Easy Air Fryer Pork Tenderloin
This easy air fryer pork tenderloin is incredibly juicy and the pantry-friendly spices build amazing flavor!
This is the only air fryer recipe I have ever posted…and it may be the last. But it is so good that it, alone, is worth keeping an air fryer around for!
Spice Rub for Air Fryer Pork Tenderloin
There are several reasons this air fryer pork tenderloin is SO GOOD. First, pork tenderloin (yum). Second, hands-off air fryer cooking for juicy pork. And third, the spice rub that adds amazing flavor to the pork.
The spice rub is six very simple ingredients:
- brown sugar (don’t skip it! It helps crust the pork as it cooks)
- smoked paprika (one of my fave ingredients ever)
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- salt + pepper
The pork tenderloin is coated with olive oil and then rubbed with the spice mix. It may seem like a lot of dry spices, but keep patting and sprinkling and use it all up. Flavor, flavor, flavor!
Tips for Cooking Pork in the Air Fryer
- Preheat the air fryer for at least 5 minutes. This helps the pork cook faster, more evenly, and develop that gorgeous, yummy crusty exterior.
- Line the air fryer basket. This is technically optional, but trust me, it’s a wise choice to consider, otherwise the air fryer is a beast to clean after. I don’t have fancy pre-made air fryer liners, but a piece of parchment paper tucked in the bottom works just as well.
- Check the temp. Depending on the size and brand of air fryer, the pork may cook faster or slower (some brands/sizes may cook hotter than others). Judge the pork tenderloin’s doneness based on temperature rather than exact time; start checking the temp around 18 minutes. An instant-read thermometer {aff. link} should register 145 degrees F at the thickest part.
Another Essential Tip + Removing Silver Skin
Once the pork is finished cooking, remove it to a cutting board and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
I don’t care if you take shortcuts with any other aspect of this recipe, but do not, I REPEAT, DO NOT, skip this step. Letting the pork rest allows the juices to redistribute ensuring better, juicier pork.
About the silver skin: if the pork tenderloin you are using hasn’t been trimmed, you can remove the silver skin before cooking. Silver skin is a band of connective tissue on one long side of pork tenderloin, and it is easily cut away with a sharp knife. If you need a visual, google “how to remove silver skin” and you’ll get a lot of helpful info. To be perfectly honest, I sometimes remember to do this and sometimes I don’t. I’m not encouraging you to forget, of course, but when I haven’t removed the silver skin, I don’t notice a huge difference in the cooked pork (the areas of silver skin/fat are easily trimmed off after cooking).
Love Hate Relationship With Air Fryer
I’ve waxed poetic on Instagram about my love/hate relationship with my air fryer. We don’t use it very often, and I gripe about how bulky it is and what a pain it is to clean, BUT like I mentioned at the beginning of the post, this air fryer pork tenderloin is 100% the reason we still have one.
This is easily my 16-year old’s favorite meal (the weeknight chicken tacos in my cookbook are a quick second); we’ve been making it for a long while, and I figured that even though air fryer recipes aren’t my specialty, it was high time to share it!
It really is so quick and easy. The pork is intensely flavorful and so incredibly juicy!
P.S. If you don’t have an air fryer, the pork can be roasted on a lined and lightly greased baking pan in a 400 degree F oven (if you have a convection oven, roast at 375 degrees F). It may not develop the same delicious crust as the air fryer, but the oven method definitely works in a pinch.
What to Serve With This
Easy Air Fryer Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 ¼ teaspoons coarse kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil (see note)
- 1 medium (about 1.5 pounds) pork tenderloin (see note)
Instructions
- Mix the brown sugar and spices together in a small bowl.
- Drizzle the pork with olive oil to coat evenly.
- Sprinkle the spice mixture evenly over the pork rubbing it into all sides of the pork. It might seem like a lot of dry mix to use – but try to use all of it for maximum flavor.
- Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees F for at least 5 minutes. (See note for oven cooking method.)
- Place pork into the air fryer (use parchment to line the air fryer for easier cleanup, if desired) and cook for 18 to 22 minutes until an instant-read thermometer registers 145 degrees F at the thickest part.
- Remove pork from the air fryer to a cutting board. Tent lightly with foil and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing. Pour any extra juice from the air fryer or cutting board over the pork before serving.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
Delicious! My family really enjoyed this!
Amazing delicious receipe. Cooked second time and highly recommended.
My family and I Love it! Thank you!
Thank you, Irina!
Made this for dinner tonight and it was out of this world! Can’t recommend it enough. Especially with a little pan sauce on the side. I used my Instant brand 6qt air fryer, and made 2 small pork tenderloins totaling a little over 2#. They took 22 minutes at 400°. When I temped them at 18 min they were around 133°. I rubbed them with the optional yellow mustard first and when they looked a little dry half way thru the bake time, I sprayed them with avocado oil. Let them rest and they were perfectly tender and juicy!
We love this recipe! So easy to bring together and super tasty.
Yum! So easy; so good! I don’t have an air fryer, so I just followed your baking instructions, and the family loved it. I had a 3 lb pork roast, so I baked it longer, and it turned out perfectly. Moist and flavorful!
I recently had last minute company for after church lunch, and threw this in the oven, served along with your garlic rice in the IP and your corn on the cob. Lunch a la’ Mel! 😉😊 Everyone was stuffed and happily satisfied. Thanks for sharing all the best recipes with us, Mel! 😄
Sounds like an amazing lunch, Arlene. YOU are amazing!
Not a big air fryer fan for meat recipes, but haven’t done pork in the over in a few years.
Any recipe for pork loin or tenderloin can be done in the air fryer in 18 – 20 minutes at 400*
My air fryer doesn’t have a basket, it has a shelf, so I usually cut up potatoes, toss in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and some spices (usually the same as I used on the pork), place spuds on bottom shelf and pork above without the parchment paper and let it drip on the spuds. Same cooking time. Set the table and make a salad and we’re eating in half an hour.
Hi Mel, loved this recipe but it turned up a bit sweeter than expected. May I substitute the brown sugar for honey or simply reduce the amount of sugar?
Yes, you can definitely reduce the sugar to taste.
Do you need to put the rub on the tenderloin ahead of time (let it sit) or just put it on and straight into the air fryer? Thanks.
I add the rub right before cooking (but you can put the rub on the pork hours beforehand and refrigerate until ready to cook).
I tried this recipe tonight and it was delicious! I especially loved that I could make it in the air fryer so my house didn’t get super hot! This will be a great summer-go-to for us! Thanks!
This has quickly become a family favorite. Easy and delicious.
So happy to hear this, Alicia – thank you!
Delicious and crazy easy! I made this, the loaded smashed potatoes, and steamed broccoli on a weeknight (who am I) and I had some very happy boys!
Who are you?? I can answer that! You are amazing! Glad you loved this – that meals sounds so good. Always appreciate your comments and reviews, Rikki. Thank you!
This was great! Apparently my air fryer cooks a little hot so mine was overdone at 18 minutes, but it still turned out moist, flavorful and delicious! Thanks for the quick, easy recipe!
I made this tonight and it was delicious. I’m glad I trusted you on the temperature as the texture was perfect.
I am an air fryer fan but it’s always good to find another recipe.
Very fast and delicious!
I’ve seen this combination of spices in so many other recipes that I thought I knew how this dish was going to taste. I was wrong. It was 100x better than what I imagined. I have a Breville toaster oven/air fryer and used parchment paper to line the air fryer basket, which made clean up pretty much non-existent. Like you, I haven’t been entirely sold on the air fryer, but the two recipes that are total home runs for my family are this and your “Best Baked Salmon,” which is also absolutely delicious in the air fryer. Actually, those two recipes alone are worth having it, I think.
Yay, Megan! 100% agree on the salmon in the air fryer too.
Did not disappoint!! I covered it in yellow mustard rather than olive oil and it was so flavorful. The crust on the outside was absolutely delicious! Thanks Mel!
Loved it! I usually pick up the pre-seasoned pork tenderloins and we have been underwhelmed by them. This recipe made the tenderloin flavorful and moist! Hubby stated can cut it with a plastic fork! Best pork tenderloin I have ever cooked, thumbs up!
Such an awesome recipe. Quick and simple. And DELICIOUS. Should have trusted you and measured the temperature for 145 because I slightly overcooked it. I’ll do better next time. This will be a regular go to dinner. Thanks Mel!
Glad it worked out, Ellen, and that you loved it!
We had this for family supper tonight. So easy, so fast, so delicious! The rub was better than any I have purchased. This will be a regular on our menu. Thanks!
Hi! This looks delicious! I’m going to try it this week.
My air fryer has several different options for cooking:
Air fryer
Air broil
Bake
Roast
I’m assuming I need to push the “air fryer” button for this particular recipe? Silly question, I know🙈
Thanks for saving the menu at my house, you are the absolute best!
Yes, I would use the Air Fryer function!
Mel, this recipe is magical. It’s easy, delicious and fast. It turned out perfectly and I think my husband might have wept a little when he took his first bite. Thank you!
Oh yay, Jeanelle! So happy this worked out well for you and glad your husband loved it!
I am going to have to try this! It reminds me of one of my family’s fave recipes from your blog – Brown Sugar Spiced Pork Tenderloin. We have made that recipe so many times! We love the brown sugar sauce from this recipe so I think I’ll have to make some of the sauce when I try this air fryer version. As always, thanks for sharing all of your recipes! We love Mel at our house 🙂
Hey Mel – what you REALLY need is a combo toaster oven/air fryer. I use my oven less than half the time now. It cooks in half the time, and with a basket or tray extending from side to side you can put more in it – for example, 2 pork loins, uncrowded.
The other major reason for choosing this type of air fryer is the cleaning – I always keep my bottom “catch tray” covered in foil and after an especially messy cook it’s simple to toss and replace. No messes to clean up.
Agreed! I love my toaster/convection/air fryer. Use it many times a week
Yum!! Making this tonight!! Quick question, in the pictures, what is that sauce in the jar that you’re serving the tenderloin with? Maybe you mentioned it and I am just not reading closely enough! Haha
Hi Emily, it’s just BBQ sauce (I think the Kinders brand)
This recipe popped up right when I had a pork tenderloin in the fridge! Perfect dinner! It was so easy and very juicy and flavorful. I made the recipe exactly and it was so good! We served with boiled new potatoes and applesauce, dinner in 20 minutes!
If you put two pork tenderloins that come in a Costco pack in the air fryer at the same time do you need to add more cooking time ?
As long as the air fryer basket fits them both with a little space (and they aren’t crammed together), the cooking time should be the same.
Is the cooking time similar in the oven?
Yes.
I find it funny that you are meh on the air fryer and wax poetic on your instant pot pressure cooker because I am the opposite. I love my air fryer and use it several times a week, but the instant pot is still only meh for me despite trying many of your recipes in it. Your mention of cleaning makes me wonder if you just have the wrong air fryer. I have the instant pot brand air fryer, and it is so easy to clean — has a bucket that washes out so easily. Maybe you just have the wrong brand?
I love all your recipes, and I’m looking forward to trying this one!
I just think it’s a pain to wash two things (the basket and the thing the basket goes into…does that make sense?). I guess I’m lazy! Haha.
I get that! Mine has a small rack instead of a basket, but it’s still 2 things. But I love the way I can roast veggies so quickly – like for Buddha bowls or asparagus pasta.
I still don’t have an air fryer and cannot convince myself to get one 🙂 This looks amazing, though! What else do you use the air fryer for? I appreciate the oven directions for those of us who cannot make the commitment yet 🙂
Hi Jen, we mostly use the air fryer for this recipe and sometimes roasted potatoes (and even less…salmon). I know others use their air fryer a lot…we just don’t…except for this recipe. 🙂