Dutch Oven Pork Tenderloin

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This Dutch Oven Pork Tenderloin recipe is juicy, fork-tender, and delicious! It's baked with carrots, onions and potatoes for a hearty, one-pot meal your whole family will love!

dutch oven filled with vegetables and pork tenderloin on top.

Why Cook in a Dutch Oven?

  • Baking pork tenderloin in a dutch oven is easy and stress free! You can brown pork tenderloin and cook it in one pot which makes clean-up a breeze.
  • A cast iron dutch oven (ad) also retains heat so it cooks food faster than a slow cooker or crockpot.
  • This delicious dinner is made in less than 1 hour from start to finish!
  • Try my other pork dishes including Fall off the Bone BBQ Ribs and the best Pulled Pork recipe.
ingredients needed for dutch oven pork tenderloin.
Pork Tenderloin Ingredients
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Ingredients

You'll love making this pork loin recipe for Sunday dinner or weeknight meals. The root vegetables taste amazing when cooked with a brown sugar rub. See recipe card for quantities.

PORK TENDERLOIN

  • pork tenderloin (2 long roasts)
  • chicken broth
  • onion slices
  • carrots
  • potatoes
  • mini sweet peppers
  • cornstarch

DRY RUB

  • garlic powder
  • onion powder
  • Italian seasoning
  • steak seasoning
  • sea salt
  • brown sugar
potatoes, carrots and peppers on a red striped cloth.

Equipment

This dutch oven pork roast recipe is a family favorite! The sassy dry rub is made with brown sugar and spices that create a tender roast with exceptional flavor.

Instructions

1 - In a small bowl, mix seasonings together to make a dry rub. Put pork in a pan and rub all sides of pork roast with seasonings. Place pork in the bottom of a dutch oven.

rubbing dry rub on pork in a pan.

2 - Drizzle olive oil in the bottom of the dutch oven and sear the meat over medium heat on all sides using large tongs. Remove tenderloin and wrap in foil.

tenderloin being seared in a dutch oven.

3 - Deglaze the bottom of the dutch oven by pouring in the chicken broth and scraping up the brown bits with a wooden spoon over medium high heat. Add cornstarch mixture to the pot and stir until a brown gravy thickens.

deglazing pan after pork tenderloin cooks.

4 - Slice onions, carrots and potatoes and place in the bottom of the dutch oven with the gravy. Stir well and sprinkle veggies with a dash of salt and Italian seasoning.

vegetables added to dutch oven.

5 - Place roast on top of root vegetables in dutch oven and close the lid. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until internal temperature of the pork reaches 145 degrees when using a meat thermometer. Remove pork and wrap in aluminum foil.

kitchen tongs holding pork tenderloin.

6 - Raise oven temperature to 400 degrees and place veggies back into the oven for 15 more minutes until tender when pierced with a fork.

7 - Slice pork and place on top of vegetables. Serve straight from the pot while pork is still warm.

pork tenderloin after it's been sliced on a bed of vegetables.

Recipe FAQS

What is the best cut of pork for this recipe?

Pork tenderloin is a thin and narrow meat cut from the backbone of a pig. It is extra lean and cooks quickly, so it is best when used in recipes that require short cooking times. It's perfect for this recipe because it only needs to reach 145 degrees.

Can I substitute pork chops in this recipe?

You can, but keep in mind that pork chops are not as tender as a tenderloin. Substituting meats might cause the recipe to turn out tough.

Why is a dutch oven the best way to cook pork tenderloin?

A dutch oven is made of cast iron which retains heat and cooks meat quicker than a crockpot or slow cooker. Since a tenderloin requires a short cooking time, a dutch oven is the best choice for this recipe.

pork tenderloin lifted out of a dutch oven with kitchen tongs.

Storage and Freezing

If you're lucky enough to have leftovers, you can make wonderful hot pork sandwiches! Just pile the pork on top of your favorite bakery roll.

Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also freeze leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

To reheat, it's best to do so in a microwave on a low setting. Reheating meat for too long will make it chewy and tough.

Top Tips

  • Use a meat thermometer for best results.
  • Remove pork roast from oven when temperature reaches 145 degrees. It will continue to cook while it rests. Cooking it longer will cause it to be tough and chewy.
  • Most tenderloins that weigh at least 2.5 pounds will be cut in half into two long roasts. If not, be sure to slice yours so it will fit in your dutch oven.
  • Tenderloin has a pink hue when sliced. That quickly fades to white once it rests. 

More Dutch Oven Recipes

Try these other dutch oven recipes that are sure to please...

Recipe Card

pork tenderloin over vegetables in a blue dutch oven.

Dutch Oven Pork Tenderloin

This Dutch Oven Pork Tenderloin recipe is juicy, fork-tender, and delicious! It's baked with carrots, onions and potatoes for a hearty, one-pot meal.
5 from 20 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Dishes
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Servings8
Calories: 398kcal

*See notes in blog post for detailed tips, photos and instructions.

Equipment

Ingredients

PORK TENDERLOIN

  • 2.5 pound pork tenderloin (2 long roasts)
  • 2 cups chicken broth or stock
  • 1 large onion sliced in chunks
  • 1 pound fresh carrots sliced in chunks
  • 6 small russet potatoes cubed (leave skins on)
  • 6 mini sweet peppers sliced
  • 2 Tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 Tablespoons water

DRY RUB

  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon steak seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ cup brown sugar

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
  • In a small bowl, mix seasonings together to make a dry rub. Put pork in a pan and rub all sides of pork roast with seasonings. Place pork in the bottom of a dutch oven.
  • Drizzle olive oil in the bottom of the dutch oven and sear the meat over medium heat on all sides using large tongs. Remove tenderloin and cover with foil.
  • Deglaze the bottom of the dutch oven by pouring in the chicken broth and scraping up the brown bits with a wooden spoon over medium high heat. Add cornstarch mixture to the pot and stir until a brown gravy thickens.
  • Slice onions, carrots and potatoes and place in the bottom of the dutch oven with the gravy. Stir well and sprinkle veggies with a dash of salt and Italian seasoning. Add sliced sweet peppers on top.
  • Place roast on top of root vegetables in dutch oven and close the lid. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until internal temperature of the pork reaches 145 degrees when using a meat thermometer. Remove pork and wrap in aluminum foil.
  • Raise oven temperature to 400 degrees and place pot back into the oven for 15 more minutes until vegetables are tender when pierced with a fork.
  • Slice pork and place on top of vegetables. Serve straight from the pot while pork is still warm.

Notes

  • The dutch oven used for this recipe had a capacity of 6 quarts. 
  • The pork tenderloin used in this recipe came in 2 long pieces that were very thin. If your meat is thicker, plan to cook it longer. 
  • Use a meat thermometer for best results. Insert it into the thickest part of the meat. 
  • Remove pork roast from oven when temperature reaches 145 degrees for medium rare, or up to 160 for medium.  
  • Pork will continue to cook while it rests. 
  • Tenderloin has a pink hue when it is sliced. The color quickly fades to white once it rests. If you prefer pork to be well done with no pink, bake it for an extra 15 minutes. 
  • View the Google Web Story for Dutch Oven Pork Tenderloin!

Nutrition

Calories: 398kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 632mg | Potassium: 1546mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin C: 44mg | Calcium: 76mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutrition info is an auto generated estimate.

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33 Comments

  1. If I only have one pork tenderloin, can I use a smaller Dutch oven or should I still use the large one?

    1. Hi Reachel. Yes, you can use a smaller dutch oven for one pork tenderloin. It should work just fine!

  2. 5 stars
    My whole family loves this pork tenderloin. Cooking it in a dutch oven makes all the difference in tenderness. And the flavor is amazing with the rub recipe!

    1. Thanks Sarah Beth! I love that you can make this pork tenderloin recipe all year long and it's quicker than you think!

  3. 5 stars
    I made this pork tenderloin for New Year's Eve and everyone loved it. It was really good with the spices and the veggies turned out nice. I used cabbage instead of peppers and served it with your collard greens recipe. A big hit!

  4. 5 stars
    The seasoning mix is what makes this recipe delicious! It’s my go-to for most pork recipes from here on out! The pork came out perfect!

5 from 20 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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