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This melt-in-your-mouth Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin is pressure-cooked for just three minutes in a lip-smacking sweet and smoky sauce you’ll crave. This recipe is beautiful enough for a cozy Sunday meal, but hasty enough to be a weeknight dinner!
Table of Contents
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 smoky 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 smoky gravy with all of those leftover pan juices!
Looking for more easy pork recipes? Try my maple mustard air fryer pork tenderloin or this restaurant-worthy Instant Pot pork ragu. If chops are more your style, these French onion pork chops are super tasty, and you’ll love these cast iron pork chops with pear and ginger!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s super quick—Nothing beats an impressive meal that can be whipped up in an even more impressive timeframe. Family and guests will totally believe this pork tenderloin was slowly roasting for hours.
- It’s moist and tender—The method of pressure cooking makes the meat so juicy and flavorful, so you don’t have to worry about tough, dry pork.
Cooking Tip
For super tender and flavorful pork, skip any marinating and try brining it beforehand! You’ll love the outcome—a brine works so much better than a marinade. My apple juice pork brine works wonderfully with this recipe.
Ingredient Notes
A full ingredient list with exact measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
- Pork tenderloin—This cut of pork is better for quick cooking than a pork loin, which is better for roasting and slow cooking. You can use a pork loin for this recipe, but the cook time will be longer. I have not tested this recipe with a pork loin.
- Maple syrup—This is used to sweeten the sauce and give it a nice deep, rich flavor.
- Liquid smoke—The ticket to a true smoky flavor! This is my secret weapon in my popular smoky turkey burger recipe.
Recipe Modifications
- Honey—You could use honey in place of maple syrup, or even some brown sugar. Use the same amount as listed in the recipe.
- Liquid smoke—If a smoky flavor isn’t your vibe, you can omit the liquid smoke. You could also substitute the smoked paprika for regular paprika, or even sweet paprika.
- Spices—Feel free to use your own favorite savory spices, or even just use salt and pepper.
How to Make Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin
Note: If the pork has been brined (I have a great Apple Juice Pork Brine you could use), 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.
Mix all of the dry rub ingredients together in a small bowl and set them 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 smoky 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. Better to check on it at 12 minutes so it isn’t dry.
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.
How to Serve Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin
My two favorite things to serve with this mouthwatering Instant Pot pork tenderloin are my creamy mashed potato recipe and these air fryer green beans. It makes for the perfect comfort food dinner. Other great options include these oven-roasted mini potatoes, Parmesan roasted zucchini, and hot honey roasted carrots.
Storage, Reheating, and Freezing
- Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- To reheat, transfer the pork to a microwave-safe dish and heat in 15-second increments until heated through.
- To freeze, transfer cooled pork to a freezer-friendly container and freeze for up to 3 months. Pop it in the fridge overnight to thaw for use the next day.
Frequently Asked Questions
I always start on sauté mode so I can give my pork tenderloin a quick sear on the outside. This will create a beautiful crust on your pork. After that, I add my sauce, and cook it on high pressure for about 3 minutes. That’s it!
If your tenderloin is tough, it’s overcooked. If you’re worried about an undercooked tenderloin, you’re better to set it for less time and check on the internal temperature with a meat thermometer. You want the internal temperature to range between 135-145º F. If you’re way below that, pop the IP lid back on and cook on high pressure for another few minutes.
With searing the exterior, 3 minutes of high-pressure cooking, and a natural release of about 15 minutes, you’re looking at a cook time of about 25 minutes.
More Easy Instant Pot Recipes…
If you try this Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin, please pop back in and leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin
Equipment
- Instant Pot
- Tongs
Ingredients
- 1 pork tenderloin, about 1-1.5 lbs
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
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. Better to check on it at 12 minutes so it isn't dry.
- 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.
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.