Grilled Pork Tenderloin Recipe
This Grilled Pork Tenderloin recipe is juicy, tender, and delicious with no marinating required! An often underestimated cut of meat, pork tenderloin is affordable, easy to prepare, and oh, so tasty.
We used the famous rub from our Roasted Pork Tenderloin and somehow it’s even better on the grill!
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Pork tenderloin is a lean cut of meat with such great texture and moisture, it truly rivals steak and is a great alternative to chicken. See our secret to preparing a juicy, flavorful grilled pork tenderloin that doesn’t require marinating ahead of time.
What is the Difference Between Pork Tenderloin and Pork Loin?
Pork tenderloin and pork loin are both lean cuts of meat, but their shapes and sizes are very different. Though their names are quite similar, they should NOT be used interchangeably in recipes.
- Pork Tenderloin, also known as pork tender or pork filet, is smaller and thinner than pork loin (usually 1 to 1 1/2 lbs each). It is best cooked quickly over higher medium/heat and is more forgiving. You do not need to be a master chef to make a pork tenderloin recipe.
- Pork Loin, also known as pork loin roast or center-cut pork loin roast, is larger and thicker than pork tenderloin, weighing 2 to 5 lbs. Pork loin is best cooked slowly on lower heat.
Ingredients for Pork Tenderloin Rub
This simple recipe does not require many ingredients, but each one plays an important part in the flavor department of this incredible pork rub.
- Pork Tenderloin – roughly 3 lbs in total (2 tenderloins, about 1 1/2 lbs each)
- Olive Oil – to help seal in the natural juices and hold the rub onto the tenderloin
- Spice Rub – sea salt, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, ground cumin, cayenne pepper, black pepper
How to Grill Pork Tenderloin
- Preheat Grill – Medium-High heat (400-425°F) to get those grill grates hot and ready for grilling.
- Prepare – Trim off any excess fat and silver skin (see description below). Pat dry with a paper towel and use a fork to pierce holes all over the tenderloin.
- Drizzle – 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil onto the meat, coating both sides of the tenderloin.
- Season – Mix all of your herbs and spices together in a small bowl. Rub your spice mixture all over the pork tenderloins evenly. Press the spices into the meat for better adherence.
- Grill – Approximately 7 minutes per side or until the internal temperature reaches 145°F. Use a meat thermometer to check for doneness.
- Rest – When your meat is cooked thoroughly, remove it from the grill and place it on a serving platter or cutting board. Let it rest for 5 minutes to let the meat reabsorb the natural juices before cutting. After resting, slice into 1-inch thick medallions.
Pro Tip: Use an instant-read meat thermometer at the thickest part of the tenderloin to check for doneness.
How to Trim Silver Skin From Pork Tenderloin
Silver skin is a tough layer of connective tissue commonly found on pork and beef tenderloin. It is chewy and does not melt in the grilling process, so you will want to trim it off completely before cooking to enjoy tender bites.
To Remove Silver Skin: Insert the tip of your knife between the silver skin and meat and slide your knife along the meat while pulling the silver skin and fat away at the same time.
Common Questions
This is a personal preference. Just make sure your grill reaches medium/high heat and the internal temperature of the tenderloins reaches 145°F.
For the perfect pork tenderloin, we recommend cooking with indirect heat (not directly over the flame of your grill) with the grill lid closed between flipping.
The USDA suggests grilling pork tenderloin until the internal temperature reaches 145°F on your instant-read thermometer and then letting it rest for at least 3-5 minutes before cutting into it. The meat will be slightly pink in the middle.
Some people suggest wrapping pork tenderloin in aluminum foil when grilling to seal in the natural juices or marinade and to prevent it from drying out, but this recipe is so juicy, it really does not require foil. I like to get nice grill marks on each side of the meat to elevate the grill flavor.
Storage and Reheating Tips
This recipe is such a quick one to prepare, it’s perfect for surprise guests or a quick weeknight dinner after a busy day. You can prepare the tenderloin and add the spice rub ahead of time, letting those spices really flavor the pork.
- To Refrigerate: This recipe is easy to double or triple and you might just want to go ahead and do that so you can have some leftovers for lunch the next day. To keep it fresh, place the tenderloin into an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-4 days.
- Freezing: You can freeze pork tenderloin after cooking for up to 3 months. After it cools to room temperature, wrap it in plastic, aluminum foil, or place it into a freezer-safe Ziploc bag. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
- To Reheat: Should you have leftover pork, tenderloin reheats wonderfully and tastes great sliced on sandwiches or cubed or shredded for pork tacos. The best way to reheat grilled pork tenderloin is in a pan on the stove. Be sure to add some broth or liquid to the pot to prevent it from drying out during the reheating process. It can also be reheated in a microwave.
What to Serve with Pork Tenderloin
Pork tenderloin is one of those meats that go with just about anything- from potatoes to grilled vegetables, rice to a fresh salad (and don’t forget the Lemonade). Here are a few of our favorite sides to pair with this dish:
- Corn on the Cob
- Grilled peaches (see instructions below)
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Avocado Corn Salad
- Greek Lemon Potatoes
- Caprese Salad
How to Make Grilled Peaches
Grilling peaches enhances the pork’s natural flavors. They are so easy to grill because they don’t need any glaze or seasoning. They become so juicy and explode with sweetness which is a nice contrast to the spice rub.
- Simply slice the peach lengthwise, remove the pit, brush with olive oil, and grill for 4-5 minutes per side over medium heat. Absolutely so simple, and bursting with sweetness.
Pro Tip: After grilling, spread peach or apricot preserves on one side of your pork tenderloin and broil in the oven for 2-3 minutes until it forms a glaze. This sweetness combined with the grilled spice rub is so tasty.
Grilled pork tenderloin really is as juicy as it looks. You will love that it’s lean, tender, and easy to slice- the best!
More Pork Recipes
Pork is one of the less expensive meats you can purchase but it’s also one of the most naturally flavorful meats and it tends to reheat well. Here are some of our all-time favorite pork recipes:
- Pork Schnitzel
- Air Fryer Pork Chops
- Pulled Pork
- Pork Carnitas (Mexican pulled pork)
- Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
- Grilled Pork Chops
Grilled Pork Tenderloin Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 lbs pork tenderloins , (2 tenderloins, about 1 1/2 lb each)
- 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, *
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
How to Grill Pork Tenderloin:
- Preheat grill to med/high heat (400-425°F).
- Trim off and remove silver skin from pork tenderloins. Poke all over with a fork. Coat both sides with 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil.
- Combine seasonings in a bowl and rub the seasoning mix all over the tenderloin, pressing to adhere the seasoning to the tenderloin.
- Grill pork for 7 minutes per side or until the center reaches 145°F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove and let rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes prior to slicing.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
This was amazingly delicious! I, too, served this with the Greek Lemon Potatoes which was a wonderful accompaniment to the meat. Thanks so much for this winning recipe!
You’re welcome! I hope you’ll love all the recipes that you will try.
I used this recipe for a pork loin I had in my freezer, just decreased the rub seasonings, and we ate it with the delicious Greek lemon potatoes. It made for a very flavorful dinner!
That’s sounds amazing, Nicole!
Made this for dinner last night and cooked on the grill with mesquite chips. OMG delicious. The grilled peaches and roasted Brussel sprouts were delicious and along side.
Sounds amazing, Karen! Thank you for sharing.
Hi Natasha
This is an Amazing Recipe. As a Grilled Pork Tenderloin recipe lovers, I will make try at home.
Thank you, I hope it becomes your new favorite recipe!
My grandkids love my pork tenderloin. I use Sazon Adobo seasoning along with salt and pepper. I aim for 140 to allow for carryover cooking.
I will try yours and hope you try mine.
I hope you love the recipe, Margaret.
Hi Natasha🥰
Can we bake this in the oven ?
If so what time & temperature
Thx❤️
Hi Sherry! You can reference my roasted pork tenderloin recipe for baking instructions. I hope you love the recipe!
This is one of the best pork tenderloin recipes I’ve tried! It turned out so tender and juicy. Everyone is impressed!
That’s wonderful, Sharina! I’m so glad you loved the recipe.
So tender and full of flavor! Love this as a go-to recipe in the summer.
So glad to hear that, Katie! Thank you for the feedback.
This made for a wonderful summer dinner. We grilled asparagus with it and some olive oil garlic bread. Drizzled a little balsamic on the peaches and it was just so satisfying and beautiful. Thanks Natasha!
You’re welcome, so glad you loved it!
The recipe looks great. Can you use frozen peaches instead of fresh ones?
Hi Bailey! I haven’t tested it with frozen peaches to know how they hold up being grilled.
If you want to make the peaches the dessert, after grilling, dollop with a little mascarpone and a drizzle of honey…delish!
That sound amazing! Thank you for sharing that with us.
Looking forward to trying this. Any suggestions for a side to go with this?
Hi Carole, I hope you love this recipe. Here are some side dish recipes on my website that you can try.
That’s looks delicious. My next pork tenderloin going to be grilled. 😍
I hope you love this recipe! 🙂
Made this last night. So easy. And I rubbed the pork with the oil and spices several hours in advance. It was delicious! Came out perfect! I didn’t have peaches so I made this without them but I’m sure the peaches would have been good too.
I’m so glad you loved it!
This was really delicious and quite easy. I followed the tip from another reviewer and rubbed the meat with oil and the spices and let it sit in my fridge for about 6 hours before cooking, then another at room temp. I could not control the temperature on my grill and when I temped the meat, it was well over where it should’ve been, so I pulled it off early. When I sliced it, the meat was actually perfect and slightly pink inside and the flavor was wonderful. I halved the recipe and used one tenderloin and it was delicious. I reduced balsamic to drizzle over the meat and peaches.
Yum! Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Michelle!
Made this for the first time tonight. I’ve been making various Pork Tenderloin recipes for 20 years. Tonight my husband said this is the one we should stick with from now on. Really easy since it requires no marinating, and the spices are ones we always have on hand. It was fantastic. Didn’t have any peaches, so we didn’t do that part of the recipe, but will try it next time. Thanks for another great addition to our dining room table.
You’re welcome! I’m happy that you and your family enjoy this recipe.
Excellent spices. Was very good. Might make for family get together at the Oregon coast soon
Thanks, Mary. Hope it becomes a hit at your family gathering!
Amazing! Love coming to your site and finding new recipes. 9 times out of 10 we add a new one to our favorites.
Wife was hoping there was a good sauce that could be paired with the pork, any recommendations?
Hi Justin, great to hear from you and thank you for your great comments and feedback. Feel free to check out some of my gravy recipes that you can try.
Hit with the family! Thank you for posting. Served with new potatoes and aspargus.
Yum! Great idea, Lea! I’m glad this was a hit!
I love to brine pork with a simple salt water brine. Do tenderloins need this??
Hi Karen, this recipe didn’t require it, and it worked great.
No, the tenderloin is so lean and tender, that it would probably change the texture unpleasantly.
Brush each side of peach haves with olive oil.
Is there another name for Peach haves? We don’t have anything like that in Australia?
Hi Peter, it is simply peaches cut in half. It should read halves.
Absolutely delicious! Easy to make and got raves at dinnertime. Thank you!
You’re so welcome. Thanks for sharing that with us!
Do you have a great recipe for chicken wings
Hi Charles, we have our Air Fryer Chicken Wings HERE. I hope you love this recipe.
This was so good! I made as is with peaches. Everything was amazing. I oiled and herbed the pork a few hours before grilling and took it out of the frig about 30 minutes before hand.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Another HOME RUN!!! Such a great roast and the grilled peaches are an amazing accompaniment!!! Fresh basil garnish really tops it all off!
Thank you so much for your awesome review, Cheryl. We appreciate it!
Quick and easy and oh so tasty! Hubby asked me to make more of the spice mixture and keep it in a jar for future use. Meat was tender and full of flavour. And the peaches really gave this little extra to make this a prefect meal. Served it with the creamy broccoli salad from this website and made sure to file the recipes for future reference.
That’s so great, Angela! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
Thanks for including what you normally would serve with this. Sometimes I see great recipes for a main dish but and left wondering what to serve with it.
You’re welcome, Linda! I’m glad that is helpful!
Can someone pls share the link to the creamy broccoli salad? Sounds yummy and I tried searching the site, but can’t find it.
Hi there, you can check out these broccoli salad recipes.
***Awesome recipe. Made it for tonight’s main meal. SCRUMPTIOUS!! We all loved it. Made full recipe for 3 adults and managed to squeak out enough leftovers for another meal someday soon. Juicy, tender & oh so tasty. I think I put a picture in here somewhere but not sure it worked. All your recipes are Vonderbar!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review, Ernie!
I have enjoyed several of your recipes. That are tasty and easy to make.
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review 🙂
Made your pork tend,my wife said it the best she had ever had! Thanks
That’s a great compliment! Thank you Carl!
I’m making the grilled pork tenderloin and grilled peaches at the lake on Saturday. I’ll keep you posted
I’d love to hear how you like them! Enjoy!
Hello Natasha. Amazing recipe! I loved the pork version. We wanted to try it with a turkey tenderloin. Do you think that would work, what would be the cooking time?
Hi Lina. I haven’t tried this with Turkey but I think it could work. If you experiment with that I would love to know how it works out. I would recommend watchign the cook time closely I can imagine turkey will take a little less time, just make sure to check the internal temperature.
Did you ever buy a cookbook and find there are a lot of good recipes in there but you only use about 10% ? I don’t do that anymore, I go thru your recipes and print the ones I like. When I need something really good I just go thru your recipes and my mouth waters.
That is exactly why we have this print out option. I’m so happy you found that to your benefit! Enjoy!
Delicious! We paired it with corn, and roasted Brussels, and we were perfectly satisfied. Next time I think we’ll try a little cayenne on the peaches – the pork would be salty/savory, and the peaches spicy/sweet. Mmmmmm! Definitely a recipe to save!
Sounds like you found a new favorite, Lisa!
Wow this cake recipe is so good thank you for sharing your recipe
So happy you enjoyed that! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
We just grilled this recipe tonight. It was so easy and so delicious! We have never had grilled peaches before, and we are so glad we made them. They tasted like peach cobbler without all the too sweet sugar–total yum! Thank you so much for the recipe. I am adding it to my favorites.
Hi Linda, What an amazing review! Thanks for following and taking the time to leave such thoughtful comments!
We made this last night and it was great. Used a little more red pepper as suggested and also used the white peaches from Costco since they were available … heavenly!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Can this be cooked in the oven and if so what temp and how long. Some places have high burn days if you live around the mountains and can’t grill outside.
Thanks,
Cathy
Hi Cathy, I would recommend using the instructions I have listed here for baked pork tenderloin.
Thanks so much. I really wanted to make this recipe, but it’s to hot and to dry to grill outside so now I can cook it in the oven.
Hi Natasha
I want to try this recipe, what meat can I replace for pork plz?
Hi Nargis, you might try chicken thighs or chicken breast but the grilling time will vary depending on the cut and thickness of the chicken. Beef steaks would also probably be great using this same recipe.
my mouth is already watering
Thank you for the wonderful review!
that is going to be my family dinner.
You are just such a good cook Natasha you are a life saver i just love you
You are so nice Miranda! Thank you!! I hope this becomes a new favorite for your family 🙂
your wish came true it is my family’s favorite dish they asked me to cook it every night
That’s so great, Miranda!