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
Rebecca says
I didn’t read the poundage for the meat on the bottom directions carefully and my 2.5 lb pork tenderloin did not cook all the way. ???? Putting it back in the instant pot to try to salvage.
RecipeTeacher says
Hey Rebecca, usually when this happens its because it’s a pork “loin” and not a “tenderloin”. Both are actually very different. Pork tenderloins usually aren’t as large as 2.5lbs. That said, they “can” be, but it’s rare that they are. If so, another couple of minutes should do the trick.
Patsy says
My pork tenderloin package also says 2.78 lbs, but there are actually 2 tenderloins in the pack. This may be what happened to Rebecca.
Pam says
I just made this!! It’s got to be the easiest, quickest, moistest pork tenderloin I’ve ever made! I couldn’t believe it only needed to cook for 3 minutes + release time, but the thermometer pleasantly proved me wrong. And the gravy…easy and savory!! Pork tenderloin may be on the menu in this household a little more often. Thanks, Recipe Teacher.
Marian says
Great recipe and directions made this easy and delicious! Didn’t have any liquid smoke, but still delicious!! Will use liquid smoke next time. Thank you as my son actually said it was really good and thanked me for cooking.
RecipeTeacher says
Excellent! And tell your son that Jason from RecipeTeacher is glad you guys liked it!
Kathy says
Great flavor and so easy. Pork tenderloin is one of my favorites and this was the best I’ve made. It definitely has a little zip with the pepper and paprika. Five + stars!
RecipeTeacher says
Love it!
Michelle says
Oh my goodness! Definitely easy and quick to make in the instapot! Got a late start to getting dinner together, found this, had all of the ingredients, and everything worked like it was supposed to. Quick, easy, and (extremely) delish!
Kathleen J says
I made this for the first time yesterday. We eat pork tenders quite frequently and after following this recipe, I will probably never fix them any other way….they were so good…. I would not change a thing..
Sandy says
This is the second time I’ve made this. I don’t have liquid smoke so I use smoke paprika, 1 teaspoon of pepper, garlic and onion powder. The cook time is perfect for a 1.5 pork tenderloin. Came out juicy and flavorful. I do struggle with the gravy though, both times the smooth mixture of corn starch and the juices in the crockpot seem to always lump up when I stir it in. I just strain it and move on, but does anyone have any tips on that?
Sue P says
I believe this recipe is for an instant pot which is not a crockpot. The crockpot will not cook in that short time. Good luck.
Kathleen J says
Are you mixing the corn starch with the 3 TB of juice and then slowly pouring that into the liquid very slowly as you bring it to a boil?
Alison says
Mix the cornstarch in with a bit of water in a small jar. Shake well. Make sure the juices are boiling a bit before adding the cornstarch/water mixture, and whisk briskly. Good luck!
Vicki says
Smooth out lumpy gravy with an immersion hand blender. I do it all the time!
Jay C says
I made this and it was damn good! I will cut the salt a bit next time but otherwise it was fantastic! Gravy came out good too. Thanks for the recipe.
IMM2ND says
When you said “Best Damn”, you meant it. So easy and so delicious. We didn’t have liquid smoke so we used dry chipotle and a little smoked paprika. We like our spice so the added heat was nice. That gravy…WOW. My question is how to adjust time to double the pork.
RecipeTeacher says
Some excellent substitutions! Chipotle and smoked paprika are awesome with this.
Lisa says
What would be the cooking time for 3 pounds pork tenderloin?
RecipeTeacher says
Is that for just 1 pork tenderloin?
Darrell says
Usually with the instant pot, the cook time doesn’t change if you make more than the recipe. It still cooks through. It my just take longer to pressurize the pot at the beginning, so technically, it cooks longer as it is pressurizing.
Larry says
I haven’t actually used the recipe yet, but I intend to. I just wanted to point out that the author surely meant that the tenderloin should be cut crosswise, not lengthwise as stated.
RecipeTeacher says
Thanks for noticing that faux pas!
D M says
Made this tonight. Excellent. Faux pas #2 (small): the corn starch is does not appear in the ingredients list. Look forward to trying other of your recipes.