Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin
This Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin is a simple but flavorful dinner recipe. No dry pork here! Just set it and forget it while it simmers away in a delicious gravy!
AN EASY CROCK POT RECIPE
Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin is a delicious and easy meal for dinner any day of the week! With just a few minutes of prep and some common pantry staple ingredients, you can have a delicious dinner cooking as you get other stuff done or if you just want to relax a little and enjoy time with friends and family. This tenderloin is cooked to perfection in an onion flavored pork gravy in the slow cooker, and the result is a juicy and flavorful meal that everyone is guaranteed to love!
Amazing! My go to as a crock pot meal – to me it is way easier than pot roast because it cooks up so quickly. I can put this into the crock pot when I get home from work and have a great meal (serve with microwave mashed potatoes and frozen green beans) after sports.
– Melissa
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
This will only take about 1 hour on high if you want to speed it up, but, I really suggest using the low setting if possible. Lower and a bit slower makes the tenderloin more juicy and tender. This only takes about 2-2 1/2 hours on low so it’s really not a very long time anyways.
Sure, if you left if in the slow cooker for too long you can absolutely overcook it and dry it out. Be sure to follow cook times appropriately.
I don’t recommend it. That’s why we add the beef stock to help give the meat some juice to cook in and not dry out while it’s cooking low and slow.
Of course. Your kitchen, your rules! If you want to, you can saute the onions first before adding them to the slow cooker with another tablespoon of olive oil.
You bet. This will also work for a pork loin, but just know that the cooking time will need to be adjusted. Always go by the internal temperature to know when it is done and safe to eat (145F degrees.)
Any of your favorite side dishes will work well with this pork dish. Fried Apples go perfectly with this. Pork and apples are a match made in heaven. Try a nice salad, roasted vegetables, squash casserole, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, fried apples and more! Whatever you have on hand to toss together should work.
If you want a thicker gravy, you can do it one of two ways. Strain the liquid from the crock pot after the pork loin is done cooking. Add it to a sauce pan. Whisk together 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch with two Tablespoons of water (this is a cornstarch slurry) and add to the sauce pan. Turn the heat up to high and whisk until thicken. For a slightly easier way to thicken the gravy, make the cornstarch slurry and whisk it in with the liquids in the crock pot. Turn the crock pot up to high and give it about 20-30 minutes to thicken.
Once the meat has cooled to room temperature, you can transfer it to an airtight container and keep it refrigerated for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to 3 months.
Reheat leftovers in the slow cooker with the gravy or on the stove top. I like to reheat it in slices and not a whole tenderloin. Try not to overcook the pork or it will become dry.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- onion – the tenderloins are going to sit on top of these onions as they cook. It gives so much flavor to the pork but also to the gravy it creates. If you don’t like onions you can just skip it.
- pork tenderloins – Most packs of tenderloins come as a 2 pack so I wanted a recipe that would make use of both tenderloins but you can certainly just make one if you prefer. This can also be made with a pork loin.
- low-sodium beef broth – because we season the tenderloin with salt, use salted butter and season with a packet of gravy mix, there is more than enough salt in the recipe so I used a low sodium beef broth here.
- packet pork gravy mix – if you can’t find pork, I would recommend using a packet of au jus or you could use a beef gravy mix.
- salted butter – you want real butter here, not margarine.
HOW TO MAKE SLOW COOKER PORK TENDERLOIN
Spray an 6 or 8-quart slow cooker with cooking spray, add the sliced onions to the bottom of the cooker, and set aside. Pat the pork tenderloins dry with a paper towel. Season the pork tenderloins with salt and pepper all over.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil. Once hot, sear one pork tenderloin at a time on all sides until browned. Place the seared tenderloin on top of the onions in the slow cooker. Repeat with the other tenderloin. Pour the beef broth around the tenderloins.
Sprinkle the gravy mix on top evenly. Add slices of butter on top of each tenderloin. Cook on low for 2 – 2.5 hours or until an internal temperature reaches at least 145°F and the onions are softened, or until your desired internal temperature.
Slice and serve immediately with the juices as a gravy.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 2 pork tenderloins (about 1 pound each)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup low-sodium beef broth
- 1 packet pork gravy mix
- 4 Tablespoons salted butter, thinly sliced
- fresh chopped parsley (optional, for garnish))
Instructions
- Spray a 6 or 8-quart slow cooker with cooking spray, add 1 medium onion, thinly sliced to the bottom of the cooker, and set aside.
- Pat 2 pork tenderloins dry with a paper towel.
- Season the pork tenderloins with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper all over (this is the total amount of seasoning for both pork tenderloins, you can use more or lest to taste).
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 2 Tablespoons olive oil Once hot, sear one pork tenderloin at a time on all sides until browned. Place the seared tenderloin on top of the onions in the slow cooker. Repeat with the other tenderloin.
- Pour 1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth around the tenderloins.
- Sprinkle 1 packet pork gravy mix on top evenly.
- Add 4 Tablespoons salted butter, thinly sliced on top of each tenderloin.
- Cover and cook on low for 2 – 2.5 hours or until an internal temperature reaches at least 145°F and the onions are softened, or until your desired internal temperature.
- Slice and serve immediately with the juices as a gravy. Optional: top with fresh chopped parsley
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
I just put everything in the crockpot! I only had turkey gravy mix so hopefully that will work. I also added almost twice the amount of butter, oops, and set it on high before double checking and running downstairs to put it on low. I think it’s gonna be great!! I plan to serve with rice and green beans. I work from home and love using my crockpot!!
Oh so yummy! My husband loved it. No changes at all and used only one pork tenderloin. I’ll definitely make this again. Thanks!
Great flavor. Not overpowering with any one flavor. Nice blend all the way around. I like the broth/gravy it made too. Went nice with white rice.
2.5 pound loins were done in less than 2 hours. Very tender. Added a tablespoon of mustard sauce and made a slurry with cornstarch to thicken gravy. Will make again!
The absolute best pork tenderloin I have ever made! The entire family loved it. Super moist and tender and full of flavor.
Can you put green peppers in the bottom with the onions?
I personally wouldn’t enjoy the taste of green peppers with this particularly recipe but if you think you would, go for it! 🙂
Hi can I make this with a pork loin?
Hi,
Can I use 1 C apple juice and 1 C broth? Or 2 C apple juice? Since apples compliment pork so well it seems like it could add more flavor.
I haven’t tested that and I don’t like to guess unless I’ve personally tried it out. Groceries are too expensive and I’d feel terrible if it didn’t turn out and I said it would be good. But if you decide to experiment, please let me know how it goes!
Have made this meal ,numerous times, excellent, very tender.thank you
Thanks so very much Trish! I really appreciate you taking the time to come back and comment!
Excellent!
Can I add small potatoes to this recipe at the beginning.
You probably could – I just haven’t personally tested it. I’d love to know how it goes for you!
So easy!
I made this yesterday, Excellent! My husband doesn’t like pork so I used turkey tenderloins instead. I followed the recipe as it was written. So very happy, made roasted baby red potatoes to go with it.
I don’t use Instagram so I couldn’t leave a comment there.
Best pork tenderloin recipe I ever made! Husband kept raving about how good it was. Will definitely make again – thank you!!
So good! Meat was tender and flavorful! Big hit with the whole family!
Easy and delicious. The meat was full of flavor, fork tender and juicy. The sauce was wonderful. This will be my new go-to pork tenderloin recipe. It’s adaptable too…open to adding other flavors. For instance: I didn’t have pork gravy mix on hand so I subbed beef au jus mix and it was great. Also, I subbed in compound garlic butter and a couple of sprigs of rosemary I needed to use up. Next time I may throw in some mushrooms. Frankly, this is such a good method that I don’t think I could mess it up no matter what I do! 🙂
Love, love hearing that Lucy! Thanks SO very much!
Thanks Lucy for adding your comments. I want to make this and I didn’t have the right gravy mix. So glad I can use the one you suggested. I have some mushrooms to use up, so thanks for that suggestion as well.
Amazing! My go to as a crock pot meal- to me it is way easier than pot roast because it cooks up so quickly. I can put this into the crock pot when I get home from work and have a great meal (serve with microwave mashed potatoes and frozen green beans) after sports.
have made this pork tenderloin 3 times, excellent meal.everyone love it
That’s so wonderful to read – thanks so much for coming back to comment Trish!
Looks great and can’t wait to try it. So easy too!!!
Awesome flavors
Very moist and delicious. I added some fresh garlic, Italian seasoning and white wine to the crockpot!
Can you make this in an Instapot? If so, for how long?
I’ve never tried it, I’m sorry!
I made this for dinner. What a hit! I will definitely be making again.
Yay! Absolutely love hearing that Cindy – thank you SO much!
Wow, I just made this and it was great! I sauted the onions before searing the meat and had to use beef gravy. Also, I made my beef broth in the saute pan after making the onions and scraped up those bits into the broth before pouring into the crock pot. I only had 1 tenderloin, cooked it for 2 hours and it was soooo tender. Best of all, my husband loved it! Thank you for a winning recipe! I’ll be making it again!!
Yay!! Thank you so very much Mary!! I really appreciate it so much!
Best pork tenderloin EVER!! This was absolutely amazing!!!!
Excellent. I did sauté the onion and sear the meat. It came out very tasty. Our guest liked it very much.
It was tasty and easy to make. Love this recipe. Thank you so much, Brandie.
This is the best recipe for pork tenderloin that I’ ve ever made! I didn’t have the packet of pork gravy mix, so I used a packet of au jus mix…just used half the packet of mix (with beef Better than Bouillon) because I was afraid the liquid would be too salty. At any rate, it came out so tender and juicy!
Yay! So happy to hear this!! Thanks so much Vicki!
If I have two 2 lb tenderloins, how should I adjust the cooking time in the slow cooker?
Hi Kristen! I haven’t tested it with that much meat, I am sorry. I don’t like to guess unless I’ve tested it out myself. You’ll have to play it by ear and check the temperature to know when it is done. It should be a minimum 145F degrees.
We loved this pork. It was very tender and the gravy was delicious! The next time I make it I plan on using glow sodium gravy mix.
Love ur recipes. Have not found one I don’t love.