setting, and set the time for 20-22 minutes. Most pork tenderloins are usually between 1 lbs and 1.5lbs. For pork tenderloin on the small size, go with 20 minutes. For larger size meat, go with 22 minutes. The key is to get an internal temperature of 145°F when measured at the center of the meat with an instant-read thermometer.
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.
More Great Pork Tenderloin Recipes
- Best Damn Grilled Pork Tenderloin
- Smothered Pork Tenderloin
- Air Fryer Balsamic Pork Tenderloin
- Oven Roasted Pork Tenderloin
Recipe
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°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
Linda says
I have a NuWave brio air fryer oven. How would I cook this in it?
RecipeTeacher says
Should be the same as recipe reads for that particular appliance. Use the middle rack.
YC says
Tried this recipe tonight and definitely a winner. It was quick and easy. I would probably used less brown sugar next time to cut down on the sweetness but it was perfectly cooked in 20 mins and it was juicy in the middle. Definitely keeping this one in the recipe book!
Kat says
Absolutely delicious! I made some changes: No sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, hoisin sauce, no cayenne. It turned out amazing! Very moist and crispy.
Rudy Koch says
Holy Cr*p Kat, that sounds like an interesting asian twist on the recipe! Rudy
Julie says
Absolutely delicious! Hands down, the best pork tenderloin I’ve ever made. Definitely adding this spice combination to my recipe book!
Jim. T says
Just bought an air fryer. Made a several dishes that were fantastic! Came across this recipe how to have the best pork tenderloin. Cooking meat in an air fryer! Seriously!!! I cooked one tonight, exactly as recipe stated. Amazing! Hands down, it WAS the best tenderloin I have ever made. It will be on menu for our next family get together. Thanjs
RecipeTeacher says
Awesome, Jim! Yeah, it’s amazing how well meat comes out in the air fryer. Not really “frying” at all. And tender and juicy. Thanks for the feedback!
Dawn says
I bought a loin on sale that was already marinated but I used your cooking instructions for the air fryer and they were spot on! Amazingly tender and moist.. we devoured it! Thank you!
Jodi says
I am not generally a pork fan but this was so delicious! Tender, juicy and full of flavor. We all loved it!
Frieda says
So good and my family loved it. I had to make a couple of changes as both the onion and garlic powders I had had clumped up. I grated a garlic clove instead but left the onion out.
Jessica says
Great recipe, Thanks!
We had to cut our huge loin in half to fit it in the air fryer first, and had to save the second half for another night…and we were going to try out another recipe if this one didn’t pan out…but it was so good, we’re making it again tonight.
Sue Spratt says
The best pork tenderloin ever. AND the roasted potatoes turned out perfect. Thank you so much for this recipe. Will be definitely doing again. Perfect for 2 or 3 people
Shandra says
Did not have ground mustard so I used regular mustard. Wow! So delicious!!! Amazing!
RecipeTeacher says
Awesome! Thanks for the feedback, Shandra!
Darren Moody says
As a single guy, my idea of “cooking” involves rolling down the window and talking into a speaker, or if I’m going to go upscale, getting a frozen box out of the freezer and putting it in the microwave.
So trying this, with a recently acquired air fryer was pretty much a first.
All I can say is OH MAN!! This was absolutely fantastic!! VERY moist and absolutely delicious!!
Great recipe!! Will defiantly be making again! Hopefully next time, for a very special lady in my life!
RecipeTeacher says
Right on, Darren! I’m so glad you like it. Keep up with the recipes and you’ll have a waiting list of special ladies to cook for! 😉
Debbie says
I’m still trying to figure out air frying altogether and thought “no way will this work!” Well it worked great, my one lb. roast was done in 20 minutes with perfect color, texture and flavor! The rub is easy and delicious. I’m going to make a lot of it and put it on everything! Thanks much for the succinct instructions.