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 as slow cooker pork tenderloin, stuffed pork tenderloin, or simply cooked in a flavorful marinade. This marinade is also great on chicken and in other pork recipes.
I am all about using marinade recipes 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!
Table of Contents
Pork Tenderloin Marinade Ingredients
To make this recipe, you will need pork tenderloin, olive oil, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, soy sauce, lemon zest, parsley, thyme, salt, black pepper and garlic.
How Do You Make Pork Tenderloin Marinade?
Place all the ingredients in a bowl or resealable bag and mix to combine. Add the pork to the marinade and let it sit for at least one hour, or up to eight hours. Cook the pork as desired in a skillet or on the grill, then serve and enjoy.
Tips For The Perfect Marinade
- You can prepare this marinade up to 3 days before you plan to use it. Simply store the marinade in the refrigerator until you’re ready to add your pork.
- 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! No brown sugar on hand? Try honey instead!
- Sometimes I like to do a mixed grill and add other types of meat such as shrimp, chicken or beef. My favorite is to put some beef into skirt steak marinade or London broil marinade and serve it alongside the pork.
- If you don’t have fresh herbs on hand, use 1/3 of the amount of dried herbs instead.
- Serve your pork with a variety of side dishes including favorites such as hasselback potatoes, three bean salad, crispy brussels sprouts, stuffed tomatoes, cowboy beans, tzimmes, grilled sweet potatoes, or even grilled peaches!
Quick Tip
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.
Recipe FAQs
You should marinate pork tenderloin 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.
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.
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.
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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 fresh garlic or garlic powder. 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.
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
Stuffed Pork Chops
30 mins
Smoked Pork Chops
1 hr 10 mins
Teriyaki Pork Stir Fry
30 mins
BBQ Pork Chops
40 mins
Pork Carnitas Recipe
3 hrs 20 mins
Love This Recipe?
Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
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.
Notes
- 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 recipe is an absolute keeper! I’ve made it several times, and it never disappoints.
So delicious.
Love this recipe. It has become a family favourite
This is a great recipe. Very similar to one I’ve used on grilled chicken that had Worcestershire sauce in it. I marinated for about 6 hours and then pan seared on all sides before baking at 350 degrees. I pulled from the oven when the lowest rating on the thickest portion was around 147. This left the thinner parts of the tenderloin just barely well done and the rest medium/medium rare. Rested about 15 min before carving. Kids and adults both enjoyed!
I use this recipe a lot! It is such a great recipe. It is very flavorful. I keep some of the marinade separate to use on the tenderloin when sliced. Delicious!!
I love the blend of this marinade. Perfect for our grilled pork yesterday. Everyone loves it. Saving this recipe.
Such a simple yet delicious marinade for any cut of pork really. A keeper recipe!
Your Marinade recipe is so yummy. The combination of Brown sugar, mustard, oil and herbs is so flavorful. Looks tempting , soft, moist and juicy.
This sounds like the perfect marinade for pork! 🙂 I am loving all of the flavors happening here.
Such a delicious and flavorful way to make pork tenderloin! Thanks for the amazing recipe.