Instant Pot Honey Garlic Pork Tenderloin is a restaurant quality recipe. The pork is very tender and deliciously flavored by a dry spice rub and an amazing honey garlic sauce. This pressure cooker honey garlic pork tenderloin is special enough for date night, or a weeknight dinner.
Instant Pot Honey Garlic Pork Tenderloin
A couple of years ago, I kept seeing posts in the IP Facebook group from people who were having trouble cooking a pork tenderloin. They kept coming out dry and rubbery. Not good! I ended up spending an entire weekend testing pork tenderloins in the Instant Pot®!
My dear husband ate a lot of pork that week! It was worth it, because I found a method that works every time. You will get a tender, juicy pork tenderloin that is perfectly sliceable!
I posted my recipe and people went crazy for it. The recipe is my Instant Pot Balsamic Apple Pork Tenderloin. It remained in my top 5 recipes for over a year!
My method really caught on, and pretty soon more people told me they were cooking pork tenderloins in the pressure cooker and loving them!
So What Is This Method You Speak Of?
Since pork tenderloins are so small (1 to 1 1/2 lbs average), and cook fast, people often overcook them. So what I tried was browning them on all sides, then a super short pressure cook time, 1 minute on Low pressure, or 0 (zero) minutes on High pressure and a long natural release (15 minutes. Or longer if your tenderloin is larger/thicker).
If your pot doesn’t have LOW pressure, just do 0 minutes High pressure and a 15 minute natural release.
After testing this, I thought the results were perfect! The cook time will depend on the size (thickness and weight) of your pork tenderloin.
So that’s it! The seasonings and sauces you can use are endless. You can get pretty creative since pork goes well with so many flavors. Especially fruit, onion, and Asian flavors.
Don’t confuse a pork loin roast with a pork tenderloin
Just like chicken breasts and chicken tenders are different, so are pork loin and tenderloin. The tenderloin is smaller, and rounder, and long & skinny compared to a pork loin roast.
A pork loin roast is kind of rectangular in shape, is larger, and not as soft to the touch when you press on it. This is a very lean cut of pork, and it usually needs anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes in the pressure cooker, depending on the size/thickness.
Can I cook more than one at a time?
Yes! Make sure they are the same size. You can keep the cook time the same, and let naturally release a few minutes longer.
Instant Pot Honey Garlic Pork Tenderloin is a wonderful recipe! This would be so nice to make for Mom on Mother’s Day. Served with some jasmine rice and a small salad, she will feel like a Queen!
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Instant Pot Honey Garlic Pork Tenderloin is flavored with a spice rub & honey garlic sauce. An incredible, delicious, tender pressure cooker pork tenderloin!
- 1 lb Pork Tenderloin (not pork loin roast)
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
- 1/2 tsp Chili Powder
- 1/2 tsp Thyme
- 1 tsp Rosemary
- 1/2 cup Orange Juice
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Garlic, (7 to 9 cloves) pressed or finely minced
- 1/2 cup Soy Sauce, low sodium
- 3 Tbsp Brown Sugar
- 1 tsp Grated Ginger
- 1/2 cup Honey
- 1 tsp Olive Oil
- 3 Tbsp Butter
- 3 Tbsp Corn Starch
- 4 Tbsp Cold Water
- 2-3 cups Hot Cooked Rice
First, note how much your pork tenderloin weighs (they are typically 1 to 1 1/2 lbs) and measure across to find out how thick it is. This recipe is for a 1 lb tenderloin at 1.5" thick. If yours is larger, it will need to rest longer after pressure cooking.
Mix the dry rub ingredients together and coat the pork tenderloin on all sides. Set aside.
In a bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients until the honey is fully dissolved in the sauce. Set aside.
Mix together the corn starch and water. Set aside.
Turn on the Sauté setting. When it is hot, add the olive oil and the butter. Then place the pork in the pot and brown in on all sides about 2-3 minutes each side. Then remove it to a plate.
Add the sauce to the pot and stir, scraping the bottom of the pot to get up any of the fond (browned bits). This is also called deglazing. Turn off the pot.
Place the pork back in the pot and coat with the sauce.
Close the lid and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
Press the Pressure Cook/Manual button or dial, then the +/- button or dial to select 1 minute (for a 1 lb tenderloin, 1.5" thick). LOW Pressure. The pot will take several minutes to come to pressure.
If your pot doesn't have Low pressure, cook a 1 lb tenderloin (1.5" thick) for 0 (zero) minutes at High pressure.
When the cook cycle has finished, turn off the pot and let it sit undisturbed for 15 minutes. Use a timer. Then turn the steam release knob to the Venting position to release any remaining steam/pressure. There may not be any. If you have a thicker tenderloin, more than 1 lb, let it stay in there 23 minutes and then check it.
When the pin in the lid drops back down, open the lid.
Check the temperature of the pork. It should be 145° to be done. If it's a little higher than that, it's okay. If it's a little lower, put the lid on and let it rest there a few more minutes.
Remove the tenderloin to a baking pan and cover loosely with foil. Turn on your oven to Broil to start heating it up.
Turn on the Sauté setting again. When it starts to simmer, add the corn starch slurry, stirring until the sauce thickens. Then turn off the pot.
Remove the foil from the tenderloin and spoon some of the sauce over it. Place under the broiler and caramelize the coating. Watch it so it doesn't burn!
Serve the tenderloin sliced into medallions, on top of some rice with more sauce over it.
You can cook more than one pork tenderloin at the same time. Make sure they are the same size. You can keep the cook time the same.
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I would like to try with turkey tenderloin. Would cook times change?
I would keep the time the same, however, use High pressure. Unlike pork which can be a little pink, turkey cannot. So use a meat thermometer to make sure the temp is 165° F.
This was excellent! Thank you for this recipe!
This was delicious, thank you for another fabulous recipe our family enjoyed
You’re welcome, Marci! Thank you for your kind comment!
Easily the best tenderloin I have ever made. Making it again this week!
Thank you, Lauren! That makes me so happy!
My tenderloin is almost 2.5lbs. How do you recommend I adjust the cook time to accommodate the larger size? Thanks!
Hi Jen, It is more about the thickness, so if your tenderloin is fairly long and skinny, do 2 minutes. If it is shorter and thicker, do 3 minutes. Both with a 15 minute natural release.
Can you cook this with a frozen pork tenderloin? How would you adjust the time?
Yes, you probably can’t brown it, but give it about 2 minutes extra cook time.
I am always looking for new recipes for my insta pot. This recipe did not disappoint. It is delicious! I cooked two tenderloins doubling all the ingredients, but keeping the cook time the same. I used teriyaki for the sauce (all I had in the pantry). I could drink that sauce-perfect balance. The best part is that a complete meal eas on the table in about an hour. Truly restaurant quality. Will be making this often!
This was just lovely! My brother and I loved it. Lately it’s very difficult to get Mom to eat. She has dementia, and complains that her food “doesn’t taste right”. Well I’m happy to tell you that she had three servings, and said she loved it. Thank you so much for this recipe!