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. If you love comfort food crock pot meals as much as I do, be sure to also check out my slow cooker beef bourguignon!
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.
Crock Pot Pork Tenderloin Ingredients
This recipe is made with pork tenderloin, olive oil, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, chicken broth, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, cornstarch, butter and parsley.
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.
- I recommend serving this dish with bread on the side to sop up all the pan juices. A green salad or steamed vegetable is also a welcome addition to the meal. You can even get creative and choose something like a fresh and unique fennel salad. More great side dishes to try include roasted mushrooms and candied sweet potatoes.
- Leftover pork can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The leftovers make for an awesome sandwich!
Recipe FAQs
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.
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.
The great this about this lean cut of meat is because it’s naturally tender, it can be enjoyed in many different cooking methods. This slow cooker pork tenderloin is especially flavorful, but you can also pan sear, air fry, grill or roast pork tenderloin.
Flavor Variations
This recipe is fabulous as-is, but you can add other ingredients to customize the flavors to your tastes.
- Seasonings: Feel free to add other spices to the gravy mixture such as onion powder, garlic powder or paprika.
- Herbs: You can add some fresh herbs to the crock pot for extra flavor. I recommend adding a few sprigs of fresh thyme, or a little chopped oregano.
- Add-Ins: You can add some vegetables like carrots, onions, mushrooms or 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. If you prefer your veggies to be on the firmer side, add them during the last 2 hours of the cook time.
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.
Notes
- If you’re short on time, you can skip browning the meat and simply season your pork and add it straight to the slow cooker.
- Make sure you are using pork tenderloin, not pork loin, as they are two different cuts of meat.
Really great family food …everyone will like it. At least all my family loved it.
Kinda reminds me of my Mom’s late Sunday afternoon dinners. She liked to cook pork tenderloins and never disappointed.
Thanks again Sara for another keeper recipe.
BobB (& family)
So freaking good. The end. ❤️❤️❤️
Wonderful!!!! My family loved this super easy pork tenderloin dish! A keeper recipe for sure
I have made this recipe exactly as directed in the recipe and it always comes out delicious and perfect. Sometimes I skip the last three ingredients (steps 8-11) when I am in a hurry and it is just as delicious.
I made this recipe last week just as it was written. I usually roast pork tenderloin in the oven, but I really wanted to find a good slow cooker recipe. This was it!! It was so tender and the sauce is delicious. This recipe is a keeper.
I made this with one change – I used 4 slices of pork loin chops. Finally! I have never enjoyed a pork loin dish until this dream come true.
I have a pork loin filet, does it just need to be cooked longer? I wasn’t sure why you said the recipe is for pork tenderloin not pork loin.
Pork tenderloin and pork loin are two different cuts of meat. Pork loin filet should work, but it tends to be thicker so might take a bit longer to cook!
I have 2 tenderloins that are already seasoned. Should I just add water to the crockpot?
That should work!
Made the pork tenderloin in crockpot, delish!!!
I want to try this, but was wondering if the cooking time would be the same if I only used one tenderloin. There’s only two of us.
I’d cook on low for 3-4 hours for half the meat!
I make this recipe allllll the time.
I first tried it a few years back and it instantly became a favorite.
The sauce it makes, my lord I could drink it straight.
This is truly a delicious dish and so easy to make. I put onions in the bottom of the Crockpot and deglazed the pan with a splash of Madera wine! The pork only took 2 and half hours on low. Will definitely make this again!
This is in the slow cooker now. I can’t to try it. After browning the pork I deglazed the pan with a little white wine and added to the crock.
Thank you. Your recipes sound wonderful. I’m starting with the pork tenderloin,I thank it will make a great Sunday dinner.
Turned out really good. Love the sauce. Super tender
For anyone using the slow cooker setting on an instant pot, this took significantly less time that it would in a normal crockpot. I seared the pork tenderloin on both sides and followed the directions, but after a couple of hours the pork was at 150 degrees.
This was so good! I was in a rush, so I just put my tenderloin into the crockpot, seasoned it on all sides, and poured on the broth mix. This is a very tender piece, so it only needs to cook in a crockpot for a couple hours on low. f you use a different cut of meat, cook it longer. Mine was fork tender after cooking two hours. Thickened the broth for gravy, served w/ mashed potatoes and corn on the cob. Excellent!
Great recipe! I added some chopped onion to the cooker first to keep the meat off of the bottom. The meat was tender and tasty and the gravy was very tasty. The family raved!
Trying this today but forgot to take the prom out of the freezer , can I cook with it frozen and just cook longer?
I think this could work but I haven’t tested it myself!
The pork tenderloin in garlic gravy was super simple and tasted like it was from a restaurant.