This Baked Pork Tenderloin is always a hit! It's got a sweet-and-spicy glaze made with brown sugar, but you can substitute monk fruit sweetener for a keto option. This is one of the best pork tenderloin recipes!
⅔cupdark brown sugar, packed(or use ½ cup golden monk fruit sweetener; see notes)
2tablespoonsfinely chopped garlic(from about 6 cloves)
1tablespoonhot sauce(use a mild one such as Frank's RedHot Original, affiliate link)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Add the rub ingredients (salt, chili powder, cumin, black pepper and cinnamon) to a small bowl and stir to combine. Coat the pork with the spice rub and wash your hands well after touching the raw meat.
In a 12-inch skillet (ideally an oven-proof one, such as a cast iron skillet), heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until the oil is hot and rippling. Brown the pork on all sides, searing it for about four minutes total.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the glaze ingredients (brown sugar or monk fruit sweetener, chopped garlic and hot sauce). Spoon the glaze onto the pork and pat it all over the top, using the back of your spoon.
(If you don't have an oven-proof skillet, you'll need to transfer the pork to a foil-lined baking pan now.) Bake the pork at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 150 degrees F. (Test it with an instant thermometer or use a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the pork before baking.) A cast iron pan will cook the meat faster than a glass pan.
Remove the pork from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing it. Serve the baked pork tenderloin with the sauce spooned over it. Refrigerate leftovers for up to four days.
Video
Notes
Monk fruit sweetener(affiliate link) is a natural, zero-calorie, zero-glycemic sugar substitute, so it doesn't affect blood sugar levels. It's made from non-GMO erythritol and monk fruit extract.
If you own a cast iron skillet, use it for searing the pork on the stove and baking it in the oven. If you don't own an oven-proof skillet, you'll need to use a regular skillet to brown the meat, then transfer the pork to a baking pan for the oven step. Note that it will take a bit longer to cook the pork in a glass pan than in a cast iron one.