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
NellyNell says
Made this for dinner this evening and may I say wow little spice and sweet and super easy to make. Yess and the husband was impressed ????! Will definitely make again. Thank you for sharing the recipe ????
CB says
Excellent! Easy to prepare and delicious. Will definitely make this again. Made it 2 weeks in a row. thanks for the recipe!
Cindy says
This is a fabulous recipe for pork tenderloin. Will make it a staple for sure.
Batisraul says
I have made this twice now since Christmas and will continue to make year round. My PT was 2 1/2 lbs and it was done at 15 min. So I would check it. Can’t have medium PT to get the full flavor. Saving the juices and re-heating in a pan for about 5 min and pouring over the slices really made a difference.
Kerry says
Amazing every single time. Favorite pork recipe hands down.
Jen says
Absolutely delicious! I doubled the recipe but reduced the salt and it was so delicious! It was ridiculously easy to make.
David Weddle says
It really WAS the “Best Damn Pork Tenderloin!” One thing, I want to make a sauce out of the the rub, so it will have a sweet sauce to dip the pork in. What should I do? Just make extra rub and mix it with water? Simmer it or heat it up? I posted on my FB groups. I will try, but hope for the best method from you.
S.L says
I had already marinated my porkloin in VH honey garlic sauce when i came across this recipe…..so after marinating, I skipped the olive oil and just rolled the marinated port in the rub and cooked as directed. It was REALLY REALLY delicious! Next time I will try recipe exactly like this one, and hope it is equally delicious.
Karen says
OMG…..This was the BEST Damn air fryer pork tenderloin I’ve ever had.. It was cooked to the T and the temp was perfect. My Husband and I Luvved it!
Thank you for the recipe????
Gilles says
I don’t usually comment on recipes but this turned out to be absolutely delicious. Crispy on the outside and juicy tender inside. Seasoning was so good (and I am guessing it would work with chicken breasts too). I should have checked temperature at 15 minutes as my fryer cooked it to 175 after twenty. Not much pink left in the middle but still amazingly delish. I will definitely make this again.
Jim says
Easy and excellent.