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
Tina Gilbert says
Easy to prep.Excellent recipe.
Kim says
Lots of flavor! Easy to prep. We are adding it into our dinner rotation.
Linda says
Excellent recipe. Thanks for sharing. Turns out perfect every time. Hubby who is not keen on pork comments each time that the flavor is very tasty. yay……
KC says
The ingredient list is not bad, good flavoring… sweet and savory. However, the timing is not right for an air fryer. I’ve got a very good quality air fryer, and I can tell you that the times need to be adjusted and you have to figure out, for your fryer, exactly how long it takes to cook per pound, per ouce, etc.
Raven says
I’ve made this several times following the directions exactly, and it comes out perfect every time. Maybe you’re doing something wrong, like buying a larger or smaller pork tenderloin, or using a pork loin instead of a tenderloin. Or your pricey airfyer isn’t all its chalked up to be.
Lora B says
Thank you for this recipe, making it for dinner this week!!
I need to cut back on sugar where I can-do you think using just 1 T with the rest of the spices the same would be ok, not too overpowering?? Thank you!!
Mike Bailey says
I tried this with about 2.5 lbs tenderloin after 22 min at 400 the internal temp was only 75. So I had to slice it up and cooked another 20i min the reached 160 internal
Birgitta says
My first time making a pork tenderloin in m new Instant Vortex Air Fryer, and 2nd meal in it. Mine came out just a bit on the dry side – not sure where I went wrong. I had 2 smaller tenderloins which weighed a total of 2 lbs. I may have overcooked it – the internal temp was 155-160 degrees. I did let it rest about 10 minutes. A lot of the caramelization gooed at the bottom of the rack. I know it’s going to take practice with my new cooker, but if anyone has a tip or two, that would be great!
RecipeTeacher says
Hi Birgitta. The absolute best thing I can recommend is to have an Instant Read thermometer. That way, you can check any meat about halfway through the cooking time to get a better idea if it might be done a little early or need more time.
Colette says
How long should I leave it in the air dryer if I am making 5of them?
RecipeTeacher says
You’ll want to make sure you can fit them all in comfortably in 1 batch. If so, the time should be the same, but best to always keep an eye in that internal temperature. You want it to be 145°(F) in the center of the tenderloin.
Maru says
Perfect, easy, a repeat many many times over, thank you!! ????????????????
Darlene says
I loved it. But I’m not a big salt fan. So for me I would put less.