This pork tenderloin marinade recipe adds tons of flavor to tender and lean pork tenderloin, from easy pantry ingredients, perfect for grilling, roasting and more.
We've been cooking a lot of pork tenderloin in the Chili Pepper Madness home lately, my friends. We've always enjoyed pork tenderloin, but I've sort of fallen in love with it again recently.
I've made it a lot over the years. It's a great protein for us, lean and low in calories, and usually quite tender. The flavor is on the milder side, but that's totally fine as I have a secret weapon in building huge flavor with a nice level of zing.
It's my Pork Tenderloin Marinade, and I think you're going to love it.
This recipe is different from my Pork Chop Marinade, which is equally delicious, but this particular marinade has been perfected specifically for pork tenderloin the way I like it.
It has just the right amount of zesty flavor, and it's really easy to customize to your own personal tastes. Ideal for any way you want to cook your tenderloin, whether you're grilling it, baking it, roasting it, cooking it on the stove top or in a slow cooker, or even chopping it up for something like a pork stir fry.
Let me know what's your favorite way to prepare it, and how you enjoy it!
Let's talk about how we make my pork tenderloin marinade recipe, shall we?
Pork Tenderloin Marinade Ingredients
- Olive Oil.
- Soy Sauce.
- Garlic.
- Honey. Or you can use brown sugar.
- Hot Sauce. Use your favorite Louisiana style hot sauce, like Crystal or Tabasco.
- Dijon Mustard. Or try spicy brown mustard.
- Lemon Juice. Plus lemon zest.
- Chili Flakes.
- Fresh Rosemary.
- Salt and Pepper.
- Pork Tenderloin.
How to Make Pork Tenderloin Marinade - the Recipe Method
Whisk the Marinade Ingredients. Whisk all of the ingredients together in a large bowl.
Marinate the Pork Tenderloin. Add the pork tenderloin to the bowl and cover with marinade. Or, use a large sealable baggie. Seal the bag and rub in the marinade. Marinate the pork tenderloin for 2 hours minimum, or up to 24 hours for the best flavor penetration.
Boom! Done! Time to get cooking some pork tenderloin! It's so good, now matter how you make it. Huge flavor right here, my friends. I love this marinade.
When you're ready to cook, remove pork tenderloin from marinade and discard the marinade. Cook as desired.
How are you preparing yours? I'd love to hear it.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Other Ingredients. You can easily vary up the ratios of your marinade, or add in your favorite flavors. Some popular additions include fresh thyme, parsley, basil, spicy chili powder and more.
- Other Uses. Try this marinade on pork loin or chicken as well, or just about any cut of meat. I prefer it with pork tenderloin or pork loin. I also enjoy it on vegetables for big flavor development. So good!
- Pork Tenderloin Internal Temperature for Serving . Pork tenderloin should be cooked until the pork reaches 145 degrees F for medium-rare, or 160 degrees F for well done when measured with a meat thermometer.
- Cooking Pork Tenderloin. You can roast, broil, pan sear, or grill pork tenderloin whole, or slice or chop the tenderloin and cook it that way. So many ways to make it. You can even cook it in a slow cooker. Cooking times will vary, depending on your cooking method. You can have baked pork tenderloin done in under 30 minutes, and grilled pork tenderloin in under 15 minutes or so.
- Serving Pork Tenderloin. Serve with your favorite side dish or vegetable. You really don't need a sauce for this, but if you'd prefer one, I suggest either my Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce, my Spicy BBQ Sauce, or some Carolina Vinegar BBQ Sauce. Check out my other Spicy Sauce Recipes.
Grilled Pork Tenderloin
I grilled my pork tenderloin this time, as you can see by the photos with those wonderful char marks, and served it sliced with some of my Spicy BBQ Sauce.
I love to toss in a sliced jalapeno, usually lightly grilled along with the tenderloin, as a bit of extra garnish and pops of heat and flavor. A favorite for me.
For grilling, heat the grill to medium-high heat and lightly oil the grates. Grill the pork tenderloin for 12 minutes, flipping once half way through. Move the tenderloin to indirect heat and continue cooking another couple minutes until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F for medium-rare, or 160 degrees F for well done when measured with a meat thermometer.
Let the meat rest for 5-10 minutes, then slice and serve. I love it this way. The marinade does wonders.
That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy my pork tenderloin marinade recipe. Let me know if you make it. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you. Keep it spicy!
Try Some of My Other Popular Pork Recipes
- Spice Rubbed Roasted Pork Tenderloin
- Baked Pork Tenderloin
- Pork Stir Fry
- Grilled Pork Chops with Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce
- Grilled Pork Chops with Pineapple-Gochujang Glaze
Try Some of My Other Spicy Marinade Recipes
- Pork Chop Marinade
- Zesty Carne Asada Marinade
- Flank Steak Marinade
- Sweet and Spicy Teriyaki Marinade
- Jerk Marinade
- Spicy BBQ Chicken Marinade
- Jacked Up Steak Marinade
- London Broil Marinade
- Salmon Marinade
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Pork Tenderloin Marinade Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 4-5 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons honey or use brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon hot sauce or more to taste - use your favorite Louisiana style hot sauce, like Crystal or Tabasco
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice + zest
- 1 teaspoon chili flakes or more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh chopped rosemary
- Salt and pepper to taste I use 1/2 teaspoon each
- For Cooking: 2 pound pork tenderloin
Instructions
- Whisk all of the ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Add the pork tenderloin to the bowl and cover with marinade. Or, use a large sealable baggie.
- Marinate the pork tenderloin for 2 hours minimum, or up to 24 hours for the best flavor penetration.
- When you're ready to cook, remove pork tenderloin from marinade and discard the marinade. Cook as desired.
Notes
Nutrition Information
julia schneider says
Loved this. A couple tweaks: do not like honey so used double the amount of maple syrup. Skipped the pepper flakes, hot sauce was enough heat. Cooked on grill and used the marinade as grill sauce.... so fabulous!
Mike Hultquist says
Excellent! Glad you enjoyed it, Julia!
beth says
Tried this yesterday and loved it hot! Had for lunch today, cold! Loved it every bit as much! Will definitely do again. Cooked in Air Fryer - 400 degrees for about 17 - 20 mins..... So easy, so good! Thanks for a great marinade! It's a keeper!
Mike Hultquist says
Excellent!! Glad you enjoyed it (twice), Beth! Thanks for sharing this!
Charles Pascual says
Good marinade. Easy to make. Substituted dried rosemary for fresh 'cause that's all I had - otherwise, followed your recipe as written. I used the marinade as a baste on the grill, then simmered the remaining marinade with a little cornstarch slurry to make a sauce for the table. Definitely a keeper. Thanks, Mike.
Mike Hultquist says
Glad you enjoyed it, Charles! Thanks for sharing!
Marlene Brown says
This sauce is outstanding. I left out the chili flakes because I don’t handle a lot of heat well, but might try half the suggested amount next time. So flavourful!! I butterflied the tenderloin, poked holes with a fork and then marinated before grilling about six hours later. I don’t know if you would agree that poking holes with a fork is okay, but the meat was tender and flavourful. The best pork tenderloin recipe I’ve tried. Thank you so much.
Mike Hultquist says
Success! Thanks, Marlene. I know, the marinade makes all the difference. HUGE flavor builder. Thanks for sharing this!
Nick says
Hello Mike... you nailed it as always. This marinade is outstanding and, like all of your recipes, we'll written.
If I can offer one suggestion, it would be to have a toggle on the recipe that can be used when we are making them. I've used it on other recipes so while prepping it doesn't time out due to inactivity and I have to keep having to sign back in.
Kind regards,
Nick
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Nick. I'll have to look into that feature. I appreciate it!
Kevin says
Hi Mike,
What is that great looking red sauce that is by the cooked pork tenderloin in the first display pic?
Thanks,
Kevin
Mike Hultquist says
I believe that's a BBQ sauce I made, Kevin. Probably this one: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/chili-pepper-recipes/sauces/jalapeno-honey-bourbon-barbecue-sauce/
Katherine says
I just bought an 8 lb pork loin. Do you think there would be any issues with me putting the marinade on them and freezing them beforehand?
Katherine says
I wasn’t clear. What I meant to say was I was going to cut it up in sections to individually freeze to cook some later.
Mike Hultquist says
No problem at all, Katherine. You can freeze with the marinade, no problem.
Stacy Stewart says
Mike
strange questions. Would it be ok to make the marinade ahead and keep it in the fridge for 48 hours and then use it for the tenderloin. Would it hold up? I am trying to plan meal for this week.
Thanks
Stacy
Mike Hultquist says
Stacy, I wouldn't marinate for more than a day, as the meat can start to get mealy.
Stacy Stewart says
But could I just make the marinade and keep it in the fridge for 48 hours, not on the meat.
Thanks
Mike Hultquist says
Ah, yes, you can absolutely make the marinade ahead of time. No problem!
Mrs. O says
I was searching online for an easy and quick pork tenderloin marinade and found this recipe. I lucked out when I had all of the ingredients on hand to save me a trip to the grocery store, except for the "fresh" Rosemary which I substituted with "dried". I was only able to marinate for 3 1/2 hours which was completely fine. We grilled the tenderloin along with a few whole fresh jalapenos. It was so tender and full of flavor. This is definitely a "Keeper". Thank you!
Mike H. says
Awesome to hear that. Enjoy!
Billie says
I really love this marinade, it has a perfect spicy kick.
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Billie! Glad you enjoyed it.
Dawn says
Incredibly Delicious‼️‼️‼️
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Dawn!
Laura says
This marinade was amazing. I can never duplicate my mom's "teriyaki" which IMHO is the best ever, but now I have my own signature recipe that my family likes just as much. I added Maggi sauce, and medium garlic sauce because we love the flavours. I used a Rooster hot sauce and cut out the chilli flakes because my daughter, sadly, doesn't like too much heat. The recipe was a great guide with excellent flavours. I especially liked the addition of rosemary. We also basted or glazed while grilling. Thank you for giving me a signature sauce!
Mike Hultquist says
Awesome! Glad you all enjoyed it, Laura!! Thanks for sharing!!
Kim says
What is the oven temperature N time to cook?
Mike Hultquist says
350 degrees F is good for oven roasting.
Susan says
Love your recipes, Mike
Any suggestions for marinades that don't use Soy Sauce? Allergy.
I know you can sub Worcestershire Sauce but many recipes use both and I am not sure if the marination will be the same if I only use Worcestershire Sauce.
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Susan. I'm not sure if you can use any of the following, but these could work: Tamari, coconut aminos, or liquid aminos. They use different ingredients. You could use fish sauce, though not exactly the same, as well as white miso, or a combo, and a little extra Worcestershire. Let me know if this helps.
Kim says
I use liquid aminos
Sharon says
Hi Looking forward to trying this out for Sunday dinner. Just a little question. Do u take pork out refrigerator to rest for any length of time before cooking? Thank u
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Sharon. Yes, you can bring it to room temperature before cooking, about 45 minutes or so. I hope you enjoy it!
Ashley C. says
This was fantastic! I seared the tenderloin, then finished it off in the oven. While it was finishing, I poured the marinade in a pot on the stove, added a spoonful of apple butter and let it boil down. I added a little cornstarch slurry to thicken and brushed it on the tenderloin and broiled a few minutes at the end. It was so amazing we’ll be making it again this week. Thanks for a great recipe!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Awesome! Glad you enjoyed it, Ashley!
Karen says
I am working on expanding my culinary skills and decided to try this out. The night before planning to eat this I put together the marinade and sealed the pork loin in a baggie with it. I let marinate for almost 24 hours. I originally planned to grill the meat but due to the sunset being so early, I decided to air fry it instead. This was so juicy and delicious! I had to stop myself from eating the whole thing in one sitting!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Nice! Glad to hear it, Karen. I may have to try this in my air fryer! Interesting! Glad you enjoyed it! The marinade REALLY makes it SO GOOD!
David says
Okay...I have a pork loin in the freezer just waiting for this marinade! Think I'll bacon-wrap it and smoke it on my new pellet grill for a nice finishing touch. Will be sure to let you know how it turns out!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Outstanding! I'll be there for some of that! Haha, enjoy.
Paul W. Anderson says
I should have added I generally smoke vs grill, any issues I should be aware of?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Paul, no issues on the grill or smoker. In fact, I just grilled one the other day for visiting family and everyone loved it. I served the sliced pork tenderloin with several different optional sauces from my refrigerator. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Paul W. Anderson says
Mike do you serve the tenderloin with additional marinade, or something similar. I really want to try this, looks fantastic!!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Paul, I discard the marinade, but you can use some to baste. I usually serve my pork tenderloin with different sauces, depending on the dish.
Pam Jones says
Can I reheat the marinade to a boil and use it as a dipping sauce?
Mike Hultquist says
Pam, yes, if you cook it, you can do that. Enjoy!
Maurice Balk says
So good!