Spice-Rubbed Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Cranberry Orange Glaze
This easy recipe gives tender, succulent roasted pork tenderloin a huge flavor boost with a cinnamon, chile, and garlic spice rub and a sweet, tangy orange-cranberry glaze. It’s a family favorite that always leaves everyone asking for more (and for the recipe).
The best part — pork tenderloin cooks in about 20 minutes. It’s ideal for holidays because you can make the glaze sauce and spice rub ahead of time and get it on the table quickly. But it’s also easy enough for a weeknight dinner when you want something special.
Dietitian tip: Pork tenderloin is a nice change from chicken breast, and it’s just as lean. A 3-ounce serving has 122 calories, 22 grams of protein, and only 3 grams of fat.
Recipe At-A-Glance
PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOK TIME: 15-25 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 35 minutes
SERVES: 4
DIFFICULTY: easy
RECIPE HIGHLIGHTS: Tender, fast-cooking, spice-rubbed pork tenderloin served with a sweet, tangy, spiced cranberry-orange sauce
FEATURED INGREDIENTS: Pork tenderloin, shallots, cranberry sauce, orange zest and juice, maple syrup, warm spices
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Recipe Ingredients
Here are the key ingredients you’ll need to make this cranberry-orange roasted pork tenderloin. Substitutions and variations are listed in the section below.
Be sure to check out the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients with measurements.
Pork tenderloin – It’s usually cut into ¾-pound to slightly over 1-pound pieces, often sold in packages of two. This recipe makes enough spice rub and glaze for 1¼ to 1½ pounds of pork tenderloin, and a good serving size is about 5 ounces per person. Look for trimmed tenderloin pieces, or buy slightly larger pieces and trim them yourself.
Shallot – Sautéed shallot adds a nice savory note to the glaze sauce. It’s milder than onion with a slight garlic flavor.
Cranberry sauce – This recipe works with jellied or whole berry sauce, but look for one sweetened with sugar or a zero-calorie sweetener, not high fructose corn syrup. You’ll only need ½ cup of cranberry sauce, so freeze the rest of the can to make this recipe again later.
Orange zest and juice – Buy one large or two smaller navel oranges to have enough zest and juice for the sauce.
Lime – In addition to the orange juice, add 2 tablespoons (from one lime) of fresh-squeezed lime juice to brighten the sauce’s flavor even more.
Balsamic vinegar – This adds a nice tangy flavor that balances the sweetness in the glaze sauce.
Spices – A mix of paprika, garlic, and chile powder, cinnamon, and cayenne get rubbed into the pork tenderloins for a burst of flavor.
Substitutions and Variations
- For a flavor variation on the sauce, omit the orange zest and juice, and use 1/3 cup cranberry juice or cranberry-pomegranate juice instead.
- To reduce the carbs and sugar in the glaze sauce, use no-sugar-added cranberry sauce and maple syrup. Fresh-squeezed orange juice adds only about 8 grams of carbohydrates to the entire sauce recipe.
- Try this spice rub and glaze on boneless, skinless chicken breast, turkey tenderloins, or a turkey breast.
How to Make This Roasted Pork Tenderloin
1. Prepare the pork tenderloin. Trim off any silver skin from the pork tenderloin. It’s the tough, silvery-white thin layer of connective tissue that sits on the surface of the meat. Pat the meat dry.
2. Prepare the spice rub. Measure and mix the spices in a small bowl.
3. Spice the pork. Rub olive oil into the pork tenderloin(s), then coat all sides evenly with the spice mix. Place it in a baking dish and let it sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes while the oven heats and you prepare the sauce.
4. Prepare the sauce. Sauté the shallots, then add the cranberry sauce, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, lime juice, orange zest and juice, and salt to taste. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
5. Puree the sauce. Use an immersion blender to puree the sauce until smooth. Then simmer for another 10 minutes or so, until it thickens into a glaze. Reserve about ¼ cup of the glaze to baste the pork.
6. Roast the pork. Place the pork tenderloin in a 425ºF oven and roast for 15-25 minutes, depending on the size of your tenderloins. Baste the meat once or twice with the reserved glaze. Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature starting around 15 minutes and remove the pork from the oven when it reaches 145ºF. Tent it with foil and let it rest for about 5 minutes to reabsorb the juices.
Expert Tips!
Remove all silver skin from the tenderloin. Unlike the soft pockets of fat inside the meat muscle, this fibrous skin doesn’t melt into your meat or become tender. It’s tough and elastic, and unpleasant to eat. Use a sharp carving or chef’s knife and slice along the surface of the meat to remove it.
Don’t overcook the pork tenderloin. Pork tenderloin is extremely lean and fast-cooking. If you overcook it, it will be dry. Insert a meat thermometer into the center at the thickest part, and aim for 145ºF for tender, juicy meat. The temperature will rise a few more degrees as the meat rests, but it should be slightly pink in the center when cut.
To save time, make the rub and sauce ahead of time. I don’t recommend roasting your meat until you’re ready to serve it because it will dry out when reheated. However, to save time, you can combine the spices for the rub a day or more in advance and keep them in an airtight container. Prepare the glaze sauce several hours to a day ahead of time and reheat it when it’s time to baste your tenderloins and serve.
Got leftovers? To warm leftover meat, sliced or unsliced, put it on a microwave-safe plate and gently cover it with a damp paper towel. Microwave on high for about 60 seconds. Check it and, if needed, add another 30 seconds. Bring the sauce to a boil, and when added to the meat, it will help warm it further.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this delicious roasted pork tenderloin with side dishes such as:
Recipe FAQs
Pork tenderloin will become dry if cooked too long. However, this recipe is very forgiving because the cranberry orange glaze can help add moisture back. If you happen to overcook the pork, cut it slightly thinner and coat the slices with meat juices and glaze from the roasting pan. When serving, top the slices with extra glaze sauce.
I have found that searing isn’t necessary for this recipe because the spices help lock in the flavor. Because pork tenderloin cooks so fast, you’ll run the risk of overcooking the pork if you sear it first.
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Spice Rubbed Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Cranberry Orange Glaze
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 pound pork tenderloin one or two pieces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chile powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper or more to taste
- 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt divided
- 1 large shallot minced
- 2 teaspoons orange zest from one large navel orange
- 1/3 cup fresh squeeze orange juice from 1 large navel orange
- 1/2 cup cranberry sauce whole berry or jellied
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425℉ and set the rack to the center position.
- Trim any excess fat and silver skin from the outside of the pork. Rub it with about one tablespoon of olive oil on all sides. Place it in a baking dish or roasting pan.
- In a small bowl, combine the paprika, garlic powder, chili powder, cinnamon, cayenne, and black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Mix everything well, and rub it evenly over the pork tenderloin so all sides are well-coated. Let the meat rest while the oven preheats and you assemble the sauce.
- Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the minced shallot and sauté until it turns translucent. Add the orange zest, orange juice, cranberry sauce, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, then simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Remove the sauce from the heat and puree it with an immersion blender or in a food processor to smooth the ingredients. Return it to the saucepan and simmer for an additional 10 minutes or until it's thickened and forms a glaze. Reserve about 1/4 cup of the glaze to baste the pork, and keep the remainder in the pan on very low heat, just to keep it hot.
- Roast the pork tenderloin for 15-25 minutes, depending on its size, basting it once or twice during roasting. Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature starting around 15 minutes. Remove the pork from the oven when it reaches 145℉ in the center. Tent the pan with foil and let the meat rest for 10-15 minutes.
- Cut the tenderloins into thick slices and serve with the glaze sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
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