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.
I used this marinade for a pork tenderloin for dinner last night and it came out perfectly juicy and flavorful!
I’ve made this pork tenderloin marinade twice now and it is a huge hit. Making it again today on the 4th of July! My husband is a great griller but the marinade is excellent. Love Dinner at the Zoo!
Can I sear this in a cast iron pan and then stick it in the oven to bake? If so what temps and times per pound?
Yes I’d do 400 degrees F for 8-10 minutes per pound.
This was such a good marinade! I will use it frequently! So glade to find this web site with other ideas!
This marinade is amazing! No doubt the best I have tasted. I marinaded overnight and cooked on the grill-both of which I don’t normally do but, it turned out excellent! I can’t wait to try this pan seared & baked next time. I added crushed red pepper flakes to the marinade for a subtle kick and 1/2 the brown sugar from the recipe.
Absolutely delicious!
Thank you for your recipe. My non-chef husband made it and said it was easy. We don’t get consensus very often with all the picky eaters around here, but everyone in my family loved it!
Do you have to sear it before placing it in the oven?
I like to for that golden brown crust but it’s not a requirement!
I used the Asian version and it’s totally delish.
I really want to try the Asian version, but don’t know what the ratios of the ingredients should be. Please help! 🙂
You would omit the parsley, thyme, lemon zest and Dijon mustard. Add 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1 1/2 teaspoons minced ginger.
Thank you! I already marinated it with the traditional recipe before seeing your reply but will definitely try the asian version next time! Thank you so much! 🙂
This was fantastic- actually liked it even more 2nd day as the lemon really came out of hiding. I did marinate overnight and grilled to perfection!
can i use apple juice with this in addition or in lieu of brown sugar?
That should be fine!
Recipe sounds great. Will anything bad happen if I marinate for almost 24 hours? Easier to prep the night before.
That should be fine!
For the Mexican version do you use the soy sauce?
You would omit the soy sauce!
Delicious and foolproof. I grilled the tenderloin and served with roasted green beans and roasted baby yukon gold potatoes. This is my new signature dish for company.
This marinade looks good. I have it marinating right now. I have a 3lb. Pork loin and I’m going to cook it in a smoker at 250-275 for two and a half hours. Wish me luck. I wish I had apple wood chips, but I’ll have to use hickory or pecan, which is what I have on hand.
What temp for oven and how long?
400 degrees for about 15-17 minutes!
400 for 30+ minutes..if slicing after baking (baking whole)
I’d use a meat thermometer as 30 minutes sounds like a long time to me, the internal temperature should be at least 145 degrees F.
What temperature should I have my grill for 2 pounds pease of meat ?
Thx. Rosalie
I do 400 degrees F!
My husband and I grilled this wonderful dish. It was moist and the marinade crusted the meat perfectly. Even the leftovers were amazing. Thanks ….I only print recipes that deserve it.
This is the first meal I’ve made for myself since my husband passed, nearly 10 months ago. And it’s the first meal that was SO delicious, I didn’t turn on the TV to distract me while I ate. I wanted to enjoy the whole experience. It’s a great recipe, which I’m so glad I came across. I had it with broccoli fritters (also another first), and the whole meal transported me to a 5-star restaurant. I heated the marinade that was in the bag I used to marinate the pork, and poured it over the sliced pieces. My my. What a fine meal. Thanks for such a fabulous contribution. I’ll be making it again … and again.
EDIT: This isn’t the first meal I’ve cook for myself since my husband passed (poor editing on my part). It’s the first meal. I’ve made since then that was restaurant-quality. He’d have loved it.
so sorry to hear of your loss 🙁 must be so hard