Roasted Maple-Glazed Pork Tenderloin
Not only is this roasted pork tenderloin with maple glaze incredibly simple to make, the sweet and smoky flavors are an amazing combination!
It’s no secret that I worship and adore pork tenderloin. It’s lean and super tender and just plain delicious…if cooked the right way and with the right ingredients, that is.
Even with all my tried-and-true pork tenderloin recipes I’ve shared in the past, this roasted pork tenderloin with a maple glaze is way, way up there in my favorites.
Not only is it incredibly simple, the sweet maple flavor with the smoked paprika and hint of ginger is stunningly tasty.
It’s that sweet and savory combo, gosh darn it. It gets me every single time, especially when it involves liberally glazing (four times!) succulent roasted pork tenderloin.
I rarely insist that you buy special ingredients, but when it comes to this pork, I highly encourage (said in my bossy, but nice, voice) to get your hands on smoked paprika vs regular paprika.
It makes the difference between a great recipe and a mind-blowingly delicious recipe.
What to Serve With This
I’ve served this a few ways; it’s pictured with these lovely salt-crusted rosemary potatoes and we’ve also enjoyed it with our favorite cheesy potatoes.
Throw in a steamed vegetable, dinner roll if you are so inclined, and/or a fruit or green salad and wow, that’s one delectable meal.
As in, if you make it? Invite me over pretty please.
There are lots of reviews in the comment thread below, so if you are looking for feedback besides my own, check there!
One Year Ago: Cheesy Ham and Broccoli Quinoa Bites
Two Years Ago: Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies {Egg-Free}
Three Years Ago: Hearty Beef Stew {Slow Cooker}
Roasted Maple-Glazed Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
- ½ cup pure maple syrup, not imitation or pancake syrup, divided (meaning you’ll use half at first and save half for later in the recipe)
- ¼ cup molasses, light or mild
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon table salt
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 2 pork tenderloins, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds each
- 2 tablespoons vegetable, canola or coconut oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Stir 1/4 cup maple syrup, molasses, vinegar, paprika and ginger together in a liquid measuring cup or bowl; set aside.
- Whisk cornstarch, sugar, salt, and black pepper in small bowl until combined. Transfer the cornstarch mixture to a rimmed baking sheet. Pat the pork tenderloins dry with paper towels, then roll in cornstarch mixture until evenly coated on all sides. Pat or shake off the excess cornstarch (really important or the excess coating can get gummy).
- In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat shimmering and hot. Place both tenderloins in the skillet, leaving at least 1 inch in between and cook until well browned on all sides, 5-6 minutes total.
- Transfer the tenderloins to a lightly greased oven-proof wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. If you don’t have a rack that size, the tenderloins can be placed on a lightly greased baking sheet – the coating on the undersides of the pork may be a bit soft after baking but it will still work fine.
- Pour off any excess grease/fat from the skillet and return it to medium heat. Add the syrup mixture to the skillet, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon, and simmer the mixture until it is reduced slightly, 1-2 minutes.
- Transfer 1 1/2 tablespoons of the hot glaze to a small bowl and set aside. Using the remaining glaze, brush each tenderloin with approximately 1 tablespoon glaze. Roast the pork for about 15-20 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of tenderloins registers 130 degrees. Brush each tenderloin with another tablespoon glaze and continue to roast another 4-6 minutes until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of tenderloins registers 135 to 140 degrees. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and brush the pork with the remaining glaze. Let the pork rest for 10 minutes.
- While the tenderloins rest, stir the remaining 1/4 cup maple syrup into the reserved 1 1/2 tablespoons glaze (you may need to warm the reserved glaze slightly if it has thickened). Brush each tenderloin with the glaze (it’s ok if there is some remaining; read on). Slice the pork into 1/4- to 1/2-inch slices and serve with the remaining glaze.
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Recipe Source: adapted from the Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook (used ground ginger, added red wine vinegar, reduced the amount of maple syrup, etc.)
Do you think I could use balsamic vinegar and black strap molasses?? This recipe looks so good!! I want to try it tonight..
Those ingredient subs will change the flavor but you could definitely try it. Good luck!
I gotta hand it to you lady, this recipe is AMAZING! I have made it three times now for my husband and me, my husband keeps requesting it. My mom just asked me what I thought we should make for Christmas dinner and I told her Roasted Maple-Glazed Pork Tenderloin– so I know I will be making it a fourth time soon here. The molasses and maple syrup together is divine. Good job Mel!
Now that the weather here in WI is getting colder I wanted to make something different for the pork chops I had in the fridge. Holy crow they turned out wonderful, my husband has had two of them. I did however make a few changes, 1st I did not use the smoked paprika I used a fig-chili vinegar instead I also used just one 1/2 cup of maple syrup and the rest an amber agave necter. The breading I used whole wheat flour and boy that was really good, made the chops a real nice golden brown. I never thought of adding sugar to a flour mixture for a breading but I will do it again, also the sugar I did use of Splenda since I have reveresed my type 2 diabetes 3 years ago. Great 2 thumbs up recipe. Will pass it on to all of my friends. Thanks Mel oh I have the roasted potatoes in the oven as we speak.
I am looking for a pork tenderloin recipe that would go well with Ina Garten’s mushroom and leek bread pudding recipe. Would this be TOO much flavor? Do you have another pork tenderloin recipe that would go well with the bread pudding? Also, I need one more side to go with both: would you choose potatoes or brussels sprouts or green beans? (sorry, I’m not good at pairing the right “sides” with the main dish 🙁 )
Thank you.
I haven’t had that particular bread pudding and am not familiar with the flavors so I really can’t suggest much with full confidence. I think this pork tenderloin is delicious – could go well with a variety of side dishes and I’d probably keep things simple and go with green beans as the other option.
Mel- thanks for this recipe! You recommend serving this with the melting roasted potatoes, but I have a hard time with that because the potatoes roast at 450 for so long, and the pork cooks at only 375. Any suggestions on how to pull these two dishes off together with only one oven?
The potatoes really need the high roasting temp to caramelize and get beautiful and golden so I’d probably suggest roasting the potatoes first, taking them out and covering them while the pork cooks, then pop the potatoes in while the pork rests for 5-10 minutes and they should heat up perfectly to serve.
Thank you! I’ll give this a shot for Sunday dinner!
Thid looks amazing! An internal temp of only 140 seems low though, won’t that leave the pork still pink in the middle?
Hi Melissa, the new USDA recommendations suggest 145 degrees F is ok for pork; if you take the pork out at 140 and let it rest for 5 or so minutes, the temperature will continue to rise a little. Hope that helps!
Made this tonight for dinner. It was amazing! So good.
This is hands down the best pork recipe ive ever made or even tasted! my husband LOVES it as well as I do which unfortunately means no left overs haha thanks for the amazing recipe!
This was so, so good! I loved the flavor! I think next time I’ll skip the final glazing step with the extra syrup since that was a little on the sweet side for me. We will definitely be making this again soon!
Made this for our family of 5. Absolutely amazing! It was a little tougher to eat for my 11 month old who have no teeth yet, but everyone else had the thumbs up! Definitely a keeper.
I just made this for Sunday dinner and it was delicious. I made a couple changes though- I didn’t have maple syrup so I used honey instead and I added a couple of pinches of cayenne pepper too. I served it with roasted potatoes and carrots and homemade dinner rolls. Thanks for the great recipe!
Look forward to trying this. Can I go without Cornstarch? I don’t think I’ve ever seen it here in the UK unless it’s called something else. We have Cornflower which is a thickening agent. Not sure if related.
Giancarlo – I think using the cornflower should work just fine; sounds like it’s similar if not the same as cornstarch.
Thank you Mel. Hard to get decent Maple syrup here too. Lucky enough to find a medium grade one but supermarkets don’t really stock proper stuff. Most of it is maple flavoured. Needless to say I’ll be bringing some back when I eventually get to go on holiday to the US.
Just served this to my family tonight, FABULOUS!!
Hi Mel, I have the same question as above. Can I use a pork Loin for this? I understand they are different but would it work to just roast it a bit longer? Thanks
Wendy – Definitely worth a try just keep an eye on the baking time. It will probably need longer since pork loins are generally thicker. Don’t overbake or it will be dry – I find that pork loins bake up dryer than pork tenderloins. Good luck!
Hi Mel, nevermind about the tenderloin vs. pork loin cuts for this recipe. I found your Sweet Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin recipe and will try that! It looks great!
I planned on making this recipe this week and bought a pork loin roast instead of a pork tenderloin (whoops!). Is there a huge difference in these two cuts? Would you recommend using only the tenderloin for the recipe?
We had this last night. It was wonderful! I love your pork tenderloin recipes and they are making their way to the table more often because of them. Thank you for another great recipe!
I made this for company last week. Yes, it is a bit more involved than my usual marinate-n-bake pork tenderloin. But wow- what a great dish. My guests were totally impressed. Mine did not look as crispy as the photos, but the taste was great. I doubled the sauce because I wanted it extra juicy. I also had to add some water to the reserved glaze because it got too sticky. Served with roasted potatoes, peppers, carrots and mushrooms. Yummy!
Tried this lovely recipe for dinner tonight…all anyone could say was “it’s to die for”. Thanks for another great recipe to add to my collection!
Well, I said I’d try this and last night I made it! I have to tell you, Mel, that my boyfriend said (while I was preparing it) that he was NOT going to like this. He said: Maple syrup? Vinegar? Molasses? No way am I eating THAT! He told me I was about to ruin a perfectly good pork tenderloin!
Well, let me tell you…. I told him to at LEAST taste a bite. He did, and all I heard all night was how tender and tasty it was. I had some left over and today he even warmed
It up and put some on a Kaiser roll. LOL! I only made 1 tenderloin because there are just the two of us, but he wants me to make it again! I did not cut down the rest of the recipe because I like sauce and I’m glad I did. I just love the flavor of this dish! Oh, by the way, I didn’t have any red wine vinegar, so I used apple cider vinegar instead and it was DELICIOUS!
This is a new “keeper”!! Thanks!!
Are ther any cooking time or oven temperature changes necessary if only fixing one tenderloin?
Gabe – Perhaps slightly decreasing the time but not by much – my guess is the instructions will stay the same.
I have to say, this was fabulous! I made it for dinner tonight for Valentine’s Day. It seemed so much easier than trying to get reservations 🙂 It was a hit and I was told I could absolutely make this again 🙂 Thanks, Mel and Happy Valentine’s to you!
Just made this tonight — fabulous! So good. Before I made it, my husband wanted to grill the tenderloin for me and said it would never be tender in the oven (“it’s the worst cooking method” — don’t know what he has against roasting) – but he declared this so tender and delicious. The cooking times and temps were right on. Thank you so much!
This was delicious! My husband said it was the most tender pork he’s ever had! I did not do the last step with the glaze – I was worried that it would be too sweet for my hubby. I served it with roasted potatoes and asparagus. Yum.
Hi Mel, Hope all is well. So this pork tenderloin looks absloutely delicious. My only problem is my family don’t eat pork. I know I know boooo.. 🙁 Do you think if I made a turkey tenderloin it would turn out just as nicely? I want to make it for my hubby’s birthday but don’t want it to taste funny or be dry. I’ve never cooked with a tenderloin before so I have no idea. Thanks Sweetie!!! 🙂
Cyndi – The turkey tenderloin is definitely worth a try – I haven’t used a turkey tenderloin either! Good luck.
what sides would you serve with this
Dolores – This pork tenderloin recipe pairs with almost any side dish. Check out THESE. There are some fabulous options. Good luck!
I made this last night w/ the salt crusted rosemary potatoes. It was amazing! Thank you!
I did not realize how lacking the English language was in descriptive adjectives until I found your site. The Roasted Maple Glazed Pork Tenderloin was beyond fabulous, delicious, and excellent. I am just going to stop putting myself through agonizing over what Mel recipes should be put in my “Best and Favorites” file. And just file them ALL in there. And in many cases, “thank you” is so insufficient to express my great admiration, respect, and thankfulness for the work you do inside of the home and outside of the home through your blog.
I made this for dinner on Sunday along with your cheesy hash brown recipe! With steamed veggies on the side, it was the perfect dinner that we had for 2 nights. My husband declared it “the best pork ever”, and he is pretty hard to impress. Great recipe, and thank you for sharing it! This one is going in our regular rotation.
This was amazing! 🙂 thank you for such a great recipe! 🙂
This looks amazing, making it tonight. Thanks for the recipe!
This looks mouth watering! I just have one question. I despise with every fiber of my soul, syrup. I eat my pancakes plain! Anyway, does 100% pure maple syrup taste totally different from pancake syrup so this won’t taste like a sugar bomb?
Whitney – if you hate syrup that much, this recipe might be too much for you. Pure maple syrup tastes nothing like imitation pancake syrup but it is definitely sweet and syrupy. The flavors of this are nicely balanced so it isn’t like eating dessert for dinner, though.
My family LOVED this! They are anti-anything that sounds good for you. Pork loin was a risk worth making. I have been using your recipes for awhile now. You are amazing! Thank you for real food that is worth the time to make. You are my hero!
Just found your site, will sign up for following, will pin several posts, will definitely be back to read all you’ve posted. Great site.
Well, I really need to say “Thanks for dinner last night Mel, it was amazing”. I just recently found your website, and immediately made your pretzel buns, which my children have informed me, must be made A LOT!! No problem there 🙂
Last night, I put 3 of your recipes together for an unbelievable, I can’t believe I just made that, kind of dinner. We had the Roasted Maple-Glazed Pork Tenderloin ( I made 5) with Fresh Apple Salsa and Spinach Salad with Sweet-Spicy Nuts, Apples, Feta and Bacon. I added pan fried asparagus with mushrooms and garlic in balsamic vinegar and a loaf of (bakery) potato rosemary bread. mmmmm 🙂 and again, thanks for dinner Mel!! You will be telling us what’s for dinner often around here.
There is no smoked paprika to be had in this town and I drive 60+ miles to go to a Penzeys, so it will be a while until I get some. I ran out some time ago, but won’t be going for new spices for a couple of months or so. Will liquid smoke with regular paprika do?
Made this tonight and loved it! It was so quick and easy to prepare and the temperatures given for the meat were spot on! Paired with cheesey mashed potatoes, salad and vegetables, it was a delicious meal. Oh, and the cheesecake rice pudding was a great dessert, topped with sour cherry sauce. Thanks Mel!!
It’s recipes like this that make me miss being a meat eater. sigh.
Well…this solves my dinner problem. Paired with your mac and cheese!!! THANK YOU!!!
OMG! This looks and sounds absolutely scrumptious!!!! I WILL BE putting this on my grocery list. I am salivating just looking at the picture! I don’t have smoked paprika, only regular, but I will buy some! Oh… I can’t wait to try this! Thanks, Mel!!!
Ummm… this looks absolutely delectable. I will have to try this given that my usual way of cooking pork tenderloin comes out chewy and has resulted in M telling me not to cook it anymore (ouch!).
I can’t have paprika… do you think that will make a big impact on the recipe??
Amalia – the paprika definitely helps the smoky flavor shine through. You might try subbing it with a bit of cumin and chili powder.
Looks delicious!! I will definitely be making this. The glaze looks amazing!
Looks incredible! I currently have a pork tenderloin sitting in my fridge, now I know what I’m going to make with it. Thank you!
Pork loin is one of our favorites, too. Can’t wait to try this, the picture alone made my mouth water!
This sounds so delicious!
This looks delicious, now I wish that I had bought the pork tenderloin I was eyeing Wednesday at the store. Thanks!!
Stunning! You have me a believer in pork tenderloin again! 🙂
Oh . . .adrenaline level just shot up in excitement! I, too, love pork, and maple /smoked paprika flavorings. And you have taught me that ginger, a strong spice I disliked and avoided, is a wonderful, enhancing ingredient. And it would be such an honor and torture if you would come to dinner. Honor because “love is an action” and I could in a very small way repay you for all the blessing you have placed within my family’s lives but torture (anxiety level would be through the roof) because I fall far short of your standards and could not produce the quality you achieve! Pork tenderloin has been added to the grocery list.
I forgot to add that you have an open invitation to dinner at my house anytime! 🙂
Mel- this looks amazing! I have a package of pork tenderloins in my refrigerator. This will be dinner tonight!