Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin with Garlic and Herbs

Learn how to sous vide pork tenderloin to guarantee a moist and flavorful pork roast. Making pork tenderloin sous vide style is an easy and hands off way to make your favorite pork tenderloin recipe. As easy as making smoked pork chops.

Serve with Sous Vide Mashed Potatoes, Sous Vide Asparagus, Sous Vide Carrots or Sous Vide Corn on the Cob for a complete meal.

Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin

Pork tenderloin is the equivalent of the beef tenderloin cut from a cow.  It’s extremely lean and tender, leading to a decadent soft roast, however it will end up dry and tough if overcooked even a few degrees. Thankfully, making sous vide pork ensures the roast is cooked to the exact temperature you prefer.

Other sous vide recipes readers love: Sous Vide Tri Tip, Sous Vide Prime Rib, Sous Vide Ribeye, Sous Vide Lamb Chops and Sous Vide Corned Beef. 

How To Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin

Making a sous vide pork tenderloin recipe is remarkably easy to master. Only a few short steps to a ridiculously tender pork roast.

Step 1 – Pre-heat the water bath to your preferred temperature (consult the sous vide pork tenderloin temperature chart below), using a sous vide immersion circulator. It’s important to determine the correct temp and time so you don’t end up with a raw or rare roast when you’re aiming for medium rare

Step 2 – Prepare the pork roast by adding your favorite seasonings. Our favorite spice mix includes: sea salt, garlic powder, oregano, thyme, basil and sage. You can use either fresh or dried herbs (use half the amount called for below if using fresh herbs). Once seasoned with the sous vide pork tenderloin marinade (dry rub for this version), add the seasoned pork to the sous vide bag and vacuum seal.

Step 3 – Transfer the pork roast to your sous vide machine and set the timer for a minimum of one hour and a max of four hours. Consult the “how long does it take to cook a pork tenderloin” chart below. .

Step 4 – Reverse sear the pork tenderloin in a very hot pre-heated cast iron pan for 45 seconds per side to develop a nice crust. Optional- while searing, baste the pork with extra garlic, butter and even more herbs on top of the juices left over in the bag after cooking.

Sous Vide Pork Temperature

Reverse searing will only increase the temp by 1-2°, so pull accordingly once you determine your final temperature.

• Medium-Rare Pork: 130°F
• Medium Pork: 140°F
• Medium Well Pork: 150°F 
• Well Done Pork: 160°F +

Reference our Pork Temperature Chart for more cooking tips!

Finished Texture

• Medium-Rare Pork: Very juice with a buttery finish 
• Medium Pork: Slightly firm, tender and juicy
• Medium Well Pork: Firm with moderate juice
• Well Done Pork: Super firm with minimal juice (more than likely dry)

How Long To Sous Vide Pork

Pork tenderloin needs to be cooked a minimum of one hour and a maximum of four hours. 

Frozen Pork Tenderloin

You can absolutely use frozen pork tenderloin. Just add an extra 60 minutes to the cook time, for a minimum of 2 hours.

I will say, we personally don’t love using frozen pork when using the sous vide method. The juice that’s emitted in the bag usually takes on a slight “freezer burn” flavor that is a dead giveaway that it was frozen. Even when the meat has only been frozen for a few hours and doesn’t have any freezer burn. Most peeps don’t notice the difference, so it may not matter to you. 

Dry Brining Pork

If you’re interested in dry brining, just coat the roast with the seasonings and let it rest in the refrigerator overnight. With the sous vide cooking method, traditional wet brining doesn’t add any value and isn’t worth the effort.

Pork Pan Sauce

When reverse searing pork tenderloin, we like making a pork pan sauce with the juices. Once the skillet is screaming hot and the pork roast is in the pan, pour all the juices from the sous vide bag over the roast. Throw in a clove of garlic, extra sprig of herb and then a tablespoon of butter. Baste with a spoon whilst reverse searing.

Aromatic Ideas

Pork is like a blank canvas; most of the flavor comes from the aromatics. Here are a few aromatic ideas to throw into the sous vide bag: thyme, rosemary, oregano, sage, cumin, coriander, black pepper, garlic, shallots, etc. You could even use creole seasoning, Jamaican Jerk Seasoning, or BBQ rub.

Sous vide does bring out the concentration of the herbs, so use sparingly compared to your normal amount.

Sous Vide Equipment Needed

• Sous Vide Immersion Circulator – Any brand will work! We use the popular Anova Immersion Circulator.
• Vacuum Sealed Bags – You can always use a Ziploc bag and use the water displacement method if desired vs a vacuum sealer with a sous vide bag.
• Sous Vide Food Container – Here’s the sous vide food container we use when making pork tenderloin.
• Cast Iron Pan – Use a large enough cast iron pan, or griddle pan, to accommodate a large pork roast. A stainless steel skillet will work as well, but it’s imperative you pre-heat and use plenty of oil and/or butter so it doesn’t stick.

How To Re-heat

The best way to re-heat Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin is to heat it back up in a water bath! Heat the water to just below the cooking temp you used the first go round. The time will stay the same as the first cook.

Is Pork Loin The Same As Pork Tenderloin

Nope. They are two different cuts, therefore should be cooked differently. Not sure which one you have? If your roast is long and skinny (as pictured above), it’s a pork tenderloin. If it’s fat and round (like a beef roast) it’s a pork loin.

Recipe Notes

• Reserve searing pork tenderloin can create smoke. Turn on the oven fan prior to searing.
• Make sure to do a thorough job patting dry the sous vide pork with paper towels. To get a good pan-seared crust, the pork needs to be dry.
• Make sure the roast is fully submerged in the sous vide bath. If the meat isn’t fully submerged it won’t cook properly. Do not even attempt as food safety would not be guaranteed.
• If your sous vide bag floats, try to re-seal or utilize something to weight it down once in the sous vide bath. You can always invest in some sous vide weights, which is the route I use these days.
• Salted or unsalted butter – it doesn’t matter. Use what you have on hand. I always recommend unsalted butter when cooking (not baking) as to control the final sodium content. You can always add more but can’t take it away.

What Goes With Pork Tenderloin

Air Fryer Mushrooms

Air Fryer Baby Potatoes

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Balsamic Glaze

Garlic Butter Roasted Mushrooms (or Instant Pot Mushrooms)

Instant Pot Baked Potatoes

Pork Wine Pairings

Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio and Merlot

 

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