This juicy and tender Maple Mustard Pork Tenderloin is crusted in a dry rub, seared in a skillet until golden brown, then roasted in a mouthwatering maple mustard sauce until glazed and perfectly cooked! Pork tenderloin is a fabulous weeknight dinner idea, and you’ll want to put that maple mustard sauce on everything in sight!
This is one of my Pork recipes I know you’ll want to keep on hand!
This roasted pork tenderloin recipe is one of those recipes that does double duty. Not only is it great for a regular family dinner (even a weeknight dinner if you prep ahead), but it also works well on your holiday dinner table as well!
It tastes fantastic, looks fancy, yet is surprisingly simple to make.
Pork tenderloin is one of those cuts of pork that is easily available at the grocery store, and as a bonus, a lot of the time you can pick up a package of pork tenderloin that has two tenderloins in it! This may not be true in every region, but here in the midwest, that’s what’s in my grocery store.
So you can double this recipe, or freeze the other tenderloin for a future dinner! Normally I’m all about the freezing option, but this pork recipe is so good, you may want to make extra so you have some leftovers.
How to make maple mustard pork tenderloin?
This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.
- Make the sauce. No need for anything fancy here, just a bowl and whisk, spoon or even fork.
- Make the rub. This rub recipe uses common dried spices that you probably already have in your spice cabinet.
- Season the pork. Really rub the seasoning mix into the tenderloin, massaging it so it’s all covered.
- Sear. Brown the pork tenderloin on all sides in an oven safe skillet. This adds flavor, as well as getting the cooking process started.
- Roast. Brush the pork with some of the sauce, then roast in the oven for about 15-20 minutes.
- Broil. Brush the pork with more of the sauce, then broil on high for a minute or two.
- Rest and slice. Let the pork rest on a cutting board for 5-10 minutes, then cut into slices.
Helpful Tip!
Don’t fear the blush of pink! Contrary to chicken, pork is actually supposed to be cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F and have a blush of pink. However, feel free to cook it longer if you prefer it that way. To get the most perfectly cooked pork (or any meat for that matter), an internal meat thermometer is your best friend. They’re pretty inexpensive, and a very valuable kitchen tool. I’ve linked to the model I use lower in this post.
Variations of this recipe
- No cast iron – cast iron skillets, or other oven-safe skillets, are an essential tool in my kitchen, but I understand not everyone has one. Feel free to sear the pork in whichever skillet you have, then transfer to an oven-safe baking dish to roast.
- Pork chops – this sauce would be amazing with any cut of pork, but pork chops are probably the most common cut. To use pork chops, I would season with the rub, and sear in a skillet on both sides, for about 2-3 minutes. Then brush with some of the maple mustard sauce and bake at 375°F for approximately 5 minutes. Flip the pork chops over, brush again with the sauce, then bake another 4-5 minutes, until pork reaches an internal temperature of 145°F. Any remaining sauce can be cooked down into a glaze, or used to drizzle over the chops at the table.
- Sweeter, more savory, etc – as always, the sauce ingredient amounts are what we like best, but feel free to play around with the proportions to match your tastes and preferences. If you like things sweeter, add more syrup, more savory, add more soy sauce, more tangy, add more mustard, etc.
FAQ’s
While the names may sound similar, they’re in fact, very different cuts of meat. They’re not cut from the same part of the animal, and are cooked differently.
Pork tenderloins are long and thin, with minimal fat. They are sometimes packaged in 2 packs at grocery stores. Tenderloins should be cooked at higher temperatures, and for shorter amounts of time.
Pork loins are wide and covered with a thicker fat cap. Loin should be seared, then cooked a lower temperature for longer periods of time.
While some pork tenderloin recipes call for the meat to be covered during roasting, this recipe does not. The combination of the the oven temperature and shorter roasting time keep the pork moist, so it won’t dry out. Plus the tenderloin can continue to brown as it roasts, and the sauce can get beautifully caramelized and sticky.
Making pork tenderloin ahead of time
I don’t recommend roasting pork tenderloin ahead of time, as it will inevitably be less moist and tender, compared to when you make it fresh.
However you can certainly make parts of this ahead of time/prep ahead. This cuts down on the prep and total cooking time.
- Pork – the pork tenderloin can be prepped ahead by removing the silver skin. Refrigerate until ready to cook
- Rub – the seasoning rub can be combined and stored at room temperature until ready to cook.
- Sauce – the sauce ingredients can be combined and stored in the refrigerator until ready to cook.
Storage
Leftovers should be kept refrigerated in an airtight container, and should be consumed within 3-4 days.
My Favorite Thermometer!
I love using this meat thermometer for making sure the meat is finished cooking! Easy for beginners & totally worth the $17 cost! If you’d like to treat yourself and get a wireless thermometer probe that stays IN the meat, and will alert you when it gets to the temperature you want, this smart meat thermometer works with your phone! It’s been so much fun to use.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
Pork
- 1 lb. pork tenderloin silver skin removed
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup reduced sodium beef broth
Maple mustard sauce
- 3 Tbsp maple syrup real maple syrup is best
- 2 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp creamy Dijon mustard
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Garnish
- minced fresh parlsey
- additional pan drippings
Instructions
Prepare
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Remove silver skin of pork tenderloin (see the "chef tips" section below for information about this). Pat pork tenderloin very dry with paper towels.
Make the sauce and rub
- Combine maple mustard sauce ingredients (soy sauce, garlic, maple syrup, mustard, salt and pepper) in a small bowl and set aside.
- Combine dried oregano, rosemary, garlic powder, paprika, thyme, salt, and pepper in a small bowl, then rub into the pork, on all sides.
Sear and roast
- Heat vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet, or other oven-safe skillet, over MED HIGH heat.
- Once oil is hot, add pork and sear for about 2 minutes per side. Set pork aside on a plate.
- Add beef broth and scrape the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon, releasing any browned bits, cooking until the broth reduces by half.
- Add pork back to the skillet, brush pork with about half of the maple mustard sauce, then bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the tenderloin registers between 137 – 140°F.
Broil and finish
- Brush pork with remaining sauce and broil on HIGH for 1-2 minutes, or until golden brown and sauce is caramelized and sticky.
- Let pork rest for 5-10 minutes, then slice into 1/2” thick slices and sprinkle with minced parsley (if desired), and drizzle with pan juices.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Chef Tips
- Removing the silver skin from the pork tenderloin is essential, because if it stays on, that part of the pork will be very chewy and not appetizing.
- The silver skin will likely be on just one side of the tenderloin, and it looks white and silvery, and a bit shiny. Insert your knife just under that skin and cut it away from the meat on one side. Then turn the knife the other way and while lifting the skin, slide the knife down the length of the tenderloin, separating the skin from the pork. If you’d like a photo/video demonstration, Cook the Story has a great article on this.
Storage
Leftovers should be kept refrigerated in an airtight container, and should be consumed within 3-4 days.Prepping ahead
- Pork – the pork tenderloin can be prepped ahead by removing the silver skin. Refrigerate until ready to cook
- Rub – the seasoning rub can be combined and stored at room temperature until ready to cook.
- Sauce – the sauce ingredients can be combined and stored in the refrigerator until ready to cook.
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Kat says
Overall I think themrecipe had the potential to be really good,
but way too salty, and I cut the salt in half. I would ,not add add any salt to recipe. Since it’s hard to judge how recipe would taste without added salt I could Lu give it a 3
The Chunky Chef says
Did you happen to accidentally use 1/2 Tbsp of salt? I’ve never had any issues with saltiness, with only 1/2 tsp of kosher salt (kosher salt specifically has less sodium content than table salt) on the meat, and only 1/4 tsp of kosher salt in the sauce.
Amanda says
Wow what a great recipe, whole family totally loved it! Will be adding this to the rotation! Thanks for sharing!
Susan says
I loved this recipe and it’s a hit with my family as well. Easy, quick and delicious!