Maple Orange Pork Tenderloin is a delicious main dish! Pork tenderloins are pan-seared, coated in maple/orange glaze, then baked and served!
Today I want to share a delicious recipe for maple orange pork tenderloin I found in one of my favorite cookbooks a few years ago. If you enjoy pork tenderloin then I highly recommend trying this recipe! I slightly tweaked it to suit our taste. This recipe (as written) will yield 2 small pork tenderloins, which can serve up to 8 people!
If you’re at a place in life where family members joining you around the table has decreased (like ours with our grown sons), this is still a good recipe to make. I like to make it, then freeze one of the tenderloins to enjoy for another meal. That makes it really convenient for me to only cook once but end up with two meals! Hooray!
The recipe is pretty simple and straightforward. You will need to pan-sear the pork until nicely browned, coat it in a delicious glaze and bake it until finished. Not too bad, right? Here’s how to make maple orange pork tenderloin.
Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page
Prepare The Tenderloin(s) For Cooking
Before starting, remember to preheat your oven to 325°F. so it will be ready to go once you’re ready, because it doesn’t take too long to prep the pork and glaze!
Pat the pork tenderloin(s) dry using paper towels to absorb any excess moisture. Trim off any large pieces of fat that may be present. Season the pork tenderloins on all sides with salt and black pepper, dividing the amount equally between the two tenderloins.
Pan-Sear The Pork
Heat 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil on Medium-High heat in a large (10″) oven-proof skillet. Let the oil get really hot (a couple minutes), but ONLY until it barely begins to smoke. It needs to be very hot to quickly brown the tenderloins.
I brown the tenderloins one at a time (for maximum space in the skillet), but if you want, you can brown both of them at the same time. Once the oil is very hot, place pork tenderloin(s) into the skillet. Let it cook without moving it for 2-3 minutes, then rotate the meat ¼ turn. Cook the tenderloin for about 2 minutes per side, then rotate until all sides are nicely browned.
Transfer the pork tenderloin(s) out of the skillet onto a plate, baking sheet or platter, and keep them warm while you make the maple orange glaze. NOTE: At this point, the pork will only be seared/well-browned on the outside but will finish cooking in the oven.
Make The Maple And Orange Glaze
You will need real maple syrup, molasses (oops-not in photo), fresh orange juice and zest, cinnamon, cloves, and cayenne pepper to make the maple and orange glaze. Stir to combine these glaze ingredients in a small bowl until they are fully incorporated.
NOTE: The salt, pepper and vegetable oil shown below are not used in the glaze but are used to season and pan-sear the pork tenderloins.
Glaze The Browned Pork Tenderloins
Pour the glaze mixture into the same skillet you browned the tenderloin in. Heat it on Medium for about 1 minute, being sure to scrape up all the browned bits off the bottom of the skillet (flavor!) Once that is done, turn off the heat under the skillet.
Transfer the pork tenderloin(s) back into the glaze filled skillet. Using tongs, turn the tenderloin(s) to cover all sides with the maple orange glaze. Once the tenderloins are covered with glaze, let the meat rest for 3-4 minutes, before you place the skillet into the oven.
Time To Bake
Bake the maple orange pork tenderloin in a preheated 325°F. oven for approximately 30-35 minutes OR until the internal temperature of the pork registers 140-145°F. I usually check the internal temperature after 30 minutes of baking, and it is usually at or “almost” at temperature.
Remove the skillet from the oven, then spoon the remaining glaze in the skillet back over the pork. Cover the skillet with foil to keep the tenderloin(s) warm, then let the meat rest 8-10 minutes. Remember that the meat will continue to rise in temperature as it rests, and ultimately it should be at an internal temperature of 150°F. for serving.
Slice And Serve Maple Orange Pork Tenderloin
Transfer the meat to a cutting board, then cut the maple orange pork tenderloin into approximately 1″ slices and serve. As you place the slices onto each plate, spoon a bit of the remaining maple glaze from the skillet onto the slices.
NOTE: We typically serve 3 slices per person, but the size of those slices is completely up to you. If it is just a couple of us eating, we only slice one tenderloin. If you are not serving a large crowd, you can easily save the remaining tenderloin in the freezer for another meal.
To freeze, place the remaining tenderloin (if you have one left over) in an airtight freezer container. Spoon any remaining glaze over the top, then store in the freezer. Thaw and reheat, to use again for another meal.
I hope you enjoy this delicious recipe for maple orange pork tenderloin. The recipe is pretty simple to prepare, and the sauce adds a lot of great flavor to the meat! I think you’re going to enjoy it.
Thank you for stopping by, and I invite you to come back soon for more family-friendly recipes. Take care, may God bless you, and have a wonderful day!
Looking For More PORK Recipes?
You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have lots of delicious recipes featuring PORK to choose from, including:
- Pork Paprikash
- Air Fryer Pork Chops For Two
- Sweet And Sour Pork
- Pork Tenderloin With Cranberry-Raspberry Sauce
- Smothered Pork Chops
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Recipe adapted from: “The Complete America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook”, page 212, published in 2018 by America’s Test Kitchen
↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓
Maple Orange Pork Tenderloin is a delicious main dish! Pork tenderloins are pan-seared, coated in maple/orange glaze, then baked and served!
- 2½ pounds pork tenderloin* **Use two 1¼ lb. tenderloins
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil (used to pan-sear meat)
- ⅓ cup real maple syrup
- 2 Tablespoons molasses
- 1 Tablespoon fresh squeezed orange juice
- 1½ Tablespoons fresh orange zest* *zest= finely grated orange peel
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch ground cloves
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Pat pork tenderloin(s) dry using paper towels. Trim off large pieces of fat. Season meat on all sides with salt and pepper, dividing equally between two tenderloins.
Heat oil on Medium-High heat in a (10") oven-proof skillet. Heat 2-3 minutes, until oil barely begins to smoke. Place tenderloin(s) into hot oil in skillet. Cook 2-3 minutes (without disturbing), then rotate meat ¼ turn. Cook 2 minutes per side, then rotate until all sides are nicely browned. Transfer pork out of skillet onto a plate; cover meat to keep it warm. NOTE: pork will only be browned on the outside but will finish cooking in the oven. Do not clean skillet.
Stir maple orange glaze ingredients in a small bowl until fully incorporated. Pour glaze mixture into skillet. Heat it on Medium for about 1 minute, being sure to scrape up the browned bits off the bottom of the skillet (flavor!) Once done, turn off the heat under the skillet. Using tongs, place tenderloin(s) back into skillet. Turn tenderloin(s) to cover all sides with glaze. Let meat rest 3-4 minutes, to let glaze slightly thicken.
Bake (uncovered) at 325°F. for 30-35 minutes OR until internal temp. of pork is 140-145°F. Remove skillet from oven. Spoon glaze in skillet over pork. Cover skillet loosely with foil; let meat rest 8-10 minutes. Meat temp. will continue to rise as it rests; ultimately it should have an internal temp. of 150°F. for serving.
Cut tenderloin into approx. 1" slices. Place slices (about 3) onto each plate, spoon some maple glaze from the skillet onto the slices, serve and enjoy!
NOTE: Cooking time is based on using 2 pork tenderloins, each weighing about 1¼ pounds. Your baking time may differ slightly based on the total weight of the tenderloin used.
Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!