Pork Tenderloin Marinade
This post may contain affiliate links.
Create the most tender and juicy pork tenderloin with this easy TESTED and PERFECTED Pork Tenderloin Marinade recipe! With 8 simple ingredients and a quick 1 hour marinade, say good bye to dry, boring pork forever! I recommend grilling the pork tenderloin after marinating it, but you can also toss it on the smoker, pan fry it, or bake it in the oven.
Table of contents
Ever since my steak marinade recipe went viral, I knew that I had to share the other marinades I’ve been making for proteins like shrimp and pork. The key to a good marinade comes from a balance of flavors and ingredients that not only help flavor the meat, but also help tenderize it.
This pork marinade creates a juicy, tender pork tenderloin, but doesn’t include any fancy ingredients! Actually, quite the opposite, it contains 8 simple ingredients that you probably already have in your fridge and pantry right now.
This recipe makes enough marinade for two pounds of meat, but the recipe can easily be doubled for more! It’s super simple to make, and the pork only takes 20 minutes on the grill after it’s marinated. It’s perfect for an easy weeknight meal, or weekend bbq.
What makes it the best
- Acid from the lemon juice tenderizes the pork.
- Salt from the soy sauce flavors the pork.
- Sweetness from the honey balances out the acid and salt.
- Worcestershire sauce adds a wonderful layer of unami flavor.
- Olive oil helps give the pork a nice crust on the outside.
- These all combine for a perfect balance of flavors and texture!
Ingredients
Combine these 8 simple ingredients to make THE BEST pork tenderloin marinade! Visit the recipe card at the bottom of this post for all of the specific measurements.
- Pork tenderloin – a pork tenderloin is just as lean as boneless, skinless chicken breasts. This makes it a healthier option when you’re cooking pork. Although the names are similar, pork tenderloin and pork loin are two very different cuts of meat. The pork loin comes from the animals back, and is a much larger cut of meat, usually between 4-5 pounds. The pork tenderloin is the muscle that runs alongside the backbone of the animal. It’s lean, thin and usually between 1-1.5 pounds. The two should not be substituted for one another because they are much different in size and shape.
- Low sodium soy sauce – this ingredient adds salty and umami flavors to the marinade.
- Olive oil – other vegetable oils can also be used, like avocado oil, sunflower oil, canola oil or peanut oil.
- Lemon juice – the acidity from the citrus helps tenderize the pork and adds a wonderful zesty flavor to the marinade. I recommend fresh-squeezed for the best flavor.
- Worcestershire sauce – a delicious addition to the marinade that adds a wonderful layer of umami flavors.
- Dijon mustard – this is the secret ingredient that adds flavor to the marinade and helps the other marinade ingredients stick to the pork tenderloin for maximum flavor absorption!
- Honey – you can also use maple syrup or agave nectar to add sweetness to the marinade.
- Italian seasoning – I like to use my homemade seasoning mixes whenever possible. Just click the link to the left. It’s easy to whip up with ingredients like dried thyme, red pepper flakes, and minced garlic in less than 5 minutes! You can also use store-bought premixed Italian seasoning.
- Black pepper – to season the marinade.
Instructions
Follow these simple instructions to prepare the marinade and grill the pork tenderloin. If you’d like to roast the pork tenderloin in the oven, or pan fry it on the stove, check out those instructions below. For the full detailed recipe instructions, visit the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Prepare the marinade. In a small bowl, whisk together low-sodium soy sauce, olive oil, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, dijon mustard, honey, Italian seasoning and black pepper. Place up to 2 pounds of pork tenderloin in a large bowl or zipper bag and pour the marinade over the pork. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.
- Sear the pork. Remove the marinating pork tenderloin from the refrigerator. Let it come up to room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking the pork tenderloin. Preheat a grill over high heat, between 450-500°F. Once the grill is hot, turn half of the burners to low heat. Use tongs to remove the pork tenderloin from the marinade and place it on the side of the grill over high heat. Sear the pork for 2 minutes per side.
- Grill the pork over low heat. Move the pork tenderloin to the side of the grill that is now set to low heat. Cook for 6-8 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature of the pork reaches 140°F on a meat thermometer.
- Rest the pork. Remove the pork tenderloin from the grill and place it on a cutting board to rest for at least 10 minutes. The internal temperature of the pork will rise at least 5 degrees as it rests, to reach 145°F. This will also give time for the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, giving you juicier pork. After 10 minutes, use an electric knife, or sharp knife, to cut the tenderloin into ¼ inch slices.
If you’d like to smoke the marinated pork tenderloin, instead of grilling it, follow these instructions. Remove the pork from the marinade and place it in a smoker, preheated to 225°F. Smoke until the internal temperature of the pork tenderloin reaches 140°F. You can expect around 2 hours, but remember to always smoke to temperature, not time!
How to roast the pork in the oven
- Prepare the marinade and marinate the pork tenderloin for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Remove the pork tenderloin from the marinade and place it in an oven-safe casserole dish, on top of a wire rack, or on a rack in a roasting pan.
- Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Use an instant-read thermometer and remove the pork tenderloin from the oven when the internal temperature reaches 140°F.
- After removing the pork tenderloin from the oven, let it rest in the casserole dish for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. This will allow the internal temperature of the cooked pork tenderloin to rise to 145°F.
How to pan fry the pork
- Prepare the marinade and marinate the pork tenderloin for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat on the stove. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, use the heaviest skillet that you have.
- Remove the pork tenderloin from the marinade and pat dry with a paper towel. This will help it achieve a wonderful crust on the outside. Too much liquid in the skillet will steam the pork instead of pan searing it. When grilling the pork tenderloin, extra liquid will fall through the grill grates, but in a skillet, the liquid has no where to go.
- Add the pork tenderloin to the hot skillet and allow it to cook on one side for 7 minutes without moving the pork. Not moving the pork tenderloin during this cooking time will give it a nice sear. Flip the pork tenderloin and continue cooking for an additional 7 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the pork reaches 140°F on an instant-read thermometer.
- Remove the pork tenderloin from the skillet and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving. This gives the pork juices time to redistribute throughout the meat, a key to achieving JUICY pork tenderloin every time!
Recipe tips
- Use an electric knife to thinly slice the pork tenderloin. I’ve found that thin slices of this juicy, tender pork tenderloin are everyone’s favorite. So I always use an electric knife to slice the pork before serving it.
- You always want to trim any silver skin from the pork tenderloin before starting this recipe. Use a small, sharp knife to loosen it at the corner, then use a paper towel to pull it off of the tenderloin and discard it.
- If you have a soy allergy, gluten allergy or just don’t like the taste of soy sauce, I recommend using coconut aminos instead. This soy sauce alternative is soy-free, gluten-free and contains much less sodium. For this reason, I do recommend adding 1/2 teaspoon salt to the marinade if you replace the soy sauce with coconut aminos.
- This recipe can be used to marinate up to 2 pounds of pork. You can cut the recipe in half for 1 pound of meat, or double it for 4 pounds of meat.
- You can make the marinade ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Just remember to avoid marinating the meat for more than 24 hours, so that it does not become mushy.
- Do NOT rinse the marinade off of the pork tenderloin before cooking it. If you’re grilling the pork, it can go straight from the marinade onto the grill. If you’re cooking the pork tenderloin in a skillet, I do recommend patting it dry before adding it to the skillet. When placing the pork tenderloin on the grill, any excess marinade will drip through the grill grates. When cooking the pork tenderloin in a skillet, the marinade has no where to go, so it will stay in the skillet and you won’t get that beautiful sear on the outside of the tenderloin.
How to make pork kabobs
Before marinating the meat, slice the pork tenderloin into 1 inch cubes. I always recommend cubing the meat first before adding it to the marinade. This way, more surface area of the pork gets to soak up the delicious marinade.
Add the cubed meat to the marinade. Marinate for 1 hour, or up to 8 hours. I don’t recommend more than 8 hours for the small cubes of meat, because they can become mushy if marinated for too long. Remove the pork from the marinade and skewer the pork by itself, or with veggies, like zucchini, bell peppers, and onions.
Grill the pork kabobs over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, flip and continue grilling for an additional 5 minutes. If using wood skewers, always remember to soak them for at least 30 minutes. This will prevent them from catching fire on the grill.
What to serve with the pork
Nothing pairs more perfectly with pork tenderloin than potatoes and vegetables. Whether you’re grilling the pork at a summer BBQ, or roasting it in the oven for a warm winter meal, try this marinated pork tenderloin recipe with any of these side dishes for a winning meal!
- Grilled Asparagus (pictured above, topped with nduja butter)
- Squash Casserole
- Pickle Pasta Salad
- Corn on the Cob (grilled, boiled or roasted)
- Mac and Cheese
- Cheesy Grilled Potatoes
- Air Fryer Baked Potatoes
- Loaded Mashed Potatoes
- Roasted Baby Potatoes
- Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts
- Grilled Zucchini
More pork recipes
With over 65 pork recipes on the blog, I know you’ll find tons of delicious recipes to try! These six recipes are fan favorites and sure to be a hit in your kitchen.
Pork Tenderloin Marinade
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless pork tenderloin
- ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, click link for homemade recipe
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together low-sodium soy sauce, olive oil, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, dijon mustard, honey, Italian seasoning, and black pepper.
- Place the pork tenderloin in a large zipper bag and pour the marinade over the pork. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.
- Remove the marinating pork tenderloin from the refrigerator. Let it come up to room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking it.
- Preheat a grill over high heat, between 450-500°F.
- Once the grill is hot, turn half of the burners to low heat.
- Use tongs to remove the pork tenderloin from the marinade and place it on the side of the grill over high heat. Grill for 2 minutes per side.
- Move the tenderloins to the other side of the grill over low heat and cook for 6-8 minutes, flip, then cook for an additional 6-8 minutes.
- Remove the pork tenderloin from the grill when the internal temperature reaches 140°F on an instant-read thermometer. The internal temperature will rise at least 5 degrees as the pork tenderloins rest.
- Rest the pork tenderloin for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- If you’d like to smoke, oven roast, or pan fry the pork tenderloin, instead of grilling it, refer to the blog post above for specific instructions for each cooking method.
- You always want to trim any silver skin from the pork tenderloin before starting this recipe. Use a small, sharp knife to loosen it at the corner, then use a paper towel to pull it off of the tenderloin and discard it.
- If you have a soy allergy, gluten allergy or just don’t like the taste of soy sauce, I recommend using coconut aminos instead. This soy sauce alternative is soy-free, gluten-free and contains much less sodium. For this reason, I do recommend adding 1/2 teaspoon salt to the marinade if you replace the soy sauce with coconut aminos.
- This recipe can be used to marinate up to 2 pounds of pork. You can cut the recipe in half for 1 pound of meat, or double it for 4 pounds of meat.
- You can make the marinade ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Just remember to avoid marinating the meat for more than 24 hours, so that it does not become mushy.
- Do NOT rinse the marinade off of the pork tenderloin before cooking it. If you’re grilling the pork, it can go straight from the marinade onto the grill. If you’re cooking the pork tenderloin in a skillet, I do recommend patting it dry before adding it to the skillet. When placing the pork tenderloin on the grill, any excess marinade will drip through the grill grates. When cooking the pork tenderloin in a skillet, the marinade has no where to go, so it will stay in the skillet and you won’t get that beautiful sear on the outside of the tenderloin.
Nutrition Facts
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
