Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin is an easy and delicious full meal. Made with a simple but flavorful sauce, you will love this pork tenderloin made in the crock pot.
If you are looking for a delicious dinner to bring the family around the table, this pork tenderloin recipe should be next up in your menu rotation. We whisk together a simple sauce and combine it with pork and vegetables in the slow cooker. It leaves you with a mouth watering complete dinner at the end of your busy day.
I just cooked this for a quick, easy Xmas dinner, and it turned out so wonderful! Very tender and tasty. I had never cooked a pork tenderloin in the crockpot. I will be making this again! Thanks for the recipe.
How to Cook Pork Tenderloin in Crock Pot
This is a brief overview of how to make this delicious slow cooker pork tenderloin recipe. For the full recipe with all of the measurements see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Add things to the slow cooker. After spraying the crockpot, add in the pork tenderloin, vegetables, and then the beef broth, red wine, garlic, soy sauce, paprika, and onion powder.
- Cook the pork. Pork is best when it is cooked to 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook on low for two to three hours or until the pork reaches 145 degrees.
- Make the gravy. Strain the sauce from the crockpot. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the sauce with some cornstarch. Bring it to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
Pork Tenderloin Temperature
Pork tenderloin is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit. It is best, when cooking it in the slow cooker, to be mindful of this and towards the end of the cooking time check it with an instant read meat thermometer.
Pork is far more delicious when cooked to 145 degrees and not hotter. At 145 degrees, it will still have a pink hue to it, but that does not mean it isn’t done.
Pork Tenderloin vs. Pork Loin
When buying meat for this recipe, note that pork tenderloin and pork loin are two different cuts of pig. Pork loin is a bigger cut of meat and is often used by the butcher to cut pork steaks. Alternatively, pork tenderloin is a smaller, thinner, and more tender cut of pork.
Cooking with Red Wine
I love the deep and earthy flavors of this recipe, and one thing that adds to that is red wine. If your family does not drink, you can buy a four pack of small bottles of red wine to use for this recipe. This will save you from opening an entire bottle only for 3/4 of a cup.
If your family does not use alcohol in recipes, I would suggest using beef stock as a replacement for the wine.
Dry Herbs vs. Fresh Herbs
Fresh herbs can be expensive. If they aren’t in your budget or you can’t find them, replace them with 1 teaspoon dried rosemary and 1 teaspoon dried thyme. You can whisk them right into the sauce.
Making Gravy
The cooking liquid for this recipe makes a great gravy.
- Discard the herbs and remove the meat and vegetables from the slow cooker.
- Strain the remaining liquid.
- Whisk it with 1 tablespoon cornstarch in a small saucepan.
- Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes until it thickens.
Storing Leftovers
Leftovers should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for four to five days. Store the meat and vegetables separate from the gravy. Reheat leftovers, covered, in the oven. As with all recipes, use your best discretion when it comes to leftovers.
What to Serve with Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin
Our family ate this recipe without any other sides and it was plenty. If you have a big family of eaters and need some sides with this recipe, here are a few options:
- Baked Potato Wedges: Just three simple ingredients for this great side.
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes: These potatoes would go great with this recipe.
- Creamy Cucumber Salad: If you are looking for something lighter, this salad will balance things out.
- Three Bean Salad: This recipe can be made the night before. It would be perfect to pull out when your pork is finished.
If you make this crock pot pork tenderloin recipe or any of my other recipes, leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
Crockpot Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
- 2 pound pork tenderloin (907.2 grams)
- 2 small yellow onions chopped
- 3 carrots peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
- 1 cup beef broth or chicken broth (226.8 grams or 236.6 ml)
- 3/4 cup red wine read here about omitting wine (177.4 ml)
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Spray slow cooker with cooking spray. Place pork tenderloin in the bottom.2 pound pork tenderloin
- Place onion and carrots around it. Pour stock, wine, and soy sauce over the top. Sprinkle the top with the paprika, onion powder, garlic, and black pepper. Place rosemary and thyme on top.2 small yellow onions, 3 carrots, 1 cup beef broth, 3/4 cup red wine, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 3 cloves garlic, 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, 3 sprigs fresh thyme, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Cook on low for two to three hours. Pork is best when it is cooked to 145 degrees Fahrenheit. (It can be fully cooked and still have some pink in the middle.)
- If your vegetables aren't done when the pork is, remove the pork and tent it with foil. Place the vegetables on a foil lined tray and place them in a 425 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes until tender.
- When the pork is done, remove it and the vegetables from the slow cooker. Then and let stand. Strain the remaining sauce. Pour it into a small saucepan and whisk in 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Bring the liquid to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes. Serve the gravy with the pork.1 tablespoon cornstarch
lois ann whitham says
Lisa,
I just love your dinner ideas. esp. the crock pot dinners.
Thank you
Lois Whitham
Thank you Lois!
smex says
Lisa,
Can this cook all day while away at work 8-9 hrs or will it dry out if cooked that long?
Unfortunately, no. I actually had to test this recipe a few times to find the cooking time that lead to the perfect tenderness without it drying out.
Sherry says
This looks yummy, but is it cooked on low or high?
It is cooked on low.
Chelsie says
Could I add baby potatoes in the crock pot to this as well or would you recommend making them separate?
If they are small or cut in half they should work.
Jay76 says
I had some fresh mushrooms that needed cooked and I threw those in but otherwise stuck to the recipe. It was a hard sell to get my mother in law to eat pork with a slight pink hue, lol. I usually have to turn her pork into shoe leather and cook everyone else’s correctly. But it turned out really great. Thank you!
Ha!! Thank you for the laugh. And I’m glad you got her to eat it! There is nothing worse than overcooked pork.
Michelle says
I made this and added small potatoes and first covered the pork loin with Dijon mustard and seasoned it all over let it sit for 30 minutes with the dry seasoning. O my god the flavor was incredible. This is a keeper and the wine definitely makes the dish!!!!!!
I’m so glad that you liked it!
Linda says
I cook it like it said, it was tuff so I let it cook a little longer, this is knot a good resipe to make for pork tenderloin, sorry.
I’m so sorry this was a miss for you. If it was tough it means it cooked too long. I do my best to give estimates but slow cookers vary so much that it can be hard to be precise.
Carey says
I just cooked this for a quick, easy Xmas dinner, and it turned out so wonderful! Very tender and tasty. I had never cooked a pork tenderloin in the crockpot. I will be making this again! Thanks for the recipe.
I’m so glad that you liked it, Carey!
ESTELLA ETNIER says
First, we love your sauce but following your recipe gave us a tough piece of me. I followed the recipe exact…. In the future, I will use your sauc but not your three hours. I will cook it till it falls apart which is what happened every time I cooked a lion in my crockpot….Yummy flavor..
With tenderloin, it’s not really going to fall apart because it’s such a low fat piece of meat. The key is to really cook it only to 145. That can be tricky with slow cookers because they all cook at different temperatures. So an instant read thermometer can be really helpful. Is it possible that you used a pork loin? That would give the results you are talking about here.
Averil Bosworth says
Hi Lisa,
I’m about to make this recipe and I will let you know the outcome for sure. Is it free to subscribe and download your amazing recipes.
A million thanks
Averil x
Yup! It is free.