This slow cooker pork tenderloin is simmered in a garlic and herb gravy and produces perfect results every time. An easy crock pot dinner that the whole family will love.
Pork tenderloin in an inexpensive cut of meat that’s tender and full of flavor. It gets even better when you slow cook it with plenty of seasonings. Slice and serve for an amazing meal! I serve my pork tenderloin with a side of homemade Rice-A-Roni and roasted carrots for a complete dinner.
I know that pork tenderloin can be a little intimidating if you’ve never made it before. However, this slow cooker pork tenderloin recipe will make it seem like it’s any other classic dish you’ve made a thousand times. It’s much easier than it first appears.
HOW DO YOU MAKE SLOW COOKER PORK TENDERLOIN?
The first step is to season your meat and give it a good sear before placing it in the crock pot. If you’re short on time and don’t want to brown your pork first, you can place directly in the slow cooker and skip this step. I think it’s really worth the extra effort though because it adds so much more flavor.
The pork goes into the slow cooker with a whole bunch of flavorings like garlic, brown sugar, soy sauce, chicken broth and herbs. This forms the base of the gravy. The gravy is thickened at the end of the cooking time and fortified with a little butter to give it some richness. I serve my slow cooker pork tenderloin over rice or mashed potatoes to make the most out of all that delicious gravy.
Tips for Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin
- This crock pot pork tenderloin recipe calls for 2 tenderloins, but can easily be halved to feed a smaller group. You can cut the pork in half to fit into the crock pot as needed, or you can use an oval shaped slow cooker.
- Make sure that you’re using pork tenderloin, not pork loin. They are two different cuts of meat.
- You can add some vegetables like carrots and potatoes to the crock pot. Just be sure to cut them in large pieces so that they don’t get overly soft after the long cooking time.
HOW LONG DO YOU COOK A PORK TENDERLOIN?
The amount of time you cook a pork loin depends on the weight of the meat. Most often, it averages about two hours of slow cooker time per 1 pound of pork tenderloin.
WHY SEAR THE PORK TENDERLOIN BEFORE SLOW COOKING?
It’s definitely not a must that the pork tenderloin needs to be seared before it is slow cooked. However, when the meat is seared, it allows for more complex flavors to be released when the slow cooking process is in progress. If a portion of meat is sear with a coating of flour before slow cooking, this helps thicken the sauce in the crock pot dish.
Back in the day, I had no idea how to cook a pork tenderloin and didn’t even know where to start. Now, it’s one of the easiest dishes I make and the entire family loves it. I have no doubt you will thoroughly enjoy it as much as we did.
MORE PORK RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin Video
Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided use
- 2 pork tenderloins approximately 2 1/4 lbs total
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over medium high heat.
- Season the pork tenderloins on all sides with the salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Cut the pork tenderloins in half if needed to fit into your slow cooker.
- Sear the pork for 5-6 minutes per side, or until golden brown.
- Place the pork in a slow cooker.
- In a small bowl, mix together the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, chicken broth, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar and garlic.
- Pour the sauce over the pork. Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours, or HIGH for 4 hours.
- Remove the pork from the slow cooker and place on a plate; cover with foil to keep warm.
- Pour the liquid from the slow cooker into a pot. Heat the pot over medium heat and bring the sauce to a simmer.
- Mix the cornstarch with 1/4 cup of cold water. Add the cornstarch to the pot and bring to a boil.
- Cook for 1 minute, or until sauce has just thickened.
- Add the butter to the pot and stir until melted. Remove the pot from the heat.
- Slice or shred your pork and pour the sauce over the top. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Amanda says
I followed the recipe as is, but I used a pork loin rather then a tenderloin by accident and it came out as an almost pulled pork. My family loved it and so did I. The gravy on top of the pulled pork was amazing, so definitely don’t skip those steps. Great recipe!
Dan says
Hopefully replying to Laney – Kind of strange how the reply works.
I have a 5 quart and 2.75 lb. Of Tenderloin cut into 4 pc. All laid in the bottom. Increasing the gravy about 1.5x what the recipe called for, it covered the meat completely (I was concerned aboutthe same thing you mentioned) & then I added the carrots. Mine shredded (purposefully) and it soaked up almost all the gravy and is very moist. I wouldn’t have wanted less gravy and I can’t see where making more would cause a problem. Hope this helps.
Laney says
I have a 6 quart slow cooker, and I’m wondering if there is enough liquid in this recipe for it to cook well. Do you find that doubling the sauce/gravy part is better or necessary to not overcook or dry out the dish. Thanks so much!
Dan says
This turned out excellent! I had 2.75 lb. of Tenderloin so I increased everything a little – Seasoned with salt, pepper, and Mrs. Dash garlic and herb and browned. Made my brown sugar with Truvia (Pyure actually) and molasses. Used Worcestershire sauce instead of soy, bottled parsley, a LOT more garlic and since trying to save on carbs/calories no cornstarch or butter (honestly I forgot the butter but didn’t need it). Cooked for about 7 hours on low and it fell apart just as I’d wanted which lets the meat soak up most of the gravy. Oh, and I added a bag of baby carrots – The thicker ones. They turned out perfect too (great idea).
It was all SO good – I hate you:). I only did this because they were out of the pulled pork I normally buy at Sam’s Club (actually quite good – No chemicals or preservatives and not too expensive @ $10/2Lb. – I got my Tenderloinon sale and I think I paid $11 for 2.75 lb.). This was so good that I may have to just keep making it, lol. Maybe I’ll try the soy sauce next time. I had no idea it was this easy! Will have to see if my family likes it. Thanks!
Dan says
I just bought a tenderloin and going to try this today – Thinking about Worcestershire sauce instead of Soy? I’d actually rather it shred so per one of the previous posts, I’ll cook it longer. Also trying to keep it low calorie (pork tenderloin is actually quite low in calories compared to other meats) so will probably will use Truvia brown sugar & maybe no cornstarch (and a little more garlic). Can’t wait.
Sara says
I think Worcestershire should work!
Dan says
We’ll see – It’s cooking now. Thanks!
Barb says
This is my first reviewever on Pinterest. I feel that I must comment on this recipe. My husband (not a pork fan) LOVED this recipe! And it was because of the gravy. He said it was the best gravy he had ever tasted, and at his age has tasted many gravies. I used my instant pot that has browning as well as a slow cooker features, and a sauté setting for thickening the gravy. One pot to clean!
Laney Nyland says
I’m not a fan of browning if I don’t have to. Only because it takes extra time and at times another pan….
I see under notes that you can skip browning pork….did anyone do it browned and then another time skip that stage?
Is there a difference in the end result tastewise one vs other?
Thanks,
Donna Sue says
Always sear the meat before putting in the slow cooker. It keeps all the juicy flavors 😃….just my opinion.
Ron Hart says
I want to use this recipe to feed a large group. I’m thinking of tripling the recipe, about 6.5 pounds of tenderloin in a large crockpot. How long will it take to cook on low?
Thanks, Ron
Sara says
I’d add another 1-2 hours to the cook time, it depends on how large the crock pot is and how much stacking you have to do to fit all the meat in there!
Ron says
Just did a trial run of the recipe and followed the recipe exactly with 2+ pounds of tenderloin. Although it was very delicious, I could not slice the tenderloin without it completely shredding. Disappointed that I couldn’t get slices. I may have over cooked it too. I used a small crockpot at the low setting and it was done in 4 hours, probably less since the internal temperature of the pork was over 145 degrees. Was expecting it to take longer on the low setting. Of course, I had seared the meat first for about 5 minutes total time. So it was a warm going into the pot.
Sara says
If it’s completely shredded you can try reducing the cook time by an hour. Another thought is, let it cool a bit before you try and slice it, I find that the meat is more likely to stick together and not shred when it’s had a chance to rest and cool slightly.
Donna Sue says
I agree you have to let it cool some. The sauce will warm it up .
Jessi says
Looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it. Question – I have been marinading my tenderloins in your marinade recipe (saw the marinade recipe before this one) – would you modify this at all or it’s fine as-is and would complement the marinade? Maybe cut down on the soy sauce?
Sara says
I would definitely cut down on the salt and soy sauce, and you probably won’t need the extra oil either since the marinade contains olive oil!
Corey says
I made this about a month ago exactly to the recipe. It was so good! Today I only had pork loin not tenderloin, made it again, just cooked an hour longer. Again so good! This is my new go to pork recipe. The gravy is the best! Thank you!