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
Margot says
I made this for the first time this evening and my family and I loved it. My husband couldn’t stop raving about it. This recipe is a keeper!
Danna says
Amazing!!!! Although I changed the seasoning a little my picky kids loved this recipe. My husband who doesn’t love pork and always thinks pork is to dry and he loved this recipe. If I could give it 10 starts I would.
Linda PV says
This was the recipe I was looking for. I did have a pre-seasoned cryopacked Hormel pork tenderloin which needed no additional seasoning (however, I will try that dry on another meat). A bag of frozen roasting veg and 20 minutes turned my first Foodi attempt a success. Thank you!
Kristi says
This was really good. We all have wussy palates so we didn’t add the extra spice. I put all the spices in a large ziploc and add the tenderloin. When it was covered, I put it in the air fryer basket of the Ninja Foodi. Then diced up some potatoes and put them in the same bag with a little vegetable oil and so they used same seasoning mix. Cooked them in the air fryer while the roast rested in the microwave (not on) to keep it warm. My husband is a very picky eater and he said it was okay. The rest of us thought it was delicious.
Sue Ellis says
Did you cook the tenderloin on a rack?
Eve says
Delicious seasoning. This is my families favorite pork tenderloin recipe! Thank you for sharing with us.
Lisa Marie Hooven-Corp says
I knew this was going to be a hit. It was just amazing. My husband said it was the “best tenderloin he ever had”. I did add the cayenne for heat. The tenderloins I bought were in a double pack and so I doubled the recipe and probably maybe a smidge too much on the cayenne in a doubled amount, but we LOVED IT! Definitely will make again.
Pat Anderson says
Came out great !
kathy strong says
None of the recipes address whether you use both pieces of meat that come in the package So if you use just one do you cook it for that long, or do you tie the two pieces together and cook as one roast?
RecipeTeacher says
Hi Kathy. Just 1 pork tenderloin unless otherwise noted. While many do indeed come in two-packs, there are lots of individual packs as well.
Patty B says
My husband and I thought this was delicious! Cooked it for about 17 minutes and it was just we like it— tender and juicy! Thanks for a great recipe.