This is the best Air Fryer Pork Tenderloin! It’s flavorful, tender, juicy and so easy to make! This pork tenderloin is perfect for a quick, healthy weeknight meal.
Pork tenderloin is one of my go-to proteins for quick dinners, and this air fryer pork tenderloin is a new favorite. It has a flavorful spice rub that caramelizes on the outside of the meat, while the inside stays irresistibly tender and juicy. You’ll want to add this easy air fryer recipe to your regular dinner rotation. It’s always a hit with both the kids and adults at the table!
This recipe takes just 5 minutes to prep and then the pork tenderloin cooks up in just over 20 minutes in the air fryer. Serve it with a few tasty side dishes, such as Garlic Mashed Potatoes and sautéed broccoli, and enjoy!
Looking for more pork tenderloin recipes? Try my Baked Pork Tenderloin Recipe or Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin next.
Air Fryer Pork Tenderloin Recipe Ingredients
- Pork Tenderloin: Be sure to buy a pork tenderloin, not a pork loin. A pork tenderloin is long and thin, while a pork loin is larger and would take much longer to cook through.
- Brown Sugar: I like adding a small amount of brown sugar to the spice rub because it helps to caramelize the seasonings on the outside of the pork as it cooks. The brown sugar adds just a touch of sweetness, but you can omit it if you prefer a sugar-free recipe.
- Spice Rub: I used a variation of my favorite Pork Rub to season this air fryer pork tenderloin. It’s a mixture of paprika, chili powder, dried thyme, garlic powder, salt, pepper and the brown sugar. It adds lots of delicious flavor! The chili powder adds a kick of flavor, but doesn’t make the pork really spicy.
Find the full printable recipe with ingredient amounts and instructions in the recipe card below.
How to Cook Pork Tenderloin in an Air Fryer
Making this recipe is so simple! If you are new to air fryer cooking, see my guide on How to Use an Air Fryer.
- Start by combining the brown sugar and spices in a small bowl. Stir them together until they’re well mixed.
- Then, preheat the air fryer to 380° F for 5 minutes.
- Pat the pork tenderloin dry with paper towels. Trim off the silver skin (membrane) and then rub the spice mixture over all sides of the meat.
- Air fry the pork tenderloin for 10 minutes. Then flip it over and continue cooking it for 8-16 more minutes, until the internal temperature registers 145° F in the center of the tenderloin.
- Let the pork rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes before slicing it and serving. Then enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Before seasoning the pork tenderloin, use a small sharp knife to remove the silver skin. The silver skin is a thin membrane on one side of the pork that becomes tough after cooking and is not pleasant to eat.
- Preheat the air fryer. This way, the pork will start cooking as soon as it hits the hot basket.
- Flip the pork tenderloin over half way through the cook time. This helps the meat to cook evenly and promotes even browning on all sides.
- The cook time will depend on the size and thickness of your pork tenderloin. Pork tenderloin will typically take between 18-26 minutes total to cook in the air fryer. The best way to tell when it is done is to check the internal temperature using a meat thermometer. According to the USDA, whole cuts of pork are safe to consume when cooked to 145° F and then allowed to rest for at least 3 minutes before serving.
- Try not to overcook the pork, as overcooking can dry out the meat.
- Be sure to let the pork rest for 5 minutes before serving. This rest time allows the internal temperature of the pork to rise a few more degrees. It also allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat.
What to Serve with Air Fryer Pork Tenderloin
I like to serve pork tenderloin with a vegetable or salad and a starch. Here are some of our favorite side dishes for pork:
- Vegetables: These Roasted Vegetables always hit the spot! A Baked Sweet Potato or Roasted Brussels Sprouts are also perfect sides for air fryer pork.
- Salad: You can’t go wrong with a Kale Salad or classic Green Salad.
- Potatoes: A comforting classic! Try Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Potatoes or Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes.
- Bread: You’ll love these soft, fluffy Dinner Rolls or these quick and easy Drop Biscuits.
- Rice: Try this hands-off Instant Pot Rice or cook up a pot of Brown Rice on the stove.
More Easy Air Fryer Recipes
This tasty tenderloin is sure to become a regular on your dinner table. Everyone will be asking for a second serving!
Air Fryer Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound pork tenderloin
Instructions
- Combine the brown sugar, paprika, chili powder, dried thyme, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Stir to mix.
- Preheat air fryer to 380° F for 5 minutes.
- Pat the pork tenderloin dry with paper towels. Use a sharp knife to remove the silver skin (the thin silver/white membrane). Rub the spice mixture over all sides of the meat.
- Place pork in the preheated air fryer and cook at 380° F for 10 minutes. Then flip the tenderloin over and continue cooking for 8-16 more minutes, or until the center of the pork registers 145° F on an instant read thermometer. The exact cook time will depend on the size and thickness of the pork tenderloin.
- Let the pork rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Awesome recipe! We loved the sweet/tangy flavoring. My husband, after his first bite, ate with gusto! Will make again. Thank you
Served this tonight…no brown sugar so substituted a smidge of maple syrup in the rub! I rolled the tenderloin in the coating.
It was accompanied by baked potatoes along with spiralized zucchini and summer squash. Salad. A “Royal Ice Cream” sandwich halved was dessert
Made this tonight and it was a huge hit. I have tossed my other pork tenderloin recipes! Thanks.
Made this tonight and it was a hit. It was very easy to make. It will be an addition to the rotation.
Have made this several times and it is delicious! Moist and tender.
If I wrapped a few slices of bacon around it, just to change things up a bit, should I adjust the time and/or temperature?
Thank you for sharing!
I have not tried that, but the cook time and temperature needed should be the same.
Absolutely delicious and so easy! Thank you!
I’ve made this recipe several times and it’s so tender and juicy! A delicious recipe that will continue to use!
What a great recipe! If I need to make two at once, would I need to adjust the cook time?
Quick and easy it was so tender and juicy! Would make again 🙂
I have my tenderloin sitting in the rub. Do you not use oil for cooking it?
No oil is used in this recipe.
We had this for our evening meal. It is a very easy recipe, and the results are fantastic!
Easy, quick and TASTY dinner!! So tender. Thanks for the recipe.
Thank you Kristine! We just purchased a unit from Sur La Table and it came with a basket that we had not used. Tonight was pork tenderloin and my turn to cook, and I wondered about the convection approach. I searched and found your website and everything turned out great! So, again, thank you.
Made this yesterday and it was delicious, moist, and so flavorful. The rub is so easy and so the good. The brown sugar and chili powder are perfect. Will definitely use this recipe again.
M from Arkansas
This is the only recipe I will ever use when fixing a pork tenderloin, chicken strips, or pork chops, Maybe even steak. It is that good.
Can you use the swerve brown sugar in place of regular brown sugar?
That should work fine. You can also omit the sugar from the recipe and it will still be delicious!
If I am using a small airfryer oven instead of a simple air fryer, do I modify this recipe?
You may have to cook the pork a bit longer in the air fryer oven.