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.
This recipe looks really good. But I was just wondering exactly what do you mean by Italian seasonings
Italian seasoning is a dried herb blend that contains ingredients such as basil, parsley and oregano. It can be found in the spice aisle of pretty much every grocery store.
I’ve been using Mrs. Dash garlic & herb & adding salt & pepper but any Italian seasoning would do and I suspect one could really mix this up with some other seasoning blends and get some unique flavors (I already use Worcestershire instead of soy sauce). It takes a decent amount to coat the pork loin & I probably use WAY more than called for so if a member at a Warehouse type club, best to get it there (@Sam’s Club the Smithfield pork loin is inexpensive too @2.98 lb.).
This was SO good! I avoid soy so subbed Worchester Sauce (sp?!?) and amino acids and it was delicious. This will be in heavy rotation for this crock-pot season!!
I’ve only made it with Worcestershire sauce & extra garlic (and 1 lb. of baby carrots) – I make it every week now. I double the gravy recipe and make my own brown “sugar” with Truvia and molasses. Also no butter or corn starch and let it cook until it falls apart and it’ll soak up all the gravy. 22 cal./oz. once all done.
This looks marvelous! I can’t wait to try it. One question though, can I sear the pork the night before and store it (and the sauce) in the fridge? I have a busy morning and will likely tell whoever is going to be home to turn the Crock pot on around noon. Is this feasible or should I just skip the searing for this time?
I would skip the searing in that case, as searing it the night before could create food safety issues.
Thanks so much for the quick reply! I hadn’t even thought of that.
I never considered any food safety issue (?) & have seared it the night before and stored it both in the gravy and also separately from the gravy.
Thank you so much for the delicious recipe! I found it easy to follow, and I was so pleased to see my kids enjoying it–they both (ages 8 & 4) asked for seconds!
I doubled the recipe. Browned the pork tenderloin from Costco, used extra garlic, and it was delicious.
This was fantastic – thank you so much! It’s crockpot season, yay!
Made this for dinner this past Sunday flavor was good I let it cook for 7.5 hours for 3# tenderloin(2 in a pack totaling 3#from Costco ) the flavor was on point and the gravy was great definitely make again . I added more chicken broth to cover the top of roast. You must sear the roast for a richer tasting gravy a must. Thanks for the recipe
Manifique! Just fabulous. Thank you
Cooking this now on high and the internal temp is already over 200 degrees and it is only been up for two hours. Is it done? Its really tough to cut. Concerned!
It shouldn’t be tough to cut, it should be super tender. Sounds like it needs more time to tenderize.
I ran into the same issue. I believe my issue is because of the size of my crock pot. I have a 6 quart which is huge. Too big of a pot will cook it faster
I’m going to make pork tenderloin in slow cooker, is it alright to add small potatoes to this?
Yes that’s fine!
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!
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.
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!
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!
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.
I think Worcestershire should work!
We’ll see – It’s cooking now. Thanks!
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!
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,
Always sear the meat before putting in the slow cooker. It keeps all the juicy flavors 😃….just my opinion.
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
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!
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.
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.
I agree you have to let it cool some. The sauce will warm it up .
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?
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!
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!