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
BCN says
Just made this. I will make it again because this one just tasted like smoked paprika. I would definitely substitute smoked paprika for simple paprika and decrease this one to 1 teaspoon.
Thank you for sharing!
Barcelona, Spain
Amanda Peterson says
Made this receipe for first time last night, also first time doing a pork tenderloin and let me tell you; it was amazing!!!! My husband asked for seconds and even asked me to write down the receipe. 🙂 Thank you for this amazing receipe! Its now a family staple!
Carolyn Kay says
This is the very best tenderloin we have ever had! Thank You!
Bunnie Pollock says
This recipe is certainly named appropriately! Made exactly as recipe was written and it was amazing. I’m surprised any of it even made it to the table. We sliced it and served it on creamy zoodles and pasta. A- Maz-Ing! Love the quick fix and the seasoning the way it crusts up, soooooo good!
Diane Chrislip says
I’m not a big pork eater, but I do love pork tenderloin, and this recipe was perfect. We ate it the first night as it with mashed potatoes. The next night it became fajitas with peppers and onions from the garden. And then we had pork sandwiches with honey mustard. I’m making it again over the weekend for friends.
S nelson says
This was fantastic. Followed the recipe exactly. Quick, easy and delicious.
Kay says
can we still sear first? or is that pointless/ takes away more than add?
RecipeTeacher says
No need to sear. The air fryer takes care of all of that.
Susan Huber says
Absolutely DELICIOUS!! So easy! Can’t wait to make it again! It came out perfect, tender and moist. So flavorful!! Thanks for a fabulous recipe!!
madhappyangie says
This is my go-to pork tenderloin recipe. A little heat & a little sweet. So good.
Jerry Roos says
Well, aside from using a pork loin instead of a tenderloin in the video, which I don’t doubt would work just fine, it’s a very tasty recipe!