The delicious fun of making pork recipes in the Instant Pot continues as we make the Best Damn Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin. Tender, juicy and bursting with awesome flavor, then topped with a gravy made from the very juices the pork cooks in. It’s super easy to make and the whole thing is complete and on your plate in about 25 minutes.
Pork tenderloin is an extraordinary meat that is very lean, very tender, and always makes an excellent meal. Making pork tenderloin in the Instant Pot is not only super easy, the pressure cooking makes it so succulent and delicious, it’s my preferred way to make it.
The Best Damn Pork Seasonings
One of the most popular recipes on RecipeTeacher.com is The Best Damn Instant Pot Boneless Pork Chops. In that recipe we use a very simple rub and some chicken stock with a couple of added ingredients to make terrific pork chops. For this recipe, we’ll borrow the same basic ingredients with just a couple of modifications.
Make Sure It’s Pork Tenderloin and not Pork Loin Roast
Both cuts of meat can be right next to each other at the grocery store, but be aware that they are very different cuts of meat. Make sure the package clearly says “pork tenderloin”. It will be long and narrow, usually about 1.5 to 2.5 inches in diameter. I like to use the vacuum sealed packages that will say if the tenderloin contains a solution. This solution is the brine and is a big step saver and helps to keep the meat tender and juicy. So always keep an eye out for it – it’s the best buy.
Start with a Simple Rub
We start by cutting our pork tenderloin in half crosswise to have two equal lengths of meat. This will help the pressure cooking process. Then we add a rub of brown sugar, salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder and garlic powder. Fresh, course ground pepper is my choice to use and I like to go heavy on it. I personally love to use a peppercorn medley which consists of black peppercorns, pink peppercorns, green peppercorns, white peppercorns and coriander. The combination of peppercorns, especially when fresh ground creates such a wonderful flavor profile when combined with the other seasonings for this recipe. You can find peppercorn medley grinders in just about any supermarket spice section, usually very affordably too.
Prepare the meat
One of the keys to success is to let the meat sit out of the fridge for a bit. When meat goes right from the cold fridge to the hot pot, it is not going to be as good. Let the meat stay in its packaging on the kitchen counter for 15-20 minutes first. Then after unpackaging, rinse it under water and cut it in half. Coat it with some oil and apply the rub liberally. Set the Instant Pot to saute mode, and when hot, add the meat carefully and brown on all sides. This will take a total of about 5-7 minutes. Remove the meat, and press cancel. Then add the chicken stock and use a wooden spoon to deglaze the bottom of the pot. Make sure to scrape up all the little bits that have stuck to the bottom. This is important. If they’re not all scraped up, the pot can issue a burn notice when pressure cooking during the next step.
Pressure Cook Only 3 Minutes
After we’ve deglazed the bottom of the pot, we add some Worcestershire sauce and liquid smoke to the chicken broth. Then we place the pork tenderloin right into the liquid, secure the lid, make sure vent is set to “sealing”, and pressure cook on high pressure (manual on some cookers) for only 3 minutes. Yes, just 3 minutes. Then let the pressure naturally release. The NPR will take about 12-15 minutes.
When cooking in complete and pressure has naturally released, remove the pork and set on a plate for 5 minutes before slicing.
Make Some Gravy!
Once the meat is removed. Press cancel, then press saute. Scoop out about 3 tablespoons of the juices into a cup and add 2 tablespoons of corn starch. Mix it well and slowly pour it back into the pot. Everything will thicken nicely in about a minute. Press cancel and you’ve got an amazing gravy from the very juices from which we cooked our meat.
Print
Best Damn Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin
- Total Time: 13 minutes
- Yield: 2-3 servings
Ingredients
- 1 pork tenderloin, 1.25lb – 1.5lb
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons course ground black pepper (use less to taste preference – see note at bottom)
- 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke
Instructions
- Let pork tenderloin stay in package out of fridge for 15-20 minutes. Remove tenderloin from package and rinse and pat dry. Trim any visible fat. Cut tenderloin into 2 pieces of equal length.
- Coat each piece with about 1 teaspoon each of olive oil. In a small dish, combine all dry ingredients and mix well. Apply the rub liberally onto meat.
- Set Instant Pot to Saute mode. When hot, add meat and brown each side for a couple of minutes each. When all sides are browned, press Cancel and remove meat to a plate. Add the chicken stock to the pot and use a wooden spoon to scrape all the bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the Worcestershire sauce and liquid smoke to the chicken broth.
- Place meat directly into the liquid, secure lid, set the vent to “sealing”. Pressure cook (manual) on high pressure for 3 minutes. When cycle is complete, allow pressure to naturally release for 15 minutes. Remove meat to a plate and let sit for 5 minutes before slicing into pieces about ¼ inch thick.
- To make gravy: After removing meat, press Cancel, then press Saute. Scoop out 3 tablespoons of the liquid to a separate cup and add 2 tablespoons of corn starch. Mix well until corn starch is dissolved. Slowly pour mixture back into the liquid in the pot. Once it starts to boil, press cancel. Mix well and sauce will thicken into a delicious gravy.
Notes
If you’re normally sensitive to pepper, please feel free to use less to your personal taste.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 3 min
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
Arnie says
I can’t cook worth a darn! BUT…you made me look like Iron Chef! Absolutely delicious! Many thanks.
Gordon says
Hey Teacher,
I’m interested in this recipe NEXT time I do Pork..
Right now, I had the pork marinating in a thick sweet oriental sauce recipe for 48 hours. I nneded the I.P. time to cook the pork and discovered your site.
So my 3 quart I.P. is set for 3 minutes and I can’t wait to taste the result…
Lots of good comments/feedback here…
Thanks,
G.
Shawna-Lee says
Delicious! This recipe is a keeper! Very easy to make and the whole family loved it…excellent gravy!!
Paula Augustyn says
Excellent! Made for dinner last night and we all loved it. My oven is not working and waiting for repair otherwise I would not have considered the instant pot. I’m so glad I tried your recipe. Can’t wait to make it again.
Tricia Morris says
Excellent! Followed the recipe to the letter, but had a two pound tenderloin. Didn’t change a thing. As mentioned, the gravy, oh, my!
MeLC says
Used a tenderloin from Costco. Browned in my cast iron skillet as it works best for me and cooked as directed for 3 minutes. Perfectly tender, well done tenderloin, exactly the way my family likes it. Pinned and this will be my go to recipe for pork tenderloin. Can’t wait to experiment with different sauces and rubs. Thanks for a great recipe.
Luan Bernhardt says
I want to try to make your recipe but it says to use “Manual” on high pressure. My Faberware IP only has positions and no place to set it on “High”. Ex. Position #5 says, “Steak & meat”. is that the one I use? I can reset the time manually that it actually cooks but not the temperature. Can you help me with more info. I’m really new at this but am having trouble when the directions say to set temperature on high. Any suggestions? Thanks for any help you can give me.
RecipeTeacher says
Hu Luan. While i’m not familiar with that particular pressure cooker, the “high” refers to high pressure – which is pretty much the standard default pressure setting for almost all pressure cooker (Instant Pot) recipes. You’ll want to use whatever is the basic pressure cook setting on that model.
Abs says
I too have a farber ware and from a fb group I’m in says the levels all run at the same which is 10 psi. With the exception of sauté mode and the crockpot mode.
Megan says
Very tasty! I forgot to add the Worchestshire with the broth, but added it to the gravy and it was still very good. The pork was a bit overdone, so next time I may cut back to 2 minutes as I like my pork a bit more medium, but the gravy made it delicious. One note: I was initially confused why your pictures were of full rounds but the recipe says to cut in half lengthwise (meaning parallel to the long side). I figured out you meant just to cut it in half crosswise and all was well. I really liked the method of oiling the meat and putting on the spices before searing on 2 small pieces. Much better than my previous favorite recipe that just put the oil in the pot. Thanks!
Karen R. Lakeville, MN says
Tried this recipe for the first time. Love the clear and precise directions! Pork is well done at 3 minutes. We like our tenderloin medium rare. Next time will adjust cooking time to 2 minutes as it will continue to cook while resting during the gravy preparation.
Mary says
I am going to double the recipe. What do I need to change? Time etc.
RecipeTeacher says
Hi Mary,
Double the dry rub only. Everything else stays the same. Time is the same too.
Dana Decker says
I made this tonight for dinner and it was absolutely delicious! I did not change anything about the recipe and am so glad that I didn’t. That gravy….wow…it had the best flavor of any gravy I’ve had before for a tenderloin and topped the mashed potatoes perfectly. This will definitely be on my meal rotation!