This exceptionally tender and juicy Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin has just the right amount of sweet-tangy flavor. A meal worthy of a special occasion but easy enough to make any night of the week.
Serve this delicious oven roasted pork tenderloin with Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes or Maple Glazed Sweet Potatoes for a totally crave-worthy meal.
I just can’t say enough about pork tenderloin. It’s low in fat and calories, super tender, and extremely versatile. Paired with a tangy, sweet balsamic glaze it’s knock your socks off good!
This balsamic glaze is beyond words. You’ll be dipping everything on your plate in it.
I served this easy pork tenderloin recipe last night with Sweet Spiced Roasted Butternut Squash and it made us all feel ready for the cozy pumpkin weather that will be here in the blink of an eye.
Ingredient Notes
For the Pork Tenderloin
- Pork tenderloin – You’ll need two pork tenderloins that weigh 1 pound each, or slightly more. You’ll find two-packs at most stores that weigh between 2 and 2½ pounds.
- Garlic – Minced or crushed so it will mix into a paste for the pork.
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Seasoning – Dried rubbed sage, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
For the Balsamic Glaze
- Balsamic vinegar
- Granulated sugar
- Cornstarch slurry -Cornstarch mixed with a little water.
- Less sodium soy sauce
The garlic and sage rub and balsamic glaze add a ton of flavor and color to the pork tenderloin so it isn’t necessary to sear the pork tenderloin before roasting.
How to Make Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin
The images below show the steps for making this recipe with one pork tenderloin. See the recipe card at the end of the post for exact amounts and detailed instructions.
- Place the pork tenderloin in a foil lined baking dish. In a small bowl combine the garlic, olive oil, sage, salt, and pepper, and rub the mixture all over the pork. Bake at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes.
- While the pork is cooking, place the sugar, balsamic vinegar, and soy sauce in a small saucepan over medium low heat. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water and add to the saucepan. Heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture begins to bubble and thicken slightly.
- Spoon a small amount of the glaze on each tenderloin after the first half of the cooking time. Return pork to the oven and continue to cook until the internal temperature of the tenderloin has reached a minimum of 145 and no more than 150 degrees F when tested with an instant read thermometer.
After you remove the pork tenderloin from the oven, tent the pan with foil and allow it to rest for a few minutes for the juiciest result.
Slice and Serve the Balsamic Pork Tenderloin
- Slice each tenderloin into 1-inch medallions. For an even saucier experience, return the pork medallions to the foil-lined pan with the pan juices.
- Warm the remaining glaze slightly over low heat and pour over sliced pork.
FAQ
This recipe does not require you to sear the pork before it goes in the oven. However, if you’d like a darker seared crust, you can sear it first, but be aware that it will cook more quickly. Just heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat and add the pork tenderloin when the oil is very hot. Quickly sear both sides and then transfer the skillet to the oven. You can plan on reducing the overall cooking time by 5 to 10 minutes.
If you are feeding less people you can use one tenderloin. I recommend making the full amount of glaze so you’ll be sure you have enough (and because it’s so delicious you’ll want extra!).
No. For the best result, roast pork tenderloin uncovered.
It’s all about the cooking time! Use a meat thermometer and be sure to pull the pork out of the oven when it is between 145 to 150 degrees F. Allowing the roasted pork to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing will help ensure it will be tender and juicy.
Perfectly roasted pork tenderloin that has been cooked to a safe temperature of 145 degrees F will have a slight hint of pink in the center.
More Pork Tenderloin Recipes You’ll Love
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Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon minced or crushed garlic
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon dried rubbed sage
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 to 2 ½ pounds pork tenderloin, (two 1-pound+ tenderloins)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons less sodium soy sauce, or tamari for gluten free
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 13- x 9-inch pan with heavy duty foil and place the pork in the pan.
- In a small bowl combine the garlic, olive oil, sage, salt, and pepper. Rub the mixture all over both tenderloins. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
- While the pork is cooking, place the sugar, balsamic vinegar, and soy sauce in a small saucepan over medium low heat. In a small bowl, make a slurry with the water and cornstarch and add to the saucepan. Heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture begins to bubble and thicken slightly. Spoon a small amount of the glaze on each tenderloin during after the first 15 minutes of the cooking time.
- Return the pork tenderloins to the oven and continue to cook for an additional 15 minutes or until the internal temperature of the thickest tenderloin has reached a minimum of 145 degrees F and no more than 150 degrees F when tested with an instant read thermometer. Remove it from the oven, tent the pan with foil, and allow it to rest for 5 minutes.
- Slice each tenderloin into 1-inch medallions and return them to the foil-lined pan with the pan juices. Warm the remaining glaze slightly over LOW heat and pour it over sliced pork. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
This recipe was originally published on September 24, 2011. It has been updated with new text and images.
More Delicious Pork Recipes
Made this for family night and everyone loved it! Glaze is fantastic! I’m going to have to make this on a regular basis now. BTW I never leave comments so this goes to show how good this is!
We always buy the pork tenderloin from Costco and I struggle with how to jazz it up. I made this for my family and everyone loved it! I enjoyed the Coscto hauls too!
Thank you, Tia. This is definitely one of my favorite ways to use this cut. So happy to hear you enjoyed it 🙂
Made this last week – LOVED it. It will definitely go into my dinner rotation! Trying your baked chicken taquitos next.
Fantastic! Let me know what you think of the taquitos 🙂
I detest soy sauce. It tastes way too salty to me. Any suggestions for getting past that in this recipe?
Hello Beth. I find regular soy sauce far too salty as well. I always use the lite version which is far lower is sodium. It adds a great flavor punch to this recipe so I’m not sure I could recommend a substitute. I have seen some soy sauce alternatives out there but since I haven’t tried them, I can’t vouch for their flavor.
This looks delicious! I always have a problem with pork coming out too dry but this looks perfect!
Love, love, love pork tenderloin! This looks delish, I will definitely have to try! Thanks for sharing!! and I’m SO glad you pointed out the USDA guidelines for pork temp. For years they recommended overcooking to 160 degrees – I am so happy they changed that – now if we could just get all those thermometers changed…. Nothing worse than overcooking a pork tenderloin!
I made this tonight and it was wonderful–my husband and I both loved it! Thank you for sharing such a delicious recipe! I’m making your cajun sloppy joe’s next week–can’t wait 🙂
I’m so happy to hear that you and your husband liked it Heather! I have lots of yummy fall recipes in the works so check back soon.
yummy, this sounds wonderful, Val. I love pork tenderloin! It sounds similar to a recipe I use quite often, which uses balsamic with fresh plums and black pepper. I so look forward to your blog!
Happy Cooking!
love Trina
Thank you Trina. I absolutely love balsamic and your dish sounds delicious!