Perfectly seasoned and roasted to perfection in your oven, this pork tenderloin is buttery tender, juicy, and so delicious! With easy ingredients and simple steps, it’s the perfect family meal.
Pork tenderloin is one of the finest cuts of meat. It’s very lean and tender and can be seasoned any number of wonderful ways. For this recipe we’ll use a combination of simple pantry ingredients to season the pork, before roasting it in the oven for about 30 minutes.
Make Sure It’s Pork Tenderloin
There’s a few cuts of pork that have similar sounding names. Be sure the packaging clearly says pork tenderloin. They are basically long and slender and weigh around ¾lb to 1 ½lbs each. It’s also quite common to find them in 2-packs. Other similar names including pork loin, pork loin filet and pork roast are NOT pork tenderloin and require different cooking steps.
Simple Pantry Ingredients
I love to make recipes where I have most of the ingredients already on hand. For this roasted pork tenderloin, we’ll use a simple rub which includes brown sugar, salt, pepper, ground mustard, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and a hint of cayenne (optional, be really good).
Easy Preparation
Another reason I love making this recipe is because it’s so simple to prepare. All you have to do is mix the ingredients together, rub some olive oil on the meat, and then coat it well with the seasoning rub. Place it into a baking dish or pan and into the oven it goes. No need to sear this recipe first, that’s one less step we needn’t worry about. Just rub the seasoning on and it’s ready to go in the oven!
Roast at 425° (F) for 25-30 minutes
We want the pork tenderloin to have an internal temperature of 145°(F). An instant read thermometer is an essential tool everyone should have on hand. After 25 minutes, check the thickest part of the meat. Once the internal temp is at least 145°(F), you’re good to remove from the oven. Set the pork tenderloin on a plate and let it sit for at least 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Recipe

Best Damn Roasted Pork Tenderloin
- Total Time: 20 minute
- Yield: 4 servings
Description
Mouthwatering, buttery tender pork tenderloin seasoned to perfection and roasted in the oven for about 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 2 pork tenderloins (¾lb-1.25lbs each)
- 3 tbs brown sugar
- 1.5 tbs paprika
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1.5 tsp ground mustard
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1–2 tbs olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°(F).
- Mix all dry ingredients in a small bowl.
- Trim pork tenderloin of any excess fat or silverskin. Pat pork dry and coat with olive oil.
- Rub seasoning mix all over pork tenderloin.
- Place seasoned pork into a shallow baking dish and bake in oven 25-30 minutes (internal temp should be at least 145°)
- Remove from oven and place pork tenderloin on a plate and let rest at least 5 minutes before slicing.
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 25-30 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Margaret Dibling
This turned out great. So easy and quick to put together with easy ingredients on hand. Finally a juicy and moist tenderloin!
Judes
Very good recipe. I added a bit of cayenne. As you took a bite, you got a taste of sweetness and then a bit of hot! Really tasty. Thank you for recipe!
★★★★★
Heather
One of the best pork tenderloin recipes I’ve made. Used smoked paprika because that’s what I had and added Cayenne pepper. Served with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli. Absolutely delicious and so easy.
★★★★★
Susan Carroll
Made this pork loin last night and it was very very delicious. My husband said it was the best one ever. Thank you for your great recipe.
★★★★★
Lori McCarrall
Super easy and delicious! This was a big hit for the entire family. Making again next week for extended family dinner at Fall Break.
★★★★★
Cathy
Can this be prepared the night before refrigerated and baked the next day. It looks and sounds amazing.
RecipeTeacher
Sure can.
Karen Richard
I have been making Pork Tenderloin for over 30 years. This was the best recipe I have ever used. It was simple and much of the same spices I usually use to season. This combination made the meat so juicy and flavorful that the second night was still as good as the first. We loved the hint of sweetness. The first night we ate the smaller side of the tenderloin with the juice. The second night I made Mc’ks pork gravy and added the juices. YUMM. Thanks for this recipe! It’s a keeper!
★★★★★
RecipeTeacher
That is some high praise! Thanks so much, Karen!
Ashley
How long do you suggest baking a 3lb single tenderloin as opposed to two single 1.25lbs ? Thanks
Renee Guzzardo
Best Damn, yeah! Easy and delish! Didn’t have regular paprika so used smoked paprika and didn’t have powdered onions so used dehydrated chopped onions and it was delicious! I loved it so much that I even printed out the recipe (worthy of my frugality at using paper & printer ink)! 😉
★★★★★
RecipeTeacher
Yay! I’m glad the recipe was worthy of a print out!
And… I LOVE smoked paprika! It’s awesome in so many recipes and excellent in this one.
Thanks for the feedback, Renee!
Jill
Just like you said:
“Perfectly seasoned and roasted to perfection in your oven, this pork tenderloin is buttery tender, juicy, and so delicious! With easy ingredients and simple steps, it’s the perfect family meal.”
After some research, I chose your recipe because it seemed to match our taste preferences. My son really enjoyed it and said it was better than restaurant quality…Thank you so much for sharing this perfect recipe!
★★★★★
Rebecca
I made this tonight, and it was the best tenderloin have ever eaten. Juicy and delicious! Will make again and again. Wouldn’t change a thing!
★★★★★
Monica
Would the cooking time change if I have just one pork loin that weighs in at 3 1/2 pounds?
RecipeTeacher
Hi Monica, if you’re doing an actual pork loin as opposed to pork tenderloin, you’ll want to follow the cooking times from the recipe for our Oven Roasted Pork Loin. You’re probably looking at 45min – 1 hour.
Pat
Do you cover it with tin foil when it’s baking? Thanks
RecipeTeacher
No need to cover.