Cream Cheese-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin is always a hit! It's so easy and will be ready in less than an hour. You'll love the jalapeño and cilantro accents in this low-carb, keto-friendly pork recipe!
I've been making this stuffed pork tenderloin with cream cheese and jalapeños for at least a decade! It's one of my family's favorite pork recipes and has been a hit with Cooking with Mamma C visitors.
Maybe that's because it's easy, requires minimal ingredients and delivers big flavor. The cream cheese becomes melty and coats the pork, and the jalapeños provide a green pepper accent with a kick of heat.
It's like a jalapeño popper pork tenderloin!
Recipe ingredients
Cream Cheese & Chives: For convenience, you can use the cream cheese with chives blend that's sold in a tub. Don't buy the one that says "whipped," or it will be slightly runny here.
You also could use plain cream cheese and fresh or dried chives. Block cream cheese works well, and I've used low-fat cream cheese with good results.
Jalapeño: You just need one jalapeño that you'll slice into rings. Remove the membranes and the seeds (or keep some seeds to make the pork spicy hot).
Don't touch your eyes or face after handling jalapeños, because it will burn. Wash your hands well!
Cilantro: This brings fresh, delicious flavor to the jalapeño pork tenderloin. Don't skip it unless you dislike cilantro.
How to stuff pork tenderloin with cream cheese
See the card at the end of this post for the full recipe, but here's an overview.
- Trim the fat off the pork and cut a slit down the center of each tenderloin.
- Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Use a spoon or knife to fill the pork with cream cheese and chives along the slits you made. Smooth the cream cheese and add sliced jalapeños.
Then, you'll bake the meat at 375 degrees F until it's done and top each slice with cilantro. Easy!
Recipe tips
- Be sure to place the portion of cream cheese needed for this recipe in a separate little bowl. You'll be continuously dipping a knife into it and spreading it on raw pork. You don't want to contaminate the cream cheese package with a knife that has touched raw meat.
- Since this recipe makes two pork tenderloins, you can make one mild without jalapeño seeds and one spicy hot with some of the seeds, if you wish.
- For juicier results, bake the Cream Cheese-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin in a glass 9x13 pan (affiliate link) instead of on a metal sheet pan.
What to serve with it
Serve this pork tenderloin with long grain rice or browned butter mashed potatoes. For vegetables, we love this with a side of roasted peppers and garlic.
You can even mix some white mushrooms with olive oil and seasonings and add them to the pan with the meat to bake together. I've done that and it worked well!
Frequently asked questions
When baking this stuffed pork tenderloin at 375 degrees F, allow 35-40 minutes for it to cook, uncovered. Let the internal temperature reach 160 degrees F. Note that if you use a metal sheet pan instead of a glass baking pan, the pork will cook more quickly.
Yes, you can wrap stuffed pork tenderloin in bacon. Make sure the ends of the bacon strips meet underneath the pork and bake it with them on the bottom.
More recipes like this
- Pork Scallopini with Mushrooms
- Pork Tenderloin with Brown Sugar Glaze
- Pork Loin Roast with Rosemary and Garlic
- Low-Carb Stuffed Mushrooms with Cream Cheese
- Baked Sausage Peppers and Onions
Enjoy!
If you try this Cream Cheese-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin recipe, please leave a comment and a rating!
Cream Cheese-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds pork tenderloin (two tenderloins at 1 pound each)
- 4 ounces cream cheese with chives (see notes)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder (or use 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped)
- 1 jalapeño sliced into rings and seeds removed (or keep seeds to make it spicy-hot)
- 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro rinsed and stems snipped off
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Set aside 4 ounces of cream cheese in a tiny bowl (so that when you stuff the meat, you won't dip your utensil that has touched raw meat into your package of cream cheese).
- Place the pork tenderloins side by side in a 9x13 glass pan. Trim off excess fat with kitchen scissors or a knife. Use your knife (a smooth blade works best) to cut a slit into the length of each tenderloin, being careful not to cut all the way through. Wash your hands.
- Sprinkle the meat with salt, pepper, and garlic powder (or sprinkle on chopped garlic).
- Using a spoon or knife, fill the tenderloins with the cream cheese, making sure to go all the way to each end. Smooth it a bit with your knife or spoon. Wash your hands again, if you touched the raw meat.
- Rinse a whole jalapeño and pat it dry. Cut off and discard the stem. With the jalapeño lying on its side, slice it into rings about ¼-inch thick. (Do not touch your eyes once you have cut into a jalapeño, because it will sting.) Use your knife to cut out the membrane and remove the seeds. (If you like extra heat, leave some seeds; use all the seeds for a spicy-hot dish.) Top the cream cheese with the jalapeño slices. Wash your hands well.
- Bake the meat, uncovered, for 35-40 minutes, or until the tenderloin reaches 160 degrees F. Remove the pork from the oven and loosely cover it with foil. Let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing into it, to retain the juices.
- While the meat is resting, rinse the cilantro and trim off the stems. Serve the pork sliced, topped with cilantro. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to four days.
Video
Notes
- If you are using cream cheese with chives that comes in a tub, don't buy the one that says "whipped." It will turn out a bit runny. There should be a regular tub of cream cheese with chives.
- Block cream cheese holds up really well in this recipe, but you'll need to add your own chives (1 or 2 tablespoons fresh or 1 or 2 teaspoons dried). I've used low-fat block cream cheese with good results.
Nutrition
(Recipe Source: Inspired by this recipe I found on Pinterest. Originally published on November 23, 2015. New photos and a video were added in 2018 and now it's been updated with additional information.)
Sonia says
Hi , I used Herb N Garlic Cream Cheese. I can't eat Jalepenos. I replaced that with Red and Orange Pepper Circles on Top. I served it with a Saffron Vegetable Rice . Looked Lovely on the Plate too. I might even try this on Guests .
Mamma C says
Hi Sonia - That sounds perfect! I'm sure your guests would enjoy it too.