This honey garlic pork tenderloin recipe starts with an easy marinade with lots of fresh ginger and soy. Once marinaded, bake in the oven!

Adding this recipe for honey garlic pork tenderloin into your meal rotation is an easy and fast way to bring something different, yet healthy and simple to the table! It’s great to switch it up sometimes and we have been loving this recipe so much. We like to serve it over rice with some broccoli.
love recipe videos? watch how I make it on YouTube.
Should you marinate pork tenderloin?
First things first, let’s talk about pork tenderloin. Tenderloin is a wonderfully tender cut of meat because it’s non-load-bearing but with pork, it tends to dry out and lack flavor if it isn’t cooked or prepared right.
The simplest way to begin the process appropriately is by marinating the meat. While you can buy pre-marinated tenderloins from the store, they’re often filled with lots of additives and lesser quality oils. I find it best to make my own. But in short, yes, if you want a yummy pork tenderloin, use a marinade like this one in this honey garlic pork tenderloin recipe.

What’s in the honey garlic pork tenderloin marinade?
This marinade is SO simple. All you need are a few pantry and fresh ingredients. You can whisk it together in less than 5 minutes, I promise! Here’s what you need for the honey garlic pork tenderloin marinade:
- soy sauce (or tamari or coconut aminos)
- olive oil (or oil of your choice like avocado)
- a lime
- honey
- fresh ginger
- fresh garlic cloves


How do you make pork tenderloin that isn’t dry?
The trick to keeping pork tenderloin nice and juicy after you take the time to marinate it is not to cook it for too long. The National Pork Board has revised its statements for the internal temperature of some cuts of pork, including the tenderloin. You only need to make sure the tenderloin reaches a medium internal temperature of 145F, NOT 165F. The 20-degree difference really DOES make all of the difference.
By not cooking this honey garlic pork tenderloin to well done, you’re ensuring there is some juice left in the meat.
Additionally, when the meat has finished cooking, rest it on a cutting board for at least 10 minutes before slicing. This way the juices have a way to soak back up into the meat.

How long do you cook pork tenderloin?
Keeping the above in mind, cooking temperatures can vary depending on the thickness of your pork tenderloin. Cooking can take anywhere from 22-30 minutes. You want to rely on a digital real thermometer to get you to 145F.

Prep and leftover tips
If you’re in a hurry you can always prep the marinade ahead of time and add it to the meat 1-4 hours before cooking. You don’t want to marinate this *too* long because it will start to break down the meat.
We find that this dish makes pretty good leftovers for 2-3 days! Simply portion out some rice, a veggie, and a few slices of the tenderloin in a dish and reheat when you want. Of course, this will cause the meat to cook more so keep that in mind.
Also, you can chop the meat up and use it in pork fried rice!

Other recipes you may like:
Sticky Ground Pork and Rice Bowls with Broccoli
Air Fryer Chicken Wings with Sweet & Spicy Sauce
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Honey Garlic Pork Tenderloin with Ginger & Soy
This honey garlic pork tenderloin recipe starts with an easy marinade with lots of fresh ginger and soy. Once marinaded, bake in the oven!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Asian American
Ingredients
- 1 pork tenderloin
- ⅔ cup soy sauce
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil (or oil of choice)
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 Tbsp. honey
- 1, 2-inch piece ginger, grated
- 2–3 garlic cloves, grated
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients into a zip-top bag or bowl with a lid. Marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour but up to 4 hours.
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About 30 minutes prior to cooking, remove the marinating pork from the fridge to come to room temperature before cooking. This ensures even cooking.
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Preheat the oven to 400F.
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Remove the tenderloin from the marinade shaking off some of the excess liquid. Don’t rinse or pat anything off, though. If the tail end is much thinner than the thickest part, you can fold the tenderloin into itself and tie the thin end together with some cotton kitchen twine or a toothpick so it bakes more evenly and the end doesn’t dry out.
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Lay the tenderloin on a baking sheet or dish and bake for 22-28 minutes (dependant on thickness) or until it internally reaches 145F (see here for the National Pork Board’s revised cooking temperature recommendations).
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Allow the tenderloin to rest for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
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We like eating this with rice and broccoli best!
Keywords: pork tenderloin, marinade, oven baked
Photo and video clips shot by Amber Rice with Savor The Shot
This recipe looks so great & delicious. I can’t wait to try this one! Thanks for sharing;)
Looks so juicy! What carbs would you recommend to pair this with?