I’ve officially got my sights set on fall! Bring on orchard visits, big bowls of chili, cozy sweatshirts, and of course, college football. The University of Iowa has their first game this weekend and I could NOT be more excited. I’ve already got big plans to crack open a gluten-free cider to enjoy whilst cheering on the Hawks, saving one to make this incredible, 1 skillet Maple-Dijon-Cider Pork Tenderloin afterwards.
Whether you make this 30 minute pan roasted pork tenderloin as a weekend treat or quick weeknight dinner, just promise me you’ll make it!
Fork Tender Pan Roasted Pork Tenderloin
Pork tenderloin is one of my favorite cuts of meat to utilize for quick and easy dinners because it cooks quickly, is usually quite inexpensive, and becomes as tender as steak after searing in a skillet on the stovetop followed by a brief roast in the oven. Translation: pan roasting, y’all!
In this version, pork tenderloin is seared in a skillet on the stovetop to lock in its juices then the whole thing is slid into the oven to roast until tender – we’re talking 15 minutes, tops. While the pork tenderloin rests, a saucy, fall-inspired glaze made from hard apple cider, pure maple syrup, and Dijon mustard simmers in the same skillet then is drizzled over fat and juicy slices of pork.
Make once, and I promise you’ll be inventing reasons to devour this succulent, pan roasted pork dish again and again and again. Break out your cast irons, preheat the oven, and let’s get cooking!
How to Make This Dish
Start by heating a thin layer of high heat cooking oil in an oven safe skillet (preferably cast iron – I have this enameled cast iron skillet) over medium-high heat. Season a 1-1/4 – 1-1/2lb pork tenderloin all over with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and dried thyme then sear for 1-2 minutes on all four sides, or until each side is golden brown.
NOTE: a pork tenderloin is not the same thing as a pork LOIN, so be sure to get the TENDERLOIN at the grocery store!
Place the entire skillet into a 450 degree oven then roast until the internal temperature of the tenderloin reaches 140 degrees, 8-15 minutes depending on the size of your tenderloin. Transfer the pork to a cutting board to rest while you make the Maple-Dijon-Cider pan sauce.
Place the skillet back over medium-high heat then add a 12oz can or bottle gluten-free hard apple cider, pure maple syrup, and dijon mustard and whisk to combine. If there are burnt herbs or anything you can strain them out with a skimmer or pour the sauce through a fine mesh sieve at the very end.
NOTE: remember that the skillet will be blazing hot from the oven – I keep a hot pad on the skillet handle so I don’t forget!
I love using Smith & Forge Cider in this recipe, by the way. It’s one of the driest, least-sweet ciders I’ve had and lends such a light and tart flavor to this pan sauce. Super good!
Let the sauce simmer and reduce for 5 minutes then whisk in corn starch mixed with water and continue to simmer until the sauce is thick and bubbly, another 3-4 minutes. That’s all she wrote!
Slice the pork (I prefer thick slices while Ben requires his shaved very thin and at a diagonal thank you very much,) then spoon the luscious, sticky pan sauce on top. MMMMM! I hope you love this simple, fall-inspired dinner – enjoy!
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Maple-Dijon-Cider Pork Tenderloin
Description
1 skillet and 30 minutes is all it takes to make Maple-Dijon-Cider Pork Tenderloin. Saucy and succulent, this scrumptious gluten-free dinner recipe will knock your socks off.
Ingredients
- 1-1/4 - 1-1/2lb pork tenderloin (not pork LOIN)
- 1/2 teaspoon each salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried thyme
- 12oz gluten free hard apple cider (I like Smith & Forge)
- 1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup (not pancake syrup)
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 Tablespoons water
- 1-1/2 teaspoons corn starch
Directions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Pat pork tenderloin dry with paper towels then season all over with seasonings.
- Heat a thin layer of high heat cooking oil in a 11-12” cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Sear pork tenderloin for 1-2 minutes on all four sides, or until golden brown on each side, then place the entire skillet into the oven and roast until the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees, 8-15 minutes. Transfer the pork tenderloin to a cutting board to rest while you make the pan sauce.
- Place skillet back over medium-high heat being VERY CAREFUL with the skillet handle as it will be extremely hot from the oven (I keep a hot pad on the handle so I don’t forget it's hot.) Add hard apple cider, maple syrup, and dijon mustard to the skillet then whisk to combine and simmer until sauce is slightly reduced, 5 minutes. Stir together water and cornstarch in a small bowl then pour into skillet and whisk to combine. Continue to simmer while occasionally whisking until sauce is thickened and glossy, 3-4 more minutes. Pour sauce through a fine mesh strainer or use a skimmer to remove any burnt herbs or bits if desired. Slice pork then serve with pan sauce.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
I have made this for dinner twice in the last 5 days. It is fantastic, so easy and a crown pleaser! I bought a 6 pack of cider when my stepdaughter was visiting (from Iowa!) and she didn’t drink them. I don’t drink it so this is the perfect way to use it up! Served with pan roasted Dijon brussel sprouts and baked sweet potato. Wonderful!!!
Perfect!! I’m so glad you enjoyed, Mary, and I LOVE the sound of those Dijon brussels sprouts – YUM!
I made it!!! It was so delicious and so easy I am sure I can make it with my eyes closed! Thank you!!!
LOVE to hear this!! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Does it have to be hard cider or is regular apple cider ok too?
Hi Ellen! Regular cider can be a bit sweeter than hard cider, so I might do 1 cup cider and 1/2 cup chicken broth.
Just wanted to pop on to say I used regular cider + chicken broth and it was perfect! My family was licking the pan sauce off the plates! So delicious. Thank you for another amazing recipe.
Ahh, love hearing that, Martha! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
I too am trying to avoid going to the store. I don’t have any cider at all. I do have chicken broth and dijon, but it’s french’s honey dijon and I do have maple syrup. Would those work to replace the 2 ingredients I don’t have. My kids are picky, but your recipes always work for them.
Could you use simply apple for this instead? I don’t have hard cider and trying to avoid the stores right now with quarantine ?
Hi Holly! I might do half simply apple and half chicken broth otherwise it might be a touch too sweet!
Aaaaaamazing! This sauce is pure gold. Easy enough for a quick mid week dinner and yet I would easily serve at a dinner party as well. IT’S THAT GOOD!
Wohoo! Thanks for such a great review, Ann, I’m so glad you loved the dish!!
The sauce was phenomenal. I used pear hard cider, and it tasted great. I think apple would be even better.
I made this as the main dish for a dinner for a family with a new baby. The sauce was wonderful, and it smelled so good in my car when I took it over. It was pretty simple to make too. To go with the tenderloin, I chose baked potatoes (with good old A&E sour cream!), broccoli with lemon-dill butter, and Healthier Zucchini Banana Bread Muffins, also from this site. A local chocolate shop helped me pick out a small box of gluten-free chocolates for dessert. Thanks for your great recipes, they really helped me come up with a good meal for my friend and her family. p.s I can’t wait to make the pork for my family!
can I triple this recipe, make ahead and warm up and serve the next day for dinner party for 10?
Hi Diane! I personally don’t like re-warmed pork tenderloin – it’s very lean so it dries out. That said, I wouldn’t recommend it!
This was amazing! I thoroughly enjoyed it! Tasted great, was easy to make, and best of all-my kids ate it without arguing! Win!
I made this yesterday and, while it was very tasty, I really struggled with it splattering and smoking in the oven. I had to contend with LOTS of smoking from the pan (which kept setting off my smoke detectors). And I’ll definitely have to clean out the inside of my oven before I can use it again because of the oil splatter. :( Did you not have any issues with this? Any idea what I did to cause this? I used vegetable oil.
Hi Patricia! It sounds like maybe there was a bit too much oil in the pan. Pork tenderloin is so lean that it wouldn’t contribute any additional fat then what was initially drizzled in. I’d just cut back on the amount of oil next time!
I made this a few days ago and it was absolutely delicious. But I have a few words of warning. I had not previously done a high heat roast, and it had not occurred to me that the cooking oil used could be a problem. I had olive oil and avocado oil, so chose the olive oil. Also, I was not very careful when pouring the oil into the skillet, and in hindsight, used way too much. The upshot — the stove vent couldn’t handle the smoke, the smoke detectors went off, and my oven will have to be cleaned before I can use it again. So, before I make this a second time, and there will definitely be a second time, I will acquire a proper high heat oil, take care when putting oil in the skillet and disarm the smoke detector before putting the skillet in the oven. This roast is really worth the small effort involved in preparing it!
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This is one of the most delicious things I’ve made lately and SO fast and easy!!! I served it with mashed potatoes and everyone in my family gobbled it up!
This was the bomb – perfect for a fall evening! I served this with some mashed sweet potatoes and roasted brussel sprouts. Quick, easy and absolutely wonderful. The pork was nice and tender, but the sauce really completes this dish.