Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin

Close up view of pieces of Pork Tenderloin on a white serving plate

5 from 1 review

Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin

This easy Instant Pot Pork tenderloin recipe makes incredibly juicy and perfectly seasoned pork tenderloin with a flavor-packed gravy. A delicious meal ready in under an hour!

Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin, Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin Recipe, Pork Tenderloin in an Instant Pot, Pressure Cooker Pork Tenderloin

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Presurazing Time 25

Total Time 40

Servings servings

Calories 209kcal

Author Chef Kathy McDaniel

Ingredients

Spice Rub

2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
2 - 2.5 pounds pork tenderloin trimmed (2 tenderloins)
2 tablespoons olive oil

Thickener

1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water

Instructions

Place the pork tenderloins in a large tray or baking sheet. Most likely your package included two pork tenderloins (sometimes weighting up to 3 pounds and that is OK).
Pat the pork tenderloins dry with paper towels to get a nice sear (optional but recommended).
In a small mixing bowl, combine the garlic, chili powder, salt, paprika, Italian seasoning and black pepper.
Season each tenderloin generously with the spice mixture. using your hands, rub the seasoning on all sides.
Set the Instant Pot to the sauté setting and add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the pork and sear on both sides for about 3 minutes per side or until lightly browned. When done, transfer the pork back to the large tray or baking sheet.
Turn off the sauté setting, and deglaze the Instant pot by pouring in the chicken broth. With a wooden spoon, scrape up any brown bits stuck at the bottom of the pot.
Place the trivet (pressure cooker rack) inside the pot and place the tenderloins on top of the rack coiling them to fit as needed. If you don't have a trivet/rack, it's fine. Simply place the meat at the bottom of the pot.
Close the pot, lock the lid and make sure the valve is in the sealing position.. Cook on HIGH (manual) pressure for 5 minutes. When the cooking time is done, allow the pot to naturally release the pressure for 10 minutes.
Release the remaining pressure and open the lid. With an instant-read thermometer test the pork for doneness. The internal temperature should be between 140º - 145º F. At 140ºF the carryover cooking while the meat rests, will bring up the temperature between 5-8 degrees. If lower than 140ºF close and lock the lid and allow the pork to continue to cook in the residual heat for 3-4 additional minutes.
Transfer the pork from to a serving platter or a cutting board. Tent the pork with aluminum foil and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Make the sauce.
If used, carefully remove the trivet from the instant pot. In a small make a slurry by mixing the cornstarch and water in a small mixing bowl.
Set the Instant Pot to the sauté feature and stir in the cornstarch slurry. Allow the sauce to thickened, stirring often (about 2 minutes). Turn the sauté function off and keep the pot off/warm. The sauce will continue to thicken a bit with the residual heat.
Slice the pork crosswise into medallions (about 1/2-inch thick) and then, add the medallions back to the Instant Pot to quickly warm up allowing the meat get coated with the sauce or serve the pork medallions pouring the sauce on top.
Note: If you feel the pork is a bit too pink for your taste, transfer the sliced pork medallions to the pot, close the lid and allow the meat to warm up with the sauce for about 3 minutes.

Notes

Spice Rub: You can add 2 tablespoons of brown sugar to the spice mix for extra flavor. Add 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and replace the Italian herbs with 1 teaspoon of ground cumin to give the recipe a bit of a Tex-Mex mix.
One size doesn't fit all: If the tenderloins are too long to fit into the pressure cooker, cut them in half so they fit into the instant pot comfortably.
Browning the pork: When sautéing the pork, if your Instant Pot gets too hot and starts browning things too fast, turn the sauté function off for 1-2 minutes. Then turn it back on.
Pork Doneness: Check the temperature with an instant-read thermometer. The internal temperature should be between 140º - 145º F. If the internal temperature is 140ºF, the carryover cooking while the meat rests, will bring up the temperature about 5-8 degrees. If the internal temperature is lower than 140ºF, close and lock the lid and allow the pork to continue to cook in the residual heat for 3-4 additional minutes.
Sliced Pork Medallions: After slicing the meat, if you feel the pork is a bit too pink for your taste, transfer the sliced medallions to the pot, close the lid and allow the meat to warm up with the sauce for about 3 minutes.

Nutrition