Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Reduction
This juicy Roasted Pork Tenderloin is the perfect mish-mash of savory-sweet flavors. It’s topped with a rich, tangy balsamic glaze that you’ll want to pour on basically anything! With just a handful of basic ingredients and about 30 minutes, it’s an easy yet elegant dish that sure adds something special to the table!
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Reduction (SUPER easy!)
- Serves: 4
- Main Ingredients: pork tenderloin, coarse ground black pepper, kosher salt, dried herb of your choice, +1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar, sugar
- Why You'll Love It: Roasted Pork Tenderloin is juicy and tender and an EASY PEASY meal to throw together but sure won't taste like you took any shortcuts!.
The Easiest Fancy Dinner You’ll Ever Make
Roasted Pork Tenderloin is an EASY PEASY meal to throw together but sure won’t taste like you took any shortcuts. If you love playing with bold flavors like my Grilled Peach & Jalapeño Glazed Pork Tenderloin, you’ll love this one too. This pork tenderloin with balsamic reduction is a little more classic but just as impressive, and definitely one to add to the rotation.
I know “balsamic reduction” sounds fancy, but it’s not. All it means is we’re going to cook balsamic vinegar until it boils down to about half. This process concentrates the flavors and creates a rich, slightly sweet, and tangy glaze that contrasts so well with the savory pork.
Oh and by the way, if you like, you can adapt this recipe for another meat. It’ll also go great with butter-roasted chicken, grilled steak, and lamb.
Reader Review
“Been using this simple recipe for years – thanks!! I found a great brand of balsamic glaze (that never expires – a win!) that I use now. It is so versatile.” – Chrissy
Ingredients
- Boneless pork tenderloin (about 1 pound)
- Coarse ground peppercorns
- Kosher salt
- A dried herb of your choice (I’m using basil – because I love basil!)
- Balsamic vinegar
- Sugar
Tips From My Kitchen to Yours
- To decide which herb I want to use in a dish, I usually just open the lids and smell them to see what I’m in the mood for. I’m sure there are more complicated ways to do this, but my smell method has always served me well, so I’ll just stick with that.
- I always let my pork tenderloin sit at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes before cooking. It helps the meat cook more evenly, and you’ll get a much better result.
- If you have a meat thermometer handy, use it. You’re looking for an internal temperature of 145°F. It takes all the guesswork out of knowing when it’s done.
- The balsamic reduction thickens up even more as it cools, so don’t worry if it looks a little thin right off the stove. Give it some time, and it’ll be perfect as a glaze for the pork tenderloin.
How to Make Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Reduction
1. Preheat the Oven
To start, preheat your oven to 475°F and grease a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Make the Balsamic Reduction
Next, pour balsamic vinegar into a saucepan and place over medium heat, stirring often.
Once it comes to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until it’s cooked down to about half as much as you started out with, still stirring often. This will take about 10 minutes.
3. Add Sugar & Cool
Remove it from the heat and stir in the sugar until dissolved. Set aside and let cool.
Pro tip: I like to refrigerate mine to get it even thicker. You can even make this the day before if you want!
4. Roast Your Pork
Now place your pork tenderloin on the greased baking sheet and sprinkle both sides with cracked pepper, dried herb of your choice, and kosher salt.
Note: You can just eyeball this, but if I had to guess how much I used, I’d say about 1/2 tsp coarse pepper, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon dried herbs per side.
Bake at 475°F for 10 minutes.
Flip and bake 10-15 minutes more, or until no longer pink in the center. I stick a sharp knife down in the middle and open it up a little bit to have a peek.
5. Let Rest & Serve
Remove the tenderloin from the oven and let it rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing.
Drizzle roasted pork tenderloin slices with your balsamic reduction just before serving.
Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
Serve the roasted pork tenderloin with your sides of choice and enjoy! As for me, I love enjoying it with a side of homemade mashed potatoes and some simple stovetop zucchini and summer squash, or a nice warm bowl of potato corn chowder.
Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Reduction FAQs
Nope, they’re not the same! Balsamic vinegar is the thin, tangy stuff you’d drizzle over a salad or use in a marinade like for these Beef Kabobs. Balsamic reduction, on the other hand, is what you get when you simmer that same vinegar until most of the water evaporates, leaving a thick, rich, slightly sweet syrup. Think of it like the fancier, more indulgent cousin of regular balsamic vinegar.
Yes! A little pink in the middle is totally fine. As long as the internal temperature hits 145°F, your pork is safe to eat, even if it still looks a bit rosy.
Overcooked it! That’s almost always the culprit. Pork tenderloin has barely any fat on it, so it dries out really fast if you leave it in the oven too long. I always make sure to pull mine out right when it hits 145°F and let it rest for a few minutes before slicing. That little rest makes a huge difference.
If this recipe made it to your dinner table, let us know! Leave a star rating and share your experience in the comments.
Ingredients
For the 3/4 cup of Balsamic Reduction
- 1 ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
For the Pork Tenderloin
- 1 pound pork tenderloin not whole pork loin but tenderloin
- 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons dried herb of your choice I used basil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 475°F and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray
- In a small saucepan, pour balsamic vinegar. Bring just to a boil over medium heat, while stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking, stirring often, until reduced by about half.1 ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- Remove from heat and stir in sugar until dissolved. Set aside and allow to cool while you prepare the roast.2 Tablespoons sugar
- Place your tenderloin on your greased baking sheet. Sprinkle each side with salt, pepper, and herb of your choice.1 pound pork tenderloin, 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 2 teaspoons dried herb of your choice
- Bake for 10 minutes, flip over, and bake 10-15 minutes more, or until no longer pink in the center.
- Allow to rest 5-10 minutes before slicing. Drizzle slices with Balsamic reduction when serving, if desired.
Notes
- To decide which herb I want to use in a dish, I usually just open the lids and smell them to see what I’m in the mood for. I’m sure there are more complicated ways to do this, but my smell method has always served me well, so I’ll just stick with that.
- I always let my pork tenderloin sit at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes before cooking. It helps the meat cook more evenly, and you’ll get a much better result.
- If you have a meat thermometer handy, use it. You’re looking for an internal temperature of 145°F. It takes all the guesswork out of knowing when it’s done.
- The balsamic reduction thickens as it cools, so don’t worry if it looks a little thin right off the stove. Give it some time, and it’ll be perfect as a glaze for the pork tenderloin.
Hey Christy! It’s always fun to see what you’ve been cooking and baking in your kitchen as well as what dishes you have chosen to use to serve it in or on. Love the ‘plates’ you used this time. Also love to read the stories that you post as well. No matter how busy my day might be a ALWAYS read and re-read your stories and sure feel sorry for the folks who might think they don’t have the time to do so. They sure are missing out!! Keep doing the great work you do! We love you all the more because of what you do!!
Thank you Debbie, you always make my day!!!
Love the recipe and I also loved reading Mr. Upton’s obituary. That is so special of you to think of framing it on your wall! (He is probably looking down upon you today!)
I hope you get to try the recipe soon Brenda. I like to think he is, and hope he watches out for me.
What happened to your drop biscuits & sausage gravy recipe?!?!?! I saw it posted last night, but when I went to print it, it disappeared!!!!! I’ve been looking for a good version of this recipe and I thought I’d found it. 🙁
Gonna have to try this. (and I think your husband and I have some similar food tastes – I don’t like hunks of tomatoes in stuff either, and I’m not a vinegar fan!)
thanks for all you do…and hoping to find you at the cornbread festival!
The recipe looks awesome! I believe that even I can do this! 🙂 I loved reading the obituary! It would be an honor to live such a life as to have such wonderful things said about you. A great reminder! Thanks!
I hope you get to try it soon Kim!!!
What herbs do you use when you fix this? I like to cook with them, but don’t always know what to use. I so enjoy your blog. At home sick today…looking forward to getting my energy back so I can give this recipe a whirl! God bless you!
As I mentioned in the recipe, I used Basil. But you can use what ever you like best.
Hubby loves to grill the pork tenderloin, but I will be sure to try the rub and the Balsamic reduction the next time he grills a pork tenderloin.
I hope you enjoy it Emily!!