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
Elsie says
It really is (damn delicious)! I had a tiny tenderloin (< 1 lb), so I checked with a meat thermometer after 15 min and it was done. Thank you!
Ann says
Very good recipe! Best I`ve ever tried for air fryer pork tenderloin and I`ve made a few over the years. I think it`s the brown sugar crust that makes it extraordinary! I only cook mine to 140 degrees on my instant meat thermometer. Just a little pink on the thickest part of the tenderloin.
Jan says
Delicious. I have made it a few times. Is a favorite!
Wendy Jo says
I am new to air fryers, and my pork tenderloin is about 5 1/2 pounds. I want to use your recipe, but I have absolutely no clue how long to cook it for… Any advice?
RecipeTeacher says
Hi Wendy Jo. I’m guessing what you have is a pork loin and not a pork tenderloin. A pork tenderloin wouldn’t be that big. OR, are there possibly 2 in the package?
Wendy Jo says
Oh my gosh! You are absolutely correct! There are two in the package! I’m going to try your recipe tonight, and I guess I will just do one at a time???
Thank you so much for getting back to me so quickly!
RecipeTeacher says
Lol I had a feeling. Yes do one at a time per the recipe. But i’ll bet you like it so much you’ll be cooking that other one very soon too! 🙂
Cheryl says
This is truly the best!! So good, so easy, made it last week and the family has requested it again already! Thank you for a wonderful recipe and I look forward to trying some of your other ones.
lori says
I have made this so many times because it so simple and tastes incredible. I will sometimes use swerve brown sugar rather than real brown sugar and it is still amazing. tonight I made this and used foil on the bottom of my air fryer. when I pulled the tenderloin out I put frozen fries into the juices on the foil and air fried them as well. I may use the base on french fries the next time it was so good. Try this recipe you won’t regret it
MLHomestead says
Excellent! This Air Fry recipe is the BEST. Easy & Delicious
Sarah k says
Amazing I thought it was going to be over done so I pulled it out 8 min early, but I ended up putting it back in for the total 20 min. I must say I will never cook pork any other way again. Moist, delicious and my pork is always dry! Can’t wait to try other recipes
jklawrence59 says
Amazing! Best ever.
Michael Gray says
What a wonderful recipe for a first time air fryer experience. Simple instructions that have been idiot proofed (lol). Tastes fantastic! Made me look like a real chef ???????? at the dinner table . You gotta try this recipe….