If you haven’t quite honed your kitchen skills, but still need a recipe to impress, this Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin is for you. It’s ridiculously simple and pretty much fool proof. Just mix up some garlic, herbs, and oil, smear it on the pork, and throw it in the oven. THE END. It’s really that easy.
What Herbs Go Best with Pork?
Pork is a very mild meat, like chicken, so it goes well with a wide variety of herbs and spices. The blend I used in this recipe is a classic mix of basil, thyme, and rosemary that can be used as an all-purpose meat seasoning (chicken, beef, anything). I added a little garlic to give the mix “body” and a little black pepper to make it pop. If you want to kick it up another notch, you can even add a little bit of crushed red pepper.
Salt is also a very important component of the seasoning for this pork. Without the proper amount of salt, you will not be able to taste the full flavor of the herbs. So don’t skip the salt!
How Do I Know the Pork Tenderloin is Done?
Cooking meat can be tricky. Every cut is a slightly different size and requires a slightly different amount of cooking time. Using an instant read meat thermometer is the best way to take the guesswork out of cooking meat, and it’s one of the first tools you should purchase for your kitchen. I currently use this digital thermometer, which is very affordable.
To test the pork tenderloin for doneness, insert your digital thermometer in the thickest part of the tenderloin. The temperature should read at least 145ºF, although I prefer my tenderloin cooked to about 155ºF (don’t judge). You can read more about safe cooking temperatures for pork here.
What Cut of Pork is Best for This Recipe?
I originally made this recipe with a smaller piece of a pork loin, but have revised it to use pork tenderloin. Although they have similar names, they’re actually two different muscles and are quite different. Pork loins are quite large and a bit more tough than the small, delicate tenderloin muscle. I definitely prefer the pork tenderloin for this recipe. If you do happen to use a pork loin, be aware that if it is larger than 1.5 lbs., which most are, it will require a longer cook time (and probably more herb rub).
Pork tenderloins are often sold in packs of two. You can either double this recipe (just make sure the two cuts of meat are not overcrowded in the dish), or freeze one tenderloin for the next time you’d like this for dinner!
I garnished with a little fresh parsley and served with my Balsamic Roasted Vegetables. You could also make some balsamic glaze to drizzle over top! This pork would also go great with something like Baked Barley with Mushrooms, Wild Rice Pilaf, or Parmesan Risotto on the side.
Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin
Servings 4Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 tsp dried basil ($0.10)
- 1 tsp dried thyme ($0.10)
- 1 tsp dried rosemary ($0.10)
- freshly cracked black pepper ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- 1.33 lbs. pork tenderloin ($4.68)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Mince the garlic. Add the dried basil, thyme, and rosemary to a small dish. Use your hands to crush the dried rosemary slightly. Add the garlic, olive oil, salt, and some freshly cracked black pepper to the bowl and stir to combine.
- Place the pork tenderloin on a baking sheet or baking dish. Rub the oil and herb mix over the entire surface of the pork, including the underside.
- Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and roast the pork for about 35 minutes, or until the internal temperature reads at least 145ºF. Allow the pork to rest at room temperature for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
Nutrition
How to Make Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin – Step By Step Photos
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Mince two cloves of garlic. Add 1 tsp dried basil, 1 tsp dried thyme, and 1 tsp dried rosemary to a small bowl. Use your hands to kind of crush the herbs. Add the minced garlic, 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt, and some freshly cracked black pepper to the bowl with the herbs and stir to combine.
Place a 1.3-1.5 lb. pork tenderloin in a baking dish or on a baking sheet and rub the garlic herb oil mixture over the entire surface.
Roast the pork in the preheated oven for about 35 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 145ºF (I prefer it at about 155ºF). Roasting times will vary with the size of your pork tenderloin and your oven, so for best results use a meat thermometer.
Let the pork rest at room temperature for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving (this will help keep it moist).
So juicy and herby and delicious!
Can this be made in the crockpot?
We haven’t tested this recipe in the slow cooker. I’m sure it could be made in the slow cooker but without testing it would be hard to suggest proper timing.
Good recipe.
There is a typo on the page. At the very top the prices are listed as $5.53 recipe / $1.38 recipe. Obviously the second “recipe” is intended to be “serving.”
Thanks Dave!
I’ve been making this recipe for 5-6 years now, and as others say, it is super delicious. I just wanted to add that when I was going through chemotherapy 4 years ago, this stayed in the rotation, as it still tasted great for me during chemo (which changes how things taste for some weird reason) and it was easy enough to do when exhausted from the medications.
A big thank you to Beth for helping get me through a tough time.
Happy to hear you are on the upswing Bill!
An amazing recipe..!!!
Thank you!
How do you sear with all those herbs on there??? for real! I’ve tried this before and all the herbs fell off into the skillet. :(
You don’t sear, so no loss of herbs — the instructions make no indication that searing is needed, so make the herb paste, then “smear” (not sear, lol!) it on the meats and pop in the oven. I made this last night and couldn’t believe how much au jus I ended up with when I pulled it out – and it was freakin’ delicious! Give it a try!
Thanks Krystal!
ok, will do! thanks ms. Krystal!
This looks delicious…
I do pork tenderloin all the time. I BUY them at Trader Joes. They are usually a little over 1lb. I sear on the stive top and put in the oven for 12 mins.
Rest at leaat 8 mins. Perfection. Herbs are key…definitely the salt too!
Good to know Sabrina!
I like to sear the pork on the stovetop before finishing it in the oven. It adds even more flavor!
How do you sear with all those herbs on there??? for real! I’ve tried this before and all the herbs fell off into the skillet. :(
Searing isn’t mentioned in the instructions, and for this recipe isn’t needed; try it for a change and see for yourself. I thought it was fantastic, and I got tons of pan juices – really delicious dinner!
I want to make this but what should the cooking time and temperature be for a pork loin since you used a pork tenderloin which is smaller?
Hi Lauren, the original version of this recipe used a smaller piece of a pork loin that had been cut down to 1.33 lbs., so it cooked in relatively the same amount of time as a smaller pork tenderloin. I remade this recipe this week with a tenderloin and the cooking time was about the same. Either way, it’s always best to use a meat thermometer to make sure! :)
Felt compelled to finally rate this, it’s one of my go-to recipes! Perfect for a weeknight meal. I usually find pork loins closer to 2 lbs, but I don’t increase the cooking time by too much – I prefer my pork loin a bit pink in the middle. I cook them until my meat thermometer says 140, so when it rests it’ll be close to 150 (I promise you won’t get parasites, the USDA lowered the safe cooking temp to 145 some years ago because our pork is safer to consume that it was decades ago).
Thanks for all of your recipes, I swore by this site when I was a broke college student, it really helped me on my way to becoming a comfortable home cook!
I have made this using a pork tenderloin many, many times. It is always a hit! I do cut down the cooking time down to 25-30 minutes.
Can you use pork tenderloin for this recipe?
Yes, just keep in mind that tenderloins are usually much smaller, so the cooking time may be shorter.
The loin in this recipe is a tender loin, not a pork loin. Thats why the pkg says pork loin filet, just people dont know terminology.
You call this recipe low carb. Yet you do not post the carbs or calories in the meal. I would really like to know these things.
While I don’t have exact nutritional information, this recipe only contains meat, herbs, and oil, none of which contain carbs.
Hi Raegan,
I’m a dietitian. Carbohydrates include beans and legumes; grains including rice, breads, cereals, crackers, and pasta; starchy vegetables like potatoes, corn, and peas; milk, soy milk, yogurt; fruit and fruit juices; and anything with sugar in it (cakes, cookies, ice cream, jam, and jelly).
I’ve tried this recipe before. It was absolutely delicious! I’m making it today again! Love the herb combinations!
This was easy and very tasty! I doubled the rub as I had a 3 lb roast. My notoriously picky 5 year old even asked to have some before it was finished cooking and then actually ate some, which Is high praise indeed!
How much longer did you cook yours? I have a 4lb one.