If you're in the mood for a mouthwatering meal, look no further than roast pork tenderloin with Dijon mustard sauce. This recipe is easy enough for a weeknight dinner but elegant enough for a special occasion, and ready in 30 minutes. With tender, juicy roast pork and a tangy creamy Dijon mustard sauce that adds the perfect kick of flavor, this recipe is a true crowd-pleaser.
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Why You'll Like This Recipe
- Pork tenderloin is a tender, lean, and quick cooking cut of pork.
- Uses two kinds of Dijon for nice texture and flavor.
- If you love Dijon mustard (like I do), you'll love this sauce.
If you enjoy pork, try this beautiful pistachio crusted pork rib roast.
Recipe Ingredients
For this easy roast pork tenderloin recipe you'll need:
- Pork tenderloin: Choose organic or pasture raised pork if possible. Sometimes they come two to a package with pieces approximately 1 pound in size. If you don't need both, freeze one. It's sometimes called pork fillet.
- Oil: Olive oil, avocado oil, ghee, or a neutral, cultured oil like this.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter so you control the salt.
- Heavy cream: Heavy cream and heavy whipping cream are the same thing at the market, with a minimum 36% milk fat level. Some are as high at 40% butterfat, extra rich. Regular "whipping cream" is lighter with 30%-35% milk fat. "Heavy" means higher fat, and better thickening for this sauce.
- White wine: White wine deglazes the pan and amplifies the flavors. Rather than open a big bottle, I cook with the mini airline-size. Use Sauvignon Blanc or a Chardonnay. Dry white vermouth works well too.
- Shallot: An indispensable flavor builder with a mild onion-like flavor classic in French cooking, and it adds texture to the sauce. Shallots are a little sweeter than onions.
- Dijon mustard: You'll need both whole grain Dijon (a grainy mustard) and creamy Dijon mustard for this mustard cream sauce for flavor and texture. This is my French favorite of Dijon but there are other good brands at the market (like Gray Poupon or Maille).
- Fresh herbs: Fresh thyme is the best but dried will work if you can't get fresh.
Please find the measurements in the recipe card.
If you love tenderloin as a cut of meat, try this slow roasted beef tenderloin, also terrific for special occasions.
Chef's Tip: Pork tenderloin vs. pork roast (pork loin). They come from different parts of the animal. Pork tenderloin is always boneless (pure meat), while pork roast can have bones or not. Pork loins are usually larger (2-5 pounds), less expensive and take longer to cook. Pork tenderloins are smaller (1 pound), more expensive, and pork tenderloin cooks more quickly. Plus on tenderloins, there is no fat layer as on a pork roast.
Substitutions and Variations
- If you don't want to cook with wine, swap with a low sodium, good quality chicken broth or stock. Other swaps include apple cider vinegar diluted with water (approximately half and half) and the same for lemon juice. For more wine substitutions, read this article.
- If you want a smoother, less textured mustard cream sauce, use all creamy Dijon mustard and skip the whole grain Dijon mustard and use a little less than double.
Recipe Instructions
Step 1: Get the pork out of the refrigerator an hour ahead of time so it's closer to room temperature for better roasting. Pre-heat the oven to 375°F. Trim the pork tenderloin of silver skin (it looks like packaging tape) and excess fat with a sharp knife. Place a frying pan over medium to medium-high heat.
Coat the pork tenderloin with a little oil so the salt and pepper stick. Add a little oil to the pan, then add the pork. It should sizzle when it hits the pan (turn your vent system on).
Sear the pork tenderloin on all sides, rolling it occasionally with tongs until golden brown.
Step 2: Place the seared pork tenderloin in the oven on a rimmed baking sheet (versus a high sided roasting pan) with parchment for easy clean up. Use a pastry brush to lightly add a little extra olive oil for moisture and shine. DO NOT WASH THE PAN. Those browned bits equal flavor for the sauce.
Roast pork tenderloin for approximately 10 minutes in convection mode or about 2 minutes longer if using conventional mode.
Internal temperature should be 140°F - 145°F when done. Cover with aluminum foil while pork rests and you're finishing the sauce.
Step 3: While the pork tenderloin cooks, make the creamy Dijon sauce. Over medium heat, add the butter to the still hot pan (that looks like a mess). All of those golden bits help make a tasty sauce.
Step 4: When the unsalted butter is melted, add the shallots and thyme and cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan until soft, 1-2 minutes. A wooden flat edged spatula works great for this.
Step 5: Add the wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up all of the tasty bits on the pan bottom.
Step 6: Allow to cook and start to thicken. Whisk together the cream and both mustards. Add to the pan, still stirring. The sauce will start to thicken quickly. It's done when it thick and you can draw your spatula across it and it leaves a line.
Pour sauce from pan into a bowl or other container. Slice the roast pork tenderloin on a cutting board and pour some sauce around it and serve the rest on the side for extras.
Chef's Tip: Let's talk about cooking oil. What not to use? It's best avoid seed oils or vegetable oils. They are really not healthy because they are inflammatory, often refined with chemicals, plus many use GMO crops. I use olive oil for most of my cooking needs (yes olive oil is more safe and stable than many say). Coconut oil is good, where the flavor works. A terrific fat for higher heat cooking? Ghee, made from butter. It's a clarified pure fat (no water) and it is lactose and casein-free. Make it yourself with my recipe (or buy it).
Serving Suggestions
What do you eat with roast pork tenderloin? Just about anything! Here are my suggestions for serving:
- Green beans: try simple green beans drizzled with Balsamic glaze, or green beans almondine.
- Potatoes: try these easy Dutch potatoes with fresh herbs or whipped sweet potatoes.
- One of our favorite veggies, this air fryer broccolini is a terrific, easy side dish that takes just minutes!
- Asparagus: roast asparagus or even bright green creamy asparagus soup as a starter.
- Roasted vegetables like these roasted carrots with thyme.
Of course a good salad is always welcome.
Recipe FAQs
This sear and finish in the oven technique is a great way to insure moist pork tenderloin. To not dry it out, don't over cook it. It's done when an instant-read digital thermometer reads 140°F - 145°F. Remember the temperature will rise while it is resting for a few minutes, covered with foil. And because pork tenderloin is lean, it's good to serve with a sauce for added moisture.
Pan searing pork tenderloin gives it a nice browned and tasty exterior. Finish in the oven for just a few minutes at 375°F. For a convection oven, about 10 minutes. A few minutes longer in a standard conventional oven.
Leftover roast pork tenderloin keeps in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Eat it cold or warm it up. I've even chopped up extra pieces and used it in tacos. Leftover Dijon sauce is very thick and even good cold. If you want to warm it up a bit, place a glass container with the sauce in a small pan with water over low heat for a few minutes. Re-whisk if it separates.
Searing pork tenderloin adds flavor and color, so it's a great method for starting a roast pork tenderloin, then finishing it in the oven for moist and tender pork.
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📖 Recipe
Roast Pork Tenderloin with Dijon Mustard Sauce
Equipment
- 12" stainless steel or cast iron fry pan large enough to get the pork in to
- Rimmed baking sheet ¼ sheet or ½ sheet size.
Ingredients
Pork Tenderloin
- 1 ¼-1 ½ pounds pork tenderloin
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil divided use
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Dijon mustard Sauce
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup finely chopped shallot 1 medium shallot
- ⅓ cup dry white wine swap low sodium chicken broth
- 4 ounces heavy cream or heavy whipping cream ½ cup
- 1 tablespoon creamy Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon whole grain Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons fresh chopped thyme leaves swap ¾ teaspoon dried thyme
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Instructions
Season the pork
- Pre-heat the oven to 375°F. Line a sheet pan with a piece of baking parchment and ready near the stove. Trim the pork tenderloin of any silver skin if needed, and any extra fat. It's usually pretty lean. Rub the tenderloin with a little oil (2 teaspoons) and sprinkle with salt and pepper on all sides.
Sear and roast the pork
- Heat the pan over medium heat, when hot, add the rest of the oil and place the tenderloin into the pan. It should sizzle when it hits the pan. Allow the pork to sear on all sides, occasionally rolling it over with tongs or forks so all side become golden brown, about 10 minutes. Place the seared pork tenderloin on the baking sheet and brush lightly with a little extra olive oil. DO NOT WASH THE PAN.Roast pork for approximately 10 minutes or until the pork reads 140°F - 145°F with an instant read thermometer. While the pork is roasting, make the sauce.
- Remove pork from the oven and allow to rest covered with foil until the sauce is ready. When the mustard sauce is ready, slice the pork tenderloin, either on the diagonal or straight across, place on a platter and serve with the sauce.
Make the Dijon mustard sauce
- With the pan still warm over medium low heat, melt the butter, then add the shallots. Stir and scrape the bottom of the pan to get the tasty bits off the bottom.
- When the shallots are golden, add the wine and continue stirring. When the wine has cooked down, add the cream and the mustards whisked together until smooth, then add to the pan. Add the thyme. Stir until the sauce thickens, just a few minutes. Serve a little over the pork slices and the rest on the side for extras.
Notes
Nutrition
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Porsche guy says
Love the sauce! Used it for chicken too but a little more elegant with the pork tenderloin. Will do again!