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This easy, all-in-one Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin Recipe delivers a perfectly cooked, seasoned pork tenderloin alongside a delicious apple and sweet potato puree.
Pork tenderloin is a lean cut of pork that when cooked with care, results in a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth cut of meat.
But because pork tenderloin is such a delicate cut of meat that can easily overcook, I was hesitant to try cooking it in the Instant Pot. After all, I love my recipes for Balsamic Pork Tenderloin and Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin--why mess with perfection?
But after many requests from YOU, I have perfected the timing for cooking pork tenderloin in the Instant Pot and the results are quite spectacular.
Seasoned with garlic and cooked in apple cider, the pork tenderloin absorbs so much flavor, while cooking to the perfect temperature.
And while delicious served as an entree all on its own, I love to cook apples and sweet potatoes along with the pork, which results in a delicious, easy, one-pot meal that everyone loves.
Key Ingredients
- Pork Tenderloin: Be sure to use pork tenderloin not pork loin. The typical size of pork tenderloin is between 1.25 and 1.5 pounds.
- Apple Cider: Apple cider or apple juice is the perfect cooking liquid for pork tenderloin. It will help to season and sweeten the pork. Just be sure to NOT use apple cider vinegar--vinegar would ruin this meal.
- Garlic and Onions: For additional flavor and savoriness to the overall dish.
- Sweet Potato and Apple Mash: This is completely optional, but does make for a nice all-in-one meal. Just be sure to use an apple variety that holds up well to cooking like Gala, Honeycrisp, or Granny Smith.
How To Make Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin
- Turn the Instant Pot to Saute, add in oil, and let heat for 2-3 minutes.
- While the Instant Pot is heating, trim the silverskin if necessary from the pork and season liberally with salt and pepper.
- Once the Instant Pot is heated, add the seasoned pork to the inner pot and sear the pork on each side, 2-3 minutes per side, or until just golden.
- Remove the pork tenderloin to a plate. Turn the Instant Pot OFF.
- Add the apple juice to the inner pot and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom. This will prevent a burn notice.
- Add the cubed sweet potatoes, apples, and onions to the inner pot, if using.
- Nestle the seared pork on top of the potatoes or in the apple juice.
- Place the lid on the inner pot and set the cooking time for 3 minutes on high pressure.
- Once the cooking time has elapsed, allow the pressure to release for 10 minutes. This will prevent the pork from being tough!
- Remove the pork tenderloin from the instant pot and place it on a cutting board to rest.
- Strain off the apples, sweet potatoes, and onions and place them into a blender or a large mixing bowl and add in ½ cup of the cooking liquid. Mash or blend to desired consistency, adding additional cooking liquid as needed.
Cooking Frozen Pork Tenderloin
You can prepare frozen pork tenderloin in the Instant Pot. There are just a few things to keep in mind.
- You will not be able to sear the pork, so the meat will be a bit more gray and soft after cooking.
- You will need to cook the frozen pork tenderloin for 12 minutes on high pressure instead of 3 minutes.
- Cut the sweet potatoes and apples into larger (2-inch) chunks to account for the longer cook time.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Simply omit the sweet potatoes, onions, and apples from the recipe. Season, sear, and cook the pork tenderloin in apple juice as the recipe states.
No. You can serve sweet potatoes, apples, and onions on the side of the pork tenderloin. I just find that the mash is more kid-friendly.
Pork tenderloin is a very lean cut of meat and therefore only needs to be cooked in a couple of minutes. Cooking longer than the suggested times will result in an overcooked piece of meat that will likely be dry and tough. This method for cooking pork tenderloin at 3 minutes on high pressure will result in pork tenderloin at 150-155 degrees--which in my book is perfect. The pork tenderloin will be juicy, and slightly pink, but warm all the way through.
Searing meat seals in the juices of the meat and gives the meat a bit of texture. It is not a necessary step, but it will elevate the flavor of the pork tenderloin, significantly. If you opt to skip searing the pork, cook for 4 minutes under high pressure.
YES! If you would like to prepare 2 pork tenderloins instead of just 1, simply sear both tenderloins in batches and cook on high pressure for 3 minutes as instructed. If you would like to double the sweet potato and apple mixture, reduce the cooking time to 2 minutes to account for the extra time it will take for the Instant Pot to come to pressure.
More Instant Pot Pork Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe for Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin, be sure to leave a comment and review below.
Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pork tenderloin, ~1 ½ pounds
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 1 teaspoon pepper, divided
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup apple cider, or apple juice (NOT APPLE CIDER VINEGAR!!!!)
- 3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed into ½ inch cubes
- 1 large firm, sweet apple, cubed
- 1 large sweet onion, cubed
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
Instructions
- To remove the silver skin from the pork tenderloin slip a knife blade just under the silver skin making a "tab" to hold on to. Hold on to that tab with one hand and then run the blade of the knife under the membrane, keeping it angled away from the meat, to remove just the silver skin, not the meat itself. Discard the membrane.
- Season the pork generously with salt and pepper.
- Turn the instant pot to saute function, add in 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil and let heat. Once heated, add seasoned tenderloin to inner pot and sear on each side until just browned. Remove the pork from the instant pot and place on a plate.
- Pour 1 cup apple cider into inner pot and scrape up any browned bits of bottom of instant pot.
- Add in 3 large sweet potatoes (diced), 1 large firm, sweet apple (diced), 1 large sweet onion (diced), and 3 cloves garlic (minced). Season with pinch of salt and pepper. Place the pork tenderloin back into the pressure cooker on top of vegetables.
- Secure lid on instant pot and turn vent knob to sealed. Cook on high pressure:4 minutes for 165℉ (74℃)3 minutes for 155℉ (68℃)2 minutes for 145℉ (63℃)
- Allow pressure to release for 10 minutes and then do a quick release. Remove pork from instant pot and place on cutting board to slice.
- While pork is resting on cutting board, use a hand held-immersion blender or a potato masher, to combine the sweet potatoes, apples and onions until smooth. (Remove ½ cup cooking liquid if you would like a thicker mash.)
- Serve pork alongside the sweet potato apple puree.
Notes
- Sweet Potato Mash: There will be a lot of cooking liquid, feel free to remove ½ cup with a ladle or measuring cup before blending up the sweet potatoes and apples, for a thicker sweet potato mash. You can also opt to serve the apples, onions and sweet potatoes whole instead of serving it as a mash.
- Apple Cider: Feel free to use apple juice in place of apple cider. But DO NOT USE APPLE CIDER VINEGAR--this recipe is for apple cider or apple juice. Vinegar will ruin your dish.
- Pork Tenderloin without Sweet Potatoes and Apples: Sear the pork tenderloin as directed, and then add in apple cider to the Instant Pot and scrape up any browned bits from bottom of inner pot. Add in the onions and garlic and place tenderloin back in pressure cooker and cook as directed.
- Frozen Pork Tenderloin: skip Searing Pork Tenderloin and cook on high pressure for 12 minutes. If you want to add in sweet potatoes and apples, cut them into 2 inch chunks to account for the longer cook time.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe was originally published in 2018 but was updated in 2021 with step-by-step process shots.
Looking forward to trying this! If my pork loin is larger (for example: 2 3/4 pounds), I suspect the cooking time would go up. How do I figure out how to adjust the time? It is a thawed pork loin.
Hi Cheryl! This recipe is for a pork tenderloin. For pork loin, you need to cook on high pressure for 20 minutes per pound. I would also just cook in apple juice/cider and cook the sweet potatoes and apples after you remove the pork from the pressure cooker, if not they will be very over cooked! After removing the pork loin, drain off all but 1 cup cooking juices/liquid and add in chunks sweet potatoes,onions, and apples (apples optional). Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes and then let pressure release 5 minutes. Puree sweet potatoes, slice up pork and serve! Enjoy!
Hi Kristen! For the pork loin (mine is "bone-in") would you increase the initial searing time as well?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Sarah! Just sear just to get the pork loin brown. For pork loin, you can skip the searing if you like, as it absorbs the cooking liquid as it cooks.
Best tenderloin recipe EVER!!! Thank you so much for sharing it with us!! My family gobbled it down!
YAY!!! So glad this hit the spot for you and your family Laura!
To make this pork only no veggies, would you just sear the meat and then pressure cook for 4 min? What about pressure release?
Hi Amanda, yes that would be correct. Sear the meat and then cook for 4 minutes on pressure. You want pressure to release for 10 minutes. Enjoy!
You actually mean apple cider not apple cider vinegar?
The recipe states apple cider not apple cider vinegar 🙂 Vinegar would be disastrous.
Ok thank you!
How disastrous? 🤦🏼♀️ Unedible?
Well, the meat may still be edible, but the mash would be pretty tart.
Could I do the same thing with a pork roast? Would I adjust the cooking time? Trying to use what I have in the freezer. 😊
I love that you are using what you have on hand Alicia! For pork roast it is 20 minutes per pound if fresh or 30 if frozen. The only issue is that the sweet potatoes and apples would be WAY overcooked and a mushy mess at that time. I would season the pork loin and place in apple cider/juice and cook on high pressure for 20 min per pound. Let natural release. Remove pork roast to cutting board to rest and then add in cubed apples & sweet potatoes to liquid in instant pot. Cook on high pressure for 8 minutes (it will come to pressure quicker with warmer liquid so you need a longer cook time for potatoes then if starting from a cold Instant Pot. Then you can mash the potatoes and apples and serve with a pork roast. I hope you enjoy!
You said we could cook the tenderloin from frozen. If I did that, what size cut would you suggest on the sweet potatoes and apples? Surely they would need to be a bit larger if they cooked for 12 minutes instead of 3 minutes.
Hi Eileen! You can cut your potatoes into larger chunks for sure, but since this is all pureed, it does not make that much of a difference for this recipe. Enjoy!
When it states Cook on high pressure for 4 minutes if you want your pork cooked to 165, 3 minutes, if you want your pork cooked to 155, and 2 minutes, if you want your pork cooked to 145 degrees. Does that mean to use Pressure Cook, not MEAT/STEW?
Hi Cindy! Yes, all my recipes are written to be cooked on PRESSURE COOK on high pressure unless stated otherwise. But the meat and stew button is just a preset on high pressure cook as well--really a useless function. You can read more info about Instant Pot Functions to help explain here : https://amindfullmom.com/instant-pot-functions/
Hope that helps 🙂