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
Laura says
Delicious fast dinner. Came out perfectly!
Ann says
This is my go to recipe for pork loin! It is so easy and SO JUICY! My family loves it as much as I do! The flavors are perfect!
Donovan says
Made pork tenderloin based on your recipe tonight. We enjoyed the rub and the right amount of char on the meat. It was juicy and will stay in the meal rotation.
Ended up having to make a few adjustments:
• Bought a double package of pork tenderloin from Costco. What we thought were two individual portions were instead 4; two tenderloins per pack. Made 2 portions of meat and scaled the dry rub recipe by 1.5.
• My device is a Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven. It functions a little differently than other models. Placed my 2 tenderloins in the basket and baked them on the lower shelf for 10 min. @ 400°F and flipped them. Then cooked for another 10 min. They came out perfectly at your recommended temperature.
Hope this information helps others in a similar situation.
Carol says
I don’t comment on recipes although I know I should. I’ll make an exception for this one. This was only my second time using our new air fryer. The first attempt was fries which didn’t turn out so well. Now I I think I’m a believer! The tenderloin came out perfect, tender and juicy. I did pause half way through and used a thermometer, a must with air fryer cooking. We like ours medium rare, so it cooked quicker than the recipe called for. My husband, who can be a bit of a food critic, said it was good and had seconds. Loved this and can’t wait to make it again.
Kristin says
Really is great! Moist inside and crispy on the outside:). Make it all the time now-30 min. total and DONE!
Katie says
Delicious every time!
Miriam Kleiman says
This dish was absolutely unbelievable!!!! I will make this all the time!!! I paired it with sautéed cabbage and a sweet potato!!!! Thank you!!!!
Sandi Clark says
This was absolutely delicious! My 3 time of cooking in the air fryer and I have to say my most successful. Thank you for the recipe and I have it written down.
Veronica says
This recipe is delicious!! I prefer my pork more on the rate side so it was a teeny bit overdone for me (1.7lb at 400 for 20 minutes) but, it wasn’t dry at all! It was tender and very delicious! Would absolutely make again!
Mary Q says
Excellent flavor profile for this recipe. We made this recipe exactly as written and the pork was tender and juicy with excellent flavor. Thanks for making some easy to follow recipes for our air fryer!
Laura says
Loved the recipe, although I have a powerful air fryer and will need to adjust time or temperature.
Do you have any nutrition information for this please?