Sweet and Smokey Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin
This melt-in-your-mouth Instant Pot pork tenderloin is pressure cooked for just three minutes in a lip-smacking sweet and smokey sauce you’ll CRAVE.
You Don’t Always Have to Take It Slow.
Pork tenderloin has always been a slow-roasted Sunday-type dinner in this house. But thanks to the magic of pressure cooking, this sweet and smokey Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin can be served up in a snap (23 minutes, to be exact).
And while the pork rests, you can whip up the sweet and smokey gravy with all of those leftover pan juices!
Don’t have an Instant Pot? Don’t worry—baked pork tenderloin is a succulent treat as well and will tie you over until you cave and get yourself a pressure cooker ;)
Pork Tenderloin Brine: 10/10 Do Recommend.
Lean cuts of meat like poultry and pork tenderloin can dry out quickly.
The brine—which is a solution of salt and liquid—infuses the meat with both flavor and moisture; the sodium is the key. It has a tenderizing effect on protein which breaks it down, so you’re setting yourself up for a juicier meat from the get-go!
Anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours makes a huge difference in tenderness. But timing is important, and time will depend on the weight of your meat.
I usually time it at an hour of brine time per pound. This pork tenderloin was about 1.5 lbs, so I brined it for an hour and a half.
If you over-brine your meat, too much protein will be broken down and it will affect the texture and overall quality. Something to keep in mind!
Ingredients You’ll Need:
- Pork tenderloin
- Cracked black pepper
- Kosher salt
- Onion powder
- Smoked paprika
- Italian seasoning
- Garlic powder
- Chicken stock
- BBQ sauce
- Low-sodium soy sauce
- Maple syrup
- Liquid smoke
- Cornstarch
How to Make Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin.
The big question: how to cook pork tenderloin in an Instant Pot. It can seem intimidating if you’re not a seasoned IP user, but believe me when I say it’s easy peasy.
Not only that, but incredibly quick. If the pork has been brined, you’ll want to give it a good rinse under cool water and pat it dry with paper towels before smothering it with the dry rub.
Here’s what you’ll do:
- Mix all of the dry rub ingredients together in a small bowl and set it aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the chicken broth, maple syrup, soy sauce, liquid smoke, and BBQ sauce, and set that aside too.
- Heat your olive oil in the Instant Pot on sauté mode—low.
- While the oil heats, rub the pork tenderloin with the dry rub. Make sure you coat it as evenly as possible. Then slice the pork in half.
- Pop both pieces of pork tenderloin into the Instant Pot with tongs and cook the pork on each side for 1-2 minutes, or until the pork has browned on each side. You’re looking for a nice outer sear.
- Pour the sweet and smokey sauce into the pot over the tenderloin. With a large spoon or spatula, try to scrape up any pan bits from cooking the pork. (Pan bits can trigger the burn notice even if nothing is burning.)
- Secure the lid on the Instant Pot, lock it, and set the valve to “seal”. Pressure cook on high for 3 minutes. When done, let the pressure naturally release; this will take about 12-15 minutes.
- Remove the lid and remove the pork tenderloin from the Instant Pot using tongs. Place the tenderloin on a cutting board and let it rest for 5 minutes.
- In the meantime, set the Instant Pot to sauté mode—medium. Bring the sauce to a simmer. In a cup, mix cornstarch with 1/4 cup cold water. Stir until the cornstarch has dissolved, then pour it into the sauce, whisking. Whisk until the sauce has thickened to a gravy-like consistency.
- Slice the tenderloin, place on a serving platter, and drizzle with the sauce; garnish with fresh chopped parsley.
- Extra sauce can be stored in the fridge, sealed, for up to two weeks.
Useful Tools for This Recipe:
Recipe Tips + Tricks.
- For extra flavor and tenderness, brine the pork tenderloin for 1.5-2 hours. See recipe card notes for instructions on this.
- Cut the tenderloin in half when cooking in the Instant Pot so you get an even sear on all sides. It’s much easier to manage.
- Always give your tenderloin a quick sear on all sides prior to pressure cooking so you can have that nice crust on the exterior of your meat.
Have You Made This Recipe?
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Sides to Serve With Sweet and Smokey Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin:
- Easy Dinner Side Salad
- Roasted Potatoes with Everything Bagel Seasoning
- Baked Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Garlic and Rosemary
- Hot Honey Roasted Carrots
- Beer Butter Mushrooms
Sweet and Smokey Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin
Equipment
- Instant Pot
- Tongs
Ingredients
- 1 pork tenderloin
Dry rub.
- 1 tsp Smoked paprika
- 1 tsp Garlic powder
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp Onion powder
- 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp Cracked Black Pepper
Sweet and smokey sauce.
- 1 cup Chicken stock recipe here
- 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
- 4 TBSP Low-sodium soy sauce
- 3 TBSP Maple syrup
- 1 TBSP Liquid smoke
- 2 TBSP Cornstarch
Instructions
- Mix all of the ingredients for the dry rub in a small rub; set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the chicken broth, maple syrup, soy sauce, liquid smoke, and BBQ sauce; set aside.
- Heat olive oil in Instant Pot on sauté mode—low.Rub the pork with the dry rub distributing it evenly; slice the pork in half.With tongs, carefully place both pieces of pork tenderloin into the Instant Pot. Cook on each side for 1-2 minutes, or until the pork has browned on each side.
- Transfer the sweet and smokey sauce to the pot over the tenderloin. With a large spoon or spatula, try to scrape up any pan bits from cooking the pork. (Pan bits can trigger the burn notice, even though nothing is burning.)
- Secure the lid on the Instant Pot, lock it, and set the valve to "seal".
- Pressure cook on high for 3 minutes. When done, let the pressure naturally release; this will take about 12-15 minutes.
- Carefully remove the lid and, using tongs, remove the pork tenderloin from the Instant Pot. Place the tenderloin on a cutting board and let it rest for 5 minutes.
- In the meantime, set the Instant Pot to sauté mode—medium. Bring the sauce to a simmer. In a cup, mix cornstarch with 1/4 cup cold water. Stir until the cornstarch has dissolved, then pour it into the sauce, whisking. Whisk until the sauce has thickened to a gravy-like consistency.
- Slice the tenderloin, place on a serving platter, and drizzle with the sauce; garnish with fresh chopped parsley.
- Extra sauce can be stored in the fridge, sealed, for up to two weeks.
Notes
- 4 cups apple cider or apple juice
- 1/2 cup kosher salt
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- thyme sprigs
- 6 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
100 Comments on “Sweet and Smokey Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin”
How do you make this with Frozen Pork Tenderloin. I just took it out of the freezer and saw this recipe.
Thanks.
If you use a frozen tenderloin, you won’t be able to use the dry rub unfortunately. I recommend letting your tenderloin thaw. But if you’re really pressed for time, you could put the tenderloin in frozen, with the sauce, and pressure cook for 20 minutes, followed by a natural release of 20 minutes. This is based on what I’ve read for cooking from frozen, but I’ve yet to do it. Let me know what you end up doing and how it all goes!
Don’t know if I love the dry rub or the sauce more… Both so amazing!
Now this is my husbands idea of comfort food. It looks amazing
All of those lovely smokey barbecue flavours with no effort! Definitely making this again.
Loving how easy this sweet and smoky pork tenderloin is to make. It looks absolutely perfect!
Came out so flavorful, juicy and the everything was so perfect. My family loved it and will make it again.
Everyone at my house loved this!! Your recipe is amazing!
Tender and juicy. I am drooling here. Thanks for the recipe.
Pork tenderloin is so easy in the Instant Pot. I love this!
So juicy and so delicious. A perfect pork tenderloin.
Thanks!
We all loved this recipe! I’ll be making it again very soon.
Awesome! Glad to hear it :)
The Instant Pot is a wonderful tool to have in the kitchen. This is a fast and tender meal in minutes.
Agreed!
This was such a great way to use the instant pot. Such comfort food.
Thanks!
This was so delicious! And ready so quickly thanks to the instant pot.
Gotta love the IP!
I came back to tell you I had shared this on my FB page and it was a huge hit everyone who has tried it including me said it’s the tastiest recipe ever. It’s my go-to now! Awesome photo also!
That’s awesome, Claudia. Thanks so much!
Looks delicious – love that you can make it in the Instant Pot!
Thanks!
The instant pot infuses so much flavor into the pork tenderloin. Plus, it makes for a quick dinner.
So glad you enjoyed it, Gina!
Perfect I just bought a big batch of pork tenderloin and this recipe came to mind
Perfect!
I have 3 pork tenderloins in my freezer I got on sale a few months ago. I was looking for a tasty way to prepare one for dinner tomorrow night. Perfect timing.
Excellent! Keep me posted.
Yessssss! Immediately obsessed with this recipe.
That’s what I like to hear.
So good! The brine really did make the pork so tender and love how fast it was in the Instant Pot!
Isn’t it so nice and quick?
Great for busy weeknights! The pork turned out perfectly moist and flavorful.
I’m so glad, Mackenzie!
This was so delicious! I was impressed at how quickly the instant pot made this!
Glad you enjoyed it, Amy!
These pork tenderloin are so juicy and flavourful. Perfect for easy weeknight meal
Absolutely!
This Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin is delicious! Was great for dinner served with some rice and a salad.
I’m so glad, Biana!
Oh wow, this looks unreal! I’m adding pork tenderloin to my grocery list so that I can give this recipe a try this weekend.
Let me know how it goes !
Oh this tenderloin is so so good! I love that it is made in instant pot. I have to make it again!
I’m so glad, Neha!
This came out delicious and tender! The smokey sauce was so good too. Definitely a winner.
Love that sauce!
The pork turns out so moist and juicy! My mouth is watering just looking at the photos!
It really does :)
I love this instant pot version of tenderloin. It’s delicious. Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome!
Love this entire recipe, brining is a great idea. It’s so juicy and flavorful! And that sauce is to die for! Will be making this a lot once the cooler weather comes in since this is total comfort food. Thank you!
I love this one for fall and winter! Glad you were happy with the brining result :)
I’ve made this tenderloin several times and it always turns out moist and delicious!
So glad! It’s always such a hit here, too.
I use my Instant Pot all the time when school starts and I am always looking for new family friendly IP recipes. This fits the bill!
Excellent! I hope they love it.
This was a really huge hit at my house!! Quickly became a new favorite at my house!
Amazing to hear that!
That sweet and smoky sauce- so good! This pork packs so much flavour- we all enjoyed it.
Thank you!
This pork tenderloin was absolutely delicious! It was so tender and was so quick to make. Loved the sauce!
Happy to hear it!
Best pork tenderloin I’ve ever had, and the quickest too! Thanks for the recipe!
Love how quick it is! Glad you enjoyed it, Jordan.
These pork tenderloins were so delicious. My family loved the sauce and used it all up. Next time I’ll double making it!
I love it! So glad it was a hit.
The sauce and the dry rub give this tenderloin so much flavor!! Love this recipe!
Thank you!
This was loaded with flavor and so tender! Thank you so much for sharing!
You’re welcome!
Great instant pot recipe, we made it twice and every one raved about how tender and juicy it is
I’m so happy to hear that!
Looks soft, tender and juicy. Bursting with flavors and perfect for a party too. Love your yummy presentation.
Thank you!
This is what I’m talkin about! Great way to get smoky flavors in an Instant Pot meal. Was a hit.
So glad to hear it!
This was delicious and that sauce was amazing! Thank you!
You’re so welcome!
This was my first attempt at making pork tenderloin, and it came out fantastically! Thanks for the recipe, Dana!
I’m so glad, Gus!
Absolutely yummy! Melt-in-the-mouth and sooo full of flavour! Liquid smoke is a game changer! We served it with mashed potatoes and tenderstem broccoli for a perfect (and almost effortless) meal! Thanks so much for the recipe!
Ugh it’s absolutely PERFECT with mashed potatoes!
I love the combination of sweet and smokey flavors!! It is seriously amazing!
I thought so too, Toni! I’m a sucker for those flavors :)
We had this pork tenderloin for dinner last night and it was wonderful! Full of flavor and so juicy!
So happy to hear it! I love how juicy it turns out.
Pork tenderloin is such a great protein to work with. Very easy to cook, lean meat and most times you can find it on sale. This sounds delicious.
Thanks!
This is one of the juiciest tenderloins I have ever made. Thank you so much for the brining tip, it is definitely something I will be doing with all my pork in the future!
Brining is such a great step! Love doing it for turkey/turkey breasts as well.
Juicy and delicious! So yummy!!
Thanks!
I just love that this is made in the instant pot! Such a great dinner idea. :)
So quick and delicious!
This was delicious tender juicy and amazing flavors this recipe is a keeper!
Thanks, Clara!
This quick, easy and flavor packed tenderloin is perfect for a weekday meal. I’m excited to try it.
Keep me posted :)