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.
PrintRecipe
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
Kathy says
I am new to instant pot cooking. Do you put the meat on the rack or straight into the pot without the rack?
RecipeTeacher says
Hi Kathy. For this recipe the pork tenderloin goes right into the liquid in the pot. No trivet or rack required.
Calico says
I could only find a 2.35lb pork tenderloin, how much time would I need to add to the high pressure time?
RecipeTeacher says
So that’s a larger sized tenderloin, you’ll still be cutting in half and doing everything g else the same. You “may” want to add 1 more minute to the time but, I’m guessing 3 minutes will still give you an excellent result.
Deb says
I’ve never needed to increase time in recipes even if I’ve increased amounts. One of the great joys of the instant pot.
Diana says
This was delicious! Question: how did you get your gravy so dark? I followed your recipe to a tee and my gravy was brown.
RecipeTeacher says
Hi Diana, thanks for the kind words! The lighter color gravy could really be just about anything from the particular stock/broth you use, the amount of cornstarch, the amount of bits you scrape up from the bottom of the pot, etc. I usually really let the pork sear extra long and that creates quite a bit of char on the bottom of the pot that eventually gets scraped up and incorporated into the gravy. Either way, glad you enjoyed it!
Allena Downey says
Diana & Recipe Teacher,
Just a thought….. when I want a darker gravy (for anything), I always use KITCHEN BOUQUET & SEASONING SAUCE. It’s available in spice isle of most supermarkets. It’s a small brown bottle with yellow label & lid.
Even though it says seasoning sauce – it doesn’t (in my opinion) change the flavor in any way. Just adds a nice rich, darker color.
***only use a couple of drops till it’s the color you want. You can always add more, but can’t reverse how much you have added. A small amount goes a LONG way.
Good luck & let me know how it works for you. Happy cooking!
I’ll be making this dish tmr. Turkey is all gone, off to a different meat ????
RecipeTeacher says
That’s good stuff. Thanks for pointing that out, Allena!
Julie says
This is FANTASTIC!!!!!!! I usually marinate my pork loins and grill them, I was very time consumed and decided to try this recipe. So glad I did, it is one of my favorites, especially that gravy!!!!!
RecipeTeacher says
Thanks so much, Julie! Yeah that gravy is something else!
Rose Jackson says
You are so right. This is the best damn instant pot pork tenderloin ever! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I didn’t have any bottled Worchestershire sauce so, I made some from scratch.
RecipeTeacher says
Thanks so much for the kind words, Rose!
MARIANNE BLACK says
Can this meal be frozen after it cools for future use?Has anyone actually done this? Thank you in advance.
RecipeTeacher says
Hi Marianne… yes you can freeze it after cooking. Wrap it up good in freezer bags.
Lisa says
This was very good. Had everything in the cupboard I needed to make it, just had to buy the tenderloin and a side. Will make again but next time I will only let it NPR for 10 minutes rather than 15. Gravy was wonderful! Thanks for this recipe!
David says
Simply outstanding. Ready in 30 minutes. Served over cauliflower rice with steamed broccoli. Will highly recommend and will make again.
RecipeTeacher says
Thanks so much David!
Jana says
I’m wondering if you have ever tried this using several lb of regular pork loin? If so, how many minutes would you cook it for since it’s a bigger cut of meat?
Angela says
Delicious!! I used a tenderloin that was already marinated in mushroom onion. I cut it into four pieces and followed the recipe without the spices since it was already marinated. I didn’t have chicken broth so I used beef. Delish and tender! Thank you!!
RecipeTeacher says
Thanks so much Angela! I’ve used those marinated tenderloins too and we like them a lot. I really appreciate the kind words and the feed back!
Delores Bruyette says
I get tired of the same food made the same way all the time. I’m always looking for new recipes for the same meats. I found your recipe in the tenderloin section. Well it turned out great. I will cut the pepper in half next time. It is the best darn tenderloin recipe.
RecipeTeacher says
Thank you so much Delores!! I really appreciate the kind words!
Cynthia says
You weren’t lyin’ when you named this”best damn!” This turned out amazing! I will definitely cook this again and I will be following you for more recipes.
Thank you!
RecipeTeacher says
Thanks so much, Cynthia!!