Honey Butter Pork Tenderloin is sprinkled with creole seasoning and thyme, seared to golden perfection, and baked in a sweet, sticky honey butter sauce. Bursting with flavor and wonderfully tender, this 5 ingredient pork tenderloin makes for an easy weeknight dinner or impressive company meal. Plus it can be made in the oven or Instant Pot.
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Let me introduce you to your next food addiction: Honey Butter Pork Tenderloin. You’re SO welcome. You just can’t go wrong with juicy, tender pork dripping in a caramelized, sweet, buttery sauce. And with only 5 ingredients, you can make it in a flash any day of the week.
This recipe is originally from Momma Hen’s Kitchen, but we adjusted the flavor profile a bit by replacing the pepper with thyme. We also added an Instant Pot version, because who doesn’t need that option in their life? Now it's a simple process that uses staple pantry items and results in profound flavor - a real winner!
🍯 Ingredients
Pork tenderloins: Remove the layer of silverskin before cooking. See my tips below for instructions.
Creole seasoning: I like Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning. A little goes a long way!
Dried thyme: Fresh thyme can be substituted, but I actually prefer dry in this recipe.
Butter: For obvious reasons.
Honey: Adds just a bit of sweet to compliment the seasonings.
🔪 Instructions
For either a skillet or Instant Pot, the essential steps are the same.
1. Season
First, sprinkle all sides of the pork generously with creole seasoning and dried thyme.
2. Sear
Next, melt the butter in a skillet or IP, add the honey, and sear each side until deep golden brown. In the skillet, 3-5 minutes on each side. In the Instant Pot, 2-4 minutes on each side (each tenderloin will need to be cut in half before searing to fit it in the IP).
3. Cook
In the skillet, bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, checking the internal temperature often. The cooking time is totally dependent on how thick your tenderloins are and the temperature you want. See my tips below for temperature.
In the Instant Pot, seal the lid and set the vent to “sealing.” Then set the manual pressure to 3 minutes and, after it finishes, allow the pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes (don’t open the vent until after the 15 minutes). The searing and cooking steps for the IP are shown in the picture below.
4. Sauce
The sauce is KEY to great results. It should turn dark brown as it cooks and thicken to a syrupy consistency. But it should not burn!
In the skillet, keep an eye on the sauce while it bakes. If it looks like it is evaporating or burning at any point, just add ¼ cup of water to the pan. It should be fine from there!
In the Instant Pot, the sauce will be very watery since moisture cannot escape the pot. Remove the finished meat from the pot, leaving the sauce, and turn it back onto saute. Then simmer the sauce for 5-8 minutes until it reduces down and thickens.
🥗 Serving ideas
Honey Butter Pork Tenderloin is one of those main dishes with a flavor profile that compliments any number of sides. Roasted veggies, fresh bread, and a quick salad make for a full meal. If you're looking for somewhere to start, try Easy Green Beans Almondine, Red Skinned Mashed Potatoes, Buttery Dinner Rolls, or Autumn Chopped Salad.
👨👩👧👦 For a crowd
If you want to serve this to more than 6-8 people, I suggest doing the skillet version because two recipes won't fit in the Instant Pot. I also recommend making sure that two skillets fit in your oven at the same time. If they do, you're good to go! Have your ingredients measured and ready before you start and grab an extra pair of hands if you want extra easy cooking.
🙋 Questions & Answers
If you store your cooked pork tenderloin in an air-tight container in the fridge, it should last up to 5 days. The raw pork will last up to 3 days in the fridge before cooking. If you need it to last longer than 3 days, freeze it and thaw before cooking.
Pork is known for drying out easily, but tenderloins are easier to keep moist. First, avoid overcooking it. While it is baking, check the temperature often. It can go from “not quite done” to “super dry” in just a few minutes. The pork will continue to cook for a few minutes in the pan before you slice it, so remove it 1-2 degrees below the target temperature.
Second, if you aren’t serving your pork immediately after slicing, loosely cover it with tin foil. This will trap the moisture and prevent excess air exposure from drying it out.
Third, drizzle sauce on top to keep it moist.
Although they sound similar, they are quite different cuts of meat and cannot be substituted for one another. Pork loin, technically called pork loin roast, is a much thicker cut of meat that is best cooked low and slow. Pork tenderloin is a much thinner cut of meat that is best cooked quickly with higher heat.
You are almost guaranteed to find a layer of silvery-white connective tissue on your pork tenderloin. This is the silverskin. Unlike the other fat on your pork, it won’t melt or cook off because it is not solely fat. Before cooking, it is essential that you remove the silverskin. Simply use a sharp knife to trim it off as you would a thick layer of fat.
The safe temperature for pork tenderloin is anywhere between 145-160°F, but we prefer ours around 150-155°F. Use a thermometer placed into the thickest part of the tenderloin to measure the temperature.
Technically pork tenderloin can be slightly pink inside, but should not be dark pink or bloody. We prefer our pork medium-well or well done. This article has a fantastic picture (upper right-hand side) showing the color of pork at different temperatures.
📖 Other weeknight dinner recipes
- 25 Minute Lemon Broccoli Pasta - A super simple pasta dish full of fresh lemon and garlic flavor. Plus it's a great way to eat more vegetables!
- Crazy Good Pepper Steak - Tender steak, fresh bell peppers, and a savory asian sauce. Serve with rice for an easy and filling dinner.
- Shredded Honey Lime Chicken - Made with shredded rotisserie chicken and a simple honey lime sauce. This makes amazing tacos, enchiladas, and burritos.
👨🏼🍳 Tips & Tricks
- Pork tenderloin comes in different shapes and sizes. It does not usually have just two defined sides… sometimes it has 3 or even 4. Make sure to season and sear every side for the best results.
- The heat is important in this recipe. Too hot and it easily burns, not hot enough and the pork doesn’t brown. For the skillet, keep the heat on medium-high and turn it down slightly if the sauce is burning. For the IP, allow it to get super hot before you sear the meat to help it brown.
- Often times one tenderloin will be smaller than the other. If this is the case, the smaller tenderloin may cook faster. For the skillet method, check the temperature often during baking and remove each tenderloin as soon as it reaches the desired temperature to avoid drying it out.
📋 Recipe
5 Ingredient Honey Butter Pork Tenderloin - Oven or Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 2 pork tenderloins
- 1 ½ tsp creole seasoning
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 4 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp honey
Instructions
Prepare Meat
- Trim silverskin from pork tenderloin. If cooking in the IP, cut each tenderloin in half.
- Combine the creole seasoning and dried thyme. Sprinkle generously on all sides of the tenderloins.
Oven Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Melt the butter in an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add the honey. Sear the pork tenderloins for 3-5 minutes on each side until deep golden brown.
- Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Watch sauce carefully during baking. If it is evaporating or burning, add ¼ cup water to the skillet.
- Check the internal temperature often with a thermometer in the thickest part of the meat. Once it has reached desired temperature, remove from oven (We remove the pork at 145-150°). Cover in sauce and serve.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Set IP to saute and allow to get very hot. Melt butter. Add honey and sear tenderloins for 2-4 minutes on each side until deep golden brown. Once golden, turn off IP.
- Seal the lid and set the vent to "sealing." Set the manual pressure to 3 minutes. When it beeps, allow pressure to naturally release for 15 minutes. Then carefully open the vent and remove the pork.
- Sauce will be very watery. With pork removed, turn IP back to saute. Allow sauce to simmer for 5-8 minutes until reduced and thickened. Cover pork with sauce and serve.
Notes
- Pork tenderloin comes in different shapes and sizes. It does not usually have just two defined sides… sometimes it has 3 or even 4. Make sure to season and sear every side for the best results.
- The heat is important in this recipe. Too hot and it easily burns, not hot enough and the pork doesn’t brown. For the skillet, keep the heat on medium-high and turn it down slightly if the sauce is burning. For the IP, allow it to get super hot before you sear the meat to help it brown.
- Often times one tenderloin will be smaller than the other. If this is the case, the smaller tenderloin may cook faster. For the skillet method, check the temperature often during baking and remove each tenderloin as soon as it reaches the desired temperature to avoid drying it out.
Kimberly A Jones says
This looks delightful, Misty.
Courtney says
Very delicious. Would make again!
Danielle says
Great to hear! So glad you enjoyed it. It’s been a family favorite for many years.
Leslie says
So so so yummy! My first pork tenderloin recipe and I’m surprised by how delicious it is. We barely had any leftover for 6 people. Will make again.
Misty says
It is shockingly easy, huh? So glad you loved it!