Dutch Oven Honey Garlic Pork Tenderloin

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A simple, one pot meal, this Dutch Oven Pork Tenderloin is smothered in a honey garlic glaze and cooked over carrots and potatoes. So flavorful and tender and juicy pork–a dinner the whole family will love!

Honey garlic glazed pork tenderloin in dutch oven pot with carrots and potatoes in pot.

Why You Will Love This Dutch Oven Pork Tenderloin Dinner:
Ingredient Notes:
Pork Tenderloin Versus Pork Loin:
Step-By-Step Instructions:
Why Use a Dutch Oven to Cook Your Pork Tenderloin?
Recipe Tips
Storage
Commonly asked Questions:
Other Pork Recipes:
Dutch Oven Honey Garlic Pork Tenderloin Recipe
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This post is sponsored by the Ohio Pork Council, all opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting pork farmers!

Bringing you another delicious pork recipe in partnership with Ohio Pork Council and so excited for this one!

I despise doing dishes, so meals that require as few dishes as possible are the very best. One pot meals are very often my go to when it comes to simple dinner recipes, so this Dutch Oven Pork Tenderloin recipe is clearly a new recipe that is going in our weekly rotation!

Loe pork? You have to try these family favorite recipes as well: Sheet Pan Pork Chops, Cream of Mushroom Pork Chops (one of the top recipes on the site!), Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin with Apples and Rosemary and my personal favorite, Quick Crispy Instant Pot Carnitas.

Why You Will Love This Dutch Oven Pork Tenderloin Dinner:

The pork tenderloin is so juicy and tender. Searing pork tenderloin and then oven roasting is one of the ideal ways to cook this cut of meat. Cooking it in the dutch oven keeps the heat and steam in the pot and allows for the juiciest pork dinner recipe!
Only one pot needed to cook the whole meal. That is always a hit for me. Simple one pot recipes will always win my heart since I hate doing the dishes. Less mess and a full meal? Everyone wins!
Pork is a great way to get some lean protein! Pork tenderloin is actually as lean as chicken breast. So we love it as part of our diet to get that protein in and the family loves having variety in our meals as well.

Ingredient Notes:

Labeled ingredients arranged on surface including pork tenderloin, carrots, potatoes, seasoning and more.

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.

pork tenderloin: make sure you have pork tenderloin and NOT pork loin. They are very different cuts of meat (see below). Pork tenderloin is long and thin and loin is short and wide. They will cook very differently.
potatoes: Petite or fingerling potatoes are ideal as they will require just a little bit of prep and also will hold together well when cooked. I often use red potatoes for this honey garlic pork.
chicken stock: stock or chicken broth will work. I prefer stock in this recipe, but use what you have on hand.
spices: Italian seasoning, paprika and garlic powder are what is used here for the spice rub. If you don’t have Italian seasoning on hand, you can toss it together easily.
garlic: minced fresh garlic is ideal for the honey garlic glaze. You can use fresh garlic for the rub as well if preferred.
Worcestershire sauce: I love the flavor this adds to this dutch oven pork recipe. If you don’t have any on hand, that is ok, but the level of flavor won’t be quite the same for sure.
soy sauce: low sodium is ideal, for gluten free you can use tamari
apple cider vinegar: if you don’t have apple cider vinegar, white or red wine vinegar are great options as well. Balsamic vinegar is delicious in this dish as well!

Pork Tenderloin Versus Pork Loin:

Pork tenderloin and pork loin are quite different cuts of meat, so make sure when getting your meat, you see it says, “tenderloin.”

Tenderloin is a long, thin cut of pork. It is great seared at high heat and then roasted until done. Pork loin is a larger, wide cut of pork and usually does well grilled or slow roasted.

They are not interchangeable so just double check that you have the right cut when making this dutch oven pork tenderloin.

Step-By-Step Instructions:

Start by preheating the oven to 400°F. Whisk together the honey glaze ingredients and set aside.

Pork tenderloin rub in bowl and then covering pork tenderloin on wood board. In third photo, pork is seared in pan.

While the oven preheats, remove the pork’s silver skin. Whisk together the salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, paprika and garlic powder and cover all sides of the pork tenderloins. (step 1-2)
Heat the olive oil in the dutch oven ( a deep, oven safe skillet with lid will work if you don’t have one.) Add the pork tenderloin to the pot and sear for 1-2 minutes on all sides to brown slightly. (step 3)

Pot with stock being poured in to deglaze pan, onions added to pot and then carrots and potatoes added to the dutch oven along with onions and stock.

Remove the pork from the dutch oven and set aside momentarily. Pour the broth into the pot and scrape any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. (step 4)
Add in the onion and cook for 2- 3 minutes. Stir in the carrots and potatoes and stir to combine. (steps 5-6)

Whisk in bowl with honey garlic glaze, then glaze being brushed on top of pork tenderloin and finally cooked pork tenderloin with vegetables in dutch oven.

Whisk and then brush the honey garlic glaze on top of the pork. Pour any remaining glaze over the veggies. (steps 7-8)
Put the lid on the pot and place in the preheated oven and cook the pork and vegetables for about 25-35 minutes, or until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145°F. The time will vary based on the size of your pork.
When the pork reaches 145°F, remove it from the pot and allow it to rest covered in foil. Check the veggies for tenderness and cook for another 10 minutes or so, or until fork tender. (step 9)
When everything is cooked, slice the pork and serve along side the carrots and potatoes and extra juices.

Cooked and glazed pork tenderloin in pot with carrots and potatoes.

Why Use a Dutch Oven to Cook Your Pork Tenderloin?

My dutch oven is one my kitchen must haves. It is cast iron, but easy to clean, retains a lot of heat and is great for cooking so many things.

In this honey garlic pork tenderloin recipe, the dutch oven allows the pork to be easily seared and then transferred to the oven. The lid allows the heat to be held in the pot and cook the meat and veggies more evenly.

One dish means less mess too when making this dutch oven pork roast!

Recipe Tips

Do not overcook the meat. Pork tenderloin should be cooked to 145°F internal temperature. Cooking it any more can run the risk of dry pork. As soon as the pork reads 145°F or just about that temperature, pull it out of the dutch oven and set aside, covering with foil. This will help make sure your meat is tender, juicy and delicious.
Be sure to remove the silver skin from the pork before cooking. The silver skin is the thick white fat membrane attached to the pork tenderloin. You want to remove it using a sharp knife. If you leave it on, your pork can curl up and the membrane becomes tough and chewy. You don’t want that to happen at all!
Select pork tenderloin that is uniform in size. This may be tricky as the way this cut of meat is sold, you don’t always see the full pieces of meat in the packaging. If you are able to buy from a butcher or your grocery packs pork tenderloin in a way that makes it easy to see, try to make sure the size of your pork tenderloin is uniform. One pork tenderloin is typically a pound or so, so you will be using two pork tenderloins for this dutch oven pork recipe.
If you want everything to be finished around the same time, cook the veggies a bit more before transferring to the oven. I prefer cooking the carrots and potatoes a bit longer in the end so as not to overcook them in the process or make them too mushy. If you would like, you can cook the carrots and potatoes for about 5-7 minutes or so, stove top before after searing the pork. This way, everything will be done around the same time in the end.

Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container for about 3-4 days. You can freeze the leftover pork and vegetables for up to 3 months. Allow it to cool completely before placing in a freezer-safe container and then freeze.

Plate with sliced pork tenderloin and carrots and potatoes.

Commonly asked Questions:

What cooking method is best for pork tenderloin?

The best way to cook pork tenderloin is to sear and then roast it. Searing it in oil at high heat to start gives it that nice crispy, caramelized outside and then shifting to the oven to roast will keep the pork juicy and tender every time!

Should You roast pork tenderloin covered or uncovered?

Roasting pork tenderloin covered is strongly suggested to help keep the moisture in the pot and keep the pork from drying out.

How Do You keep pork tenderloin from drying out?

To keep pork tenderloin from drying out when cooking, start with a quick sear and then cook for a short period of time in a preheated oven. Use an instant read meat thermometer to test for doneness .

Enjoy this simple, delicious honey garlic pork tenderloin dinner!