This instant pot air fryer pork tenderloin is so easy with a simple dijon rosemary sauce. Tender and juicy with just the right amount of herbs for great flavor without a ton of effort, you'll love this recipe for busy weeknight dinners or company!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Ready in just 20 minutes.
- A great beginner recipe for the air fryer or new cooks!
- 5 simple ingredients.
- Dairy free, gluten free, Whole30, paleo diet, and migraine diet friendly!
Ingredients
With this recipe you can get great flavors with just a few ingredients that you probably already have on hand.
Pork Tenderloin - The cut of pork tenderloin can be a bit more expensive but is also the most tender and one of the leanest cuts of pork. It is long and thin, whereas a pork loin is more wide and flat. If you're looking for a recipe for pork loin, check out this Dijon Roasted Pork Loin with Apples.
Dijon Mustard - I like to use Annie's Organic or Central Market brand, but you can use your favorite.
Garlic and Rosemary - one of my favorite flavor combinations and adding just a touch of dijon mustard brings it all together and makes it into a "paste" that you can spread on top. I highly recommend keeping a little plot of your most used fresh herbs either in an at-home herb garden or outside in little pots. Overall it will save you so much money (herbs are expensive!) and it is one less thing to plan for when grocery shopping.
How to Make Pork Tenderloin in the Air Fryer
I never knew how good pork tenderloin could be till I tried it in the air fryer. In just 20 minutes, you get perfectly cooked pork that's juicy and not dried out at all. I find it kind of tricky to cook pork in the oven and it does tend to dry out more. In the air fryer, it cooks perfectly every time in just half the time!! You seriously shave off 20 minutes of cooking time this way.
I used my Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid, which I love as an attachment since I'm just cooking for two. This comfortably fit a 1 pound pork tenderloin, cut in half.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F. This happens so fast!
- I sprayed a tiny bit of oil on the rack just so the meat wouldn't stick, but it really doesn't need it.
- Mix the dijon, rosemary and garlic in a small bowl. "Score" the pork tenderloin by cutting very small slices (⅛th inch deep) into the pork in a criss cross pattern. (Step 1)
- Season the pork tenderloin with a tiny bit of salt (I find pork already more salty so go easy on it - probably ¼ teaspoon), and fresh pepper. (Step 2)
- Place the pork on the rack, replace the lid and cook for 20 minutes. (Step 3)
- Pork needs to reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit to be cooked through. Keeping a digital meat thermometer on hand will help with any doubts! (Step 4)
Frequently Asked Questions
I find that using the instant pot air fryer lid takes about 20 minutes at 400 degrees F. You want the internal temperature to reach 145 degrees F.
It's really easy using this air fryer recipe! Air frying allows the warm air to circulate around the whole pork tenderloin, cooking it faster in less time. The lower cooking time, as opposed to the traditional oven, prevents it from drying out!
For this recipe, I would not replace pork loin unless you want to increase the cooking time. Pork loin is much thicker and will take longer to cook than a pork tenderloin.
Recipe Tips
"Scoring" the pork tenderloin, which is just cutting small little slits into the meat (not even ¼ inch deep), allows this garlic rosemary paste to really get into the meat and provide lots of flavor instead of just sitting on top.
Hold the rosemary stalk with one hand and slide your fingers down the stem with the other, removing all the leaves in one easy step.
Side Dishes
My absolute, hands-down favorite side dish for this pork recipe is my Winter Rice Pilaf (pg 172 of my cookbook), which has a mixture of cranberries, seeds, and thyme. The flavors work so well together. Something with a little bit of sweetness balances this savory pork meal. Other favorites for this would be:
- Sautéed cabbage with a little butter or oil
- Mashed sweet potatoes
- Roasted carrots and apples
- Roasted Carrot and Farro Salad
- Whipped Parsnips (pg 183 of The Dizzy Cook)
- Air Fryer Hash Browns (which can also be diced potatoes!)
If you make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me #thedizzycook or @thedizzycook on Facebook and Instagram. And please leave a review below!
Air Fryer Recipes
If you love this air fried pork tenderloin, give these other recipes a try, like these stuffed pork chops in the air fryer.
If you make this, tag me #thedizzycook or @thedizzycook on Facebook and Instagram. And if you love the recipe, please leave a review below! Follow along on my Pinterest for more great recipes.
Air Fryer Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
- 1 pound pork tenderloin
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees F. Score the pork tenderloin (cut small slits in the top, about ¾ inch apart). In a small bowl, combine the minced garlic, rosemary leaves, dijon mustard, and kosher salt and pepper (to taste). Spread the garlic rosemary mixture on top of the pork tenderloin, making sure it gets in the little cuts.
- Place the tenderloin (you may have to cut into 2 halves to fit) in the air fryer and cook at 400 for 20 minutes, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F. Slice and serve warm.
Notes
- This recipe is automatically dairy and gluten free, so no subs needed there.
- Cooking times may vary based on model of air fryer. I used the Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid.
- I would not recommend substituting pork loin for pork tenderloin. Pork tenderloin is long and thin whereas pork loin is much thicker. It would change the cooking time significantly.
Nutrition
This post was published October 2020 and recently updated to include recipe ingredient photos, improved step by step process, and more tips!
Jen says
Delightful!! I added a squeeze of honey ( this girl cant have salt so now she can’t get off the sugar) and it was a great touch. My hubs loved it too! It was a great week night meal. So easy to fix!!! We had it with roasted sweet potatoes. Seconds, please!!!
Rebecca says
Such a great recipe for the air fryer!
Anna says
This recipe is amazing I wish I would have made it sooner.
Lynn L. says
My family loves this recipe. Perfect on nights I don't want to cook. Thank you
Pam says
I cannot believe how easy this recipe was. Like 2 seconds and it was in air fryer. Thanks for such a good one that we will have often during weeknights