This Air Fryer Pork Tenderloin cooks up perfectly juicy and fork-tender with an incredibly flavorful spice rub. Start to finish, it’s ready in less than 30 minutes. Serve it with a salad or roasted vegetables and dinner is done!
The juiciest, most flavorful Air Fryer Pork Tenderloin
Pork tenderloin is one of my go-to proteins for quick dinners, and this air fryer pork tenderloin is a family favorite. I love the way that the spice rub caramelizes on the meat as it cooks, while the inside stays irresistibly tender and juicy. Every time I serve this, both the kids and adults ask for seconds!
This air fryer recipe takes just 5 minutes to prep and then the pork tenderloin cooks in just over 20 minutes in the air fryer. Serve it with a few simple side dishes, like Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Sautéed Broccoli.
Looking for more pork tenderloin recipes? Try my Grilled Pork Tenderloin or Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin next!
Made this tonight and it was a huge hit. I have tossed my other pork tenderloin recipes! Thanks.
Megan
Ingredients You’ll Need
- 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 it doesn’t add a significant amount of spice.
Find the full printable recipe with ingredient amounts in the recipe card below.
How to Cook Pork Tenderloin in an Air Fryer
Season pork tenderloin. Combine the brown sugar, paprika, chili powder, dried thyme, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl and stir to mix. Rub the spice mixture over all sides of the pork tenderloin.
Air fry. Preheat air fryer to 380° F for 5 minutes. Then put the pork tenderloin in the air fryer and air fry at 380° F for 10 minutes. 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.
Let it rest. Once the pork is cooked through, let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, giving you juicier pork.
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.
- 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.
Air Fryer Pork Tenderloin Serving Suggestions
I like to serve this air fryer pork tenderloin with a vegetable or salad and potatoes or rice. Here are some of my top picks:
- Vegetables: I love Roasted Brussels Sprouts or Sautéed Green Beans with this meal.
- Salad: You can’t go wrong with my favorite Kale Salad or this vibrant Lentil Salad.
- Potatoes: A comforting classic! I love this air fryer pork tenderloin served with a Baked Sweet Potato or Mashed Potatoes.
- Rice: Try my hands-off Instant Pot Rice or cook up a pot of Brown Rice or Wild Rice on the stove.
More Easy Air Fryer Recipes
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.
I originally shared this recipe in February 2022. Post updated January 2025.
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?
The cook time should be the same if cooking two tenderloins at once.
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.
Hi Kristine I am making this tonight for the first time. I have a 2 pound pork Tenderloin. Do I have to cook it longer? Since your recipe calls for 1 pound? Or is the cooking time the same?
If it’s a single pork tenderloin that is 2 pounds, then yes, it will take longer to cook. Often pork tenderloin is sold in packages of two, so if that is the case and you have two separate pork tenderloins that weigh about one pound each, then use the cook time for a one pound tenderloin. Hope that makes sense!