This pork tenderloin marinade is a sweet and savory blend of olive oil, garlic, mustard, brown sugar and herbs. Marinated pork tenderloin can be grilled, broiled or sauteed for an easy dinner that the whole family will love!
Pork tenderloin is one of the most versatile cuts of meat, it’s great in the slow cooker, stuffed with savory fillings, or simply cooked in a flavorful marinade. This marinade is also great on chicken and pork chops.
I am all about using marinades to infuse flavor into my meats, and this pork tenderloin marinade is one of my all time favorites. It produces tender and juicy results every time, and can easily be doubled or tripled if you’re cooking a lot of meat for a crowd.
How do you make pork tenderloin marinade?
This recipe is a blend of olive oil, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, herbs and Dijon mustard. The marinade is whisked together, then poured over the pork loin. You can marinate your meat in a large bowl, or in a resealable gallon sized bag.
HOW LONG DO YOU MARINATE PORK TENDERLOIN?
Pork loin should be marinated for at least one hour. I recommend marinating your meat for a longer period of time for the best flavor, I try to let my pork marinate for at least 6-8 hours.
TIPS FOR PORK TENDERLOIN MARINADE
- This marinade can be made up to 3 days before you plan to use it. Simply store the marinade in the fridge until you’re ready to add your pork.
- You can really use any cut of pork for this marinade such as bone in pork chops, boneless pork chops or a pork loin roast.
- This marinade contains a little bit of brown sugar which adds great flavor, but can easily burn. Make sure your grill or pan is not overly hot before you add your meat!
PORK TENDERLOIN MARINADE VARIATIONS
While this recipe is delicious as-is, you can add other ingredients to customize it to your tastes.
- Spicy: Add crushed red pepper flakes or hot sauce to the marinade to taste.
- Asian: Use a blend of olive oil, toasted sesame oil, lime juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger and garlic. Omit the parsley, thyme, lemon zest and Dijon mustard.
- Mexican: Use a blend of olive oil, lime juice, garlic, chili powder and onion powder. Omit the thyme, lemon zest and Dijon mustard.
How do you cook marinated pork tenderloin?
You can pan sear, grill, broil or bake your marinated pork. I typically sear my pork in a pan on the stove and then finish it in the oven, or I grill it. If the weather is nice, I grill outdoors. If it’s cold outside, I use my indoor grill pan on the stove top.
WHAT TEMPERATURE SHOULD PORK BE COOKED TO?
Pork tenderloin should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees F. The easiest way to gauge if your pork is done is to insert a thermometer into the thickest part of your meat. Once you’ve reached the correct temperature, remove the pork from the heat and let it rest for 3 minutes before you slice it.
This is some of the best pork I’ve ever had – it’s the perfect blend of sweet and savory flavors and the meat pairs well with almost any side dish.
More fabulous pork recipes
Pork Tenderloin Marinade
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon parsley leaves chopped
- 1 tablespoon thyme leaves chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
Instructions
- Place the pork tenderloin in a bowl or resealable gallon sized bag.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the olive oil, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, soy sauce, lemon zest, parsley, thyme, salt, pepper and garlic.
- Pour the marinade over the meat. Marinate for at least 1 hour, or up to 8 hours.
- Grill, broil or saute the pork over medium high heat until a thermometer inserted into the center of the meat registers 145 degrees F. This typically takes about 15 minutes depending on the size of your tenderloins.
- Let the meat rest for 5 minutes, then slice and serve.
Heather says
Delicious. I marinated two pork loins. The first one was marinated for 27 hours. The second one was marinated for 3 days exactly. The one that marinated longer was def more juicy and flavorful. Thats not to say the first one wasn’t tender cause it was juicy as well! I would def marinate this for at least 2 days myself. Great recipe! Slightly sweet. Very savory. Wonderful!
Mary Milling says
Wonderful marinade. I didn’t have parsley but used fresh basil out of my herb garden and dried thyme. I also used coconut sugar and I used tamari because it is a little less overcoming than standard soy sauce to me. My husband grilled the pork loins, started the temp high to get a sear and then cutting the temp back lower to cook through. The marinade flavor on the grilled loins was excellent. This is now my go to marinade for pork loin. Thank you for this very good recipe.
Linda says
I came across this recipe because I was looking for a way to fix sliced pork loin that would turn out tender. I’ve never been able to fix a tender piece of pork. This sounds like a great recipe so I’m going to try it. My question is, is it for the already sliced pork tenderloin or does it matter as far as cooking time?
Sara says
It will work for sliced pork tenderloin you’ll just want to cook it for a shorter period of time!
Debbie Swift says
The marinade was awesome. Really tender pork. I did try browning in cast iron pan then finishing n the oven. I took someone’s tip about adding the marinade back in, however it burnt a little so I don’t think I will add it next time. Good overall
Merlin says
I used the basic recipe with a quarter teaspoon of red pepper flakes added. Cooked it to the recommended internal temperature on my Green Egg and it is the best recipe I have ever found for pork tenderloin. Simply Superb.
Lisa says
Easy and great flavours!
carlee says
I didn’t have a lemon, but I used everything else and holy smokes was this amazing! I sous vide this for 3 hours at 137, then seared in the cast iron. Definitely putting this in my “dinner party” recipes.
John Ward says
This was absolutely the best marinade I have ever used. Pork tenderloin used to be a choice that along the lines of “well, we have pork tenderloins we need to eat”. No more. With this marinade, it has ascended to a preferred meal.
ANGELA says
WHAT TEMP IN THE OVEN????
NOT SHOWN ANYWHERE
Sara says
This is a recipe for a marinade which is why there is no oven temperature. You can bake it at 400 degrees F for 15-20 minutes.
Judean A Wise says
Hi, at what temperature and for how long if you bake the Pork Tenderloin with this marinade. It’s not in the recipe.
Thank you!
Sara says
400 degrees F for about 20 minutes!
Georgeann says
This was incredible! Everyone in my family ate it, and I had to restrain myself from frinking the remaining sauce. Only difference is I squeezed juice from half a lemon instead of the zest and I baked for about 33 minutes at 375.
Rachel Aragon says
Hi! I don’t have mustard Dijon what would you recommend using or can I go without ?
Sara says
You can use a different type of mustard or omit!
Rachel says
Thank you ! It was delicious!
Debbie says
Really great flavor and so tender! I had pork in the marinade for several hours then browned in dry lodge cast iron added the marinade back in and cooked at 400* uncovered until just past 140* internal temp. Used the remaining sauce over it, hubby used horseradish. Served with wild rice casserole that includes sautéed onion, red bell pepper, mushrooms, celery, broccoli with Parmesan and a little cream. Great home cooking flavors!!!! Thank you for sharing 😃 Will certainly make again and incorporate marinade in other recipes.
Darlene says
Followed the recipe exactly and it was wonderful. Will certainly make it again.
Julie J says
How long did you cook it in the oven?
Sara says
It should cook for about 15-20 minutes!
Lfcresswell says
Delicious! The whole family loved it. ❤️
Lori says
I don’t have fresh parsley or thyme….can I use dried and if so would the amounts be different?
Sara says
That’s fine, you would use 1/3 the amount of dried herbs compared to fresh.
Brian says
Fantastic, I seared in cast iron pan Dry. I then put the marinade in the pan and finished in the oven. I took the tenderloins out of the pan to rest and made gravy with the juices. Just added a little flower and milk. Loved it and 3 finicky kids Loved it. Thanks for a great recipe.
Mary says
I doubled the marinade and also made a gravy with the extra marinade using the Pan drippings. It was so good. I made a roux and splashed in a little milk to loosen it up. I could eat this every day. The pork is tender snd the gravy was spot on. I did splash in the juice from one lemon but otherwise followed the marinade recipe exactly.
demchaff says
Really easy and positive feedback from whole family, will definitely do it again!!!
Christin Wheeler says
I wish I could give this more than 5 stars. The flavor combination is absolutely delicious! Thank you!
Penny says
Does this marinade work in the crock pot as well?
Sara says
Yes it works, or you can try this recipe: https://www.dinneratthezoo.com/slow-cooker-pork-tenderloin/