With this simple honey garlic Dijon pork tenderloin marinade, you’ve got a healthy, make-ahead meal for any busy weeknight. Best of all, the easy dinner only requires 10 minutes of prep before leaving it to marinate in the fridge. Finish the meat on the grill or in the oven!
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If you love pork tenderloin as much as we do, be sure to try this honey dijon roasted pork tenderloin, a Dutch oven pork tenderloin with gravy, this Crock Pot pork tenderloin, pork tenderloin with apples, and this grilled pork tenderloin, too!
How to Make Pork Tenderloin Marinade | 1-Minute Video
Pork tenderloin can be bland. This marinade makes it sing. My husband isn’t crazy about pork but really loved this. What a hit!
– Susan
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- Easy. You can’t beat the ease of a simple pork tenderloin marinade, which comes together in about 5 minutes and creates the most flavorful, tender, and juicy meat.
- Healthy. Pork tenderloin is a great alternative lean protein to chicken breasts. It offers numerous health benefits, is an excellent source of protein, thiamin, vitamin B6, phosphorous, and niacin, as well as a good source of potassium, riboflavin, and zinc. It’s relatively low in calories, yet stays tender and juicy — especially when marinated.
- Versatile. I’ve included directions for grilling and roasting the marinated pork tenderloin, but you can also use the same easy marinade for pork loin, pork chops, and chicken.
The Difference Between Pork Tenderloin and Pork Loin
Pork tenderloin, a smaller cut that generally weighs about 1 pound, does not come from the same part of the animal as the larger pork loin. Since pork tenderloin is naturally lean and tender, it does well when cooked quickly at high temperatures. By contrast, pork loin lends itself well to slower roasting or grilling techniques. For more details about these two different cuts of meat, check out this article.
Today, we’re focused only on the pork tenderloin! This recipe calls for a single tenderloin; however, you can certainly add a second tenderloin to the marinade. This is also a great pork loin marinade; however, the cooking directions for that cut of meat are different.
Ingredients
Here’s a quick overview of the simple ingredients that you’ll need for the best marinade for pork tenderloin. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe at the bottom of the post.
- Honey: adds a nice sweetness to the marinade, while the sugars also help to create a nice char on the outside of the meat.
- Dijon mustard: works as an emulsifier to bring the marinade ingredients together, and adds a nice “zippy” flavor to the sauce.
- Soy sauce: salty, umami flavor that’s essential for this delicious pork. I typically use a reduced-sodium variety.
- Garlic, salt, and pepper: more flavor! If you don’t have fresh garlic you can substitute with about ¾ teaspoon garlic powder.
- Rosemary and thyme: I prefer fresh herbs when available, but you can also substitute with dried herbs when necessary.
Directions
You can season a pork tenderloin with a spice rub, or give the meat plenty of flavor from a quick marinade. The best pork tenderloin marinade recipe will tenderize the meat, add flavor, and caramelize the outside. You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the quick version:
- Whisk together the marinade.
- Season pork on all sides with salt and pepper.
- Marinate the pork in half of the marinade in a large Ziploc freezer bag or dish, reserving the other half of the marinade for later. Ziploc bags are great for marinating because they don’t take up much space in your fridge. Marinate the pork for a minimum of 30 minutes to allow the flavors to soak into the meat, or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator. Yes, it’s possible to marinate the tenderloin for too long, since the enzymes in the meat start to break down and the cooked pork can have a mushy texture.
- Grill or bake the marinated meat. The tenderloin is ready to come off the grill or out of the oven when it reaches an internal temperature of 140-145°F. The temperature will continue to rise as it rests. Anywhere between 140°F and 160°F is fine; however cooking it more towards medium (145°F) will produce juicier pork. At this stage, the pork will have a slight touch of pink in the center.
- Tent the tenderloin with aluminum foil and let it rest for a few minutes before slicing and serving with the reserved marinade. This allows the juices to redistribute.
Serving Suggestions
The perfect dish for busy weeknights, entertaining guests, or cozy Sunday dinners! Serve the flavorful pork tenderloin with delicious side dishes like a house salad with candied pecans or a green salad with honey mustard dressing, tomato cucumber onion salad, 3-ingredient buttermilk mashed potatoes, Jiffy cornbread with creamed corn, Charleston red rice, Southern-style green beans, succotash, Southern squash casserole, or okra and tomatoes.
I made this recipe last night for dinner. My husband, who is rather picky, loved it. He commented all evening that this was the best roast pork he had ever eaten and I agree. It was fantastic.
– Dianne
Preparation and Storage
- Prep ahead! The tenderloin can be trimmed and marinated up to 24 hours in advance. Remove from the refrigerator 30-60 minutes before cooking so that the meat has time to come to room temperature. You can also put the pork in the marinade and freeze for up to 3 months before cooking. Thaw frozen pork in the fridge overnight before cooking.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Sliced tenderloin is delicious on sandwiches the next day.
- To reheat pork tenderloin: Place the pork on a sheet pan and warm in a 325 degrees F oven just until heated through (about 10-15 minutes). Be careful not to overheat, or the tenderloin will become dry. You can also reheat individual portions of pork in the microwave for 1-2 minutes.
Recipe Variations
- Make it spicy by adding crushed red pepper flakes or sriracha hot sauce to the marinade.
- Use other fresh herbs, such as parsley, oregano, or basil.
- Add some toasted sesame oil, cilantro, or fresh lime juice to really highlight the soy sauce and give the marinade some Asian flare.
- Enjoy this simple marinade on chicken or pork chops, too.
- Pork Loin Marinade: use this same marinade for a pork loin, but follow these cooking instructions.
Expert Tips
- A single pork tenderloin is typically just 1 lb. of meat, making it an appropriate amount of food for 2-4 people (depending on the size of your appetite). If you’re feeding a larger family of 4-5, add a second tenderloin to the marinade. You should have enough marinade for both pieces of meat.
- Use a meat thermometer to ensure that your tenderloin is cooked perfectly every single time. The total cooking time will vary depending on the size and thickness of your pork, as well as the temperature of your grill.
- Garnish the cooked meat with fresh lemons, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, or chopped fresh herbs for a bright, flavorful finishing touch.
Made this last night and it was so amazing! We basted the pork while grilling with the marinade and it formed such a sweet savory bark on it! We make a lot of pork tenderloin and this was a welcome addition to our recipes. Thank you!
– Meghan
More Pork Tenderloin Recipes to Try
Garlic Brown Sugar Pork Tenderloin
40 minutes mins
Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin (4 Ingredients)
40 minutes mins
Best Grilled Pork Tenderloin Recipe
1 hour hr 28 minutes mins
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Watch How to Make It
Honey Garlic Dijon Pork Tenderloin Marinade
Ingredients
- 1 pork tenderloin (about 1 lb.)
- ½ cup honey
- ½ cup Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce (or substitute with tamari or coconut aminos for gluten-free option)
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- Leaves from 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, minced (can substitute with about ½ teaspoon dried rosemary)
- Leaves from 2 sprigs fresh thyme, minced (can substitute with about ½ teaspoon dried thyme)
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
PREPARE THE MARINADE
- In a bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together honey, Dijon mustard, soy sauce, garlic, rosemary, and thyme.
MARINATE THE PORK
- Season pork on all sides with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Place pork in a large zip-top plastic bag. Pour half of the marinade over the pork and toss to coat. Seal the bag and refrigerate the pork in the marinade for at least 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours. Rotate the pork occasionally so that the marinade touches all sides. Set aside the remaining ½ of the marinade in a separate bowl, cover, and refrigerate for later.
GRILL THE PORK (PREFERRED METHOD)
- Remove pork from the marinade and allow to come to room temperature while you heat the grill. Discard bag with the marinade.
- Heat the grill to medium heat. Place pork on the grill and cover. Cook for about 12-15 minutes, turning every few minutes, until pork reaches an internal temperature of 140°F – 145°F. Allow pork to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with reserved marinade.
ALTERNATE OVEN METHOD
- Remove pork from the marinade and place in a baking dish that has been coated with cooking spray. Discard bag with the marinade. Allow pork to come to room temperature while you preheat the oven.
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes.
- Remove cover, brush with reserved marinade, and place under the broiler for about 5 minutes (or until a crispy crust forms on top), and pork reaches an internal temperature of 140°F – 145°F. Remove from oven and allow pork to rest for about 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with reserved marinade.
Notes
- A single pork tenderloin is typically just 1 lb. of meat, making it an appropriate amount of food for 2-4 people (depending on the size of your appetite). If you’re feeding a larger family of 4-5, add a second tenderloin to the marinade. You should have enough marinade for both pieces of meat.
- Use a meat thermometer to ensure that your tenderloin is cooked perfectly every single time. The total cooking time will vary depending on the size and thickness of your pork, as well as the temperature of your grill.
- Tent the tenderloin with aluminum foil and let it rest for a few minutes before slicing and serving. This allows the juices to redistribute.
- Enjoy this simple marinade on chicken or pork chops, too.
- Garnish the cooked meat with fresh lemons, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, or chopped fresh herbs for a bright, flavorful finishing touch.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in March, 2017. It was updated in May, 2024.
Great, a very freshly prepared dish, surely they will have lots of vitamins. Thank you for sharing the article very well
I am making this tonight !!!
Awesome. Hope you enjoyed it, Jody! 🙂
Pork tenderloin can be bland. This marinade makes it sing. My husband isn’t crazy about pork but really loved this. What a hit!
This is my go-to pork tenderloin recipe! There arejust the 2 of usso one is perfect, but I always cook (grill) 2. Then I wrap one in foil & freeze the other for later. It reheats when thawed & put in the oven for 30 min at 300 )in foil). I’ve served this to family * friends & it is always a winner! Sometimes I serve with bok choyy & rice, but tonight it’s fried rice with lots of veggies!
That’s great, Pam! I’m so glad that you enjoy it! Love the idea of pairing it with fried rice. I’ll have to try that soon!
This is my go-to pork tenderloin recipe! There are just the 2 of us so one is perfect, but I always cook (grill) 2. Then I wrap one in foil & freeze the other for later. It reheats when thawed & put in the oven for 30 min at 300 )in foil). I’ve served this to family * friends & it is always a winner! Sometimes I serve with bok choyy & rice, but tonight it’s fried rice with lots of veggies!
Awesomeness! Just grilled this for dinner. Forgot to save half but had 2 tenderloins so it worked well. I was wondering if this would work in a sous vide before grilling.
Thanks, Mary! It makes me happy to hear that you enjoyed the meal! I honestly don’t know if it would work in a sous vide — I’ve never tried that cooking method, so I don’t know anything about it. 🙂
My family loved the marinade on this pork – it was fantastic.
Great! Thanks, Debi!
Delicious!
Used this marinade recipe, but because I had two tenderloin, I increased the liquid by adding a splash of cider vinegar and healthy splash of olive oil (the pork was very lean). Marinated for 5 hours, then roasted in pan with big chunks of vidalia onion. (I have a lot; needed to use some!)
OMG, everyone loved it!!:)
Served with roasted potatoes and roasted cauliflower/carrots. I think I’d prefer a green veggie; but made what I had:)
ps – love the suggestion to use leftovers for fried rice – will try it.
Thanks for recipe!
Thanks, Diann! So glad that it was a hit. Enjoy that fried rice! 🙂
I never leave comments on recipes. But this was one of the best recipes I’ve tried. The pork came out extremely tender and juicy. Thanks for the amazing recipe!!
Thank you, Les! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed it. Thank you for taking the time to come back here and leave a note, too!
I really wanted to love this recipe, but found it just too sweet for my taste. Was tender and juicy but didn’t brown up under the broiler so no nice crust?
Maybe next time I’d try adding less honey- that’s a lot of sweetness for one lb of pork! And maybe cook on the grill!
Thanks, John! I’m glad that it was tasty — even if it needed a much longer cooking time. 🙂
Love your recipe for pork can I use this recipe for a London broil?
Thanks, Joyce! I think it would probably work well for London Broil! 🙂
Wondering if it would be ok to bbq the pork think I’ll try it!!
Awesome recipe for Sunday dinner! Used fresh picked rosemary, house smelled great. Will definitely make again, may try substituting honey with maple syrup.
I found this to be very tasty. I did however make a few adjustments. I was low on Dijon, so I did a mix of Dijon and spicy brown mustard, and I upped the amount of garlic. My family loved it, and I will be making this again in a few weeks.
Thanks, Linda! Sounds like your changes were great!
Pork is marinating in the fridge overnight, can’t wait to cook this tomorrow, thank you for the recipe, I’m sure its gonna be delicious.
Wonderful! Enjoy, Deborah!
I have been making this recipe exactly for over two years now. We have 6 kids, who at the time I first made it ranged in age from 9-17. Four of them are super picky eaters (three step-kids won’t eat anything but a certain brand of chicken nugget and pasta with only butter….eye- roll). EVERY ONE OF THE SIX LOVED THIS PORK!!! We were shocked. Not even a complaint about “green things” (rosemary and thyme) on it. LOL. So now it is a go-to when all the kids are with us for parenting time and they never get tired of it. THANK YOU!!!
That’s amazing, Mary Anne! You can’t beat a simple meal that all of the kids agree on. I know those are hard to come by. 🙂
Followed the recipe ingredients and amounts exactly.
Marinated for 3 hours.
Maybe if i marinated it overnight it would have gave the pork more flavor.
Didn’t infuse much flavor at all. 4 people served pork were not impressed.
how can I use this recipe in a crock pot.
Hi, Susan! You can cook pork tenderloin in a Crock Pot, but it definitely won’t have the same flavor and texture as the grilled or roasted version. If you would like to see my preferred Crock Pot pork tenderloin cooking method (which you could use with this marinade), you can check out this recipe: https://www.theseasonedmom.com/slow-cooker-pork-tenderloin/
I just finished cleaning up after dinner and I’m ready for some left overs. According to my taste buds and my son, this is the best pork dinner I’ve ever prepared. Thanks for sharing. Made me feel like I actually know how to cook!
Thanks again,
That’s amazing, Kathy! Thank you for letting me know!!
I made this Friday night for our dinner and it was a Big Hit!! YUM! Thanks for another winning recipe!! Definitely going into the “Keeper” file. 🙂
Wonderful, Tess! I’m so happy to hear that. Thanks for taking the time to come back here and let me know. 🙂
My pork tenderloin caught fire on broil
duh Justin!!! sear the outside and then put in oven@ 400 for 25 min cover
partially with tin foil baste it with left over sauce and yummy with roasted potateos
I saw a comment that someone’s tenderloin caught on fire under the broiler. WHY was it under the broiler? The recipe calls for it to be grillef (my preference) or roasted
I’ve made this recipe no less than 10 times & it has been perfect EVERY time!
My family “Loved” this recipe. Thank you for posting it. Just the right proportions and the sauce was just enough. I marinaded it overnight and used the remaining marinade toward the end of the cooking time. It was noted that the pork was even better the next day as leftovers. Thank again!
Thank you, Judy! That’s great to hear! 🙂